Rita De Leon Hey, I'm all for more PoC in the theatre -- more work for me, but a black actor playing a twenty year old southern toy boy stereotype? Doesn't quite fit the situation (Calvin Klein _could_ have picked a Sean Cody boy of color -- there are a couple of handful -- but he didn't; very few successful older gay men do). I could be wrong, but I've never been aware of a situation like the one depicted in this show playing out in a family of color; in an African-American context, race would be a factor, where the ex-husband trades up to a white woman, and the father wouldn't be openly gay (I can'r even envision a man of color in the mainstream fashion industry rather than a niche market there in who would be unconcerned enough about being gay and still being successful). It's im possible to think that race wouldn't matter in this kind of story to start with; the context would need to be completely revamped. As far as telling stories about people of color, August Wilson has been dead for a while now, though there is a Korean-American woman out there who's got a play opening soon: it's called _Straight White Men._ It's probably going to be a modest financial successful, even if they just replaced Tom Skerrit. Theater's a business these day, which has turned me cynical. There are only certain kinds of stories that can be told about people of color that will make money above Off-Off-Broadway prices (as a reference, tickets to this play, at an Off-site way theater, are $119), and those are plays that make the predominantly white theater-going audince feel comfortable, unless, of course, you'd like to talk about, say, the embarrassingly stereotypical work of a Tyler Perry-style playwright who leans into the broader comedic sensibilities of a niche audince.
Rita De Leon Oh, by the way, _Hamilton_ doesn't count somehow? I mean, it checks just about every now. Genius playwright _of color_ who is telling a compelling story funded by a group of people who have and are willing to risk a not unsubstantial amount of money to facilitate hiring a large and intentionally multiracial cast (despite the fact that the character's they're portraying overwhelmingly white) of professional (meaning Eqity card-holding) actors backed by equally professional crew and creative team that a nominally diverse group of theater-going audince is willing to shell out over $500 a ticket to see. Into the bargain: multiple Tony wins. Speaking for myself, that's just about all anybody could ask for. Do we need more shows like that? Most certainly. Coming up with that particular set of both rare and, just judging from the ticket prices, extremely expensive. Really, there are probably a fair number of other shows that aren't necessarily huge big-budgeted musical productions which check off most or all of the boxes, certainly with more modestly priced tickets, but they don't have the money to pay for marketing or play in thaters with more than 99 seat, so people might have to work a little harder to find them. It seems as though you are wanting something closer to what's being run in theaters with more means than that, and in such situations, the race of the talents involved/required cannot be the sole consideration in determining what gets produced.
Rita De Leon And while we're at it, Denzel has been playing Shakespeare and Eugene O'Neill roles in addition to the August Wilson material. Not exactly ideal to have colorblind casting of traditionally white material, but Denzel's got the acting chops for it. (Not unlike Phylicia Rashad in _August: Osage Country_ or _Bernarda Alba,_ or Condola Rashad in a colorblind _Saint Joan_ revival.)
Absurdist1968 Just as a catch all reply- Hamilton does count but as Lin said himself, it’s an anomaly on bway. Add to the fact that it’s the story of white people and it was made for people of color by people of color but the majority of the audience is white and have now made it such a commodity that (largely) poc can’t afford to see it... (I’m saying that while of course there are poc in the audience it’s mostly white people who can afford those insane prizes) It’s like white people are only comfortable with poc when they’re portraying white people. Also Hamilton is ONE SHOW, I’m not going to be satisfied with only one or a few shows that star poc (especially when half of the creators of the show were white men in Hamiltons case) You’re an actor yourself and you’re saying that stories about poc don’t get the spotlight as often and that’s just something we’re going to have to deal with? How is that ok? We can’t accept that as our reality. White people are allowed to create mediocre stuff that gets praised or shows that aren’t making that much money and stay open on broadway for a long time (a good example of this is how Hand to God or the Play That Goes Wrong were barely scraping by and managed to stay open for months and months but Shuffle Along was making a million dollars a week with an ALL BLACK cast and they closed it when they found out Audra would have to leave due to her pregnancy- they didn’t even give the show a chance to go on without her) Being of color does inform the story you’re right- but it’s not like they can’t address it in the script. Some shows have even had a poc playing a traditionally white character and not even addressed it and guess what? The show goes on the same anyway (for example Denee Benton playing Natasha in Great Comet) Poc have to be given the chance to star in shows even if the character isn’t traditionally played a poc, and they shouldn’t have to be as famous as Denzel to do it (it’s like that Chris Rock quote “the black man gotta run toward what the white man can walk towards”) Stories about, starring, and for poc have to be told, there’s no question and if you seriously say “well they just won’t make enough money!” Without given them the chance you’re no better than producers who also won’t give them the chance. Also, Tyler Perry plays are not all silly wacky Madea centric pieces, madea is a side character in one play, the others deal with the issues of identity, love, family, and marriage in the black community, you’re judging them based on the movies without even giving them a chance. Lastly, I don’t know the exact details of this play but surely at least one character here could’ve been of color, even if they had to make minor changes to the script to accommodate for it, it wouldn’t have been a tragedy.
Is there anyway you guys can release a recorded version of the stageplay please? I would love to see it in full. Only made it to catch the second half, and I drove all the way from Michigan.
Man I hate when Broadwaycom posts a clip from a show or rehearsal like this and doesn't list the actors in the scene(s). I think the guy playing the "grandfather" was in Queer As Folk but not sure and the curly black haired guy is also familiar.. C'mon Broadwaycom get with it.
I knew I remembered him from somewhere and then I read your post. I loved QAF! I also became a huge fan of Will Brittain who plays Trey after seeing him in the 2016 film Everybody Wants Some. His portrayal of the character Billy Autrey/Beuter really stood out and stayed with me.
My dream is to be an actress, but my parents want me to be a doctor or something like that. All my friends, and people in my school say I’m great, and I can sing decently. So I’m forced to make everything in my life like it’s a play or a musical, or I’m in a movie.
D Mc Idina's character's husband has dumped her for a 24-year old woman, and all of their friends have dropped her for the younger woman,too. She's in her mid-forties, and the prospect of turning fifty is bugging her. She flies to New York for her fashion designer father's 70th birthday, and discovers that he's living with a man who's the same age as her oldest son (20). She's not thrilled about any of it, and ins't even cordial with the boyfriend, who isn't really having it, not being as ditzy as he seems. Her dad isn't really about being emotionally supportive, smitten as he is with his boyfriend's youth and beauty. The boyfriend actually cares about the dad beyond the surface trapping, where Idina's son still believes in the power of surface beauty, to her chagrin. Who will the father choose to do his birthday with?
Her entrance, omg😍
Notice how there's NO dislikes! I swear Idina's a legend. 😊❤
I want to see that (or any of Idina's musicals) so badly!! - To bad that I'm not livin' in the US...
Dear Roundabout,
Please release a filmed version of this on DVD 😭 the best play I’ve ever seen!
Nash Johns IKR
Queen
She. Never. Ages. Wtf...
Carrie Loria you noticed that too 😂
Carrie Loria She's almost as old as me...
Emily Marie02 how can people not notice that tho!? Like dude she looks the same as she was in like RENT! She looks fantastic
@Trinity Bickford good genes lol
I’m happy she came back to broadway.
wtf i wanna see this so bad
God we need more actors of color in the theatre, particularly doing straight plays
Rita De Leon Hey, I'm all for more PoC in the theatre -- more work for me, but a black actor playing a twenty year old southern toy boy stereotype? Doesn't quite fit the situation (Calvin Klein _could_ have picked a Sean Cody boy of color -- there are a couple of handful -- but he didn't; very few successful older gay men do). I could be wrong, but I've never been aware of a situation like the one depicted in this show playing out in a family of color; in an African-American context, race would be a factor, where the ex-husband trades up to a white woman, and the father wouldn't be openly gay (I can'r even envision a man of color in the mainstream fashion industry rather than a niche market there in who would be unconcerned enough about being gay and still being successful). It's im possible to think that race wouldn't matter in this kind of story to start with; the context would need to be completely revamped. As far as telling stories about people of color, August Wilson has been dead for a while now, though there is a Korean-American woman out there who's got a play opening soon: it's called _Straight White Men._ It's probably going to be a modest financial successful, even if they just replaced Tom Skerrit.
Theater's a business these day, which has turned me cynical. There are only certain kinds of stories that can be told about people of color that will make money above Off-Off-Broadway prices (as a reference, tickets to this play, at an Off-site way theater, are $119), and those are plays that make the predominantly white theater-going audince feel comfortable, unless, of course, you'd like to talk about, say, the embarrassingly stereotypical work of a Tyler Perry-style playwright who leans into the broader comedic sensibilities of a niche audince.
Rita De Leon Oh, by the way, _Hamilton_ doesn't count somehow? I mean, it checks just about every now. Genius playwright _of color_ who is telling a compelling story funded by a group of people who have and are willing to risk a not unsubstantial amount of money to facilitate hiring a large and intentionally multiracial cast (despite the fact that the character's they're portraying overwhelmingly white) of professional (meaning Eqity card-holding) actors backed by equally professional crew and creative team that a nominally diverse group of theater-going audince is willing to shell out over $500 a ticket to see. Into the bargain: multiple Tony wins. Speaking for myself, that's just about all anybody could ask for. Do we need more shows like that? Most certainly. Coming up with that particular set of both rare and, just judging from the ticket prices, extremely expensive.
Really, there are probably a fair number of other shows that aren't necessarily huge big-budgeted musical productions which check off most or all of the boxes, certainly with more modestly priced tickets, but they don't have the money to pay for marketing or play in thaters with more than 99 seat, so people might have to work a little harder to find them. It seems as though you are wanting something closer to what's being run in theaters with more means than that, and in such situations, the race of the talents involved/required cannot be the sole consideration in determining what gets produced.
Rita De Leon And while we're at it, Denzel has been playing Shakespeare and Eugene O'Neill roles in addition to the August Wilson material. Not exactly ideal to have colorblind casting of traditionally white material, but Denzel's got the acting chops for it. (Not unlike Phylicia Rashad in _August: Osage Country_ or _Bernarda Alba,_ or Condola Rashad in a colorblind _Saint Joan_ revival.)
Absurdist1968 Just as a catch all reply- Hamilton does count but as Lin said himself, it’s an anomaly on bway. Add to the fact that it’s the story of white people and it was made for people of color by people of color but the majority of the audience is white and have now made it such a commodity that (largely) poc can’t afford to see it... (I’m saying that while of course there are poc in the audience it’s mostly white people who can afford those insane prizes) It’s like white people are only comfortable with poc when they’re portraying white people. Also Hamilton is ONE SHOW, I’m not going to be satisfied with only one or a few shows that star poc (especially when half of the creators of the show were white men in Hamiltons case)
You’re an actor yourself and you’re saying that stories about poc don’t get the spotlight as often and that’s just something we’re going to have to deal with? How is that ok? We can’t accept that as our reality. White people are allowed to create mediocre stuff that gets praised or shows that aren’t making that much money and stay open on broadway for a long time (a good example of this is how Hand to God or the Play That Goes Wrong were barely scraping by and managed to stay open for months and months but Shuffle Along was making a million dollars a week with an ALL BLACK cast and they closed it when they found out Audra would have to leave due to her pregnancy- they didn’t even give the show a chance to go on without her)
Being of color does inform the story you’re right- but it’s not like they can’t address it in the script. Some shows have even had a poc playing a traditionally white character and not even addressed it and guess what? The show goes on the same anyway (for example Denee Benton playing Natasha in Great Comet) Poc have to be given the chance to star in shows even if the character isn’t traditionally played a poc, and they shouldn’t have to be as famous as Denzel to do it (it’s like that Chris Rock quote “the black man gotta run toward what the white man can walk towards”)
Stories about, starring, and for poc have to be told, there’s no question and if you seriously say “well they just won’t make enough money!” Without given them the chance you’re no better than producers who also won’t give them the chance. Also, Tyler Perry plays are not all silly wacky Madea centric pieces, madea is a side character in one play, the others deal with the issues of identity, love, family, and marriage in the black community, you’re judging them based on the movies without even giving them a chance.
Lastly, I don’t know the exact details of this play but surely at least one character here could’ve been of color, even if they had to make minor changes to the script to accommodate for it, it wouldn’t have been a tragedy.
Where can i watch this online?
Is there anyway you guys can release a recorded version of the stageplay please? I would love to see it in full. Only made it to catch the second half, and I drove all the way from Michigan.
Man I hate when Broadwaycom posts a clip from a show or rehearsal like this and doesn't list the actors in the scene(s). I think the guy playing the "grandfather" was in Queer As Folk but not sure and the curly black haired guy is also familiar.. C'mon Broadwaycom get with it.
the guy playing Idina's father was "Vic" in QAF!
Yes it's Vic !
I knew I remembered him from somewhere and then I read your post. I loved QAF! I also became a huge fan of Will Brittain who plays Trey after seeing him in the 2016 film Everybody Wants Some. His portrayal of the character Billy Autrey/Beuter really stood out and stayed with me.
My dream is to be an actress, but my parents want me to be a doctor or something like that. All my friends, and people in my school say I’m great, and I can sing decently. So I’m forced to make everything in my life like it’s a play or a musical, or I’m in a movie.
What is this play about?
D Mc Idina's character's husband has dumped her for a 24-year old woman, and all of their friends have dropped her for the younger woman,too. She's in her mid-forties, and the prospect of turning fifty is bugging her. She flies to New York for her fashion designer father's 70th birthday, and discovers that he's living with a man who's the same age as her oldest son (20). She's not thrilled about any of it, and ins't even cordial with the boyfriend, who isn't really having it, not being as ditzy as he seems.
Her dad isn't really about being emotionally supportive, smitten as he is with his boyfriend's youth and beauty. The boyfriend actually cares about the dad beyond the surface trapping, where Idina's son still believes in the power of surface beauty, to her chagrin. Who will the father choose to do his birthday with?