Alexander Hamilton, One of Americas founding fathers, author of “The Federalist Papers,” and the gentleman on the ten-dollar bill, has a riveting Broadway musical biography on his life by the great Lin-Manuel Miranda. What makes this show absolutely unique is that it not just white men dressed up in powdered white wigs, it’s a contemporary piece with scores of music in pop, hip-hop, R&B and only uses Black and Latino actors. In theatre, the concept of colorblind casting has been used for a long time but it is still a debate whether or not it’s an effective practice. Even the celebrated Black playwright August Wilson, in his speech addressed to the Theatre Communications Group National Conference “The Ground on Which I Stand” states that, “colorblind casting is an aberrant idea that has never had any validity other than as a tool of Cultural Imperialists who view American culture, rooted in the icons of European culture, as beyond reproach in its perfection … to mount an all-black production of a Death of a Salesman or any other play conceived for white actors as an investigation of the human condition through the specifics of white culture is to deny us our own humanity, our own history, and the need to make our own investigation from the cultural ground on which we stand as black Americans.” Nevertheless, Hamilton does the exact opposite, it opens the audience to understanding that talent can transcend the characters and still tell the stories of our cultures history using both a serious, comedic, and musical approach. …show more content…
Exploring concepts such as colorblind casting, we can see why “Hamilton” paved the way for new innovative ways to express American history because of its dedication to diverse casting and its use of various music genres. To begin, understanding the theory of colorblind casting is essential to the discussion of this musical. “Hamilton” summoned a casting call requesting actors that are were only people of color. Many white performers got upset over this request. The notion of colorblind casting is supposed to produce an even playing field for actors when auditioning for a role. Additionally, the casting director ignores race and concentrates merely on the actor’s ability to perform. Although, race is sometimes essential to the role of a character, we have to figure out a few things about the script. There are two types of scripts “contextually specific or contextually neutral.” It is okay to cast by race only when a play is specifically examining matters of race. This mindful artistic decision behind this casting move for “Hamilton” was not to hurt anyone feelings. Lin-Manuel Miranda notes that this was intentional, “the story [becomes] more immediate and more accessible to a contemporary audience … allowing you to leave whatever cultural baggage you have about the founding fathers at the door” (Bennett). However, in the case of “Hamilton” and other shows like it, even though an actor may not historically match the role they represent, actors should be able to represent historical figures from any era (Marcus). Because of Miranda’s “color-conscious” casting approach, we learn how to tell stories without looking at ethnicity (Erying). Even as adults we can learn to suspend our beliefs for a moment when we focus solely on talent. Author of “Alexander Hamilton” Ron Chernow, had worked with Miranda closely on this project “Hamilton” and in his interview with New York Times he recalled his first time being at rehearsals. “I remember poking my head into the room and seeing eight actors standing in front of eight music stands, thinking, Oh my goodness, they’re all black and Latino! What on earth is Lin-Manuel thinking … but after a minute or two I started to listen and forgot the color or ethnicity of these astonishingly talented young performers. Within five minutes, I became a militant on the subject of color-blind casting.” Without people like Miranda we jeopardize the work for people of color to a system that only caters to more their more privileged white peers who have with greater access to roles (Eyring). As much as this show was a dedication to the colorblind casting concept, we can see why it is essential to the people of color communities. In another production by Miranda called “In the Heights” Howard Sherman speaks with Miranda about how representation resonates with you even as a child. “… when I see a school with a huge Latino population do Heights, I feel a surge of pride that the students get to perform something that may have a sliver of resonance in their daily lives … high school’s the one chance you get, as an actor, to play any role you want, before the world tells you what ‘type’ you are. The audience is going to suspend disbelief: they’re there to see their kids, whom they already love, in a play ...” In addition, even in another interview with Katie Couric, Miranda went on to say, as a Latino, that the ability to get roles were limited. “… I don't dance well enough to be Bernardo [from West Side Story] or Paul from A Chorus Line and if you're a Puerto Rican man, that's what you get." These two statements from the playwright proves that representation is essential to the growth of an actor. It is the sole duty of a creative to open opportunities for people in our communities and by providing roles for young people of color we can nurture better performers. Without productions such as “Hamilton” we lose being able to develop these talents in young people across the states who are looking to become active in the world of theatre. Another reason why “Hamilton” is such a great production is its ability to grab all different types of demographics with its use of various music throughout the production but what made the show unique was its use of Hip Hop. Within the genre of Hip Hop itself is a multi-layered concoction that draws from all music, so to say this just a stage presentation of Hip Hop would sell this production short (Rosen). Miranda was genius to spew out political history by using 2000’s girl group style R&B, 60’s Britpop, and choral songs of contemporary Broadway, “There are elements of pop and elements of rock and elements of the more traditional show-tune feel.” 20 Years ago talking about using hip hop in a play would have sounded ridiculous. But The true essence of Hip Hop draws from the past then merges with the present to bring life to music (Rosen). Furthermore, much like the show tagline, "This is the story of America then, told by America now," Miranda figuratively and literally used hip hop as a literary device to tell Americas History. According to Miranda, “Hamilton produced over 27 volumes of written work … I think it’s appropriate that we would need a musical style that transmits more words per minute than any other genre” (Rosen). Not only was “Hamilton” harmonious to the ear but also historically accurate. Miranda effectively abridged “Alexander Hamilton” an 18th-century style 818-page biography for the 21 century viewer. Ron Chernow, worked with Miranda on this project about six years and he stated that, “when I asked whether hip-hop — of which I was abysmally ignorant — could be the vehicle for telling such a rich, complex story, he answered, ‘‘Ron, I’m going to educate you.’’... he pointed out that with dense, rapid lyrics, you could pack an enormous amount of information into the songs.” So to use Rap as a technique to write the dialogue was not only fun but strategic. According to Stephen Sondheim in his interview with New York Times, what made this production enjoyable to watch was Miranda’s literary choice to rhyme, without this lines may flatten out and become monotone. Rap made “Hamilton” accessible and witty to the audience by staging rap battles between characters at political meetings about debt and legislation (Rosen). However, the characters don’t jump in and out of dialogue to deliver songs. “… from the jump, everything was rap, everything was bars. Some of the cast members are rappers, some aren't. But even the ones who aren’t M.C.s rise to the occasion,” says Hip Hop legends Questlove and Black Thought, founding members of The Roots. Questlove applauds Miranda for his Hip Hop references that many audience viewers may not get if they did not grow up with a Hip Hop background. “Most of his references were between ’94 and 2002 … I still love the fact that this play works even if you don’t get the Mobb Deep references. It’s multilevel.” In closing, after examining the elements of “Hamilton” one can see why this show is sold-out on Broadway for years. The production, “Hamilton” raises many eyebrows not only about its choice of casting but also with its choice of music. Yet, that is what makes this production brilliant, its literal correlation to race blind casting and Miranda’s creative decision to use Rap as a technique to spew out mounds of 18th century political rhetoric. “Hamilton” disproves Legendary Playwright, August Wilson, in his stance against color-blind casting. “Hamilton” demonstrates how you can take enormous amount of talent and clever wordplay to transform characters outside of what we (the audience) knows them to be. Roles are already scarce for any actor but to limit actors work in the theatre based solely off of their skin color is detrimental to future projects that could use these talented individuals. Moreover, without playwrights such as Lin-Manuel Miranda who are creating roles for people of color educators lose the opportunity to groom and prepare young performers looking to become active in theatre. Miranda not only had a strategic casting approach but also with his dialogue style. Miranda flipped Broadway on its head by using Hip Hop as his point of reference for the dialogue. However, Miranda proves that using Rap as a technique was the only way to translate 818 complex pages of 18th century speech. Moreover, it was the only way to make the this historical story attentive enough for a 21st century audience. “Hamilton” is not only a multi-layered composition, but also entertaining and calculated beautifully. Supported celebration of this production comes from music legends: Stephen Sondheim who claimed without this use of rhyme the lines would have been unexciting and Questlove member of The Roots, who pointed out the many Hip Hop artists Miranda paid homage too in his production. “Hamilton” is a show that is appeasing to all audiences and real Hip Hop heads who want a little historical education. “Hamilton” is the breakout production that is going to start the trend of Hip Hop Musicals.
The play The Colored Museum is a pleasant change in pace, in how a play projects itself to the audience. I found that the interaction with the audience to be an exceptional manner to add humor to the play, which was made evident in the exhibits pertaining to the play. However, the theme is constantly present in each unique exhibit, although it would appear that each exhibit could stand on its own. The play is a satire on the stereotypes or clichés seen in African-American culture, both past and present, but at the same time there is some praise or a form of acceptance towards the same diverse heritage. Despite this inherent contradiction, the play does well to spark thought in the viewer on what was said and done and how it can be relatable
To die a tragic death by the hand of another man- to carve ones way through destiny and shape one's future from the humblest of beginnings- to forge a legacy by a medium only those heralded as our countries "Forefathers" have per chanced to meddle with- these are the makings and the foundations for which great men and the dreams of our country rely upon.
The Harlem Renaissance, in the 1920’s, sparked a cultural movement known as the “New Negro”. Along with this movement, an anthology was published by Alain Locke named The New Negro. Within this anthology, the playwright Willis Richardson left his mark in the movement through his play Compromise. Compromise depicted what Alain Locke meant by the New Negro movement. Many plays that were published established ideas similar to Compromise. In the single issue magazine Fire, the play Color Struck had similar agendas but from a different point of view, culturally. Willis Richardson, through his work, Compromise, tries to establish the idea of how culture influences the political sphere in society.
Then, in the play, Wilson looks at the unpleasant expense and widespread meanings of the violent urban environment in which numerous African Americans existed th...
Slavery consisted of numerous inhumane horrors completed to make its victims feel desolated and helpless. Many inescapable of these horrors of slavery are conveyed in the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”. The entire prospect of the duration of the story is to plan an escape from the excruciating conditions awaiting Douglass as a slave. When his escape is finally executed, unpredictable emotions and thoughts overwhelm him. Within the conclusion of his narrative (shown in the given passage), Frederick Douglass uses figurative language, diction, and syntax to portray such states of mind he felt after escaping slavery: relief, loneliness, and paranoia.
Blackface minstrelsy was an established nineteenth century form of onstage entertainment most popular in the northern states of America which intentionally created exaggerated stereotypes of black people for prominently white working class male audiences . White performers would blacken their faces with burnt cork or black grease and perform skits, songs and dances and act out their image of black people. Rather than present an accurate depiction of African Americans and authentic portrayals of the qualities of ‘negro’ life, minstrelsy reflected the ideas and conceptions of white society . The content of the shows however was altered to create images of blacks and slaves that suited white northern public opinion . White actors now had the opportunity to manipulate black identity and reinforce notions of white superiority, and by portraying blacks as uncivilised it reinforced the need for slavery. This white produced black identity served to reinforce racial differences, and all...
I think this play is a lot about what does race mean, and to what extent do we perform race either onstage or in life:
Marlon T. Riggs’ video, Color Adjustment, offers the viewer an exciting trip though the history of television, focusing on the representation, or lack thereof, of African-Americans. A perfectly chosen combination of television producers, actors, sociologists, and cultural critics join forces to offer insight and professional opinion about the status of African-Americans in television since the inception of television itself. As Color Adjustment traces the history of television shows from Amos n’ Andy and Julia to "ghetto sitcoms" and The Cosby Show, the cast of television professionals and cultural critics discuss the impacts those representations have on both the African-American community and our society as a whole. Color Adjustment continually asks the question: "Are these images positive?" This video raises the viewer’s awareness about issues of positive images for African-Americans on television.
“If you stand for nothing, Burr, what will you fall for?” Lin-Manuel Miranda raps at the beginning of his hit musical, Hamilton. This sentence truly epitomizes the ideal that governed Alexander Hamilton’s life; that is to say that he was always a weighty advocate for the things in which he believed. His accomplishments range from orchestrating the Bank of New York to being a delegate for the Continental Congress, proving him to be a well rounded Founding Father. Nonetheless many would like to discredit Hamilton because he, like all human beings, had significant flaws; he had an affair, he had trouble keeping his head, and many other countless flaws. However, does not every human being have a multitude of shortcomings? From the perspective of
Over the course of approximately one-hundred years there has been a discernible metamorphosis within the realm of African-American cinema. African-Americans have overcome the heavy weight of oppression in forms such as of politics, citizenship and most importantly equal human rights. One of the most evident forms that were withheld from African-Americans came in the structure of the performing arts; specifically film. The common population did not allow blacks to drink from the same water fountain let alone share the same television waves or stage. But over time the strength of the expectant black actors and actresses overwhelmed the majority force to stop blacks from appearing on film. For the longest time the performing arts were the only way for African-Americans to express the deep pain that the white population placed in front of them. Singing, dancing and acting took many African-Americans to a place that no oppressor could reach; considering the exploitation of their character during the 1930's-1960's acting' was an essential technique to African American survival.
With the turn of the century, society and technology evolved and so did the minstrel shows. The introduction of the television gave the shows a new platform to broadcast their content to more American audiences. While not as harsh as the shows in the 19th century’s shows, the modern minstrel shows were “vestiges of their racial stereotyping and performance aesthetics that persisted for decades in various performance mediums. ” (7).
But all the excitement and success that surrounds “Empire” cannot erase the reality that it’s a glossy showcase for internalized racism. Just look at the publicity photos of the lead characters, all flashing lightly tawny skin. After Emancipation, a hierarchy of light-skinned black people developed into community leaders with access to jobs and education that were closed to darker-skinned black people. At black colleges, the paper bag test – wherein only African-Americans with skin lighter than a brown paper bag were admitted – further established the separation between skin tones. This separation between lighter and darker skin tones continues today. People of color that can “pass” (“passing”is when POC are light enough that they might be mistaken for white) in society are given more advantages over darker-skinned black people. Being lighter is still considered being better, which is why darker-skinned celebrities typically are white washed in photo shoots. “Empire” has been called out for playing into this stereotype with a cast that features only light-skinned people in the significant, powerful roles and relegating dark-skinned people to subservient, minor
Harlem provided a source of entertainment for many people. With its Jazz Clubs and poetry readings it was the “hip” place to be. This was a shock to many African-American’s, who had never before had the opportunity to perform in such affluent surroundings. Oftentimes funding for these clubs or programs was provided by White Americans. This in itself was not a problem. However, the Harlem Renaissance became so dependant on the funding that when it stopped coming, there was no means by which to keep any of the clubs or literary cafes open. Some clubs in Harlem even discriminated against Black audience members. The popular Cotton Club, which featured solely Black performers, even went so far as to ban African-Americans’ from its audience entirely. Even in the Mecca of supposed racial equality, these sorts of discrimination were still prevalent. Advertisements for products produced by African-Americans were also skewed. Para...
In conclusion, Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” portrays racist stereotypes through symbols, such as the piano, watermelons and supernatural powers, characters like Breniece, Boy Willie, and Avery and also through conflicts within oneself, with another character and also supernatural power. Racism was prominent throughout the play but these are the symbols, characters, and conflicts that were very significant. Wilson’s “The piano lesson” did indeed teach about the happiness of white men in the misery of black men, as once said by Fredric Douglas, “The white man's happiness cannot be purchased by the black man's misery.”
This performance review stood out from the rest of the text for the purposes of this project. A Mr.Charles Matthews was the reviewer. He first talks about the fact that that he took the time to visit the “Niggers (or negroes) theatre” (Dewberry), and then went on to say, “The black population being, in the national theatres, under certain restrictions have, to be quite at their ease, a theatre of their own.” (Dewberry) . The performance is already being judged, because it’s happening at a “Nigger theatre”. The transcript goes on to say, “Here he sees a black tragedian (the Kentucky Roscius) perform the character of Hamlet, and hears him deliver the soliloquy "To be or not to be, dat is him question, whether him nobler in de mind to suffer or lift up him arms against a sea of hubble bubble and by opossum (oppose 'em) end 'em…” (Dewberry). Mr. Charles continues this review by stating how unamazed he was at the performance. Mr. Charles felt as though these negroes were changing Shakespeare into something that was meant to celebrate them, and Shakespeare is for white