Now, Bellini attended the play with a blank slate meaning I have never read any of Tennessee Williams' material (playwright behind Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Glass Menagerie, and A Streetcar Named Desire). So, it was very liberating for me to attend the play and draw my own conclusions and figure it out by myself. For those who haven’t seen the play – it is a tragedy. But the way black folks were carrying on – you couldn’t’ tell (now granted I chuckled here and there but damn). We're just laughing and carrying on while there is an important discourse being said and an additional revelation about the characters being illustrated. You folks are gonna make me adhere to Field Negro’s 12% rule.
Every day since I’ve seen the play, my mind drifts to the characters – I think about Brick (played by Terrence Howard and will intermittently be played by Boris Kodjoe [Showtime series Soulfood] ~3 weeks) and how he is still a manifestation of many black men who can’t just be due to family’s expectations, society’s dictations, and the specter of hypocrisy. And so they live a lie or become an enigma which is just as dreadful. And ladies, what if you married to such a man?
And you do everything your mama, grandmamas, aunties, cousins, and sistafrieds told you about keeping your marriage intact, making sure he’s happy, and keeping that figure tight and doin’ right?
What do you do?
It’s heavy ain’t it? So ain’t shit funny.
I mean Maggie “Cat” played by Anika had my ass thinking and still does to this day. Anika Noni Rose worked it – she is one not to be slept on – she has been added to my list of people I have to support just be’cuz their extraordinary talent demands it. And now 36 hours after the show, I can’t relive the soliloquy, mull over her words, inflections, or articulation of speech. That’s the thing about Broadway, I can’t rewind the DVD or pay transportation costs to get back to Manhattan nor the ticket price again [~100/pop]. On Broadway the show must go on and it did.
Now, I won’t ruin it for folks who have yet to see it. But, what I will share with you all is that this drama conceived in the (1950’s) and the original movie featured Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, etc. what do you notice -an all white cast. Moreover, if you know a thing a two about Tennessee Williams then it is not farfetched to believe the play is semi-autobiographical.
To know that in 2008 we can take movies that were not intended for black folks and mold it to our own kudos to Debbie Allen (director of play). Unlike my critique – earn your keep, vol i.—for the television debut of Raisin in the Sun, Allen stayed true to the original spirit of the play and retained the significance of presenting a play set 5 decades ago. And all these subtleties make a difference when you evaluate art. One thing Allen was skilled in doing was preserving the flavor of the original script and yet still making it relevant – although I haven’t seen or read the originals it was evident that Allen kept the setting intact. I received some criticism about my impression of Raisin, but I think people were stuck on the original performance by Sidney Poitier and the novel; when you insert a Diddy (definitely not a seasoned actor, but he wasn’t halfbad either) there is a different flavor brought to the art form. Not so for the Cat. And that is the genius of Debbie Allen, the director, she restaged the play and transformed its meaning.It was brilliant and that’s all I’m going to say.Go see it, support Broadway and black directors,actors,and actresses-the good ones at least.
cheers,
Bellini
6 comments:
I want to see this show so badly. I'm headed back home to NYC in May and I intend to check it out.
i too was there and i also could not get over all the laughter. but me thinks it has to do with a couple things. 1. these folks are used to seeing these actors on a screen with a laugh track or with other audience members who are free to laugh and talk back as often and as loud as they want. which leads to no. 2. these folks need a crash course in theatre ettiquite. meaning if its a drama (i.e. not a comedy or musical) you don't laugh out loud at the thick country accent of Big Mama even if it is funny to you, you don't howl and whistle at the lead male character in a robe even if he is terrance howard, you maintain your composure for the sake of the LIVE show, the LIVE actors who are in the zone and don't need you messing up there creative flow with a laugh every 5 seconds.
My friend and I were just talking about the "Cat" audience. We saw the play last month, and we have been trying to figure out what prompted the behavior of the audience.
EVERYTHING was funny. I mean EVERYTHING. It was ridiculous. We kept looking at each other saying, What is so funny?"
We came up with a few conclusions:
1. This was a "Tyler Perry" type crowd. No offense to Tyler Perry or people who like his work. But his plays tend to be "interactive" and he encourages audience participation. And we think some of the people in "Cat" audience brought that with them. But it should be noted that the producer, Stephen Byrd, said that he wanted to capture some of the "tyler perry audience" for "CAT".
2. They were not familiar with the nature of the play and didn't bother to do any research before they came. My friend refuted this because she had never seen nor heard of the play before seeing it, but she sensed the gravity of the play and knew it wasn't a comedy.
3. Many of the people didn't come to see the play, but the stars in the play (mainly Terrence Howard). We wondered if the production was too "star heavy" and it took the focus away from the play. I can only imagine how it would have turned out if the original producers had their way and cast Beyonce as 'Maggie'!!!
I don't know. The play was very entertaining. I'm glad I got to see James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad, Anika Noni Rose, and Giancarlo Esposito in action.
@ Danielle: i hope your experience exits under better conditions, but at least you'be been forewarned
@ mint julep: i think it balls down to art etiquette in general and having a sense of dignity for the art form; the irony is it was grown ass people actin' a damn fool and we wonder why the chil'ren are the way they are..
@ chynadoll: Nice to know me not crazy! LOL You brought up some things i didn't know (1) that the producer was seeking the Tyler Perry crowd, rather who should have sought the "Color Purple" crowd -- they behaved much better
(2) Beyonce as "Maggie the cat", come on -- theatre is one of the few mediums that actors and actresses have a chance to be on stage based on their merit of skill, let's save celebrity for Hollywood. If Beyonce wanted to play the annoying sister-in-law that's cool with me (she too has to earn her keep)
@Bellini:
Here's his(Stephen Byrd's) exact quote:
"I wanted this to be a must-see event with name talent to bring in the Tyler Perry market," Byrd says, referring to the playwright-actor who has made a fortune in what some call the "chitlin' circuit" of touring shows catering to African Americans. "I knew there was an audience out there, and I wanted it to get comfortable with Broadway."
http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/stage/844852,SHO-Sunday-cat16.article
Bellini, thanks for inviting a sista. I enjoyed the production but agree with Mint Julep about the audience's shenanigans. I was irritated by the constant laughter and banter... There were lines I missed because they didn't understand that in such a setting you chuckle quietly and shut the hell up. "Cat" ain't even a comedy so there were times when the audience laughed that I thought to myself "they don't get it". My mom made a similar reference to Tyler Perry shows... She said "these folks act as if Madea is waiting in the wings somewhere..."
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