I've always felt that dialogue written in a way that is meant to indicate a specific accent or dialect -- whether in OKLHAOMA!, CAROUSEL, SOUTH PACIFIC, PORGY AND BESS, CARMEN JONES, or whatever other show -- tends to look rather quaint and embarrassing, even if the writing of the dialect is quite accurate.
Exactly. And really, I'm not sure they're particularly accurate in any of those shows.
Being a New Englander all my life, I've yet to hear ANYONE ever say "fust" (instead of "first") or stuff like that. It's exaggerated for theatrical effect, I suppose, but it's not how anyone really speaks. |