| re: Oklahoma Jewish |
| Posted by: aleck 05:21 pm EDT 08/31/19 |
| In reply to: re: Oklahoma Jewish - AlanScott 04:29 pm EDT 08/31/19 |
|
I had a friend who attended the opening night of the original production because her mother was the vocal coach for Alfred Drake and Celeste Holm. While she sometimes spoke about how thrilling that opening night was, we never got around to talking about this point of whether the audience perceived the peddler as Jewish or not. (Sadly, she is no longer with us.) I think that audiences come in with some knowledge and preconceptions of these things -- especially then -- and react accordingly. I don't think it was an accident that someone so well-known from the Yiddish theatre was cast in that part. It had to be part of the texture of the production.
But, then, the original "Billy" (or Liliom) in Liliom was Joseph Schildkraut, who, too, was known as a Jewish actor. What dynamic did that bring to the production for the audience of the time? Audiences DO make judgments based on these things. Even today. |
|
reply
|
|
| Previous: |
re: Oklahoma!: Ali, oops - WaymanWong 12:25 am EDT 09/01/19 |
| Next: |
Italian Americans in Oklahoma! - BruceinIthaca 06:48 pm EDT 08/31/19 |
| Thread: |
|
