Racial Stereotypes...put to music?

A racist play is bad enough - but a musical?

That is the opening statement to another blog concerning theatre, found on the UK newspaper The Guardian's website (http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2007/jun/05/aracistplayisbadenoughbu). The blog describes composer and lyricist Trever Nunn's project-a musical version of the 1936 novel Gone with the Wind written by Margaret Mitchell.

Now, this novel has been made into an Oscar winning motion picture, and was already adapted into a musical during the 1970's under the title Scarlet. So why is it such a big deal, a 2008 musical adaption?

Wait, Scarlet O'Hara owns slaves, right?
That's racist.

Well, I think the first step to accepting musicals with racial stereotypes is understanding WHY the story is being told in the first place. Is it to inform? To educate? To dissuade people from acting in a racist fashion? To poke fun, mock, or embarrass? What is it that makes the racial theme necessary?

Then, one has to examine: Ok, I've decided to write/produce/direct/act in this musical that deals with difficult, often times uncomfortable racial stereotypes. How do I go about this? What message am I trying to get across? How do I portray these characters without insulting anyone? And, if insulting is inevitable, how do I defend myself?

All these questions and problems are ones that I am going to explore in the Buffo Blog (A Buffo Opera is traditionally an comic opera that deals with farce and often stereotypical characters. Get it? I tried...).

As an actress, I will be dealing with musicals that push the envelope of what is considered politically correct. Whether it be classical musical theatre, where racism is the world of the play (The King and I) or the central theme (South Pacific) or more modern musical theatre, where the racism is an ironic statement about ignorance (Avenue Q, In the Heights), racism and racial stereotypes are present in nearly every production, somewhere.

I hope to explore this topic with a open mind. We've been taught that racism is completely negative and that we need to stay away from it. But here I am, in a profession where the challenge is thrust upon you, to handle racism and racial stereotypes in a respectful and meaningful way. I also hope to educate you, the reader, on why these musicals continue to be performed, and to what end.