Diversity & Representation Onstage

I've wanted to talk about this for the longest time because I feel as if there's so much I have to say and there's so much that should be said. In terms of diversity, Broadway as a whole, has been doing a lot better in terms of, color-blind casting and healthy representation, than they were 10 years ago. For example- Joshua Henry, a black actor, played Billy Bigelow, a role that's traditionally played by white men, in the recent 2018 revival of Carousel. In 2016, a Broadway production of Spring Awakening was produced that incorporated deaf and hearing-impaired actors. Both of those things NEVER would have happened 10 years ago. The past few seasons have been much more inclusive and have made so many able people to see themselves in the characters that are onstage. Everybody's Talking About Jamie, The Prom, Head Over Heels, Spring Awakening, Once On This Island, and Choir Boy have been great examples of such. Those examples have brought showcase to things like LGBTQ+ representation, representation for diasbled people, and black representation, which is AMAZING, so many people are being able to see people like them in a mainstream platform. But does that mean we're done in terms of building healthy representation onstage, no. There's still so much work to be done, and I'm going to build on that.
Broadway has for the most part, been a business that has been predominantly white. As a matter of fact, according to The Broadway League, 75% of 2017/18 season ticket-buyers were caucasian, making the last quarter made of people of color. In my own opinion, that's growth! But, something to be noted is that several shows in recent years that have showcased representation haven't lasted as long as shows with able-bodied and mostly/all white cast members. To elaboarate, a season usually has around 35-45 shows in it, meaning there should be a show for everyone, right? Unfortunately, that's not always the case. There are so many talented and amazing performers of color who wish to be able to tell their stories onstage and half of the time, they can't! People would much rather see a white actor telling a story and it's so unbelievably frustrating. Tons of people are denied visibility and representation, and if anything, it's what the world needs now. WE need to see people of color in storytelling, we NEED to see disabled people in storytelling and we NEED to see people of different sizes in storytelling. I'm going to be completely honest, some of my all-time favorite shows have had white, able-bodied, and slim casts and it's okay, but there could have been some MAJOR creative differences in them. Does being a minority give you bonus points in being cast in things, no, but it should be taken into consideration that diversity is VERY important, and it's uplifting and inspiring to so many people. But there's some EXCELLENT news! Diversity and representation continues to grow every day in the theater and baby steps are being took. 10 of the 22 cast members of the upcoming Kiss Me, Kate! revival are men and women of color. That's alright! Exercise your right to support representation in the theater. I've included a list of organizations and shows that do so as well, so give them all of your support and attention, it's SO needed! 

- Evan

- Deaf West
- The Prom
- Broadway Black
- Choir Boy (closes March 10)
- Kinky Boots (closes April 7)
- The Band's Visit
- Kiss Me, Kate! (closes June 2)

Belmont Avenuuuuuuuuue

Hey all! I apologize for the lack of content within the past few months, but my goal for the new year is to try and blog waaaay more than I did last year, and hopefully I can, because I'll most definitely be seeing lots of theatre this year! 

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a performance of A Bronx Tale (and I scored front row for $25!!) at the Winspear Opera House on January 5, 2018. I wanted to talk about my thoughts, so let's

jump right in! A Bronx Tale tells the story of a young man named Calogero (Joey Barriero), who's growing up in the Bronx during a time when racial division was much more prominent than it is now, and he's torn between a relationship with his father, Lorenzo (Richard H. Blake), and a mentorship with a local mob boss, Sonny (Joe Barbara). I thought the performances in this show were great! Every cast member had so much personality and I think that personality, in fact, is a great word to use when describing this show; that's just what it is! I was generally impressed by everybody's work and it was very evident that everyone was having the time of their life onstage. I went into the show knowing only the names of the characters, and that there was supposedly, a big twist-- that's it! Overall, the show was enjoyable for me. I think that what I saw was great, but it's what I didn't see that made the show lack some power.  If you're unaware of A Bronx Tale, Calogero falls in love with a young black woman named Jane (Brianna-Marie Bell) and due to the racial climate, the romance between them isn't received positively. The way their romance was set up was essentially like: Boy meets girl-they meet up-problem occurs-love rekindles-they can't be together. It wasn't very believable that their relationship was already on its feet by the second time that they'd met and their story was a little bit of a cliché. I think their story was rushed and that there wasn't enough put into the book to make it feel full and rewarding, and I could say the same for another thing in the show. SPOILER ALERT! At the top of the show, a young Calogero sees Sonny kill a man and passes the opportunity to turn Sonny in to the police, sparking their friendship. The whole debacle is forgotten throughout the show and it doesn't come back until near the end. As Calogero goes to meet Sonny at a party at the town bar, Sonny is shot and killed by get this- the man Sonny killed at the top of the show's son. I, myself, wasn't even shocked, and I was front row! I feel like there should have been more in the book to make the show stronger and that was a very prominent weak link! I did enjoy the music, I must say! There were several songs that I was humming on my way out and I thought that what the show had was very strong and there were several funny and genuine moments. If I had to rate the show, I would give it a 3/5 because of how short the show was and the wasted potential. But as I previously stated, I enjoyed it and I would be glad to see it again. If you're interested in checking out A Bronx Tale, check out their website.

Thanks for reading. Peace & Love.

- Evan