The black-faced mask of minstrel shows is a lingering image from America’s past that still inflicts wounds today through its psychic hold…In the future if we are to be free from its terrible grip we must confront it boldly and courageously by staring back into its face and laughing at the absurdity of its representation until it no longer has the power to hurt us. Only then will it be vanquished and we are free to be. – Donald Byrd

The Minstrel Show Revisited interrogates and critiques the 19th century blackface entertainment genre that continues to play a significant role in cultural stereotyping. The work addresses current racial issues while shining the light on racist aspects of American history that are difficult to discuss. By using the conventions of the 19th century minstrel show, including the once common tradition of blackface, Byrd and his remarkable dancers confront audiences with the past and present manifestations of racism and perpetuation of stereotypes embedded in American culture and tradition.

While the original motivation for creating this piece was the racially motivated slaying of Yusef Hawkins, it’s still very relevant to the current social climate in America. With Eric Garner’s chokehold death and the deaths of Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland and many others, there isn’t a more important time for such a piece to be revisited and revised.

Donald Byrd’s work as a choreographer achieved international visibility with the creation of the Harlem Nutcracker and a Tony Award nomination for his 2006 choreography of Broadway’s The Color Purple. He has created more than 80 modern dance pieces for his own groups as well as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and The Joffrey Ballet. He was a fellow at The Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue at Harvard University for three years.

The Minstrel Show Revisited will play for three performances: October 28 and 29 at 7:30 pm and October 30 at 8 pm. Tickets are $30 – $55 and may be purchased online at www.nyuskirball.org, by phone at 212.998.4941, or in person at the NYU Skirball Center Box Office. The NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is located at 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square, New York, New York 10012.

The post Donald Byrd’s The Minstrel Show Revisited – Limited Engagement appeared first on Broadway Black.

As Broadway prepares for the return of The Color Purple this fall, let’s look back at the history of this incredible American story and its impact over the years.

The Color Purple is a novel written by Alice Walker. Born in 1944 to parents who were Georgia sharecroppers, Walker was riveted by stories from her parents, grandparents, and extended family about their youth and childhood experiences. However, she did not see any of these types of stories represented in literature at the time. Walker wanted to write a novel describing the struggles of 3 generations of Georgia sharecroppers and was determined to have their stories heard in their speech. In a recent Huffington Post interview, Walker says, “What I would like people to understand when they read The Color Purple, is that there are all these terrible things that can actually happen to us, and yet life is so incredibly magical and abundant and present that we can still be very happy.”

The novel was published in 1982 and became an international best seller with over 5 million copies sold. The following year, it won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. This reception garnered the attention of filmmaker Steven Spielberg who met with Walker with the hope of adapting her novel into a film. In 1985, The Color Purple premiered in movie theaters and starred Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, and introduced film audiences to Whoopi Goldberg as ‘Celie’. The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, but won none- however, it has stood the test of time becoming one of the most iconic films in the American cinema.

Nearly 20 years after the novel was published, Walker was approached by producer Scott Sanders about adapting her book into a Broadway musical. Walker was initially reluctant to this idea and took some convincing from Sanders that it could be an amazing concept. After some time, she gave her consent and it took almost 2 years to assemble a creative team. It was important to Sanders that this team included artists of color and female artists as it would best capture this story. Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Marsha Norman (‘night, Mother) penned the book for the show, with music and lyrics by Stephen Bray, Allee Wills and Brenda Russell; Gary Griffin signed on as director with Donald Byrd choreographing; music director extraordinaire Linda Twine also joined the creative team. The production gained another producer in Quincy Jones who composed the music for the 1985 film, and had its out-of-town tryout in 2004 at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. The following year, Oprah Winfrey joined the production team and in 2005, Oprah Winfrey Presents: The Color Purple debuted on Broadway. The production earned 10 Tony nominations in 2006 and LaChanze won the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for her portayal of ‘Celie’.

In addition to its 3-year Broadway run, The Color Purple went on to 3 national tours, several regional productions, and in 2013- John Doyle directed the London production at the Meiner Chocolate Factory starring Cynthia Erivo as ‘Celie’. It is this production that is inspiring the upcoming Broadway revival this fall with Erivo reprising her role and joined by Jennifer Hudson as ‘Shug’ and Danielle Brooks as ‘Sophia’.
Now that we are all caught up on the extensive history of this phenomenal piece, be sure to get your tickets to The Color Purple which begins previews November 10! Visit www.colorpurple.com for more details.

Can’t wait til November? Check out the production trailer here

The post From A Book To Broadway: The Journey of The Color Purple appeared first on Broadway Black.