Cedric the Entertainer
and Mike Epps
Posted on 05/21/2005 9:15:41 PM PDT by Rastus
GLENELG, Md. - A black Huck Finn and a white Jim might be OK for a high school production of Mark Twain's classic tale — but those performances had to be edited out of a C-Span talent show after the copyright holder objected to the cross-casting.
Jay Frisby, a black student who played Huck, and Nick Lehan, a white student who played Jim, taped their performance of the song "Muddy Water" for "Close Up," a weekly show that highlights high school excellence.
When the program aired Friday, the two Glenelg Country School seniors were introduced, but viewers were told that "Close Up" could not show their performance because of "copyright restrictions."
Lehan and Frisby had played the roles of Jim and Huck in the school's production of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" without complaint. But when the show's executive producer asked for the right to air the students' performance, permission was denied.
Bert Fink, a spokesman for R&H Theatricals — the Rodgers & Hammerstein organization, which holds the license to the play — said his organization is not against cross-casting in general.
"But when you're dealing with a theatrical work and race or ethnicity is a key factor, many authors or playwrights feel strongly that ethnicity has to be reflected in the actors who portray the characters," he said.
"In the books, Jim is a runaway slave. He is clearly in the novel an African-American man. And Huck is a free white man — that is central to the story. To ignore that component or to comment on it by switching is not faithful to the story."
Frisby's father, Washington attorney Russell Frisby, said he was appalled by the decision.
"The only rationale for it is that someone in New York believes Huck Finn can't be played by an African-American. I thought we were past the days of 'whites only' clauses," the elder Frisby said.
My daughter was asked to see a Shakespeare Play at the college she attends. I thought, "O.K The exposure to history, culture, art will be good for her. This will be better than rap and her game cube."
Then next day she tells me how wonderful it was. "They made it into a modern comedy; they 'played' it backwards. They did a gangsta version, they did a cowboy and indian version. . . "
Apparently liberals think that Shakespeare needs some help. Or that our youth are too dumb to appreciate Shakespeare's whit and writing skills."
"They made a good story into a cartoonish waste of celluloid."
Oh your not kidding. I remember being drawn into the movie Congo by the previews. When I watched it I thought, "Man, this movie was made for 6 year olds."
My daughter was like 6 at the time.
Everyone has the "right" to be "appalled" at anything. Does that right inherently justify actually being appalled?
Which is more appalling: someone attempting to substantially alter someone else's intellectual property or the owner of the property putting a stop to it?
If I wrote "Romeo and Juliet" and some theatre somewhere wanted to perform it altered as "Romeo and Joe" would the performers have the "right to be appalled" if I said no and put a stop to it? If I wrote a violin concerto and an orchestra wanted to perform it with an electric guitar soloist instead of a violinist would the conductor have the "right to be appalled" if I said "No. That's not what I wrote and you're not going to do it"?
Why is the father's being "appalled" justifiable in this situation?
"They did a gangsta version, they did a cowboy and indian version. . . "
As Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote, mediocrity knows nothing better than itself.
"Why is the father's being "appalled" justifiable in this situation? "
Darn good point. The military has released a "sexual harassment" radio spot that asserts, essentially, the intent of the "offender" doesn't matter; if the "victim" feels offended, the "offender" is guilty.
That's just nuts. When I was a kid, if you complained about something another kid said, you were most likely to be told, "Oh, he's just teasing you. Don't be such a baby."
People sometimes get their skivvies all in a wad about stuff that doesn't warrant it. Instead of telling them not to be so thenthitive to triva, now we cater to them and pillory whoever they're complaining about.
It's a nasty tyranny in the making.
"They made a good story into a cartoonish waste of celluloid."
I thought that was Hollyweird's mission statement.
my point is that the actor should strive to be so damned good that you do not even care or notice his/her race as you lose yourself in the play
WHAT A CONCEPT.?.. White grease paint with blacks playing WHITES.. Doing the opposite is not PC.. but THIS.. Well THIS is just too brillient.. Consider the black caucus doing this on the floors of congress.. would be brillient.. and the WHITE caucus doing the opposite...
Nah! we don't HAVE a white caucus.. damn..
Would put the light on even HAVING a black caucus though..
Everybody is equal in the United States but, some, it seems are a little MORE equal than others.. And someone with one white parent and one black parent can and should have a face with both color grease paints.. The logic of it is genius..
NOW there would be a broadway play I could attend.. black, white, red, yellow, brown grease paint...
The NEW updated ..... "GREASE"...
Yeah but notice how all the hip and modern interpretations are always Off Off Broadway or turned into box office failure movies
Billy Bob Thornton
I think "the elder Frisby" is a moron.
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