Race on Broadway: Can revivals fix old problems?
The revival of 'Oklahoma!' is playing in Philadelphia. How does it look at race differently, and is that enough?
The Week in Philly from KYW Newsradio
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Show Notes
The revival of Oklahoma! is on tour, playing at the Forrest Theater this month. The original, which premiered on Broadway in 1943, had an all-white cast and didn't acknowledge the fact that it's set on Native American land (before Oklahoma became a state). This revival has a diverse cast and is a stripped-down, grittier performance - but does that do enough to make up for the show's flaws? How can we present problematic but classic shows today - or should we still produce them at all? Warren Hoffman, author of The Great White Way: Race and the Broadway Musical, tells us his thoughts on Oklahoma! and how Broadway handles race in general. We discuss how the portrayal of race in musicals has evolved over time, and whether or not it's come far enough.
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