{"id":34343,"date":"2013-10-17T02:06:08","date_gmt":"2013-10-17T02:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mixedracestudies.org\/wordpress\/?p=34343"},"modified":"2013-10-17T02:06:08","modified_gmt":"2013-10-17T02:06:08","slug":"show-boat-performing-race-in-an-american-musical-by-todd-decker-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/?p=34343","title":{"rendered":"Show Boat: Performing Race in an American Musical by Todd Decker (review)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Show Boat: Performing Race in an American Musical by Todd Decker (review)<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Theatre Journal<\/a>
\nVolume 65, Number 3, October 2013<\/a>
\npages 447-448
\nDOI: 10.1353\/tj.2013.0077<\/a><\/p>\n

Bethany Wood<\/strong><\/p>\n

Show Boat: Performing Race in an American Musical.<\/em> By Todd Decker. Broadway Legacy series. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013, pp. 238.<\/p>\n

Todd Decker\u2019s<\/a> Show Boat: Performing Race in an American Musical<\/a><\/em> examines representations of race in the creation and evolution of Jerome Kern<\/a> and Oscar Hammerstein II\u2019s<\/a> iconic musical by tracing the impact of particular performers on numerous stage, sound, and film productions. Using the \u201cdynamic of the color line\u201d as his \u201cvantage point\u201d (4), Decker places the original musical in conversation with subsequent interpretations in order to analyze the enduring influence of Show Boat<\/a><\/em> on representations of race in American musical theatre. Through his systematic examination, Decker addresses the broader issue of \u201cthe performed distinction between black and white [that serves] as an essential and constructive element of the American musical in its totality\u201d and argues for interracial histories of musical theatre, a field \u201clargely written along divided racial lines\u201d (5).<\/p>\n

He presents his analysis in two parts: \u201cMaking,\u201d which focuses on Show Boat<\/em>\u2019s 1927 debut; and \u201cRemaking,\u201d which examines the versions created from 1928 to 1998. Each section employs extensive archival research in its account of how race has been staged in key productions. Chapter 1 centers on the major themes established by the musical\u2019s source material, Edna Ferber\u2019s<\/a> 1926 novel. This chapter, along with chapter 2, situates Show Boat<\/em>\u2019s central focus on race and music within 1920s popular culture. The analysis in this chapter follows the pattern in Show Boat<\/em> theatre scholarship of faulting Ferber for failing to approach the narrative\u2019s themes in the same manner that Hammerstein would later employ for the musical. Decker criticizes Ferber\u2019s cursory attention to the issues of music and race, and, in the following chapters, demonstrates Hammerstein\u2019s efforts to foreground these themes by making Show Boat<\/em> \u201can object lesson in the power of black music and a celebration of a moment in popular culture history when black music and musicians were breaking into mainstream white culture with undeniable force\u201d (52).<\/p>\n

Chapters 2 and 3 address the influence of\u00a0Paul Robeson<\/a> and Helen Morgan<\/a> on Hammerstein\u2019s interpretive vision and provide detailed context concerning their careers. Chapter 2 details Kern and Hammerstein\u2019s initial plan to cast Robeson as Joe in order to highlight the themes of race and music in the initial script, as well as the complications that resulted when Robeson decided not to join the original Broadway cast. Chapter 3 considers Morgan\u2019s influence on the creation of Show Boat<\/em> , as Hammer-stein adapted act 2 to showcase her talents as a torch singer and exploit her reputation for dissipation. Hammerstein\u2019s efforts and Morgan\u2019s performance worked to establish Julie as a tragic figure, expressing herself through Morgan\u2019s \u201cthoroughly white\u201d (65) singing style.<\/p>\n

In chapter 4, Decker argues that the musical choices for the characters of Ravenal and Magnolia \u201cwhitened\u201d Show Boat<\/em>\u2019s central couple by making Ravenal an operatic tenor, a style associated with white singers, and aligning Magnolia\u2019s voice with white culture through her performance of \u201cAfter the Ball,\u201d a Victorian parlor waltz. Show Boat<\/em> was one of the first Broadway musicals to use both black and white performers in large numbers, and chapter 5 explores the musical\u2019s use of both a black and a white chorus. Along with chapter 2, this section adds a much-needed look at contemporary responses to Show Boat<\/em> in the black press.<\/p>\n

Part 2 investigates the reworking of racial representations in productions of Show Boat<\/em> that followed its premiere. Chapter 6 looks at several \u201cremakings\u201d between 1928 and 1940 that featured Robeson, who eventually accepted and became associated with the role of Joe in several landmark productions. Decker discusses how Robeson\u2019s powerful performances and offstage persona enhanced Joe\u2019s role, which Hammerstein expanded for the 1936 film in order to capitalize on Robeson\u2019s talents and appeal. As in his examination of the 1927 production, Decker analyzes several deleted scenes in order to illustrate Hammerstein\u2019s continued, yet unrealized plan to use Show Boat<\/em> as a history lesson of black influence on popular music. Chapter 7 centers on several productions during and shortly after World War II, including the 1946 Broadway revival and the 1951 film starring Ava Gardner<\/a> as Julie. Decker\u2019s analysis of the impact that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Show Boat: Performing Race in an American Musical by Todd Decker (review) Theatre Journal Volume 65, Number 3, October 2013 pages 447-448 DOI: 10.1353\/tj.2013.0077 Bethany Wood Show Boat: Performing Race in an American Musical. By Todd Decker. Broadway Legacy series. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013, pp. 238. Todd Decker\u2019s Show Boat: Performing Race in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,24,5,8,20],"tags":[16157,16158,16159,14634,1909,5950,14190],"class_list":["post-34343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-arts","category-book-reviews","category-media-archive","category-usa","tag-bethany-wood","tag-broadway","tag-jerome-kern","tag-oscar-hammerstein-ii","tag-show-boat","tag-theatre-journal","tag-todd-decker"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34343"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34343\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34343"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34343"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mixedracestudies.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}