rim really made me rethink my response. I agree with him. The president is the most privileged man in the country right now, why is he showing his prejudice by seeing the shows with so many black people?
Although a couple in the original list are more whack than black.
My honest guess is that the President sees what the Mrs. wants them to see. These are their date nights, and he said early in his presidency that they were nights he owed his wife for being so understanding of his public responsibilities.
So she is supportive of black artists. It's no big deal, really, and I am fairly certain it is not meant to be disrespectful of anyone else.
We can read too much into things at times.
Besides, if the "white" shows she saw on Broadway were indeed "Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark" and "The Addams Family", who can blame her for choosing "black" whenever possible?
"Besides, if the "white" shows she saw on Broadway were indeed "Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark" and "The Addams Family", who can blame her for choosing "black" whenever possible?"
I love it when someone can cut right through all the "prejudices" nonsense and get right to the heart of the matter!
Let's suppose that the Obamas went to see "A Raisin in the Sun" because it's a show about the black experience in America and not just because every straight female in America of whatever ethnicity between the ages of 40 and 75 has concluded that Denzel Washington is one of the most handsome, as well as one of the best, actors in the United States, and Michelle Obama, being a straight female between the ages of 40 and 75...oh, never mind.
What would be wrong with someone's being especially interested in shows that reflect his or her heritage? How many of us on this board who are Jewish did not flock to "Fiddler on the Roof"? Didn't most of the gay men on the board see "La Cage Aux Folles?" "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" undoubtedly struck a chord with Greek folks, as well as others who are first generation Americans from European families.
Even if a show is about characters who identify with a particular group, and members of that group attend early performances, the show is unlikely to succeed on Broadway without broader appeal. Insulting the first family because of their Broadway choices and insulting the shows they attend by applying a label that implies that the shows would not appeal to much of the public badly serves a goal of most of us on this board -- to encourage production of a wide variety of quality shows with divergent messages.
Audrey, the Phantom Phanatic, who nonetheless would rather be Jean Valjean, who knew how to make lemonade out of lemons.
I am absolutely certain this has something to do with Benghazi.
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
~ Muhammad Ali
Okay, let me preface this by saying I am a Progressive voter. I voted for Obama twice. Support practically all he has done as president - especially health care for all. Believe the Repugs are a greedy group of warmongers. BUT I have always sensed a whiff of racism and the angry Black woman in Michelle. I felt it when they first campaigned for presidency. And with that in mind, her selection of plays seems very, well, narrow-minded. (Yes, it probably is her selection. I doubt he has time to worry about Broadway.) However, it is no different from other African Americans who primarily - or maybe exclusively - support plays about their own experiences. I have always found this baffling, however. If I only supported plays that dealt with my ethnic or cultural background, I would have missed some great theater.
"BUT I have always sensed a whiff of racism and the angry Black woman in Michelle. I felt it when they first campaigned for presidency. And with that in mind, her selection of plays seems very, well, narrow-minded."
Your comments say more about you than they do about FLOTUS.
"It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
-- Thomas Jefferson
"However, it is no different from other African Americans who primarily - or maybe exclusively - support plays about their own experiences. I have always found this baffling, however."
You're baffled that in a milky-white cultural landscape, people who are not white are drawn to the things that reflect their lives?
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
And let's remember that the Broadway at the White House PBS special in 2010 featured Stritch, Nathan Lane, Brian D'Arcy James, Karen Oliva, Audra McDonald, and others. A very diverse lineup.
"It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
-- Thomas Jefferson