Jeremy O. Harris wants to deconstruct the Pearl Bailey "Hello, Dolly!"

[chanel]

Posted: 1/13/20 at 10:30pm

Scroll down to "Hello, Dolly Back on Broadway?"

The "Slave Play" author has musicals on his mind.

http://www.newnownext.com/christians-cant-serve-the-gays-religious-freedom/01/2020/

 

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 7:20am

1. Love the idea, actually. Great in theory, would like someone else to execute it.

2. Hopefully we don’t have to give him attention every time he tweets something.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 7:56am

I'm wondering if he MEANT "us" as broadway world, or the larger "broadway world" at large.   I think its funny that a few posters FROM here thought it WAS us (maybe it is) and he should "piss us off".

 

Personally, I don't think WE are his intention.  (or maybe we are, look at the reaction he got from a stupid tweet!)

Updated On: 1/14/20 at 07:56 AM

[sparksatmidnight]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 8:13am

Can we stop creating a thread every time he decides to tweet? Patti LuPone's tweets wouldn't deserve that and I'm pretty sure he's way lower in the scale than her.

[jv92]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 8:13am

Oh this guy is just too much. If this guy was a serious-minded theatre artist, he wouldn’t be behaving like a thirteen year old provocateur. 
 

For starters, he should do his research. The revival he’s talking about was a return engagement of what caused a sensation in 1967. (To clarify— a good, blockbuster, Tony-winning sensation, lest someone thinks there were race riots on 44th Street.)

If he’s really serious about making theatre, he ought to start writing and stop Tweeting. 

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 12:27pm

Uh oh, Jeremy is mad at us. Y'all better check your privilege - it seems he will do whatever it takes to not be a one hit wonder.

[joevitus]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 12:31pm

sparksatmidnight said: "Can we stop creating a thread every time he decides to tweet? Patti LuPone's tweets wouldn't deserve that and I'm pretty sure he's way lower in the scale than her."

This. Improbably, he's become the theater world's Trump.

Updated On: 1/14/20 at 12:31 PM

[soulgrrl]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 12:57pm

sparksatmidnight said: "Can we stop creating a thread every time he decides to tweet? Patti LuPone's tweets wouldn't deserve that and I'm pretty sure he's way lower in the scale than her."

Is that kind of snark necessary? I don’t see how it’s not news for those interested in the BROADWAY WORLD if a new voice in theater is continuing to break barriers and looking to tackle an established property.  Y’all seem to reserve a lot of animus towards this young man that is astonishing in its bias.  

 

[jv92]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 1:10pm

What’s worse are all the responses from the a*shole minions following him. Like the one that said ...FORUM was about misogyny, slavery and the sex trade, and handled all three issues poorly. Yeah, because it’s a light comedy written as a pseudo-vaudeville and not seriously about any of those things  

Where is the Dramatists Guild? Why are they not informing their members, the community, and the public that no one has the right to sh*t all over work from the past in the name of “wokeness” and manipulate other people’s work to fit their own desires? Seriously: write your own f*cking show!

[sparksatmidnight]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 1:12pm

soulgrrl said: "sparksatmidnight said: "Can we stop creating a thread every time he decides to tweet? Patti LuPone's tweets wouldn't deserve that and I'm pretty sure he's way lower in the scale than her."

Is that kind of snark necessary? I don’t see how it’s not news for those interested in the BROADWAY WORLDif a new voice in theater is continuing to break barriers and looking to tackle an established property. Y’all seem to reserve a lot of animus towards this young man that is astonishing in its bias.

"

^ we've found his account, y'all (but just in case you're not him or wasn't being sarcastic, yes, any kind of thread bringing attention to such unimportant tweet is deserving of this kind of snark and worse)

Updated On: 1/14/20 at 01:12 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 5:25pm

Notice to One Mr Jeremy O Harris:

Keep your hands off of HELLO, DOLLY!

Jerry's gone
Gower's gone
Carol's gone
Merrick's gone

But, Buddy Boy, Dollypop is here. Don't mess with the show. Papermill tried to reinvent it and they fell flat on their faces.Leave it alone.

You don't want my Italian relatives to get involved in this, do you?

[soulgrrl]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 5:59pm

sparksatmidnight said: "soulgrrl said: "sparksatmidnight said: "Can we stop creating a thread every time he decides to tweet? Patti LuPone's tweets wouldn't deserve that and I'm pretty sure he's way lower in the scale than her."

Is that kind of snark necessary? I don’t see how it’s not news for those interested in the BROADWAY WORLDif a new voice in theater is continuing to break barriers and looking to tackle an established property. Y’all seem to reserve a lot of animus towards this young man that is astonishing in its bias.

"
^ we've found his account, y'all (but just in case you're not him or wasn't being sarcastic, yes, any kind of thread bringing attention to such unimportant tweet is deserving of this kind of snark and worse)"

Far from it.  I’m a living, breathing woman of color.  God forbid someone wants to point out that Jeremy seems to receive a level of vitriol that appears to go beyond not being a fan of his work. You’re entitled to your opinion. I’ve just noticed a tone when it comes to any utterance about this man. This is why I’ve personally not stuck around this community but on the occasion.  And btw...I’m not saying his work in the Slave Play isn’t problematic but the ‘how dare he’...or ‘he’s too uppity’ sentiment is glaring.

[sparksatmidnight]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 7:14pm

Don't worry, he's not that important. Anyone would reply pretty much the same had another irrelevant tweet by literally anyone else turned into a thread for no reason.

[haterobics]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 7:15pm

sparksatmidnight said: "Can we stop creating a thread every time he decides to tweet?"

If we did that, he'd be the whole front page of the board.

[Valentina3]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 7:31pm

You know a person's reinterpretation of a classic, or retelling, or critiquing, or literally anything of it really - does not take away from the integrity of the original. Let's take a quick step back and not jump to insulting someone just because anonymity of this board allows you to.

[jv92]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 11:36pm

Valentina3 said: "You know a person's reinterpretation of a classic, or retelling, or critiquing, or literally anything of it really - does not take away from the integrity of the original. Let's take a quick step back and not jump to insulting someone just because anonymity of this board allows you to."

I'm terribly sorry to tell you, but any reinterpretation or retelling... or, as you so vaguely say, anything... of well... ANYTHING under copyright does indeed take away from the integrity of the original. Since the hard work that the late Messrs. Stewart and Herman put into writing HELLO, DOLLY! falls under copyright, and is controlled by their heirs and estates, it can't be "reinterpreted" without the permission of the copyright holders.

Daniel Fish's OKLAHOMA! was sanctioned by Ted Chapin and his good offices at R&H for the sake of curiosity and the willing to explore these classics-- so long as the text and intention remains the same. I didn't love what Fish did entirely, but I respected his point of view. What he does with MOST HAPPY FELLA remains to be seen-- but his production description worries me, and seems to smack what Frank Loesser wrote and intended in the face in a way that is detrimental to the piece. But I respect Joseph Weiss, handler of all things Loesser, and the Loesser family. Let's see what happens. 

What Mr. Harris suggests seems poorly researched for starters. It just seems to be an unnecessarily provocative tweet, not to mention unfounded in theatre history. 

And I'll gladly sign my name to this to avoid anonymity. My name is John Verderber. I write musicals. I am a member of the Dramatists Guild, I care about theatre-- past, present and future, and I'm gravely concerned they're letting emperors with no clothes get away with murder in the name of de rigueur-ness. 

Updated On: 1/14/20 at 11:36 PM

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 11:45pm

After seeing Slave Play tonight Jeremy O. Harris can deconstruct whatever he wants. It was hands down the best new play I've ever seen on Broadwaty. The people who put him down ... I feel sorry for them. Slave Pla will become an American classic.

[Ledaero]

Posted: 1/14/20 at 11:49pm

Wow, so much hate going around in this thread. I'll take the opposite side and say that I'd be very interested in seeing Harris deconstruct the Pearl Bailey production of Hello, Dolly! Harris, regardless of whether you like his politics and opinions, is a pretty brilliant writer with a knack for post-modern structure. His tweets might be ridiculous (aren't all tweets ridiculous?), but his plays are groundbreakingly brilliant. Daddy and Slave Play both rocked my socks, and even Black Exhibition gave me some nice brain food. There's a fascinating history behind the Pearl Bailey production, and coming at it with whatever socio-political critiques he'd come up with wouldn't take away from the history of Champion's original production. And maybe it might even open some eyes to a different perspective on the definitive golden age musical, a time in theater unarguably run by a white, upper-class, male, and often homosexual community. Could be an interesting debate as to whether the Bailey production exploited or honored the black community.

Updated On: 1/14/20 at 11:49 PM

[jv92]

Posted: 1/15/20 at 12:07am

poisonivy2 said: "After seeing Slave Play tonight Jeremy O. Harris can deconstruct whatever he wants. It was hands down the best new play I've ever seen on Broadwaty. The people who put him down ... I feel sorry for them. Slave Pla will become an American classic."

Sure he can. But can he get permission from the estates of Michael Stewart and Jerry Herman when it comes to his DOLLY! re-interpretation? Because they own the copyright of those songs and text. And will he do his homework and correct his poorly researched tweet? 

Thanks for feeling bad for me. I didn't need your help. 

 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 1/15/20 at 12:08am

I mean I’m curious to know what there is to deconstruct!

[jv92]

Posted: 1/15/20 at 12:15am

SouthernCakes said: "I mean I’m curious to know what there is to deconstruct!"

Not much. Unlike SHUFFLE ALONG, there's not much history that warrants a full theatre piece about black cast of DOLLY! from '67-'68. Morgan Freeman was a waiter. Pearl Bailey was great, and sold tickets-- as did Cab Calloway. It took place during the Civil Rights era. People loved it. But really, it was just HELLO, DOLLY!, and, as it was in a post Kennedy assassination society, a welcome balm to theatre goers. There are plenty of other musicals of that era that involved African Americans worth exploring.

I think Mr. Harris is just trying to provoke white people, and because he saw the name Pearl Bailey next to HELLO, DOLLY! he thought he could be provocative without even researching his subject. 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 1/15/20 at 12:21am

Thank you for that, jv92! That’s what I was thinking. There’s nothing too controversial or interesting about an all black Hello Dolly, and it apparently did very well, so I don’t see the interest.

[Valentina3]

Posted: 1/15/20 at 12:28am

jv92 said: "I think Mr. Harris is just trying to provoke white people, and because he saw the name Pearl Bailey next to HELLO, DOLLY! he thought he could be provocative without even researching his subject."

See that's where you kind of lose the argument/high ground. You haven't actually read this thoughts (he hasn't shared them), or inquired him about his research. So maybe try to not get provoked by someone whom you say is clearly and solely just a provocateur. I guess I don't really understand why we jump to conclusions about people we don't know. I'm trying not to jump to conclusions about you, and you hopefully me. Just extend the same courtesy to a young, up-and-coming playwright who's still finding his voice.

[Ledaero]

Posted: 1/15/20 at 9:33am

Not much. Unlike SHUFFLE ALONG, there's not much history that warrants a full theatre piece aboutblack cast of DOLLY! from '67-'68. Morgan Freeman was a waiter. Pearl Bailey was great, and sold tickets-- as did Cab Calloway. It took place during the Civil Rights era. People loved it. But really, it was just HELLO, DOLLY!, and, as it was in a post Kennedy assassination society, a welcome balm to theatre goers. There are plenty of other musicals of that era that involved African Americans worth exploring.

I think the reflective criticism that some people have of the production was that they didn't change the production at all with an all black cast. Why cast an all black production if it isn't reflective of the community and their issues? I'm not an expert on Dolly or the Bailey production, but I absolutely see where Harris could be coming from in dissecting the production. And like I said, I'd love to see whatever he'd have to say on the subject.

 

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 1/15/20 at 10:48am

My lord, you all need to get a life and ignore this man you all clearly LOATHE. Seriously, find some more productive use of your time.