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Can one of our most problematic musicals finally overcome its racist past?

JL;DR SUMMARY "Show/Boat: A River," directed by David Herskovits, revisits the classic musical "Show Boat" in the context of its controversial racial themes, blending criticism with homage. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HistoryRacismTalmudic StudyAmerican CultureDavid HerskovitsTarget Margin TheaterMusical TheaterShow BoatOscar Hammerstein IiAfrican American Vernacular English

Places mentioned

New York, United States
"Show/Boat: A River, now running in the experimental theater festival Under the Radar, marks the shows return to New York after 30 years."
South Africa
"When Magnolias family visits a Dahomey Village exhibition at the Chicago Worlds Fair, its African inhabitants sing gibberish syllables that get called Zulu."
Chicago, Illinois, United States
"When Magnolias family visits a Dahomey Village exhibition at the Chicago Worlds Fair, its African inhabitants sing gibberish syllables that get called Zulu."
Mississippi, United States
"Set between the 1880s and 1927, Show Boat follows a group of people on the Cotton Blossom, a floating theater (or, um, show boat) on the Mississippi River."
United Kingdom
"Hammerstein and Kern retooled the libretto for a 1928 West End transfer with the original production still running on Broadway."
Israel
"...report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse."

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Retrieved 2025-01-15 05:31:10 UTC
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