| re: Was there resistance to the all-Black cast of HELLO, DOLLY! in 1967? | |
| Posted by: lanky 10:51 am EDT 05/30/24 | |
| In reply to: Was there resistance to the all-Black cast of HELLO, DOLLY! in 1967? - portenopete 09:05 am EDT 05/30/24 | |
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| I was around for the arrival of Bailey and the all-Black company in "Dolly." By and large, the response was overwhelmingly positive. Reviews were largely raves and the show sold out for probably a year. I saw the show several times. There were perhaps more Blacks in attendance than had been the case earlier in the run, but to my informal observation, the audience "composition" did not alter significantly. Other sources may have more accurate information on this aspect. There was some, minor, carping in some quarters about the cast being all Black; but Bailey, in an interview, said she hadn't noticed any complaining when the show was first done with all white actors. When Bailey and Calloway took out a national tour for Merrick during the summer of 1971, there was some integration of white actors, mainly in the chorus. As for Bailey's "Act III," the fifteen or so minutes it ran may have been in the style of her night club act, but it was not her nightclub act per se. She appeared to ad-lib about the cast the show, her sore feet (though remarks were rather consistent from night to night) and ended the session singing a jazzed reprise of the title song with Calloway. If a celebrity turned up in the audience, Bailey often called them onstage. By and large, the production came across to audiences as a happy, warm experience headed by two great entertainers (tales of backstage drama are another matter). A friend who saw the show observed how happily white and black audience members joined together for the performance. Amid the racial strife of the 1960s, he thought that was an accomplishment, and I agree that it was. | |
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