[...] When Gilda Gray performed "It's Getting Dark on Old Broadway" in the opening show of the
song-and-dance revue Ziegfeld Follies on 5 June 1922 she eternalized Broadway's latest
trend (Woll 76). Black entertainment proliferated in the Theatre District along Broadway in
the 1920s and it seemed that black shows had made it into the limelight of success. There
was, however, a different 'dark' side to the developments of the black performance scene.
To many leading intellectuals of the Harlem Renaissance, the new darkness on
Broadway looked rather bleak. Important figures like W. E. B. Du Bois who campaigned for a
new racial identity through cultural creation (cf. Du Bois “Criteria of Negro Art”) feared that
the new phenomenon of black productions reaching out for mainstream success would
betray their cause. In his speech at the NAACP's annual conference, he famously claimed
that "all Art is propaganda and ever must be" (Du Bois par. 29). Catering to the white public's
demands (pars. 33, 35), as the successful Black Broadway musicals did, would mean failing
the cause, according to Du Bois. While some scholars argue that theatre and performance in
the New Negro era played "a pivotal role in the evolution of Black Nationalism" (Krasner 1),
those are opposed by a number of authors who look upon the Harlem Renaissance as a
failure (cf. Baker xiii, Neal 39, Krasner 95f.).
In the following paper, I will look into the question of whether the performers and
artists of the Harlem Renaissance really failed to contribute to a change of white America's
attitude toward the African American race (Krasner 14). One point at issue will be whether
the increasing success and commercialisation of Black theatre counteracted the objectives of
racial renewal or if on the contrary, they were a means to an end. [...]
Table of Contents
1 Blackface minstrelsy: the ancestors of Black theatre
2 Black musical theatre: From Broadway to Harlem nightclubs and back
2.1 The special role of musical theatre
2.2 Vaudeville and the first black musical comedies (1880-1910)
2.3 The Term of Exile (1910-1920)
2.4 Shuffle Along - Back to Broadway (1921-1929)
3 Black Drama: In search of the right direction
3.1 Protest drama or folk theatre?
3.2 Folk drama and the Little Theatre movement
3.3 Black drama on Broadway
4 Dilemmas of the Black performer: dangers and chances of going mainstream
4.1 The double audience
4.2 Imitating white material or creating new black material
4.3 White writers and producers staging "black" drama
4.4 Segregation and discrimination
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This work examines the evolution of African American theatre during the Harlem Renaissance, specifically analyzing the tension between commercial Broadway success and the movement's goal of establishing an authentic, non-stereotypical racial identity. The research investigates whether the commercialization of Black theatre served as a catalyst for racial progress or merely perpetuated legacy constraints imposed by minstrelsy.
- The historical impact of minstrelsy and the "blackface" legacy on early 20th-century performance.
- The dichotomy between commercial "Black Broadway" musicals and experimental "political" Black dramas.
- The structural and creative limitations imposed by the "double audience" (white vs. Black expectations).
- The influence of white production control on the authenticity and artistic direction of Black shows.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1 The double audience
The abstract of the history of Black theatre shows that the main dilemma black writers and producers were faced with was whether to please the "overwhelmingly white audience" or to write for the Black community, which demanded to see a new image of the Negro, but was not able to offer the same material compensation (Scott 433). James Weldon-Johnson describes this dilemma as the problem of the double audience:
It is a divided audience … made up of two elements with differing and often opposite and antagonistic points of view. His audience is always both white America and black America. The moment a Negro writer takes up his pen or sits down to his typewriter he is immediately called upon to solve, consciously or unconsciously, this problem of the double audience. To whom shall he address himself, to his own black group or to white America? (477)
The double audience was a dilemma for black writers in general, but it was even more essential for playwrights and theatre producers, whose survival depended directly on the approval of their (double) audience. When discussing the potential of Shuffle Along, Lester A. Walton stated in the New York Age that a Black show needed to present certain "stage types" like "the old mammy and Uncle Joe variety and blackfaced comedians" to be popular among white audiences (qtd. in Krasner 246). These stage types obviously conflicted with the interests of the black theatregoers.
Summary of Chapters
1 Blackface minstrelsy: the ancestors of Black theatre: This chapter traces the origins of Black performance back to 19th-century minstrelsy, highlighting the damaging legacy of racial stereotypes that Black artists had to overcome in the 20th century.
2 Black musical theatre: From Broadway to Harlem nightclubs and back: This chapter explores the commercial evolution of musical theatre, from early vaudeville to the massive success of productions like Shuffle Along, while addressing the genre's struggle to break free from minstrel forms.
3 Black Drama: In search of the right direction: This chapter examines the ideological conflict between proponents of "protest drama" (political) and "folk drama" (authentic representation), as well as the attempts to establish non-musical Black theatre.
4 Dilemmas of the Black performer: dangers and chances of going mainstream: This chapter analyzes the systemic challenges, including the "double audience," the pressure to imitate white material, and the impact of white producers on the creative and financial control of Black theatre.
Keywords
Harlem Renaissance, Black theatre, Broadway, minstrelsy, Shuffle Along, double audience, racial identity, W. E. B. Du Bois, Alain Locke, folk drama, protest drama, segregation, commercialization, African American performing arts, blackface
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The research explores the theatrical developments of the Harlem Renaissance, specifically analyzing the challenges Black artists faced in balancing commercial demands with the desire for authentic racial representation.
What are the central themes covered in the text?
The central themes include the legacy of minstrelsy, the rise of musical theatre on Broadway, the ideological debates surrounding "protest" versus "folk" drama, and the inherent dilemmas regarding racial identity in the arts.
What is the main research question?
The study asks whether the artists of the Harlem Renaissance failed in their mission to change white perceptions, or if their commercial successes served as necessary, albeit compromised, steps toward racial renewal.
What methodology does the author employ?
The author uses a historical and literary analysis, examining contemporary criticisms, academic literature, and documented theatrical history to evaluate the achievements and failures of the period.
What is discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body investigates the development from minstrel-influenced shows to the more complex, yet restricted, musical comedies, followed by an analysis of the "Little Theatre" movement and the specific political dilemmas of Black performers.
Which keywords best describe the work?
Key terms include Harlem Renaissance, Black theatre, minstrelsy, the double audience, racial identity, and mainstream commercialism.
How did the "double audience" affect Black playwrights?
It forced them into a constant negotiation: catering to white commercial standards often required using offensive stereotypes, which inherently conflicted with the goal of uplifting Black community identity.
Why does the author consider Shuffle Along a paradox?
While Shuffle Along was a massive breakthrough that legitimized Black talent on Broadway, it also set a rigid standard that forced subsequent shows to lean back into minstrelsy to achieve similar commercial success.
- Citation du texte
- Clare Stalder (Auteur), 2011, "It's getting dark on old Broadway". African American theatre of the Harlem Renaissance in search of the right direction, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/212985
