A Culturally Sensitive Peter Pan

Tonight, over a million people will watch with bated breath to see if Marnie Michaels can transform into the boy who never learned to grow up. Even her father, tv news anchor and general badass Brian Williams, is excited that his little girl gets to fly and belt AT THE SAME TIME. And from all of the promotions and behind-the-scenes looks we’ve been spoon fed over the past few weeks, I WANT TO BELIEVE.  But it’s one thing to successfully produce and execute a live musical production on national television. It’s something else entirely to take a classic piece of musical theatre with problematic portrayal of Native Americans and bring it up to date.

Given the national climate in regards to race, we are in a very weird place. The fact is this: We are not in a post-racial society and many people are in denial about it. Our skin color dictates privilege or lack thereof in every aspect of our lives. The lack of diversity in mass media reflects and perpetuates this. Not to mention, when a role for a person of color comes around, Hollywood is more likely to cast someone who is white and has national recognition.

The most recent example of this is Ridley Scott’s big budget retelling of the biblical tale of Moses, Exodus: Gods and Kings. When controversy began to brew, Scott came out saying “I can’t mount a film of this budget, where I have to rely on tax rebates in Spain, and say that my lead actor is Mohammad so-and-so from such-and-such. ” Christian Bale as Moses reeks of bullshit. And to make the matter worse, Bale responded to the backlash by saying “I don’t know that just the fact that I was born in Wales, and suffer with this skin that can’t deal with the sun, should dictate that Ridley should say, ‘In that case, he’s not the right man for playing the role.’”

Dear Christian Bale (aka NEWSIE OF MY HEART),

It’s not that you’re the right man for the role. You can act. You know this. It’s just your pasty skin reads WHITE. THIS MAN IS WHITE. And Moses was far from caucasian. I am so sorry you suffer from this debilitating problem. Obviously, your career has suffered greatly. Enjoy your SAG Award, a Golden Globe, and an Oscar.

Peace out,

Catherine

The other major recent instance of a white washing is Johnny Depp’s glorious turn as Tonto in the reboot of The Lone Ranger. Thanks Disney for perpetuating the stereotype of the mystical Native American through broken english and a bad accent, painted face aka “redface” (to cover up the obvious alabaster color of Mr. Depp’s finely moisturized skin), and a love of reckless violence. When a group of individuals is portrayed in such manner, especially in a film made for a family audience, it begins to be difficult to separate the fantastic from reality. And yes, Depp did state the following:  “I guess I have some Native American (in me) somewhere down the line. My great grandmother was quite a bit of Native American, she grew up Cherokee or maybe Creek Indian. Makes sense in terms of coming from Kentucky, which is rife with Cherokee and Creek.” “I guess” is not good enough. And furthermore, this claim was never confirmed as true, despite the fact that everyone involved with the production kept on repeating it. If you want to portray your own heritage, you don’t make a mockery out of it.

But it seems like NBC has at least tried to learn from past failures in this realm. At least for Peter Pan. Alanna Saunders, the recent University of Miami graduate, was cast as the typically troublesome character of Tiger Lily. Saunders’ great-grandmother was a member of the Cherokee Nation, juxtaposed to the casting of Rooney Mara in the same part in the upcoming origin story Pan. NBC and Bernie Telsey casting actively sought out an actress of Native American descent for the live broadcast. As written, the character of Tiger Lily is full of tropes. But producers have apparently taken care of that as well. The cringe-worthy “Ugg-a-Wugg” has been nixed and replaced with a song entitled “True Blood Brothers”. With the help of a Native American musical consultant Jarod Tate, songwriter Amanda Green (daughter of original Peter Pan lyricist Adolph Green) has updated and rehashed the number entirely. Music is one thing but if every aspect of the production is as well thought out, we could see a vast improvement in the piece as a whole.

Needless to say, the original Tiger Lily, Sondra Lee,  will not be tuning in either way. Lee stated in an interview two days ago that,  “There was no such thing as political correctness when we did the show. The song is about word games, and kids play word games all the time . . . People come up to me all the time and say, ‘Ugg-a-Wugg’! They love it. If you have a classic, don’t mess with it. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” Oh, it’s broke old lady. And apparently, so is your perception of the world.

But there is still a fantastical aspect that is questionable. Saunders, in promotional photographs, is dressed in a scantily clad body suit, covered in what looks like green raffia and wearing a pink, feathered headdress, bringing into the notion the idea of the fashionable Native American, as perpetuated greatly by Urban Outfitters among other fashion outlets. The notion of “my culture is not a costume” comes to mind. Saunders also noted in an interview that Tiger Lily’s tribe, at least in this version, is a multicultural one. So will white actors be donning a headdress and face paint?

In an interview released today, screenwriter and Peter Pan adapter Irene Mecchi commented on the topic stating “They’re a unique group, but we’re letting the audience decide who they are.” The fact is that many people watching tonight know this show and its legacy. You cannot glide by hinting that this tribe is just a non-descript group of people. She goes on to comment on the character of Tiger Lily, “I see her as a good, strong leader, and her relationship with Peter is part of the triangle of Wendy/Tinkerbell/Tiger Lily—all the girls in Peter’s world. She loves this fantasy land where they live. Those were two very strong characteristics for the audience to see. It had less to do with her ethnicity and more to do with the character. “ If this really weren’t about ethnicity, then why was an effort made to cast a Native American actress? And whether or not you like it, Tiger Lily is Native American and you cannot steer clear of that.

This is a crucial moment for everyone involved in Peter Pan, NBC, and mass media. Maybe this rare case in casting an actor of color in such a part will become the norm.  Like every other theatre geek, I will be hooked to the television tonight. And while this production might spark young kids to pursue a triple threat life, I hope it also makes the television and film community reevaluate the way in which they handle white washing and the casting of people of color.

P.S. If you dare, here is the original version of “Ugg-a-Wugg“.

This is an experiment.

You see, I’ve been internally responding to the art I’ve been witnessing and experiencing my whole life. I’ll fill my mind with thoughts about why that concept, what was the playwright getting at and why did that actor make that specific choice at that very moment. And I’ll post a facebook status about it. A brief 50 word rant of how much I loved it. I rarely post about a show I hated. I’ll just tear it apart when dishing to a friend about the shows we’ve just seen.

And that’s about it.

But as a dramaturg, I need to be constantly responding to the work I witness. It is a part of my job description to do so. I need to challenge myself and my fellow dramaturgs to do the same. And the purpose of this site is to do just that.

This is also a place for me to be constantly self-aware of my own process by keeping production notebooks along the same lines of Mark Bly’s The Production Notebooks.

So this blog is my response to the art I see and the art I practice.