The Fairy Princess has warned you that she is back, so really, you have no one to blame but Republicans – if they had not inadequately prepared for this pandemic, and then LIED to us – then Broadway would be open, Entertainment as a whole would not be shut down along with all the support businesses, and TFP would not have the time to write.
BUT SHE HAS THE TIME!!!!!
So here we go!!!!
First – many condolences to the Legend Family on the loss of their son, Jack.
Whatever you may think about how they handled the announcement of his passing, it is not TFP’s concern, nor should it be yours. These are two Parents who are grieving – as they are Public Figures, they are grieving in public, so that they can carry on, and so that others who have suffered the same losses, may find strength and comfort.
May the memory of Jack be a blessing to them.
Adventure Theatre is continuing their MIXING IT UP series, hosted by TFP – where we talk with Mixed Race Artists about their rises from Broadway to Beyond.
Previous guests have included – Merle Dandridge, Ali Ewoldt, Manna Nichols and Zach Piser.
We now bring you the ‘teaser’ starring our next guest….
TONY WINNER, RUTHIE ANN MILES!!!!
All of these interviews were done virtually, so they live FOREVER, but Ruthie Ann’s will not be until THIS COMING SUNDAY AT 2PM
Ruthie Ann is currently a series regular on the hit CBS show, ALL RISE, which is entering post-Covid Filming, which she does discuss. Congratulations on the Season 2 order, and make sure you tune in to watch!
AAPAC – the Asian American Performers Action Coalition – came out with their annual examination of Broadway and theater – it’s a numbers game and we do love our math.
No surprises there for TFP in their ‘THE VISIBILITY REPORT: RACIAL REPRESENTATION ON NEW YORK CITY STAGES” – as she once said while being handed a binder by a SAG Official “Take it home? How many times do I have to count Zero to get it!”
Here’s the scoop – White Actors dominate. 61% of the roles, which is double their actual population in New York City.
Black Actors are at 23.2%, AAPI Actors at 6.9%, Latinx Actors 6.1 % MENA Actors at 2% and Indigenous Actors are at a completely underwhelming .2%
On Broadway 80% of the shows were written by White People, and they were produced almost 4X as often as BIPOC people. Even with the huge increase, it seemed for AAPI Writers last season, they still number 6.2% Black writers at 9.6%, MENA writers at 2.8% and Latinx at 2.3%.
There were NO Indigenous writers represented last season at all in a production.
TFP read the 93 page report, and again, she is wondering how many times she is going to use all ten fingers and toes to tally up the gains of BIPOC people in NYC Theater.
Not this year.
Hey – Broadway has been shut for a while, and there is a chance to tell new stories when we come back – likewise there are great strides and productions that should have a Broadway transfer, like Lauren Yee’s CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND – which is instead, touring the country – and Helen Park’s KPOP which was set to open on Broadway when she did TFP’s panel at BroadwayCon last Jan…hopefully making her the second AAPI woman writer to have a show on Broadway, the first being of course, Young Jean Lee’s STRAIGHT WHITE MEN.
Ok yes, if you are a BIPOC person, particularly if you are one of the smaller groups represented, it is easy to get discouraged – but you cannot run around NYC and NOT KNOW – people are writing for you.
In every group.
EVERY GROUP ON THIS LIST HAS A POTENTIAL PLAYWRIGHT WITH BROADWAY LEVEL WRITING and it is on PRODUCERS to change this narrative.
If you are AAPI, there are people writing and working on all kinds of things starring people who look similar to you, or who share aspects of their culture with you. Google some names people – Mike Lew, Leah Nakano Winkler, Rehana Lew Mirza, Qui Ngyuen, Lloyd Suh, Julia Cho, Nandita Shenoy, Frank Chin, Aditi Brennan Kapil, Philip C. Chung, Yilong Liu, Ken Narasaki, Dipika Gua, A. Rey Pamatmat, Michael Golamaco, Jihae Park, Velina Hasu Houston, Christopher Chen, Jeanne Sakata, Susan Soon He Stanton, to name just a few…of COURSE DHH, of COURSE – he is the FIRST AAPI Playwright to get a production on Broadway, so of course DHH – but there are TONS more – and they are writing, and they see you.
It is easy to be all ‘doom and gloom’ but ‘when you are as old as I my dear, and I hope you never are....” to quote PIPPIN – you have to celebrate that the landscape was SO MUCH DIFFERENT when TFP graduated from University.
Sometimes you have to focus on the victories and for the defeats, well…
Onto Ron Howard, words TFP never thought she would type…now full disclosure, Mr. Howard has worked as a Director with several people she knows, and they loved the process of working with him. Could not speak higher of him, and that is a fact. Her Uncle (John E. Quill) knew him, and liked him very much – liked whatever they worked on together, and so on.
TFP has never heard a bad word spoken about Ron Howard in her life.
Till now….
Frankly, it is not ‘bad’ at all – it’s just being honest. In art, as in all things, we must be honest with ourselves and with one another.
The Chinese American Director of THE FAREWELL, Lulu Wang, has clearly come out against Mr. Howard directing the Biopic of Lang Lang, the Internationally Famed Pianist from China.
She is, by the way, completely correct, and TFP thinks not enough people – certainly not enough AAPIs working for Imagine Entertainment, Mr. Howard’s Production Company – if there are any – have spoken to Mr. Howard about it.
Mr. Howard is not the correct director for this film. He has too many obstacles to overcome.
Here are said obstacles as TFP understands them:
- Lang Lang is still alive and he has input as a Producer on this film – which makes it very tricky, because he is going to want to be HAPPY with this film, and as we have seen DISASTROUS biopics from those Artists who are both ALIVE & HAPPY with their Biopics but did not tell the actual story – this does not sound like something that is going to be easily accomplished.
Think of the THE DOORS, then think of ROCKET MAN….
2. Mr. Howard does not speak Mandarin or Cantonese, and will have to have a translator, due to the subject of the film being Chinese.
That is not to say that Lang Lang does not speak English, he does of course – but listen to him talk about the weight of his culture that he felt playing at the Olympics.
Does an Non- Asian American with no ties to China really understand the immense pressure and the fallout for his family if he did not perform well when the world was watching?
Not likely.
Though Lang Lang speaks English, there are going to be plenty of people involved with telling the story of his early childhood and development, that will not have his language facility. A translator will be necessary.
3. It is an American film, that takes place in China.
It is supposed to be a Chinese film with international appeal.
While trying to craft this story against the backdrop of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, which Mr. Howard will only know from books and museums, there will be a level of frustration that will not help the film crew – which will be overwhelmingly white.
Most American film crews are overwhelmingly white.
4. It is a Chinese story about music, classical music, an Art form the Government had almost destroyed.
TFP has studied classical music – Vocally, that was her major – and the idea of trying to express what classical music means and how it is taught to a director who is not familiar with that world – is mind boggling.
Telling the story of classical music in China – where, because of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, musicians and instructors of classical music were actively persecuted and instruments were destroyed…where such an immense talent grew up surrounded by Folk Musicians who could not live as the musicians they wanted to be…where they were only ‘allowed’ to have 1 child, and so all the hopes and dreams were pinned on the one child.
Where they were living in poverty and sharing a bathroom with six other families, while trying to stay motivated.
That is more difficult than Beethoven or Mozart played backwards on a accordion, in a swimming pool filled with crocodiles.
As TFP said – too many obstacles for one director. Why would anyone want all the stress?
Mr. Howard would be better off being a Producer on this film, lending his power to supporting talent that will be able to tell this story, you know – like Brad Pitt.
BTW, my AAPIs, do not look to Lang Lang for support on this. He is from a mono-racial culture, and he is not concerned with ‘representation’ issues. Just like Bong Ho, who all the AAPIs pinned hopes on when he won his Oscar for directing, only to announce he was back to working with Tilda Swinton after – did.
Asians from Asia are not concerned with American Asians and representation. They are the majority in their home countries, and they came to America to play on an International level – not to rep for us. So will Lang Lang push back?
Of course. Because it is his story, and he likely is thrilled by the thought of working with Ron Howard.
Lang Lang will issue a statement that it is his story and he gets to pick – which he does. He will say it is not an issue, and he trusts Mr. Howard. We all await the film with baited breath.
Lulu Wang will still be right.
The world will revolve, but Mr. Howard – produce this film, by all means – but do not buy into the fact that ‘all people can direct everything.’
That is not true – you direct specific things that you feel you can connect with through life experience, knowledge of the subject, and cultural understanding.
You are missing the language, the culture, and the music in a film that is about language, culture and music.
Mistakes will be made.
People will gleefully point them out.
Why stress yourself out trying to get it ‘right’, when so many do not have the very steep learning curve you are facing?
With respect, Mr. Howard – it’s too much.
TFP out.