Race and Ain't Misbehavin'
By Kate Smith
From September 25-October 2, Illinois State University's Westhoff Theatre was transformed into the "Way West Harlem" nightclub for a production of "Ain't Misbehavin'," a musical revue featuring the intricate jazz of Thomas "Fats" Waller produced in conjunction with Crossroads Theatre Company. The show presented the multi-talented and multi-cultural performances of Antonello Di Benedetto, Cory Howell, Bonnie Johnson, Jessica McLaughlin, and Jennifer Rusk.
"Ain't Misbehavin'" swept away Broadway audiences and the Tonys when it debuted in 1978 with an all-black cast. Since then, the audience expectation has been that every cast who performs the show must be black or the music loses its value and meaning. At first glance, this seems like a valid question- how can white people sing music about being black in the Harlem Renaissance?
"When I'm playing a Bach composition, I hope people don't say, 'Well, that was a great piece, but he doesn't know what it's like to be German in the 18th century,'" stated Roosevelt Newson, Dean of the College of Fine Arts and renowned classical pianist.
Jazz extends boundaries. Once thought of as a low class form of entertainment, jazz gained respect for the difficulty of the composition as well as its international appeal. Newson also stated musicians all over the world are celebrating jazz.
"Jazz is American music," he said. "But there are great jazz musicians coming out of Russia that are neither American nor black, but their music is some of the best."
Why in this age of -ism banishing and multi-cultural tolerance is there such a controversy on the Illinois State University campus, a school that supposedly strives to achieve diversity?
Some people say it is the lack of opportunities for minorities in theatre and music departments. The bottom line is that theatre is a business just like everything else.
Would an accounting firm hire someone who can't multiply? No. Would a university hire a professor who never graduated high school? No. Would a theatre cast someone who only dances well when they need someone who can act, sing, and dance? No. This is the case with "Ain't Misbehavin'".
The five extremely talented singers, actors, and dancers were cast because they possessed the skills needed for the best production the college could produce. They were not cast based on the color of their skin, religious background, ancestral history, level at the University or any other factor save their talent as performers.
"It is our job as faculty, educators, and leaders of the community to provide this type of production in a college setting," Newson commented. "This is the type of experimentation in art that college students need to be exposed to."
People come from many different backgrounds with different experiences. Art is changing constantly, with new insights and challenges presented everyday. It is one's own personal choice to accept or reject concepts that challenge preconceived notions of the world.
Society can grow only if these challenges are met with fervor and diligence in a series of experimentation where failure is all too common.
Perhaps this production of "Ain't Misbehavin'" made one person rethink their worldview. And that makes all the difference.
