Blackface Shakespeare: Thomas D. Rice and the Return of Jim Crow as Otello

IF 0.2 3区 社会学 0 HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
ADAM KITZES
{"title":"Blackface Shakespeare: Thomas D. Rice and the Return of Jim Crow as Otello","authors":"ADAM KITZES","doi":"10.1017/s002187582400001x","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Thomas D. Rice's <span>Otello Burlesque</span> represents the first full performance to link Shakespearean burlesque with blackface minstrelsy on the early American stages. This disturbing milestone has its origins in a pressing need, on Rice's part, to expand the range of his signature persona, the “original Jim Crow.” Rice developed his script during an extended hiatus, following a successful tour of England. Although it generally is regarded as a loose adaptation of Maurice Dowling's 1834 <span>Othello Travestie</span>, I argue that Rice took care to blend Dowling with Shakespeare. This combination recasts Jim Crow as a grotesque persona, which disrupts Shakespearean burlesque as much as it does blackface minstrelsy. Accordingly, the play dwells on Othello's anguish, but displaces that anguish in an atmosphere of chaos. In turning to performance history, I argue that the play was regarded as a momentary sensation, whose novelty wore off almost as quickly as it appeared. Subsequent revivals suggest that producers went to some trouble to maintain interest among audiences. In its treatment of racial difference as “fun,” <span>Otello Burlesque</span> draws attention to a culture of distraction, where the term is understood as civil conflict and as the momentary diversions that draw public attention away from it.</p>","PeriodicalId":14966,"journal":{"name":"Journal of American Studies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.2000,"publicationDate":"2024-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of American Studies","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1017/s002187582400001x","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"0","JCRName":"HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

Thomas D. Rice's Otello Burlesque represents the first full performance to link Shakespearean burlesque with blackface minstrelsy on the early American stages. This disturbing milestone has its origins in a pressing need, on Rice's part, to expand the range of his signature persona, the “original Jim Crow.” Rice developed his script during an extended hiatus, following a successful tour of England. Although it generally is regarded as a loose adaptation of Maurice Dowling's 1834 Othello Travestie, I argue that Rice took care to blend Dowling with Shakespeare. This combination recasts Jim Crow as a grotesque persona, which disrupts Shakespearean burlesque as much as it does blackface minstrelsy. Accordingly, the play dwells on Othello's anguish, but displaces that anguish in an atmosphere of chaos. In turning to performance history, I argue that the play was regarded as a momentary sensation, whose novelty wore off almost as quickly as it appeared. Subsequent revivals suggest that producers went to some trouble to maintain interest among audiences. In its treatment of racial difference as “fun,” Otello Burlesque draws attention to a culture of distraction, where the term is understood as civil conflict and as the momentary diversions that draw public attention away from it.

黑脸莎士比亚托马斯-D-赖斯和吉姆-克劳饰演的奥赛罗的回归
托马斯-D-赖斯(Thomas D. Rice)的《奥泰罗滑稽戏》(Otello Burlesque)是将莎士比亚滑稽戏与美国早期舞台上的黑脸吟游诗人联系起来的第一部完整演出。这个令人不安的里程碑源于赖斯扩大其招牌角色--"原版吉姆-克劳"--范围的迫切需要。赖斯在英国巡演取得成功后,在一段很长的休息时间里创作了剧本。尽管人们普遍认为该剧是对莫里斯-道林(Maurice Dowling)1834 年创作的《奥赛罗》(Othello Travestie)的松散改编,但我认为赖斯注意将道林与莎士比亚相融合。这种结合将吉姆-克劳重塑为一个怪诞的角色,它对莎士比亚滑稽剧的破坏不亚于对黑脸吟游诗人的破坏。因此,该剧表现了奥赛罗的痛苦,但又将这种痛苦置于混乱的氛围中。在谈到演出史时,我认为该剧被视为一时的轰动,其新鲜感几乎在出现的同时就消失了。后来的重演表明,制作人为了保持观众的兴趣费尽了心思。奥赛罗滑稽戏》将种族差异视为 "乐趣",引起了人们对注意力分散文化的关注,在这种文化中,种族差异被理解为内部冲突,以及吸引公众注意力的瞬间转移。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
Journal of American Studies
Journal of American Studies HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-
CiteScore
0.60
自引率
0.00%
发文量
24
期刊介绍: Journal of American Studies seeks to critique and interrogate the notion of "America", pursuing this through international perspectives on the history, literature, politics and culture of the United States. The Journal publishes original peer-reviewed research and analysis by established and emerging scholars throughout the world, considering US history, politics, literature, institutions, economics, film, popular culture, geography, sociology and related subjects in domestic, continental, hemispheric, and global contexts. Its expanded book review section offers in-depth analysis of recent American Studies scholarship to promote further discussion and debate.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信