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What Makes Shakespeare Musicals "American" |
Excerpted from Irene G. Dash, "Shakespeare and the American Musical," Shakespeare in American Life exhibition catalog. Folger Shakespeare Library, 2007.
(Page 3 of 3) Joseph Papp, the producer of Two Gentlemen of Verona and founder of Shakespeare in the Park and New York's Public Theater, implicitly agreed with Guare and Shapiro. Papp had begun producing Shakespeare outdoors in the East River Amphitheater in New York in 1956, then sought a location in Central Park; for him, American meant bringing free Shakespeare to the people of the city, especially those unfamiliar with live stage productions. Papp therefore jettisoned the idea that his actors mimic—or learn—English pronunciation. They could speak in their own voices and accents, as in Two Gentlemen of Verona, where Raul Julia spoke in the lilting tones of his native Puerto Rico. His brilliantly performed Proteus conveyed all the nuances of Shakespeare's instant lover without worrying about his accent
The great popularity of these plays in America (abroad, too, from the time of the first invasion of Kiss Me, Kate overseas) established their place in American culture. Their songs were widely sung. Hailed by the middle class for its exuberance, Kate also reflected the optimism of contemporary American life in those early post-World-War II years. Audiences in country after country welcomed the American musical—not as a version of a Shakespeare play but as a wonderfully new form of entertainment.
Bella Spewack, who wrote the book (that is, the spoken words) for Kiss Me, Kate, documents the musical's overseas triumph in her voluminous correspondence with Cole Porter, mentioning contracts in Italy and France, performances in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, a live TV presentation in Japan, and a production in Israel. By 1961, she delightedly records a moment in Brussels: " EMBRASSEZ MOI, KATHERINE opens at le theatre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels on June 15. Yes, my love, in French with Belgian opera stars, [and] soloist dancers from the Sadler Wells Ballet. Your orchestra numbers 55!" She observes with pride to Porter, "Ours will be the first American musical to play the opera house in English or French," and "it will mark KATE'S thirteenth language!"6
6 The Cole Porter Letters. Box E. Letter from Bella Spewack, 30 May 1961. The Bella and Sam Spewack Collection. Columbia University Rare Book Library.
The 1956 Kiss Me, Kate at Austria's Vienna Volksoper included two African Americans in major roles—Olive Moorefield, shown here, as Bianca, and Hubert Dilworth as Paul. Photofest.
Virginia and Alden Vaughan, eds. Shakespeare in American Life. Folger Shakespeare Library, 2007.