5 Reasons Why African American Stage Plays Are Not Respected in Hollywood

Newest Hollywood inductee, Tyler Perry is reaping massive critical acclaim for his recent collection of films. His latest, “Why Did I Get Married?” was the top-grossing film on its opening weekend (October 12^th, 2007). But Perry did not start behind the camera. His original work was at first found on the many small stages dotting America: the stage play. Tyler Perry is notorious for creating the character “Madea”, who often pops up in his various plays with lots of wisdom and tons of wit. His adept portrayal of such a memorable character is what has led him to cinematic success with such films as “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” (starring Kimberly Elise) and “Madea’s Family Reunion.” Perry himself has been quoted, saying that he wished for his plays to be a “bridge” between traditional urban theatre, and mainstream cinema.

But Perry is not the only African American stage play director on the scene. In fact, the genre which made Perry so famous has actually been quite popular with black audiences for several years. But unlike companies who stage top-notch Broadway plays (those with Tony Award nods), the organizations staging black plays get little to no publicity. And when they do, it is often negative. There are reasons why traditional black “church” plays seem to get a bum rap. And those reasons often have nothing to do with skin color…

The Acting is Poor

In 2004, E. Lynn Harris, a popular gay African American author brought one of his best-sellers “Not a Day Goes By” to the stage as a play. Starring actors such as Jackee Harry and American Idol alum, Trenyce, theatres from Atlanta to Little Rock, Arkansas were packed with Harris fans. The show did fairly well in the black community. But ultimately, the stiff acting took away from the book’s authentic quality.

This is often the case in many African American stage plays. It isn’t so much that quality actors cannot be found. It’s that acting from a theatrical perspective is something that many up-and-coming thespians have not yet mastered. As a result, the playwrighting skills are largely eclipsed by acting that is more intrusive than natural.

The Subject Matter is Hackneyed

Many plays written by African American playwrights take place in the churches and living rooms of their characters. While this in and of itself does not warrant a poor review, the fact remains that the subject matter is considered shallow by many stage play audiences. With titles like, “Beauty Shop”, “His Woman/ His Wife”, and “Love on Layaway” it is often difficult for people to take seriously the subject matter-when all the topics seemed centered around sex and infidelity. Though these topics are rampant in both mainstream Hollywood cinema and in traditional theatre, the stories are often much too shallow for critics to really delve into on an artistic level. Quite frankly, the narratives of these characters are viewed as nothing more than beauty salon gossip set to stage.

Plot Development is Weak

Stage directors and writers would love to have audiences believe that everything they see on stage is plotted and planned with the utmost precision. Truthfully, the topics that are covered in African American stage plays often seem to require very little “development.” For instance, in many plays the highlights are punctuated by enthusiastic musical choir numbers and solos. The songs in these plays are arranged in such a way as to create a dynamic in the story. But many times, these placements are awkward and end up creating small divisions in the tale’s continuity. Many audiences actually find the choral numbers more annoying than helpful to the play. Couple this with a storyline that is fairly one-dimensional, and all theatrical respect has just gone out the window.

Characters are too Stereotypical

Another thing that keeps African American stage plays from making more of an impact on the rest of society is their own perpetuation of traditional stereotypes. The Preacher, The Vixen, The Matriarch, and The Stud are all recurring characters who make appearances in so many different stage plays across America. In essence, these characters continue to preserve the myth that all black men are emotionally or physically “unavailable” and all black women are needy or conniving.

Even the plays that attempt to showcase a different side of the African American existence end up falling prey to the same stereotypes that have been ridiculed in previous years. For example, Tyler Perry’s characters, “Sheila” and “Mike” are pivotal to the plot in his latest film, “Why Did I Get Married?”. Sheila is an overweight wife with poor self-esteem. Mike is the tall, dark, handsome stud who persistently mistreats her emotionally and commits adultery right under her nose. In essence, these types characters have been seen before dozens of times. So any mystique the stories might have had is essentially lost by the time audiences get to their seats.

They Are Seen as Sleazy

It is no secret that African American sexuality is not one of America’s favorite topics in Hollywood. Though it is difficult to escape sex and sexual themes in cinema and theatre, their portrayal in black stage plays is seen as vulgar, instead of invigorating. The artistic merit in many sexual situations in black stage plays is lost on many audiences because they are not accustomed to how African American men and women relate to each other in real life. Furthermore, black playwrights sometimes have a tendency to over-exaggerate intimate situations for the sake of attracting attention to their work. In short, the “gossipy” nature that accompanies many of the black stage plays is what keeps some audiences from taking them seriously.

Reference:

• www.wholesalecentral.com