The Enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 192?-1930, 1928-10-18

rt ~ ~--NrrT = = 80 -
would be impossible for her to say
how thorouhly disguised she was with
the play.
All in all fully some thirty Negroes
of intelligence or self-respect had ex-
pressed to me their disapprobation
of the play. Therefore it was with
some curiosity that found myself ct
the famous old Drury Lane Theatre
to see 1t for myself.
And just here let me inject fact
about myself. l have read so many
bad books about Representatives.
and hundreds of them--I have heard
so many bad things said, have been
jim-crowed, and insulted and KNOCKED
about in America so much because Of
my complexion that my indignation,
very vivid and electrical in the be-
ginning, has, | fear become some
what frayed or flabby, in these lat
ter days from excessive use.
know moreover that at least seventy
five percent of white Americans
would rather hear bad than good said
about Negroes, further that at least
ninety-five percent of all white peo-
pie are more interested in a print
tive Negro than in refined, edu-
Gated one, just as primitive Eng
lishman, or German, or Italian, or
white Southerner is more interesting
to me, at least at first sight, than
one in the boiled shirt or one mine
ing along on stills.
l know, also, that the great ma
jority of white people expect spir-
ituals or coon songs from Negroes
and that they would much rather
hear them than selection from Ver-
di or a song from Ben Johnson. /
know further that plays and books
are written for money and that only
idealistic idiots like myself and few
others still insist that they should be
written first of all for spiritual adj
vancement. Putting two and two
together, ! realize since this is so and
that white producers are out to make
money and must give people what
they want, namely, just what the
more self-respecting Negroes are OBJ
jecting to in Show Boat, that the
only thing left for me, so far as plays
and books on the order of Show Boat
are concerned, is to become a philos-
opher. One thing is sure: white pro-
ducers when they stage these plays
do not take Negroes into account, ex-
cept in so far as they can use them
to give to the public what the public
wants. But so far as the Negro as a
box office factor is concerned he
simply doesn't enter into the calcu-
lations of producer.
Having said all this | will proceed.
To me Show Boat was at the same
time pleasure and disappoint-
ment A pleasure in that | had been
led to believe from reviews or bits
from reviews that apart from the
colored people in it, the play was
worth almost nothing. The fact is
that Show Boat Is one of the most
snappy and sparkling plays / have
ever seen and rarely have laughed
so much at play. The white act
ors were several, of them unusually
good. Cedric Hardwicke as Captain
Andy of the Show Boat kept the au-
dience in continuous roar of laugh
ter whenever he appeared; Viola
Compton, as his wife, acted the part
Of the respectable and prudish South
ern matron to perfection, while the
dancing and acting of Edith Day, the
leading lady was excellent through
out, as was the part played by Leslie
Sarony, another very funny man, The
white chorus girls, on the whole were
so poor, however, that they are hard
ly worth a mention,
On the other hand | was disap-
pointed as | said. From what | had
heard I expected to see the Negroes
occupying a part Of some prominence
but they were buried away as secure
ly as they would have been were they
sitting in some white theatre in Geor-
gia or Virginia, or at a reception
given by the governor of Alabama
to his constituency. Show Boat in
short is white mans play, and the
colored brothers, as usual occupied
the usual place. Not a bit different
from in America.
Even Robson, who was superb,
as always, and at least as great an
attraction as any other person in the
cast, occupied position well in the
rear, his role being that of the lazy,
good-natured lolling darky, a type
that exists more in white mans fancy
than in reality. His singing of "Old
Man River" is unforgettable, and
was very warmly applauded.
Alberta Hunter, who possesses UNI
deniable talent, was as good in her
part as the white leading lady was
in hers. vet Miss Hunter WAS only
a maid and played also a very trivial
part. As to che colored chorus girls
they were all that the white chorus
were not / cannot recall having
seen anywhere else such nifty, well
matched chorus. All were about the
same, height and complexion, even
the same size of legs, and resembled
so many fairies. They danced well,
and did credit to the training of John
Payne, well-known singer, who train
ed the colored cast, Several persons
have said to me: with such fine
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