Protestors Take Aim at THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS, the exhilarating new Kander & Ebb musical, opened Sunday, October 31 at the Lyceum Theatre. Since it's celebrated opening, the show has been the target of protests, as was first mentioned on BroadwayWorld.com's Broadway Message Board HERE and is still be debated HERE. One poster calling for a boycott of the show asks: "When is Racist Terrorism Musical Entertainment?  Where is the Song and Dance Musicals about Gas Chambers, World Trade Center or Japanese Internment Camps?"

This past Saturday, November 6, a group of 30 protestors, under the banner of the Freedom Party, picketed the Lyceum Theatre where the show is running, and "argued that the use of minstrelsy and blackface were racist," according to a report in the New York Times.  Says SCOOTSBORO director Susan Stroman in response, "'The trials were treated as if the boys were in a minstrel show" because it was such a farce...'The actors actually deconstruct the device in front of the audience," and in the end, rebel against it."

What do you think? Visit the above links to join in the conversation!

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS stars John Cullum as Interlocutor, Joshua Henry as Haywood Patterson, Colman Domingo as Mr. Bones,Forrest McClendon as Mr. Tambo, Sharon Washington as The Lady, Josh Breckenridge as Olen Montgomery, Derrick Cobey as Andy Wright, Jeremy Gumbs as Eugene Williams, Rodney Hicks as Clarence Norris, KendRick Jones as Willie Roberson, James T. Lane as Ozie Powell and Ruby Bates, Julius Thomas III as Roy Wright, and Christian Dante White as Charles Weems and Victoria Price. The production also features E. Clayton Cornelious, JC Montgomery, Clinton Roane and Robin S. Walker.

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS is the thrilling final collaboration by musical theatre giants John Kander and Fred Ebb (Chicago, Cabaret). Based on the notorious "Scottsboro" case in the 1930s (in which nine African-American men were unjustly accused of a terrible crime) this daring and wildly entertaining musical explores a fascinating chapter in American history with brilliant originality. This critically-acclaimed production, directed and choreographed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman (The Producers) and featuring a book by David Thompson (who adapted the script for Chicago's record-breaking revival), comes to Broadway following a sold-out run at the Vineyard Theatre.

The production is the winner of the 2010 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Musical and the 2010 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical and a 2010 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics. The show has also been nominated for four AUDELCO Awards for Excellence in Black Theatre, including Outstanding Musical Production.

THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS is produced on Broadway by Barry and Fran Weissler, Jacki Barlia Florin,Janet Pailet/SHARON A. CARR/Patricia R. Klausner, Nederlander Presentations Inc./The Shubert Organization Inc., Beechwood Entertainment, Broadway Across America, Mark Zimmerman, Adam Blanshay/R2D2 Productions, RICK DANZANSKY/Barry Tatelman, Bruce Robert Harris/Jack W. Batman, Allen Spivak/Jerry Frankel, Bard Theatricals/Probo Productions/RAndy Donaldson, Catherine Schreiber/Michael Palitz/Patti Laskawy, Vineyard Theatre.