Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 25, 2012)
A p ril 2 5 . 2012 ®l?* Fortiani» (Dbserurr Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. O pinion VooK^P Me^lrt<3Vy W K . , A W ^V < W M W ¿ 0R/WÏ3M©- IÑ otte W o WHAT lx>ok£p - fr&lK /\ - 1 ) ^ A FoT^AVVy : IteWAV peNie^ < < - T FeAREDfoR 6 » -- UY UF^ A Page 9 New Prices Effective May 1,2010 Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG $45.00 A sm all distance/travel charge m ay be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: I sm all H allw ay) K DEVICE THiT G oes "BWOK'JP 7oo PRteK 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area (Hallway Extra) Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services): $25.00 Area/Oriental Rugs: $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wooly. $40.00Minimum Opening Up New Avenues for Black Actors Making inroads on Broadway by M arc H. M orial L ik e H o lly w o o d , B roadw ay has h istori cally been reluctant to cast A frican A m eri c an s in m a in stre am c la s s ic s , e s p e c ia lly those originally c re ated for w hite thespi- a n s . B u t, u n lik e “T in se lto w n ,” the “G reat W hite W ay” has m oved m uch m ore force fully in recent years to open up new avenues for black actors. T he latest exam ple is a new all black revival o f T ennessee W ill iam s’ Pulitzer Prize w inning play, “A S treetcar N am ed D esire,” w hich o p en ed A pril 22 at B ro a d w a y ’s B roadhurst T heatre. M a rlo n B ra n d o a s S ta n le y Kowalski first scream ed the immortal line, “Hey Stella” in 1947when “Street car” originally prem iered on B road way. T he other leading m em bers o f that original cast included Kim Hunter, as S tan ley ’s w ife, Stella; Jessica Tandy as Stella’s delusional sister, B lanche D uBois; and Karl M alden as B lanche’s scorned suitor, M itch. The story centers around the em otional unravelling o f Blanche, a Southern belle hiding a tawdry past, who moves into Stanley and S tella’s N ew O rleans apartm ent causing all m an n er o f conflict and trag edy. In this first all-black Broad way revival, Blair U nderw ood is cast as the brutish Stanley; D aphne R u b in -V eg a plays his w ife, Stella; N icole Ari P ark er is B lanche; and W ood B yrd and Jones are the A frican In the 1970s w e saw Broadw ay A m erican producers w ho brought p lay s like P u rlie , R aisin , A in ’) the all-black revival o f another T e n M isbehaven, and The W iz. With nessee W illiam s m asterpiece, “C at the 80s cam e show s like D ream girls on a H ot T in R o o f ’ to B roadw ay in and a num ber o f plays by the greal 2008. T hat play, w hich w on the A ugust W ilson, including Fences L aurence O livier A w ard for Best and Jitney. A nd since the 90s p ro R evival o f a Play, starred T errence ductions like B ring in ‘da Noise. H ow ard, A nika Noni Rose, Phylicia Bring in ‘da Funk, T he C olor Purple, R ashad and Jam es Earl Jones. Fela and S ister A ct have attracted From 1890 to 1910, m ost o f the m ainstream audiences. blacks on B roadw ay w ere featured W hile these pro d u ctio n s have in A frican A m erican m instrel shows, resulted in m ore w ork for black a c playing to all-w hite audiences. In tors, Stephen B yrd and A lia Jones are still a rarity as full-tim e A frican A m e ric an B ro a d w ay p ro d u c e rs. B lack su p erstar en tertain ers like A licia Keys, W ill Sm ith, Jay -Z ,Jad a P in k e tt, W h o o p i G o ld b e rg an d O prah W infrey are m aking inroads as B roadw ay producers, but there is obviously room for m any m ore. W e w ant to congratulate Stephen Byrd and Alia Jones and their aw ard w inning d irecto r Em ily M ann, for the 1920’s com posers like Eubie bringing this new all-black revival B lake and N oble Sissle popularized o f “ A Streetcar N am ed D esire” to the black B roadw ay m usical. But it B roadw ay. W e c a n ’t w ait to see the w a sn ’t until the 1935 production o f usually d eb o n air B lair U nderw ood G eorge G ersh w in ’s Porgy and B ess in a t-shirt scream ing, “H ey Stella.” that A frican A m ericans really hit it Marc H. Morial is president and big on B roadw ay. T he m om entum chief executive officer o f the Na has co ntinued to build. tional Urban League. > ...z7 wasn't until the 1935production o f George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess that African Americans really hit it big on Broadway. The momentum has continued to build. t H arris is cast as M itch. Five-tim e G ram m y w inning ja z z trum peter, T errence B lanchard has co m posed original m usic fo r the play. T h e revival is being co-produced by S tep h en B yrd, fo u n d er o f Front R ow P roductions and his business partner, A lia Jones. Heavily Soiled Area: Additional $10.00 each area (Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $69.00 Loveseat: $49.00 Sectional: $ 109 - $ 139 Chair or Recliner $25 - $49 Throw Pillows (With Other Services): $5.00 ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet - x Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • Minor Water Damage Services SEE CURRENT FLYER FOR ADDITIONAL PRICES & SERVICES Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949
