Parody and Double Consciousness in the Language of Early Black Musical Theatre

Abstract

The early decades twentieth century were, in many respects, beginning period black aesthetic and intellectual reconstruction. Alain Locke identifies era as sudden flood-tide new life and vitality in African American music, dance, and musical comedy (57). Henry Louis Gates, Jr., maintains during time there emerged the era myth a a in search a Renaissance suitable contain culturally willed myth.(1) The notions new life, vitality, and New Negro in African American are central essay, not least because they underscore efforts by African Americans during first decades century deconstruct minstrel caricature and reconstruct image cultural representation. To counter nineteenth century's negative representation African Americans, notion a in art, literature, and theatre surfaced, suggesting bold and audacious act language, signifying will power, dare recreate a race by renaming it, despite dubiousness venture (Gates, Trope 132). The central and driving force underlying will reconstruct race lay in writings W. E. B. Du Bois. was Du Bois, according August Meier, who was most aware of complexity and sophistication African culture (264).(2) Drama critic Lester Walton recognized significance The Souls Black Folk in his weekly column Music and Stage. Du Bois makes powerful plea, Walton wrote in 1908, that art in nation will not be written until has made his contribution (6).(3) The Souls Black Folk can be shown be especially important, as Paul Gilroy points out, because it sensitized blacks significance vernacular cultures arose mediate enduring effects terror (119-20). Du Bois, Dickson D. Bruce, Jr., observes, located essence a distinctive black spirituality in roots black American culture (207). Du Bois's description double consciousness not only defined an important analysis black American culture, but it characterized African American representation in performing arts. Du Bois wrote: It is a peculiar sensation, double-consciousness, sense always looking at one's through eyes others, measuring one's soul by tape a world looks on in amused contempt and pity (215).(4) This dualism and frustration, Du Bois adds, is history American Negro, and this longing attain self-conscious manhood, merge double into a better and truer self culminates in a desire to make it possible for a man be both a and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having doors Opportunity closed roughly in his face (215). Du Bois's comments specifically apply many black performers at turn century. The black actor or actress had effect a public through what Du Bois called a tertium quid, often performing as a clownish, simple creature, at times even lovable within its limitations, but straitly foreordained walk within (271). The power Veil as a distorting mask is underscored by fact many African American performers, notably Bert Williams, had wear blackface make-up because their real faces failed conform caricature popularized by nineteenth-century white minstrel performers. Will Marion Cook said in 1903 the terrible difficulty composers my race have deal with is refusal American people accept serious things from us. That prejudice will be educated away one day I hope (300). The fact Cook made comment in same year Du Bois published The Souls Black Folk is by no means a coincidence. James Weldon Johnson, an active song writer during early years black musicals, was deeply influenced by Du Bois's work. …