Racism for Christmas

It was shortly before Christmas, 2009. I was listening to NPR, and I heard the most racist comment that I have heard in quite a long time. It was tossed off rather casually, but it made me think. The comment was made by someone who was connected with the production of a play called "Black Nativity." He said, and I'm not quoting him exactly, "If you go see 'A Christmas Carol', you would think that there were nothing but white people in America."

Now, it would seem to me that if you went to a very good production of "A Christmas Carol", you would believe you were in England in the 19th century, and America would never cross your mind. This is a story that's set in a very specific time and place, among the merchant class in an England before mass immigration. People of color could be cast in a theatrical version, but it wouldn't make much sense.

For contrast, take another hoary Christmas show, "The Nutcracker." It is a fantasy set around the dreams of the young German girl, Clara; but it could as easily be about Carl without changing the overall story or any of the musical set pieces. None of the characters in Clara's dreams - mice, nutcrackers, sugar plum fairies - belong to any specific place or time, and they could be cast with anybody talented enough. The same goes for the orchestra. You don't have to be white or black to play Tchaikovsky, but you should sound good.

Why limit the barrier-breaking in "Nutcracker" to race? Imagine the possibilities for sugar-plum fairies in an over-the-top, cross-dressing drag version!

And coming full circle to the "Black Nativity" production: I haven't seen it, but I would be willing to bet that if one saw it, one would think that there were no white people in America.