Paul Robeson

[nanila]

The early termination of last week’s theme was caused by the torpedoing of my intentions by an avalanche of work and illness. I’m taking this week off, as I didn’t have the energy to prepare at the weekend (see: work and illness). My apologies.

I hope, however, that this entry might keep some of you amused for a little while. Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned the three-part BBC television series called Mixed Race Britannia? It traced the evolution of the profile of mixed race people in modern Britain. I watched all of them and wrote them up. The series put a rather rosy spin on the acceptance of mixed race couples and mixed race people in the UK today that I didn’t think was entirely justified, but it did provide rich historical coverage from the early 1900s to the present, focusing primarily on London and Liverpool.

Mixed Race Britannia: 1 of 3
Mixed Race Britannia: 2 of 3
Mixed Race Britannia: 3 of 3

Paul Robeson was an American singer, actor and early civil rights activist. In 1930, he played Othello opposite actress Peggy Ashcroft (Desdemona), a role which required him to kiss her on stage. It was not a performance he could have made at home. Robeson and Ashcroft took their liaisons off-stage as well - a romance that would flame periodically for decades.

Comments

[lilacsigil]

I didn't know he acted as well!

Every time I've read criticism of Laurence Olivier playing Othello in blackface, it's been deflected by "oh, that's how Othello was played in those days". Good to know that this is not, in fact, true!

[ironed_orchid]

I seem to recall hearing that Robeson was the first African American to play Othello.

ETA: I've been proven wrong by Wikipedia, and am very glad to have found out about Ira Aldridge who played Othello in New York with an all African American cast in the 1820s, and who then went to Britain where he played a variety of lead roles including Othello and Richard III.

And in keeping with the theme of this post, he had an English wife, Margaret Gill, and they were married for 40 years. After her death, he married Amanda von Brandt, who claimed to be a Swedish countess, and they had four children. Their two daughters became opera signers.

[lilacsigil]

Thanks for the link - Aldridge's life is fascinating!

[ironed_orchid]

I know! And it definitely gets past the arguments that "everyone did it in blackface"

[nanila]

It is good. I would have loved to have seen Paul Robeson's performance. He looks so wonderfully intense.

[avendya]

Oh, wow. [tilts head]

[nanila]

Fascinating, no? I might try to make a week of posts about famous people featured in the series, if I can find pictures of them.

Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I found this really interesting and useful. It's good comparison material for a current project of mine.

During my November Poetry Fishbowl, one of my fans gave me a prompt for Maryam, who is black and British and a steampunk engineer. You can read about her in the poem "The Steamsmith."

From the looks of the Britannia material you shared, it seems that alter-London was integrating earlier -- a lot of people didn't like it, but it was happening. Cool.

[pandarus]

Mate, you can't not include a link or two to his singing! THAT VOICE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8Kxq9uFDes&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=AVGxdCwVVULXcEK3mEhHIWtSZaYY072wb1

Plus, don't forget he was also an athlete and a political activist, on top of being a total hottie & a Shakespearean of awesome. (Before my time, obviously, but there's a theatre named after him in the bit of Greater London where I used to live: http://www.hounslow.info/arts/PRT/ which is how I found out about his levels of intense awesome.)

...man, Dame Peggy was gorgeous when she was young, eh?