Posted: 29 July 2020 at 9:19am | IP Logged | 11
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Let's remember an immortal Billy Joel lyric: "The good old days weren't always good and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems."
Everyone loves the good ol' days... because our memories do a massive job of editing what we recall. One excellent moment (e.g., a first kiss) can change a whole span of time against that context. Or a first bike. Or the first time. Time changes everything.
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I have a little different perspective on some recent events, especially pertinent to this topic, because I was in "1776", and I played Edward Rutledge.
Now, I'm not a method actor, i.e., I didn't live as Tevye when I played him in "Fiddler on the Roof." But I try to get into a character's motivations and beliefs; I think it makes a better performance.
To say I was conflicted was an understatement. But I put my heart and soul into South Carolina's representative, and especially "The Triangle Trade" - Molasses to Rum to Slaves.
If you've not seen it, I cannot recommend it enough. But don't expect to like it. The song is utterly painful, and I learned what exquisite anguish meant every night I performed it.
I came out of it with, I think, a little deeper understanding of why the South had slaves (or why anyone had them, really.) And I came to understand how horrible it was even more deeply.
The jigsaw puzzle is a little bit clearer - and shows even more evil. BLM mattered then even more than now - and it's critical right now.
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