The American Classics Series: WHAT & WHY?

Today's blog comes to us from stage director and choreographer and ADLR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, ADAM ADOLFO.

A year ago, I launched the American Classics Theatre Initiative with Artes de la Rosa at the Rose Marine Theater. I said it was “In an effort to celebrate the universal themes and theatrical history found in the American Theatre canon”. But honestly, I wanted the Latino culture to claim a portion of history and arts that is traditionally not seen as theirs.
As a child, I thought things like DEATH OF A SALESMAN and CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF were ‘old white people theatre’. As I continued to grow and eventually become active in theatre arts and pursue a career as an actor, I became jaded with the opportunities available to me in the classics. In most cases I couldn’t even play a servant. The opportunity for me to play Big Daddy in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF or Willy Loman in DEATH OF A SALESMAN would never be granted to me, or so I believed. That was also part of the spark in me to create the American Classics Series. I wanted to provide Latino actors the opportunity to see themselves in iconic roles most usually cast with non ethnic actors.
Last season, Artes de la Rosa presented the sultry Cuban retelling of the Tennessee Williams Classic, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Not only was it praised by critics for it’s boldness in reimagining of ‘the classics’ but by the audiences who were excited to see the work they had only acquainted with ‘old theatre’ or glamorous movies stars like Elizabeth Taylor.
What is so great about these plays also is the opportunity to address social and political issues that are prevalent but frequently undiscussed in the Latino community including gender issues, immigration, sexuality, and economic stress.
The second play to grace the stage at the Rose Marine Theater as part of the American Classics Series addresses several of those issues. A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE is by the Pulitzer Prize winning playwright who gave us THE CRUCIBLE and DEATH OF SALESMAN, Arthur Miller. This fast-paced production of Miller’s 1956 award winning drama soars on the strength of the story of Eddie, a Brooklyn longshoreman, obsessed with his 17-year-old niece Catherine. When Catherine falls in love with a newly arrived immigrant, Eddie’s jealousy erupts into a rage that consumes him, his family, and his world. The second in our bold 5 Year American Classics Theater Initiative, this story explores the trials of immigration in a corrupt society and how a family becomes tangled in a web of misplaced honor and possessive desire.
Immigration and family responsibility are strong components of this piece and their relationship with the Latino community made it a wonderful choice for Artes de la Rosa to produce. Together with a cast of 15, we are embarking on an ambitious and conceptual staging of this story with the passion and fire you’ve come to expect from our theatre performances. Be on the look out in the coming weeks as we have blogs written by members of the production staff, cast, and crew about the process of bring A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE to the stage at the Rose Marine Theater.