politelyintheknow:“…we have a 10-word bio in the program because there are so many people in the sho
politelyintheknow:“…we have a 10-word bio in the program because there are so many people in the show. the 10 words i wrote are, ‘this is for all those whose shoulders i stand on.’ when i sing ‘go the distance’ i think about all the black men who have been enslaved, incarcerated, assassinated - i think about them. there is a hero inside all of them. it’s the most empowering moment i’ve ever had on stage.” - jelani alladin on playing hercules.I understand where he’s coming from and I understand that the myth of Hercules is popular in the US so people see themselves in it. But I don’t understand why Hercules is never a metaphor for the Greek struggles, like the wars, famine, prosecution, brutality and KKK hunts (especially in the US where we were the “dirty Greeks”) and literal genocide we have survived. To be clear, I am not attacking the actor!! I am commenting on the US-centric view of our myths, where the Greek people get separated from their heritage. If the cast had actual Greeks or Greek-Americans the show would speak for our culture in a deep way. It would give Greeks the chance to combine their heritage with their recent historical narrative on stage. Only a few Americans actually know the recent bloody history of Greece while praising our ancient tales. -- source link
#hercules#the musical#greek representation#greek culture#greek myth