BLACKFACE
When IS blackface appropriate? š
Itās not listed among Gregās theater credits, THE LAST MINSTREL SHOW, which starred Della
Reese and was slated for Broadway. But after out of town runs in Delaware and Philadelphia,
we never arrived at our slated opening at the Helen Hayes Theater. (I still have that NY Times
full page ad announcing our arrival.) So it goes.
Our producers included Colleen Dewhurst and they simply ran out of money, couldnāt
get the sets out of Philly. The music and dancing were compelling and the book engaged the
use of blackface in a time of social change in America. My character, Jimmy āTuskegeeā White
questioned the morality of ācorking upā to perform our music, believing it to be demeaning
to people of color. In the second act, he confronts Black Sally (Della Reese) with his concerns and then chooses to quit the production.
Greg had been a performer for all of his life…but this was his first dramatic character
role. He was a brilliant dancer and singer; his instincts were solid but heād had little prior
training as an actor. (Iāve had the singular pleasure of having tap danced with Gregory Hines and Jeffrey Thompson on a Broadway stage!)Ā Ā
Ā Ā During the run he approached me one afternoon and asked, āTucker, every show you play
that scene…and every night you break down, often on the same word. How do you do that?ā
I described to him my training with Meisner and with Stella, spoke of āa preparationā and the
actors work of creating a characters history, back story and how that would inform his work,
once in performance.
I donāt remember if Greg ever told me who he chose to study with…but I do remember
a call late one nite. I was then living in my Tribeca loft. The phone rang and in hushed tones
but full of excitement, Greg said, āTuck! Iām down in the morgue! These guys are showing me
how they do what they do!ā Jesus, Greg, the morgue? But good on you! Greg was passionate
about growing as an artist. And he was now preparing his character for the film WOLFEN. He
continued to elevate his game with each performance, his creative instincts always on point.
And speaking of phone calls, months later I returned home one night from a black tie
affair…and had this persistent impulse. CALL GREG! Not sure why…but I did; I left him a message.Ā
Days later he returned my call. āTuck, Iām in Napa with Francis Coppola, working on a script. I think thereās something in it for you. Iāll be in touch.ā The project was The Cotton Club.
Several weeks later in NY, I took a meeting for the project. I walked into a room with
just two men, Francis Coppola and Robert Evans. I approached the conference table. They
looked at me and then they looked at each other…and in unison, they said, āKid Griffin.ā That
led to five months of creative joy…with Greg, with Diane Lane, with Laurence Fishburne and
with just about every goddamn Hollywood star imaginable. They all visited our set every week
and especially every weekend. For the parties! We had the most beautiful women in the world
attached to this project…and they all wanted to meet them. š
with just about every goddamn Hollywood star imaginable. They all visited our set every week
and especially every weekend. For the parties! We had the most beautiful women in the world
attached to this project…and they all wanted to meet them. š
Greg was a dear friend, a singular artist who left us far too soon. Art is short…and life
thereafter, far too long…
thereafter, far too long…
