Archives for the month of: March, 2013

A lot has been said this last week about a certain subject….

TEAM KHALEESI!!!!!!! (We Mother of Dragons have to stick together)

TEAM KHALEESI!!!!!!! (We Mothers of Dragons have to stick together)

No, no, no, no, no, no…..must not be distracted (But OMG, is not EVERYONE on pins and needles for Season 3? COME ON!)

What we, in the States have been watching closely this past week is not some sport that takes way too much attention and air time, or some Scandalous television show that has fairly graphic sex scenes for a show on ‘regular’ television (Ok, Ok, I just am OBSESSED with Kerry Washington’s mouth when she pulls a Chandra Wilson (but in an Olivia Pope way) monologue on people)

No, we’ve been watching these folks:

The Supremes...I mean, the Supreme Court Justices of the United States of America

The Supremes...I mean, the Supreme Court Justices of the United States of America

Not quite as attractive as these folks:

I seriously have a problem

I seriously have a problem

But those Justices have the ability to change the lives of some people I know and love, people like, well….these folks –

Two of my son's Uncles

Or these two, who had to fly to New York City to put a ring on it….

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Or you know…any of the people I know, who I have trusted to hold my child….

it was Halloween!

Relax, it was Halloween!

Here’s the thing – this:

Equality - UNDER THE LAW

Equality – UNDER THE LAW

is not going to hurt you!

It’s not going to change how you talk to your kids, it’s not going to change that you need to walk your dog before you leave the house for work, it’s not going to change the fact that Mayor Bloomberg is right and you shouldn’t buy that sugary beverage with the 12 tablespoons of sugar in it to go with your fast food….

But it could enhance the lives of people like…well, like….some of these people…

Photo by Brian Putnam

Photo by Brian Putnam

Or this guy….SparkleScott

Or them….

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The point is, it’s about the LAW. It is not about a book that has a dozen different authors, half of whom were cut out by King James because he was the King and he didn’t like what he was reading…or that he couldn’t read the Latin, so he had it translated, and then other people didn’t like some of the things, so they edited down, and now all sorts of ‘lost Bible texts’ have been showing up in the middle of the desert saved by some Ancient Egyptian Hoarder. It is a book where the contributing authors had the ‘intent’ of teaching and relating moral questions that can be useful…it’s not, it was never intended to be clinical or accurate.

Because miracles and such are not clinically quantifiable, and we do not need them to be. We just have to believe….

Otherwise I would be stoned for wearing white – and not just after Labor Day in the Hamptons!

Or my Father could have offered my sexual services to a teeming mob, so that they did not kill someone visiting the house.

Or..how about this- if you had to, in this modern age, find your way to a place you had never been before- would you use a compass or would you use Mapquest? Cuz the compass did not even work that well in Christopher Columbus’s time…I shudder to think of what kind of mess you would get into in Lower Manhattan!

The point is – this is the United States of America – not the “United as long as we all think and act exactly the same” America – and we get to be different. We get to celebrate our Diversity every day, and we are lucky to be able to do so. So if you know an LGBT person, if there is one in your Family, or someone you work with – it’s not your ‘job’ to judge them, it’s your duty to fight for their equality, the same way equality was fought for YOU by people that came before.

That is my relative, Mike Quill, Union Leader of the TWU- they fought, among other things, for equal pay regardless of race. When he passed, Martin Luther King Jr wrote his obituary

That is my relative, Mike Quill, Union Leader of the TWU – they fought, among other things, for equal pay regardless of race. When he passed, Martin Luther King Jr wrote his obituary

People you never met – you ride on their backs…we all do.

And speaking OF Martin Luther King, Jr.

And speaking OF Martin Luther King, Jr.

So that, truly, is the point.

It’s going to happen – either now or later, and we are all only as good as our actions.

What he said...

What he said…

I will tell you a story about the first Gay Wedding I went to. It was in Australia. My Cousin, Ralph was marrying his longtime Partner. Now Ralph had 3 siblings, none of whom attended the wedding – in fact, his Sister told me she thought it was ‘disgusting’. His Mother and Father were there, because as his Father said to me, “He’s my Boy”. I was in Cairns visiting my Grandmother who was then 90 years old…or maybe the 90th was coming up, anyway it was the same year – I went four times that year, so the timeline is off in my head. (Oh – and he had tons of friends there, so we did not miss his siblings at all, it was a lovely party, but I am jumping ahead)

There was a ton of debate – not to me, I was singing, I was GOING to be there – amongst those of the Family who were going to be invited, as to whether or not they would attend. As my Grandmother was in her 90th year, I waited a bit before I brought it up, because I was not, honestly, sure of what she was going to say. The world was a different place from when she had grown up. She was born in 1910. She had seen telephones come into homes, she had seen cars become an everyday item. She had seen the television go from black and white to color, and she had even managed to email. You might think, at that point, that she would have said ‘that’s enough, I’ve seen enough change in my life’.

I said, “Grandma, you know I am singing at Ralphie’s wedding“. She said she knew. I asked her “Are you going to go?” And she said, “Well of course I’m going to go – I’m invited, aren’t I? We’re family aren’t we? I go to ALL the Family weddings.”

And that was that.

As Family, we were equal in my Grandmother’s eyes.

As Citizens of the United States, we deserve that as well.

And if you do not like what I’m saying….Kiss my Fan Tan Fannie!

I usually do not post photos of my son on this blog, because he is so cute I think someone will steal him. After all, he was born in the Year of the Dragon and we all know what happened to Khaleesi in Season 2! (Damn Magicians). But I wanted you to see part of his Family…and this is only PART (and most of y’all I didn’t put in because I thought you’d yell at me or cuz u r on a big, fat TV show).

And even if you WERE to attempt to try and steal him, all of these were months ago and he doesn’t look like this anymore…

He’s cuter. 🙂

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Many moons ago – how long has it been since The Fairy Princess blogged…a while, apologies, my kid is almost 10 months as of this writing and he is pulling himself up on everything in an attempt to give me heart failure and himself a concussion every ten minutes.

Anyway, way back those many moons ago, I was sent a Casting breakdown for a new musical called BUNTY BERMAN PRESENTS, which was supposed to take place in Bollywood – which, if you have never heard of it, is India’s Hollywood only with more musical numbers and no full frontal nudity. (Just kidding Bollywood, I know who you are)

Bollywood is a wonderful place full of talented people. People who sing, and dance, and act – often at the same time. They are a People who Perform for People, and they make way more films than the United States Film Industry.

"Nothing's better than more, more, more" - Graphic stolen from Businessweek article

“Nothing’s better than more, more, more” – Graphic stolen from Businessweek article

So I was thrilled to hear that The Acorn Theater was going to do a new musical based on this concept until I read the Casting Breakdown which stated “NOTE: We are open to seeing actors who are non Indian but who can believably play Indian characters.

This was super not cool. This was like saying, “We thought that hideous Bollywood-esque production of PIPPIN in Chicago was a GREAT idea!

Boy, this looks kinda sari, doesn't it(Jen Bludgen & Co in Circle Theatre's PIPPIN)

Boy, this looks kinda sari, doesn’t it
(Jen Bludgen & Co in Circle Theatre’s PIPPIN)

This was like saying Moises Kaufman is going to have me over for Passover Seder!

This was like saying the RSC was right! (Which is LUDICROUS because everyone knows that ACT is actually right!)

This was like saying everyone was ok with no South Asians in South Asia….actually, it wasn’t ‘like‘, was it? That was what it was ACTUALLY saying.

It was looking to be a very “Drood” Bunty….with everyone in Brownface and accenting up a storm…and The Fairy Princess did use it as an example of what the trickle down effect can be when we “Whitewash’ Asian Americans out of Asia.

However, Director Scott Elliott very sneakily grabbed a page from the ACT Playbook and yep, he gone and dun it!

In a musical set in India, he cast South Asians!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not only that – he cast Erik Avari…who I j’adore as Bunty!

Erick Avari aka Bunty Berman

Erick Avari aka Bunty Berman

 

WHY do I j’adore?

BECAUSE HE IS IN THE MUMMY!!!!!!!!

 

 

The Fairy Princess has an unusual love for that film…and all it’s many spinoffs…she has even, dare I confess, watched that one about The Scorpion King when he was a young man…anyway, as Whitney used to sing, “it’s not right, but it’s ok”…but I mean COME ON a Mummy that comes back to life and is HOT? What’s not to love?

Seriously, WHO does not love THE MUMMY?

Seriously, WHO does not love THE MUMMY?

Anyway, not ONLY are there people who were born in India playing the role of someone who was born in India….wait a minute…I can’t…I have to….can we stop for a moment and just yell SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!!!!!!!! This is AWESOME!

Right George?

Right, George?

It was the LAST thing I ever expected, given the Casting Breakdown that went out. I thought it was going to be a hot mess that would make everyone’s third eye get a twitch. Honestly, I did. I was wrong.

So here’s the deal, The Fairy Princess wrote about the “Broadway Brown” of Edwin Drood and mentioned that Bunty was coming up and possibly not having South Asians in the production. People got very mad, and tweeted mean and nasty things to The Fairy Princess, things that were ignorant and based in racism and all sorts of stuff. Things got a little threatening, and things got quite heated. Why everyone was so ‘het up’ over a show that had already announced it’s closing was the real mystery.

All that kerfuffle made The Fairy Princess kinda….not mad, not sad, certainly not glad, (I’m not effin’ Anne of Green Gables) but just a little tiny bit exasperated at how many Caucasians tried to ‘school’ me on what a ‘show within a show’ means and how many were convinced it was their ‘right’ to use exaggerated face paint and use exaggerated gestures to typify a culture because when they did that role in college, they had a great time.

The Fairy Princess was feeling a bit…well, annoyed that every time she wrote a blog post it had to include a map to show where in Asia they were white washing the culture from. The Fairy Princess was starting to think that the umbrella was not adequate for the sh*tstorm that seemed to rain down on her each and every time she pointed out things every Director should be on board with – things like context and authenticity and yes, creativity.

The Fairy Princess’s wings had drooped and her tiara needed a polish. But her crystal ball told her to not lose faith, to check back in and see what the situation was with Bunty Berman Presents, after all….anything can happen in the wood….

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The Fairy Princess put on her Mary Poppins “Spoonful of Sugar” recording, and went internet searching, and low and behold…. it seems…it seems…it seemsthe point has been made.

Which makes TWICE! (San Fran’s ACT was 1st)

The Fairy Princess does not take credit – maybe this was their plan ALL ALONG?!?!?! Who knows? But perhaps, perhaps she helped a little bit. Perhaps being a mouthy Asian American with an Internet connection has hit a chord? A Dominant Seventh? Who knows what would have been the result if there had been blogging back when Miss Saigon was opening on Broadway with a Caucasian playing a Eurasian Pimp?

It seems that people are listening. Or reading, rather.

(I mean, no one would actually be LISTENING to me unless I was speaking at a conference…I’m available for weddings and bar mitzvahs too, btw…) Anyway…

Let’s DO this thing:

The Fairy Princess would like to congratulate the Cast of BUNTY BERMAN PRESENTS: Erick Avari, Raja Burrows, Nick Choksi, Katie Chung, Sevan Greene, Andrew Guilarte, Shoba Narayanan, Lyn Philistine, Debargo Sanyal, Pallavi Sastry, Gayton Scott, Lipica Shah, Alok Tewari and Sorab Wadia

She would also like to give five tips of the tiara to Director of The New Group, Scott Elliot, who is helming this production – written by Olivier Award nominee Ayub Khan Din and Grammy and Emmy Award winner Paul Bogaev.

Careful the things you write, people will listen….