[ SECRET POST #4595 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #4595 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 28 secrets from Secret Submission Post #658.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

05. https://66.media.tumblr.com/d52ef147c23032202dce9f86cd15dc81/tumblr_pvfnownGxl1rpvuv2o1_400.jpg

[(Anonymous)]

What line?

[(Anonymous)]

"the nigger serenader and the others of his race", presumably

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks. They rewrote it in the version that I found from Googling.

"There's the banjo serenader, and the others of his race"

[(Anonymous)]

yeah, i've seen that version a few times; for obvious reasons most places rewrite it these days

(most of that verse gets rewritten tbh)

[(Anonymous)]

Oof yikes. Cant blame you OP

[greghousesgf]

there are several problematic lines in that song....

[(Anonymous)]

I looked it up and holyyyy shit you werent kidding

[(Anonymous)]

Tbh I'd be inclined to judge someone who sang the whole song

[(Anonymous)]

[OP] I was specifically referring to the N-word, but yeah, it's... a thing. There's a reason most modern productions do their own version!

[(Anonymous)]

i'm not going to judge a (very satirical) song that was written in 1884 by modern standards

i will note that i did some looking up, and "the lady novelist" was first being changed in 1908 but nobody cared about "the nigger serenader" until the american tour in 1947; i can't get any detail about "the lady from the provinces who dresses like a guy" but presumably that's been changed too by now

[(Anonymous)]

When I saw a production on TV in the 80s the lady novelist and the lady from the provinces were still in there. So I think it varies. I didn't even know the n-word line existed though, and I can't believe I would have missed that.

I think that song is actually meant to be updated with the times and make fun of current events. But there are plenty of people who think the whole operetta is problematic (from an Asian stereotypes point of view) so I haven't listened to it in a long time.

[(Anonymous)]

Though the Crown Prince of Japan loved it when he came to London! Both the productions I've seen were making fun of the British obsession with Japanese things at the time, which I think is a good way to handle it, because it certainly could be done in a very racist way.

[(Anonymous)]

i'm pretty sure that using a fictionalised and exaggerated version of japan to make fun of britain was the entire point from day one

[(Anonymous)]

In the context of the century it was written, "dresses like a guy" probably meant, "dresses dowdily", not, "wears men's clothes". It's a colloquialism that isn't really current now.

I mean, woulda been interesting if the second version is what they meant. But it's likely the first. Shrug.

[(Anonymous)]

OP - this secret brought to you by an argument with my Dad, who thinks the original lyrics are fine and that Scarlett Johansson should be able to play as many Japanese people as she wants! :D

[(Anonymous)]

Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikes. Im sorry OP

[(Anonymous)]

I think I was vaguely aware of The Mikado's existence beforehand, but then there was a CSI episode where Grissom's knowledge of if was instrumental in solving that episode's crime after which I looked it up and didn't quite know what to think.

[(Anonymous)]

i love that episode

my sister was in a school play version of it when i was about 10 so i kinda grew up with it (if you're going to ask if they changed the lyrics back then, it was thirty years ago and i seriously can't remember)

[dinogrrl]

As a classical musician, I run into this sort of situation a lot. There are so many old songs and entire operas and whatnot that are objectively good, enjoyable music, but the lyrics and stories are just...really scuzzy by today's standards. Or just downright offensive. Finding a balance between understanding the time period and not driving away your modern audience is one of those ongoing debates that can cause some pretty epic ragefests in the classical music world. Sometimes you've just gotta put something into the vault though and leave the original versions for the history nerds to discuss while the audience enjoys a modified version.

[(Anonymous)]

I agree.

On the other hand, it almost feels twice as awesome when an old opera has a really awesome libretto or plot or character. It feels like you're getting away with something.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm feeling you. I love Cats the Musical, and I would want it to have more content to shuffle about but uh. Growltiger's Last Stand did NOT age well, and truth be told, the Peke and Pollicles has some problematic, anti-Chinese lines that I think are still sung even in recent productions.