re: Philly High School drops MILLIE after complaints of racism
Posted by: WaymanWong 01:47 pm EST 12/27/15
In reply to: re: Philly High School drops MILLIE after complaints of racism - reed23 05:47 pm EST 12/26/15

Reed23, I agree 100%. As a big fan of Broadway musicals who happens to be Chinese-American, I LOVE ''Thoroughly Modern Millie.'' I remember the first time I saw it. Once Mrs. Meers (the brilliant Harriet Harris) started using that fake Chinese accent, I thought: ''Uh-oh, I don't know if I'm gonna like this if this is going in a racist direction.'' But then I got it: They were spoofing Asian stereotypes. What's more, Bun Foo and Ching Ho actually help thwart the whole kidnapping plot; they have a show-stopping solo (''Mammy''), AND one of them even falls for Miss Dorothy (!). How often do you see an Asian guy get the white girl? ... This high school petition was misguided, and I wish the two students learned more about the context of why ''Thoroughly Modern Millie'' is doing the opposite: satirizing the Asian stereotypes, not celebrating them.
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