Queens, NY- bred Obba Babatunde is an acclaimed character actor, who has starred in films alongside Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Eddie Murphy, Pierce Brosnan, Laurence Fishburne, Alfre Woodard and Don Cheadle. But he got his start on the Great White Way in the 1978 musical 'Timbuktu!' His star turn came three years later as young composer C.C. White in the legendary Broadway musical 'Dreamgirls.'
Later in his career he starred on the small screen, for five years as Charles Thorne on UPN's long running sitcom 'Half & Half'. Most recently he returned to Broadway, thrilling audiences in 'Chicago.'
The seasoned actor raised eyebrows with his recent remarks about Bill Condon's film adaptation of 'Dreamgirls' -- which he was asked to star in. Here he shares what he thinks of Dreamgirls then and now.I want to take the opportunity to clear up a few misconceptions about the responses of some the original Broadway cast members of 'Dreamgirls,' and of course I speak only for myself.
I feel the comments from the cast members have been viewed by some as 'sour grapes.' This couldn't be further from the truth. We have no ill will toward the actors in the film or the film itself. Our comments are born out of a love, respect and dedication to protecting the integrity of a musical that we were a part of onstage, and knee-deep in its creation. To help make my point I will say this: 'If there were an occasion for your life story to be told in a movie and you were misrepresented, you would care.'
This is not to say that 'Dreamgirls' is a story of our lives but given the process of how it evolved into the brilliant musical it was, we have the right to our opinions of how it should be portrayed.
As a side bar, it saddens me to think that during slavery we as a people were stripped of all rights, including the right to our own lives. Now some of us Blacks find ourselves --post slavery-- clinging to the vestiges of some of those same wrongdoings. By this I mean, if I am black and there is a creative expression that has blacks in it and I don't like what I see or hear then I am labeled a 'hater,' robbing me of my rights to my own opinion. Caucasians are not relegated to liking the movie or play simply because white people are in it. So I think that concept is absurd!
'Dreamgirls' was born out of a workshop setting called 'Tom Eyen's Project #9,' tracing the evolution of girl groups of the '60s and '70s. In the workshop we had the privilege of fighting for certain elements to add or not be added to the script, the use of drugs and alcohol was one of the battles fought and won not to have. Our reason for that was to present a story that would pay homage to the great men and women who came through the music business at a time when they were afforded far less than they deserved, because of the racist practices in place in America at the time. And we wanted to make sure we stayed away from the all too common stereotypes that showed blacks in a negative light.
'Dreamgirls' is a reflection of an era and the injustices blacks suffered in the music industry before crossover. Without knowledge of our past history we are prone to repeat the same pitfalls.
We the original cast sold our rights to any creative credit or future compensation for $1, with the exception of what the union afforded us to share in a limited first class production of the musical. This would seal our fate as it pertained to the rights to any future profits derived from movies, television, etc. made from or based on the show we help shape and mold. This is a strange and all too common fate for blacks in the entertainment industry.
We have to be careful not to cast away the contributions and sacrifices made in the past, for the present, newer flavor. We appear many times to be more impressed by hype and or celebrity than substance and capability. We tend to not protect and preserve our classics or our classic artists, we often deal with our stars like seasonal clothing, like last year's clothing style tossed aside for the newer model. I am saddened when I read blogs and hear listeners call on radio programs where some of the same people who were big
Beyonce fans are now attacking her.
I hope this outlet sheds a new light on the concerns that we, the original cast members, might have. I say to those who might want us to sit down and just enjoy the show, don't be so quick to discount the voice of those who were there from the start, look a little closer and know that the best way to tell a dirty glass, is to put a clean one next to it. I wish each cast member of the movie well and to everyone else -- if you liked the movie then see the play.
