You Can't Do That on Broadway!: A Raisin in the Sun and Other Theatrical Improbabilities

“Philip Rose was in the right place so many times and he was the right person to be in those places. In this book he has written about the times and the people who lived in those times. He has written about history. To speak exactly, Philip Rose has made history. I welcome this book.” – Maya Angelou

The producer of such legendary Broadway shows as A Raisin in the Sun and The Owl and the Pussycat, Rose here checks in autobiographically to show today's producers how much work remains to be done in integrating the American theater. His affectionately garrulous account of his adventures contains many pointed anecdotes about faithless (and sometimes criminal) investors, duplicitous producers, mentally disturbed directors and many other stage and screen fauna who make a producer's life a difficult one. But unlike those who go with the flow, Rose was determined, in the above and other shows, to hire casts that reflected America, choosing gifted actors such as Diana Sands, Ruby Dee and Sidney Poitier if he felt they were suited to their roles, and ignoring the prevailing color code on Broadway. Now retired from producing, but still active at 80 as a manager, Rose has the perspective and wit to speak of the dramatic events of his life, even if his somewhat long narrative could have benefited in places from stricter editing. Particularly moving is the account of his friendship with playwright Lorraine Hansberry, whose Raisin in the Sun marked not just the first time an African-American woman had a play on Broadway, but also the first time an African-American director (Lloyd Richards) made it to Broadway. (June) Forecast: Since Broadway, and the rest of American theater, is far from solving the casting attitudes that still keep talented actors of color largely underemployed, Rose's book should be mind-opening reading for a whole new generation of producers, if they have the smarts to heed it. It's a limited audience, but one that can have great impact; the bottom line, as shown by Rose's theatrical choices, is that enlightened views on race can actually translate into commercial success.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Rose was the producer who brought Lorraine Hansberry's brilliant play, A Raisin in the Sun, to Broadway in 1959. Not only was this Hansberry's first (and regrettably only) play, it was also the first time that Rose had ever produced a play. New playwrights always face an uphill battle, and Hansberry had this and the obvious barrier of race between her and success. Rose believed in her work, however, and together they persevered. For him, working with such an extraordinary playwright and the equally talented actor Sidney Poitier was a life-changing event. Most of this memoir (200 pages in all) is consumed by the challenges and rewards of producing A Raisin in the Sun, an experience Rose allows the reader to recall with him. Equally enjoyable are his stories about his other theatrical productions, such as Purlie Victorious, The Owl and the Pussycat, and Does the Tiger Wear a Necktie? Recommended for larger public libraries. J. Sara Paulk, Coastal Plain Regional Lib., Tifton, GA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.