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- BROADWAY STAR ANDRé DE SHIELDS ON ‘HASTOWN,’ TONY AWARDS, RACISM, SEXUALY, AND FULFILLG HIS PARENTS’ DREAMSPOWEREXCLIVEMATTHEW MURPHYANDRé DE SHIELDS IS MARKG HIS 50TH YEAR SHOW BS ‘HASTOWN.’ IN A NDID TERVIEW WH TIM TEEMAN, HE TALKS G OUT, RACISM, AND FULFILLG HIS PARENTS' DREAMS.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED MAY 01, 2019 3:57PM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 29, 2019 5:15AM EDT THE ACTUAL LOR OF HIS RED DRSG ROOM, SAID ANDRé DE SHIELDS, WAS LLED “RAPTURE.” IT WAS THREE HOURS BEFORE A PERFORMANCE OF THE BROADWAY MIL HASTOWN, WHICH DE SHIELDS, AS HERM THE NARRATOR, WOULD WALK-SWAGGER OUT ONTO THE STAGE WEARG THE FTED, SHY SU HANGG ON THE DOOR ONT OF , VG THE DIENCE TO LISTEN TO THE “SAD TALE” OF ORPHS AND EURYDICE.IF YOU GO TO THE WALTER KERR THEATRE, LOOK AT THE DIENCE AROUND YOU WATCHG ANDRé DE SHIELDS SG, SPEAK, AND DANCE, YOU WILL SEE S OF WONR. THAT IS HIS CHARISMA AND POWER. IN HIS ZY DRSG ROOM, WH HIS PRECISE, RICH, EP VOICE, DE SHIELDS HAD SOME STORI OF HIS OWN TO SHARE, OF CELEBRATG 50 YEARS SHOW BS, OF GROWG UP POVERTY BALTIMORE, OF G OUT AS GAY, OF FACG RACISM ON BOTH BROADWAY AND THE GAY SCENE, OF SUCCS (FIRST AND FAMOLY THE TLE ROLE OF THE WIZ 1975), OF FULFILLG HIS PARENTS’ THWARTED AMBNS, AND OF HIS OWN DITED PURSU OF EXCELLENCE—WHICH, FOR HASTOWN, MIGHT FALLY YIELD HIM A TONY AWARD THIS YEAR, FOLLOWG TWO PREV NOMATNS. THE PATG OF THE DRSG ROOM WAS A PERK WRTEN TO HIS NTRACT, HE SAID, AND THE LOR WAS SIGNIFINTLY NAMED. HASTOWN HAD BEEN AN “ANOTG,” THE SPIRUALLY MD 73-YEAR-OLD ACTOR SAID, AND HE WANTED TO KEEP “ALL THE RAPTURO ELEMENTS OF MY LIFE THE IMMEDIATE VICY. RED IS MY RA,” HE NFID. “I DON’T KNOW IF YOU PUT MUCH CRENCE ASTROLOGY, BUT I GAZE AT THE STARS, BEE I BELIEVE THE STARS ARE GAZG AT ME.” DE SHIELDS IS A CAPRIRN, HE SAID, “AN EARTH SIGN, AND THE LOR OF EARTH TERMS OF ASTROLOGY IS RED CLAY. IT IS ALSO THE LOR OF THE FIRST CHAKRA OM WHICH ALL THE OTHER LORS TAKE THEIR SEED.”NOT EVEN BUDDHA HAD ACHIEVED NIRVANA, DE SHIELDS NOTED, ADDG HE WAS NOT A BUDDHIST HIMSELF, ALTHOUGH “ THE 1970S BUDDHISM BEME A SUBCULTURE THE ARTS MUNY. MANY OF CHANTED, IALLY ACHIEVG A MIC OF PEACE, HARMONY, TOLERANCE, AND LLABORATN. I’M A PANTHEIST. WHEN PEOPLE ASK IF I BELIEVE GOD, I SAY, ‘PUT AN S ON THAT.’ I BELIEVE GODS.”IN A 50-YEAR, MULTI AWARD-WNG AND AWARD-NOMATED REER, DE SHIELDS SAID HE HAD BEEN ABLE TO FD PURPOSE “WHERE THE ONLY GUARANTE ARE REJECTN AND SECURY. I HAVE A TALISMAN, A TOUCHSTONE. IT’S EASY TO BEE DISMAYED. I’M GOG TO BE HYPERBOLIC, BUT THERE ARE GOLN STON THAT HAVE CREATED MY PATH THIS DTRY. AND NOW, AT 73, HASTOWN I AM ABLE TO BE PART OF THIS IMPORTANT, SIGNIFINT NEW SONG CYCLE. IT PUTS ME MD OF WILLIAM BLAKE’S SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND OF EXPERIENCE.”EVERY NIGHT, PERFORMG HASTOWN, HE REGNIZ “THE SL FALL OM THE EY” OF SOME THE DIENCE, “AS IF THEY’RE BEG LIGHTER, THE BURN LIFTED OFF THEIR SHOULRS, THE YOLKS BEG BROKEN, QUTNS ANSWERED, CRIS ROLVED, THE THARSIS THEY ARE EXPERIENCG.”THEY ARE HAVG EXPERIENC HE HAS HAD, AND WHICH KEEP HIM GOG FORWARD, DE SHIELDS SAID, WHICH GUARANTE “AT 73, 83, 93, 103, I WILL PREVAIL.” ADVERTISEMENT “THE CHATTERG MAGPIE OF THE MD WANTS TO NTROL , PARTICULARLY THIS DTRY: ‘YOU DON’T SERVE THIS.’ ‘YOU’RE TOO TALL, TOO SHORT, TOO SKNY.’ ‘YOUR EY ARE NOT THE RIGHT LOR.’ ‘YOUR SK IS NOT THE RIGHT LOR.’ ‘YOU’RE NOT TED ENOUGH.’ ‘YOU’RE TOO TED.’” HE IS GREAT SHAPE, I SAID. “THAT IS SOMETHG I DO RELIGLY TOO. I EAT JUDICLY, EXERCISE VIGOROLY, AND I PRAY NSISTENTLY.” SO HE IS RELIG? “I DON’T WANT TO BE PUT THIS STRAJACKET OF RELIGN AND LL PRAYER. I AM NOT PRAYG TO ANYTHG. THIS IS PRAYER AS A NDN IF YOUR SPIR, A NDN OF YOUR MDS WHICH YOUNG PEOPLE NOW LL ‘WOKE.’”IT N ALSO BE A SALVE. “THE CHATTERG MAGPIE OF THE MD WANTS TO NTROL , PARTICULARLY THIS DTRY: ‘YOU DON’T SERVE THIS.’ ‘YOU’RE TOO TALL, TOO SHORT, TOO SKNY.’ ‘YOUR EY ARE NOT THE RIGHT LOR.’ ‘YOUR SK IS NOT THE RIGHT LOR.’ ‘YOU’RE NOT TED ENOUGH.’ ‘YOU’RE TOO TED.’ WHAT ABOUT THE QUIET VICE OF RDAL TTH THAT SPEAKS TO YOU? THERE’S SO MUCH DISTRACTN YOU N’T HEAR , AND YOU HAVE TO.”DE SHIELDS HAS NEVER HAD THERAPY. “A SHRK FOR $100 FOR RMATN I KNOW TUIVELY? NO. WE ARE BORN SENTIENT. WE KNOW EVERYTHG WE NEED TO KNOW. IF YOU N LM THE DISTRACTNS, THE KNOWLEDGE IS YOU.” THAT CHARISMA AND MAND OF THE HASTOWN DIENCE DOWN TO DE SHIELDS’ HOPE THAT HE IS “REMEMBERG FOR EVERYONE THE DIENCE. I AM SAYG TO THE DIENCE, ‘WE ARE GENI. WE KNOW EVERYTHG WE NEED TO KNOW, AND WE HAVEN’T FOTTEN ANY OF , SO LET’S CELEBRATE THAT.’”HASTOWN, FOR HIM, IS “EPIC” WH THAT WORD TRANSFORMED TO AN ACRONYM MEANG EXPANSIVE, PRIMORDIAL, INNOVATIVE, AND CATHARTIC: “WHAT WE ARE DOG IS EXPANSIVE, RETURNG PEOPLE TO PRIMORDIAL EMOTNS, ENURAGG THEM TO NOVATE OR REVENT THEMSELV. I LOOK OUT AND SEE PEOPLE UNNTROLLABLY SOBBG OR OPENG UP.” ADVERTISEMENT IN DE SHIELDS’ MD, MANY THGS E THREE PARTS. HIS REER, FOR EXAMPLE, HE SE AS “PART ONE IS TO HAVE THE DREAM, PART TWO IS THE DREAM SELF, PART THREE TO MANIFT THAT DREAM AN EPIPHANY THE NSC WORLD.” ART, FOR HIM, AS A THREE-SID EQUATN: “ENTERTAMENT IS THE FIRST PART, ENLIGHTENMENT THE SEND PART, AND ECSTASY THE THIRD PART.” MATTHEW MURPHY DE SHIELDS’ CHARISMA WAS NOTICED FIRST WHEN HE WAS YOUNG BY HIS NTS, UNCL, AND OLR SIBLGS. HE WAS NICKNAMED BY THEM ALL “PROFSOR”; ONE OF HIS NTS TOLD HIM HE HAD BEEN QUIET, HAPPY TO BE BY HIMSELF, AND BEHAVED NICELY. SHE ALSO TOLD HIM HE HAD “PREC THOUGHTS” AND WAS “PRETERNATURAL.” HE WAS ALSO NICKNAMED “JELLY BELLY, BEE THAT’S WHAT I HAD THEN.”DE SHIELDS GREW UP, THE NTH OF 11 CHILDREN, ON DIVISN STREET, WT BALTIMORE. “WE WERE IMPOVERISHED. YOU KNOW THE BETY OF THE POVERTY? YOU HAVE TO BE TOLD YOU’RE POOR. YOU DON’T KNOW UNTIL PARED TO SOMEONE WHO HAS MATERIAL THGS. THEN YOU START TO THK, ‘OH, WE’RE DIFFERENT.’ BUT THERE’S KNOWLEDGE THAT POVERTY TEACH YOU. LSONS.”HIS MOTHER, MARY, WAS A DOMTIC WORKER, HIS FATHER, JOHN, A TAILOR. “HE MA LOVELY SUS FOR OTHER PEOPLE WHO ULD AFFORD .” DE SHIELDS LOOKED AT A DRSG GOWN. “HE ULD TAKE THIS ROBE AND HE ULD TURN TO A LOVELY SMOKG JACKET.” ADVERTISEMENT WHEN I ASKED IF WAS A HAPPY HOEHOLD, DE SHIELDS SAID, “AS AN ADULT I NOW UNRSTAND THAT WAS A DISCIPLED HOEHOLD. I NOW KNOW WE WERE NOT HAPPY. “IT WASN’T RPORAL DISCIPLE, BUT WAS FELY CHRISTIAN, AND WAS FELY ‘BE RPONSIBLE.’ IT WAS FELY YOU NEVER G HOME TO 11 CHILDREN AND TWO PARENTS AT THE TABLE AT 6 EVERY NIGHT. YOU LEARNED HOW TO OK, SEW, AND CLEAN HOE BEE THIS IS YOUR VERSN OF THE UNED NATNS—AND WHAT’S GOG TO BT EQUIP YOU THIS WORLD IS HOW TO NEGOTIATE AND BE SELF-SUFFICIENT.”IN HIS TOBGRAPHIL STAGE SHOW, CONFSNS OF A P.I.M.P., DE SHIELDS SAID TO GET HIS “APPROPRIATE SLICE” OF AMERIN PIE, “I HAD TO GET OUT OF BALTIMORE OR DIE.” P.I.M.P. STOOD FOR POSIVE INDIVIDUAL MAKG PROGRS, HE SAID. IN THIS EXCELLENT SHOW, DE SHIELDS EVOKED THE STORY OF HIS LIFE THROUGH SONG, DANCE, AND STORYTELLG, FULL OF EXUBERANCE AND PIERCG HONTY. AND, OH, THE DANCG. DE SHIELDS SAID HE WAS “THE ONLY HIPPIE” OM HIS FAY. “I GREW UP DURG THE SUMMERS OF LOVE ’64 AND ’65. I’M THE ONE WHO WENT TO LLEGE [THE UNIVERSY OF WISNS-MADISON]. I’M THE ONE WHO BROUGHT WHE IENDS BACK TO THE ’HOOD. PEOPLE SAID, ‘IS ANDRé CRAZY? BUT I’M THE ONE WHO MA BEYOND 25, BEE GROWG UP BALTIMORE YOU HAD TO CHECK YOURSELF, ’E 25 IS OLD AGE. ADVERTISEMENT “THOSE MUNI WERE NTROLLED BY DGS, PRISON, AND ABANDONMENT BY THE ERNMENT, AND THEN YOU’RE TOLD, ‘YOU’RE LAZY, YOU N’T DO THIS.’ NOW THAT RAL WHE AMERI IS STNG OUT ON OPIAT, ’S NOT A CRIME, ’S A NDN THAT NEEDS TO BE ROLVED. WHEN WE GROWG UP, WE WERE CRIMALIZED.”AS A BOY, HE WENT TO THE LOL SCHOOL TWO BLOCKS AWAY AND THEN JUNR HIGH SCHOOL. BUT WHEN ME TO HIGH SCHOOL, DE SHIELDS WENT TO BALTIMORE CY COLLEGE, STILL ONE OF THE NATN’S LEADG HIGH SCHOOLS. “AT THE TIME WAS ALL-MALE, FELY PREDOMANTLY WHE. WHAT MA DIVERSE WERE THE YOUNG JEWISH MEN GOG THERE.”HE HAD TO TAKE TWO B TO GET THERE, THEN WALK THROUGH A NEIGHBORHOOD “WHERE PEOPLE FELY LOOKED AT ME AS IF I WAS A NE’ER-DO-WELL.”DE SHIELDS NOTED THAT THE SONG THAT CLOS OUT ACT I OF HASTOWN, “WHY WE BUILD THE WALL,” DIDN’T REFER TO PRINT TMP’S REAL-LIFE PLAN. THE SONG WAS WRTEN MANY YEARS AGO AND REFERS TO THE WALLS OF OUR OWN MAKG THAT NSTRA . “IT’S ALWAYS SOMETHG HERE,” HE SAID. “THEY FERRED THEIR DREAMS. SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LE OF THOSE 11 CHILDREN THAT X AND Y CHROMOSOME OF FERRED DREAMS HAD TO BE PART OF THE NCEPTN OF ONE OF THOSE CHILDREN. AND I’M LUCKY NUMBER 9. THAT’S THE HUNGER YOU PASS TO THE NCEIVG OF YOUR CHILD—WHAT WAS MISSG OM YOUR LIFE.” ADVERTISEMENT WHEN DE SHIELDS WAS OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE AN ADULT NVERSATN WH HIS PARENTS, HIS MOTHER TOLD HIM THAT HER LIFELONG DREAM HAD BEEN TO BE A CHOS GIRL. HER PARENTS WOULDN’T ALLOW . “THEY WERE JT A FEW YEARS AWAY OM THE EMANCIPATN PROCLAMATN, AND THEIR POT OF VIEW WAS ‘NO CENT LORED DGHTER OF ME IS GOG TO SHUFFLE HER WAY THROUGH LIFE.’” SIARLY, DE SHIELDS’ FATHER WANTED TO SG AND WAS A BETIFUL TENOR. “BUT HIS PARENTS SAID, ‘HOW DO YOU HOPE TO BE A RPONSIBLE BREADWNER FOR YOUR FAY WH SUCH AN SECURE POSN YOUR WORK FIELD?’ SO BOTH OF THEM WERE DISURAGED BY THEIR PARENTS. THEY FERRED THEIR DREAMS. SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LE OF THOSE 11 CHILDREN THAT X AND Y CHROMOSOME OF FERRED DREAMS HAD TO BE PART OF THE NCEPTN OF ONE OF THOSE CHILDREN. AND I’M LUCKY NO. 9. THAT’S THE HUNGER YOU PASS TO THE NCEIVG OF YOUR CHILD—WHAT WAS MISSG OM YOUR LIFE.”HIS TRODUCTN TO ARTS AND CULTURE ME OM GOG TO BALTIMORE’S ROYAL THEATER CEMA EVERY SATURDAY. “IN THE LATE 1950S, WHEN THERE WAS SUCH A THG LLED ‘NTUO SHOWGS’ AT THE CEMA, THERE WAS NO SUCH THG AS A LATCHKEY CHILD.” DE SHIELDS RECEIVED A WEEKLY ALLOWANCE OF 35 CENTS; 25 CENTS WOULD GET HIM TO THE SATURDAY NTUO FEATURE, THE OTHER 10 CENTS BOUGHT HIM A BOX OF MILK DUDS.THE FIRST SHOWG BEGAN AT 9 A.M., WH A BLACK-AND-WHE NEWSREEL. THEN THERE WAS THE “G ATTRACTNS” OF FUTURE FILMS. “THEN A RTOON. THEN THE FEATURE FILM. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, THAT WOULD BE A WTERN WH A WHE HERO: HOPALONG CASSIDY, GENE AUTRY, ROY AND DALE (EVANS) ROGERS AND THEIR HORSE TRIGGER, LASH LARUE, AND THE LONE RANGER.“WH FLASH GORDON, I ALWAYS INTIFIED WH MG THE MERCILS. ALTHOUGH HE WAS PORTRAYED AS A STEREOTYPIL EVIL ASIAN, BEE OF THE ‘POLICS OF OTHER,’ I CERTALY DID NOT INTIFY WH FLASH GORDON. I DIDN’T HAVE BLUE EY AND BLOND HAIR. I FELT LIKE I MT BE A MEMBER OF THE OTHER MUNY THAT DIDN’T LOOK LIKE ME BUT WAS TREATED LIKE ME.”THE CYCLE OF MOVI LASTED TWO HOURS, THEN BEGAN AGA AND AGA, TILL 9 P.M., WHEN DE SHIELDS AND HIS IENDS WOULD GO HOME. ADVERTISEMENT “ONE MAGIL SATURDAY,” HE RELLED, THE MOVIE CAB THE SKY SHOWED. A IEND JT BOUGHT DE SHIELDS A SMALL POSTER ADVERTISG THE FILM, WHICH HE HAS PUT ON HIS DRSG ROOM WALL. “I WAS 9, AND THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I SAW BLACK FAC ON THE BIG SCREEN. I WAS GOBSMACKED. I WAS NO LONGER THE OTHER, BUT THE DOMANT ONE.”HE KNEW EVERY ONE OF THE CELEBRI THE FILM OM READG EBONY AND JET MAGAZ; THEY WERE THE HERO OF PARENTS AND OLR SIBLGS.HE HAD SEEN EDDIE ANRSON AS ROCHTER, THE BUTLER ON THE JACK BENNY SHOW, BUT NEVER AS THE HOLLYWOOD STAR THE FILM MA HIM.“FIRSTLY, MY HEART SWELLED. SENDLY, MY HEAD SWELLED, AND THIRDLY, I HAD AN EPIPHANY. JOHN WILLIAM SUBLETT WAS ALSO THE FILM. HE WAS ONE HALF OF THE VVILLE ACT ‘BUCK AND BUBBL.’ BUCK WOULD PLAY THE PIANO, AND BUCK WOULD DANCE HIS ASS OFF ON TOP OF THE PIANO. “MY EPIPHANY POSSSED ME. EVERYTHG EXTERNAL SHUTS DOWN. I AM ENTHRALLED, AND A LTLE VOICE SAYS VERY CLEARLY, NOT SHYLY, ‘ANDRé, THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE GOG TO DO.’” “IN THE FILM, HIS AND LENA HORNE’S CHARACTERS ARE TRYG TO BREAK UP THE MARRIAGE MA HEAVEN OF EDDIE ANRSON AND ETHEL WATERS. HE ENTERS THE SALOON THROUGH SWG DOORS, RPLENNT WHE, HEAD TO TOE WH GREAT SASS. HE HAS A NE, THREE-PIECE SU, WATCH, SPATS, THE WHOLE THG: WHAT I LL A SHG MAN. WHICH I NSIR MYSELF TO BE.” (HE SAYS HE IS OM A LONG LE OF “SHG MEN,” CLUDG “LANGSTON HUGH, ALA LOCKE, JAM BALDW, AND BAYARD RT.) ADVERTISEMENT SUBLETT’S CHARACTER DANCED, FISHG ON A FLIGHT OF STAIRS. “MY HEAD WAS NSUMED CUMUL CLOUDS,” SAID DE SHIELDS. “THAT JT ISN’T WHAT HAPPENS FILM. MY EPIPHANY POSSSED ME. EVERYTHG EXTERNAL SHUTS DOWN. I AM ENTHRALLED, AND A LTLE VOICE SAYS VERY CLEARLY, NOT SHYLY, ‘ANDRé, THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE GOG TO DO.’”FROM THEN ON, DE SHIELDS WAS FOCED ON “THE FULFILLMENT OF MY STY AND PAYMENT ON THE FERRED DREAMS OF MY PARENTS. THAT WAS MY DRIVG FORCE. I THOUGHT, ‘I’M GOG TO BE THE NEXT SAMMY DAVIS JR.’ THERE WAS NOTHG ELSE TO THK. HE WAS THE EPOME OF ENTERTAMENT AT THE TIME. THERE WASN’T ANYTHG HE ULDN’T DO EXCELLENTLY, SUPERLATIVELY, WHOUT EXCEPTN. THEN HE FELL LOVE WH MAY BRT, A WHE WOMAN. THEN WAS, ‘OH, BEHAVE, SAMMY.’” WHEN THE UPLE MARRIED 1960, THEIR TERRACIAL MARRIAGE WAS ILLEGAL 31 STAT.DE SHIELDS REFERENC THE “HUGE BROUHAHA” WHEN LOUIS ARMSTRONG WAS NSIRED AS THE VOICE OF KG LOUIE, THE ORANGUTAN DISNEY’S 1967 MOVIE OF THE JUNGLE BOOK. “THE GUY WHO DID WAS LOUIS PRIMA, A WHE MAN, WHO THEN IMATED LOUIS ARMSTRONG. LIKE, WA A MUTE, WHAT’S GOG ON HERE? “RACIST AMERINS THOUGHT THE LYRIC ‘I WANT TO BE LIKE YOU,’ MEANT BLACK PEOPLE WANTG TO BE LIKE WHE PEOPLE. THAT ULDN’T BE FURTHER OM THE TTH THE JUNGLE BOOK. THE ORANGUTAN IS EXPRSG HIS ADMIRATN AND ENVY OF THE LTLE BOY; HE IS SAYG HE WANTS THE SAME POWER TO MAKE FIRE.”DE SHIELDS APPEARED A THEATRIL VERSN OF THE JUNGLE BOOK AT THE GOODMAN THEATRE CHIGO. HE PLAYED KG LOUIE. “I WAS HAPPY TO SG THAT SONG. IT HAS NOTHG TO WH RACIAL PREFERENC, BUT RATHER A SIRE TO NTROL A VAL ELEMENT OF LIFE.”THE FIRST PRODUCTN DE SHIELDS APPEARED WAS RAIS THE SUN, WHEN HE ATTEND WILMGTON COLLEGE. HE MA HIS PROFSNAL BUT THE CHIGO PRODUCTN OF HAIR, AGED 23, AND AT 26 TOOK THE TLE ROLE THE WIZ. ADVERTISEMENT ANDRE DE SHIELDS AS THE WIZ PERFORMS FOR THE BROADWAY PLAY ‘THE WIZ (MIL)’ CIR 1975. HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY OVER 50 YEARS HE HAS WON AND BEEN NOMATED FOR MULTIPLE AWARDS BROADWAY AND OFF-BROADWAY PRODUCTNS CLUDG A’T MISBEHAV’, BLACKBERRI, SAT TO, HAARLEM NOCTURNE, PLAY ON!, THE FULL MONTY, PRYMATE, DREAM ON MONKEY MOUNTA, ARCHBISHOP SUPREME TARTUFFE, AND THE JUNGLE BOOK. DE SHIELDS HAS ALSO APPEARED ON VAR TV SHOWS, CLUDG SEX AND THE CY, AND WON SPECIAL REGNN AWARDS (CLUDG OM AUDELCO, HONORG EXCELLENCE AIN-AMERIN THEATRE). IN 2007 HE WAS AWARD AN OBIE AWARD FOR STAED EXCELLENCE, AND ALREADY FOR PLAYG HERM HASTOWN HAS BEEN NOMATED THE DRAMA DK, DREAM LEAGUE, AND OUTER CRICS CIRCLE AWARDS. HE IS ALSO AN ADJUNCT PROFSOR AT NEW YORK UNIVERSY’S GALLAT SCHOOL OF INDIVIDUALIZED STUDY.HIS PARENTS ARE BOTH AD, BUT DE SHIELDS RELLED THAT HIS MOTHER WAS “TOTALLY PROUD” OF HIM. “SHE WAS VERY SATISFIED, VIRLY, THAT I HAD LIVED HER DREAM. SHE WNSED .”HIS FATHER DIED AT 50, WHEN DE SHIELDS WAS 17, OF A CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE AGGRAVATED BY CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER, EXACERBATED BY HEAVY DRKG. “IT AFFECTED ME GREATLY, SO MUCH SO I MA PART OF MY TERR ARCHECTURE,” SAID DE SHIELDS. “PEOPLE WHO ENUNTER ME N THK I AM BEG ALOOF, SMUG, ARROGANT, AND SUPERCIL. THAT’S BEE WE HAVE LOST THE GIFT AND UNRSTANDG OF SILENCE.”DON’T LET THE NFINT SHOWMAN, HOLDG THE HASTOWN DIENCE THE PALM OF HIS HAND, FOOL YOU. DE SHIELDS SAID HE WAS “A QUIET AND SOLARY MAN, ALONE FOR MOST OF MY WORKG HOURS APART OM HAVG TO E TO THE THEATER. IF I DON’T TREAT MYSELF EMPATHETILLY, HOW AM I GOG TO TREAT YOU OR ANYONE ELSE EMPATHETILLY?” ADVERTISEMENT “WE WERE 11 CHILDREN, NOW THAT’S DOWN TO THREE. I AM THE YOUNGT OF THOSE THREE. MY TWO YOUNGER SIBLGS HAVE DIED. I AM 73, MY OLR SURVIVG SIBLGS ARE 75 AND 79. WHAT I WOULD LIKE IS TO RECEIVE A TONY AWARD AND HAVE A MEMBER OF MY FAY BE AWARE OF .” THE TONY AWARD NOMATNS ARE ANNOUNCED ON TUDAY MORNG, AND DE SHIELDS IS SURELY A NTENR FOR A SUPPORTG ACTOR A MIL. HIS PREV NOMATNS WERE “EXCG, BUT I DIDN’T FEEL BEREFT WHEN I DIDN’T W. WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO ME NOW…” HE GETS UP, AND PICKS UP A SCRAP OF PAPER. “I’VE MA SOME NOT. WE WERE 11 CHILDREN, NOW THAT’S DOWN TO THREE. I AM THE YOUNGT OF THOSE THREE. MY TWO YOUNGER SIBLGS HAVE DIED. I AM 73, MY OLR SURVIVG SIBLGS ARE 75 AND 79. WHAT I WOULD LIKE IS TO RECEIVE A TONY AWARD AND HAVE A MEMBER OF MY FAY BE AWARE OF .”AGA, THIS BACK TO “PAYG THE KARMIC BT” BACK TO HIS PARENTS AND THEIR FERRED DREAMS. “MY STUD LSONS WERE NOT OM LEE STRASBERG, BUT GROWG UP WH 10 SIBLGS. I WOULD LIKE SOMEONE TO SEE THE REWARD OF ALL THAT THEY SHARED.” DE SHIELDS SPOKE POWERFULLY OF HIS OWN EXPERIENC OF RACISM. “I’M A BLACK AMERIN. THERE’S NO WAY THE UNED STAT OF AMERI FOR A BLACK MAN TO REACH THE AGE OF A SEPTUAGENARIAN AND NOT TO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE EVILS OF RACISM, IF NOT ON A DAILY BASIS PENDG ON WHERE YOU LIVE, THEN CERTALY THE CYCLE OF GENERATNS, CLUDG MY CHOSEN PROFSN. ADVERTISEMENT “IT’S VERY MON THE DAYS TO E THE TERMS IMPLIC BIAS AND UNNSC BIAS. AND I BELIEVE ’S BEG ED AS A RATNALE, AS AN EXCE, FOR DIVIDUALS TO NOT TO AL WH THE RACISM THAT IS AS AMERIN AS APPLE PIE.“WHEN RACIST ACTS OR THOUGHTS ARE ENTERTAED, WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS: WHEN WERE YOU UNNSC ABOUT DOG ? I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ANYTHG ABOUT UNNSC BIAS. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT ARE THE BIAS WE RRY AROUND AS AMERINS THAT IS PART OF THE CULTURE. WE NNOT GET AWAY OM . THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN ATTEMPT TO HEAL THE EVIL THAT IS RACISM.”THAT FAILURE, SAID DE SHIELDS, IS MARKED BY ACTN AT THE VERY TOP.“WE ARE NOW UP TO PRINT 45, AND NOT ANY ONE OF THOSE 45 PRINTS—ALL OF WHOM HAVE BEEN MEN AND ALL BUT TWO ADMISTRATNS HAVE BEEN THOSE OF WHE MEN—HAVE MA AN ACTIVE IATIVE TO HEAL THIS FTERG SORE WE LL RACISM. FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS, THE DOMANT CULTURE THE UNED STAT HAS BEEN THE BENEFICIARY OF RACISM, WHETHER THAT BE SLAVERY OR STUTNALIZED FAVORISM.“THOSE CULTUR THAT ARE NOT DOMANT HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF THOSE VERY STUTNS. ONE PART OF THE CULTURE IS SILENTLY SUFFERG GUILT, THE OTHER PART OF THE CULTURE IS SILENTLY SUFFERG SHAME. IF WE NEVER EXPOSE THAT, IF WE NEVER STROY THE VEIL, IF WE NEVER BURN THE ILLN, THEN THAT’S GOG TO BE FUTURE OF THIS UNTRY.”I ASKED WHAT HIS EXPERIENCE HAD BEEN OF RACISM ON BROADWAY. ADVERTISEMENT “BROADWAY HAS E AROUND TO DIVERSY, EQUY, AND CLN, BUT ’S E AROUND AFTER WE DRAGGED THEM SCREAMG AND KICKG.” DE SHIELDS SED WRYLY. “THE GREAT WHE WAY IS NOT LLED THAT FOR RACIAL REASONS, BUT BEE MANY YEARS AGO WAS ELECTRIFIED AND APPEARED AS IF WERE DAYLIGHT ALL THE TIME. BUT ’S A MARVELO METAPHOR IF YOU WANT TO DISCS RACISM, BEE FOR SO MANY GENERATNS WE OF LOR HAVE BEEN TGHT THIS IS AN HOSPABLE ENVIRONMENT.”DE SHIELDS SAID BROADWAY WAS “HOSPABLE” WHEN HE ARRIVED NEW YORK 1973, BUT THAT SECURG THE PART THE WIZ WAS “A GAME CHANGER FOR BROADWAY. IT OPENED A DOOR AN OPPORTUNY, AND SHOWED LOUDLY AND CLEARLY TO THOSE DIVIDUALS WHO HAD BEEN TREATED HOSPABLY THAT ‘LOOK, YOU ARE FALLY AND EMPHATILLY REPRENTED ON THE GREAT WHE WAY. COME AND APPROPRIATE THIS CULTURE JT AS THIS CULTURE HAS FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS APPROPRIATED YOURS.”“WE HAVE TO BE TWICE AS GOOD TO GET HALF AS MUCH,” DE SHIELDS SAID OF THE EXPERIENCE OF PEOPLE LOR WORKG SHOW BS AND MANY OTHER PROFSNS. “THAT HAS NOT CHANGED, AND HERE WE ARE 2019.”DE SHIELDS SAID THE RACISM HE HAD EXPERIENCED HIS REER HAD NEVER BEEN OVERT OR VOL. “THE EXPLANATN ALWAYS IS ‘WE’RE GOG A DIFFERENT DIRECTN.’ YOU WANT TO SAY, ‘JT EXPLA TO ME WHY I’M NOT GETTG THIS GIG, SO I N UNRSTAND AND DO MY HOMEWORK. BUT ’S NEVER EXPLAED.’”DID HE EVER NONT OR CHALLENGE DIRECTLY? “YOU HAVE TO GET BEYOND ‘LIVG THE DREAM.’ THAT’S PART OF THE ILLN. ONCE YOU LIVE THE DREAM, YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE REALY THAT IS THE RULT OF LIVG THE DREAM. BEE THE DREAM IS SEGREGATED. THE DREAM IS RACIST.” ADVERTISEMENT “NO, THAT’S NOT THE WAY—TO REFERENCE HATON—‘TO GET TO THE ROOM’ WHERE ’S HAPPENG. IF ’S ALL ABOUT NONTATN, THEN WILL BE NIED AND YOU WILL BE FOREVER PERSONA NON GRATA. “THE METHOD THAT WORKED FOR ME WAS TO UNRSTAND THAT THE GREATT WORK I N DO IS TO BE THE BT ANDRé THAT I N POSSIBLY BE. YOU HAVE TO GET BEYOND ‘LIVG THE DREAM.’ THAT’S PART OF THE ILLN. ONCE YOU LIVE THE DREAM, YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE REALY THAT IS THE RULT OF LIVG THE DREAM. BEE THE DREAM IS SEGREGATED. THE DREAM IS RACIST. “YOU HAVE TO BE THE CHANGE THE WORLD YOU WANT TO SEE. TO CHANGE THE WORLD IS HARDLY EVER A RULT OF NONTATN, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT IS A RULT OF ACHIEVG EXCELLENCE. THEN YOU CHANGE A FEW MDS, YOU CHANGE A FEW HEARTS, AND THEY CHANGE A FEW MDS, AND THEY CHANGE A FEW HEARTS AND PEOPLE BEE ENLIGHTENED.” “LOVE IS IMPORTANT TO ME,” DE SHIELDS SAID. “FALLG LOVE IS NOT.”WAS EVER? “Y, ’S JT NO LONGER IMPORTANT TO ME. THAT IS ONE OF THOSE ILLNS I HAVE LIBERATELY BURNED. ‘FALLG LOVE’: JT LISTEN TO THE IDM. I DON’T WANT TO ‘FALL’ LOVE, ’S LIKE STUMBLG OVER A POTHOLE. I WANT TO LOVE. THOSE IMPORTANT MEN AND WOMEN MY LIFE HAVE LOVED ME TO NSCNS.” ADVERTISEMENT WHEN I ASKED IF DE SHIELDS WAS BI, GAY, STRAIGHT, OR SOMETHG ELSE, HE SAID, “I HAVE TO E LANGUAGE PEOPLE WILL UNRSTAND. I’M GAY. BUT WH THE CULTURAL REVOLUTNS GOG ON, THAT LABEL NEEDS TO GO AWAY FOR EVERYBODY. ONE HAS TO BE RECEIVED HOW ONE SCRIB ONELF, PECIALLY BLACK MEN WHO ARE STILL FIGHTG AGAST SUCH PREJUDICE. OUR FLH MAY BE EE BUT OUR MDS ARE ENSLAVED STILL. THERE ARE STILL SHACKL ON OUR EMOTNS, WHICH IS WHY BLACK MEN WILL LOVE AND HAVE SEX WH OTHER BLACK MEN BUT WILL NOT SELF-INTIFY AS GAY BEE ‘GAY’ IS A POLIL NSTCT VISED BY WHE MALE HOMOSEXUALS WHO N LOOK TO THE WORLD LIKE THE DOMANT WHE HETEROSEXUAL MALE FOR WHOM THE WORLD IS MA. “WHEN TO SEXUALY AND GENR, WE KNOW WHO WE ARE. IT’S HOW WE PRENT TO THE RT OF THE WORLD THAT MEANS GETS BEATEN TO SOMETHG ELSE IF ’S NOT NSIRED NORMATIVE.” DE SHIELDS LGHED GENTLY, RELLG PLAYG AS A LTLE BOY THE PATCH OF DIRT AT THE BACK OF THE HOE. HE REMEMBERS AN ADULT MEMBER OF THE FAY NEXT DOOR SAYG TO HIM, “HEY, YOU LTLE FAIRY.”“I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THE WORDS MEAN,” DE SHIELDS SAID; JT THAT THIS NEIGHBOR WAS ADDRSG HIM. HE MA A MISSN TO FD OUT WHAT A “FAIRY” WAS. HE DID, AND THOUGHT, “OH, I’M BEG INTIFIED BY SOMEONE ELSE.” “THAT’S HOW WE GROW UP: PEOPLE PUTTG APPELLATNS ON TO . WHEN WE BUY TO , THAT’S WHEN WE START FETTG THE KNOWLEDGE WE ARE BORN WH.”AS A TEENAGER HE WORKED A LIBRARY AND READ BOOKS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALY, MEANG HE BOTH UNRSTOOD THE HOMOPHOBIC SULTS HE ENDURED, “BUT ALSO HOW MYOPIC MEDIL SCIENCE HAD GOTTEN HOMOSEXUALY.” ADVERTISEMENT GETTG VOLVED WH THEATER “WAS FELY THE TRODUCTN I NEED TO KNOW THAT I WAS NOT ALONE. I NEVER EVER THOUGHT I WAS THE ABERRATN BEE MY ’HOOD EVERYBODY GROWS UP KNOWG AN ANDRé. WE’RE EVERYWHERE.”BUT HE DIDN’T SEE HIS EXPERIENCE REFLECTED TOO MANY PLAC. DE SHIELDS SAID ALL HIS READGS OF THE CELEBRATED AUGT WILSON, “AND THIS ISN’T TO TAKE AWAY OM HIS GENI, I’VE APPEARED HIS PLAYS, BUT PEOPLE LIKE ME ARE NOT REFLECTED ANY OF HIS PLAYS.”WOMEN E UP TO HIM ALL THE TIME, DE SHIELDS SAID, WHILE MEN KEEP THEIR DISTANCE. “GROWG UP BALTIMORE, I HAD TO HAVE GIRLIENDS UP UNTIL I WAS 19,” HE SAID. THEN HE SPENT A JUNR YEAR ABROAD DENMARK, WHERE HE HAD A SIGNIFINT RELATNSHIP WH A WOMAN, RUTH, “WHO LOOKED AT ME AND SAW MY TERR SELF. SHE TOLD ME, ‘IT’S ALRIGHT IF YOU LOVE MEN, JT DON’T STOP LOVG ME.’ THAT WAS LIKE BOIIG.” HE MA A MOTN OF A FLASH OF SELF-REVELATN. “SHE WAS TELLG ME THERE WAS NOTHG WRONG WH ME BEG GAY.” IN CONFSNS OF A P.I.M.P, DE SHIELDS RELLED THAT BY 1979, THE SEXUAL REVOLUTN WAS WELL UNRWAY; HE WAS NFINT, F, AND “GETTG LAID” EVERY NIGHT. THEN HE TALKED ABOUT THE IMPACT OF HIV AND AIDS ON HIS GROUP, AND HOW HIS IENDS ME TO BE “UNTED”: JUL, JSE, RON (“WHO DANCED ON MYSTER RHYTHMS… UNTIL HIS LEGS SHRIVELED TO AGILE REEDS UNABLE TO SUPPORT EVEN HIS SHNKEN TORSO”), BRIAN, WHOSE SK WAS “EATEN BY PURPLE BLOTCH,” AND MANY OTHERS KNOWN BY FIRST NAM, CLUDG ALAN, ALV, BARRY, CARL, PL, QUENT, WSTON, JAVIER, AND ZANE. “I WOULD LIKE TO BE WH SOMEONE, BUT I THK I AM GOG TO BE SGLE. THE SOMEONE I WANT TO BE WH IS A FANTASY. AND UNTIL REALY N MATCH FANTASY, ’S A FOOLS’ GAME.” DE SHIELDS HAD TWO SIGNIFINT RELATNSHIPS; ONE FOR 17 YEARS WH A PARTNER, CHI, WHO DIED OF AIDS-RELATED LYMPHOMA, AND ANOTHER WH A PARTNER NAMED JOHN, WHO HE WAS WH FOR TWO YEARS AND WHO DIED OF AIDS-RELATED MENGIS 1995. ADVERTISEMENT “I WOULD LIKE TO BE WH SOMEONE, BUT I THK I AM GOG TO BE SGLE,” DE SHIELDS SAID OF THE FUTURE. “THE SOMEONE I WANT TO BE WH IS A FANTASY. AND UNTIL REALY N MATCH FANTASY, ’S A FOOLS’ GAME.”IN HIS DRSG ROOM, DE SHIELDS ALSO SPOKE OF THE RACISM HE HAD EXPERIENCED ON THE PREDOMANTLY WHE LGBT SCENE. IN 1980, A HOLLYWOOD GAY BAR, HE WAS LLED A “N---ER QUEEN” BY A WHE GAY BARMAN, APPARENTLY ANGRY DE SHIELDS WAS QUTNG WHY A PARTICULAR MIXED DRK WASN’T AVAILABLE. THE BARMAN SAID, “I’M TIRED OF YOU ARROGANT N---ER QUEENS.” DE SHIELDS SAID: “A BLACK MAN WHO’S NFINT. FET HIS SEXUALY. HE’S ‘ARROGANT.’”OF URSE THERE IS RACISM THE LGBT MUNY, SAID DE SHIELDS. “BEE WE ARE AMERI AND THE SEED OF THE SEED OF AMERIN CULTURE IS RACISM. WHAT YOU’RE FIGHTG FOR IS CLN A RACIST CULTURE.”WHAT, FOR HIM, HAD BEEN THE IMPACT OF CULTURAL LANDMARKS LIKE MOONLIGHT AND POSE? “THE EXCELLENCE OF THE ART IS BI THE POT,” SAID DE SHIELDS. “WHAT THEY HAVE DONE IS MA EASIER FOR SOME BLACK PEOPLE TO INTIFY AS GAY AND TRANS. BUT THE WHE GAY RACIST STILL LOOKS WH UTTER DISDA AT AS THE SCUM OF THE EARTH, WHICH IS WHAT THEIR HETEROSEXUAL UNTERPARTS DO.” WHILE “VERY FULFILLED,” DE SHIELDS HAS MUCH MORE HE WANTS TO DO HIS REER. “THAT IS VERY MUCH PENNT ON HOW LONG I WILL RRY THE BREATH OF LIFE.” HE THKS OF HIS MORTALY, BUT HAS NCLUD THAT AS HE DIDN’T FEAR BEG BORN HE SHOULDN’T FEAR “ANY PROCS OF BEG UNBORN.” ADVERTISEMENT HIS PERSONAL CSA IS “TO BREAK THE “METHELAH CO,” AND TRYG TO FIGURE OUT HOW HE N LIVE BEYOND THE 969 YEARS OF THE FAMO BIBLIL FIGURE. HE HAS SURMISED A POSSIBLE ANSWER VIA TWO STAGE DOOR EXPERIENC. IN 1993, A LADY WHO HAD SEEN HIM THE ORIGAL WIZ ME TO SEE HIM THAT YEAR’S REVIVAL. SHE BOUGHT HER MOTHER (WHO HAD TAKEN HER TO THE ORIGAL SHOW) AND HER DGHTER. “THREE GENERATNS,” SAID DE SHIELDS. HE RELLED ANOTHER UPLE WHO SAW HIM HASTOWN LONDON LAST YEAR. THE LADY THE UPLE RELLED DE SHIELDS PERFORMG A’T MISBEHAV’ 40 YEARS PREVLY. JAM HARKNS, WHO PLAYS PL WILLIAMS A’T TOO PROUD: THE LIFE AND TIM OF THE TEMPTATNS ON BROADWAY, THANKED HIM RECENTLY FOR BEG AN EXAMPLE TO EMULATE. “MANY PEOPLE REFER TO ME AS A KEEPER OF THE FLAME. IT’S HUMBLG,” SAID DE SHIELDS.PERHAPS, DE SHIELDS THKS, THE WAY HE BREAKS THE METHELAH CO IS THROUGH HIS WORK, S FLUENCE AND LEGACY EXTENDG TO THE FUTURE. “MAYBE METHELAH DIDN’T LIVE FOR 969 YEARS, BUT HIS REPUTATN DID AND THAT’S WHAT’S IMPORTANT,” SAID DE SHIELDS.LATER THAT EVENG DE SHIELDS WENT OUT ON TO THE WALTER KERR STAGE, AND AS HE DANCE, SPOKE, AND SANG, ANOTHER HASTOWN DIENCE LOOKED ON WONR. ROLL ON THE NEXT 896 YEARS. ADVERTISEMENT MATTHEW MURPHY TIM TEEMAN
- ANDRé DE SHIELDS AS THE GAY CHARACTER AUGT WILSON LEFT OUT
- IS ANDRé DESHIELDS GAY?
- SEE TONY-AWARD WNER ANDRé DE SHIELDS DAZZLE AN EXCLIVE CLIP FROM NYPL BENEFTHE THEATER LEGEND PUTS HIS OWN SP ON A SONDHEIM CLASSIC TO CELEBRATE 90 YEARS OF THE BILLY ROSE THEATRE DIVISN. BY CHRIS MURPHYJUNE 22, 2021FACEBOOKTWTEREMAILSAVE STORYTAYLOR HILL/FILMMAGICSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEGOOD TIM AND BUM TIM, ANDRé DE SHIELDS IS STILL HERE. THE TONY-AWARD WNG HASTOWN STAR AND THEATER LEGEND PROVED AS MUCH HIS PERFORMANCE AT THE VIRTUAL BENEF FOR NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR THE PERFORMG ARTS, WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE TO STREAM ON WEDNDAY NIGHT ON BROADWAY ON DEMAND AT 8 PM.THE ONE-TIME-ONLY EVENT, FTGLY LLED “I’M STILL HERE,” WILL CELEBRATE THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BILLY ROSE THEATRE DIVISN AND S BELOVED THEATER ON FILM AND TAPE ARCHIVE, WHICH HAS DOCUMENTED AND PRERVED LIVE THEATRIL EVENTS FOR HALF A CENTURY. THE LATE THEATRIL PRODUCER HAROLD PRCE AND INIC THEATER DIRECTOR GEE C. WOLFE WILL BOTH BE HONORED AT THE DONATE-WHAT-YOU-N BENEF. DE SHIELDS PUTS HIS OWN SP ON STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S TOUR FORCE ELEVEN O’CLOCK NUMBER “I’M STILL HERE” OM FOLLI. DE SHIELDS, WEARG A SPIFFY CHECKERED SU AND BOW TIE BATN, PERSONALIZ THE ANTHEM OM THE VERY BEGNG, HOLDG A PLAYBILL FOR ONE OF HIS FIRST BROADWAY SHOWS—RACHEL LILY ROSENBLOOM (AND DON’T YOU FET IT) WHICH CLOSED DURG PREVIEWS—WHILE SGG THE LE, “SEEN ALL MY DREAMS DISAPPEAR.” AND, THEN THE FUN BEGS. “BRG , HAHA,” DE SHIELDS SAYS ACPANIED BY A BEAT DROP, HERG AN UPDATED, GROOVIER TAKE ON THE SONDHEIM CLASSIC. DE SHIELDS NTUED TO WK AT HIS THEATRIL REER, PULLG UP A POSTER AND PHOTOS OM THE BROADWAY PRODUCTN OF THE FULL MONTY, WHICH HE STARRED AS NOAH “HORSE” T. SIMMONS 2000. “DANCED MY SKANTI, THREE BUCKS A NIGHT WAS THE PAY, BUT I’M HERE,” DE SHIELDS KNOWGLY SGS AS PHOTO OF THE FULLY MONTY’S ENSEMBLE OF MALE STRIPPERS POPS UP ON SCREEN. THE GOOD TIM NTUE AS DE SHIELDS HAS A QUICK CHANGE, DCHG THE CHECKERED SU FOR A SPARKLY SILVER JACKET AS PLAYBILLS AND PHOTOS OM PRODUCTNS LIKE THE OBC OF ANNIE AND THE MERRY WIV OF WDSOR FLOOD THE SCREEN. “YOU KNOW BLONS REALLY DO HAVE MORE FUN,” DE SHIELDS SAYS, SUPERIMPOSED OVER AN IMAGE OF HIM WH “PLATUM BLON HAIR.” YOU N TELL HE KNOWS WHAT HE’S TALKG ABOUT. ALONG WH DE SHIELDS, “I’M STILL HERE” FEATUR PERFORMANC OM A BEVY OF BROADWAY STARS CLUDG ANNALIEGH ASHFORD, LRA BENANTI, STEPHANIE J. BLOCK, MATTHEW BRORICK, NEIL PATRICK HARRIS, RA MORENO, BERNATTE PETERS, PHYLICIA RASHAD AND MANY MORE. THE EVENT WILL ALSO FEATURE NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE OF BROADWAY PRODUCTNS OM THE THEATER ON FILM AND TAPE CLUDG GLENN CLOSE SUNSET BOULEVARD AND MARCIA GAY HARN AND MERYL STREEP THE SEAGULL. “THE BILLY ROSE THEATRE DIVISN HAS SERVED AS THE LLECTIVE MEMORY FOR OUR MUNY BY PTURG THE EPHEMERAL NATURE OF OUR UNIQUE ART FORM. UNTIL WE N ALL EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF LIVE THEATER AGA, WE ARE THRILLED TO LOOK BACK TO THE ARCHIV TO HIGHLIGHT THEATRIL MASTERPIEC OM THEIR VAST LLECTN,” SAID PRODUCERS JULIE BOARDMAN AND NOLAN DORAN. “OUR HOPE IS TO RAISE FUNDS TO ENSURE THE ARCHIV REMA ACCSIBLE TO FUTURE THEATRE MAKERS FOR GENERATNS TO E.”TICKETS TO THE FUNDRAISER WILL BE DONATE-WHAT-YOU-N, WH A REMENDATN OF AT LEAST $19.31 HONOR OF THE YEAR THE DIVISN WAS FOUND. TO PURCHASE TICKETS, VIS MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR— WHAT IS NAOMI OSAKA’S JOB, REALLY?— DID PAYG A RANSOM FOR A STOLEN MAGRTE PATG INADVERTENTLY FUND TERRORISM?— Y.A. AUTHOR A.S. KG LOST HER CHILD. NOW SHE HOP TO SAVE OTHERS— FIRST COM THE PANMIC DIVORCE, THEN THE “TS OUT” SUMMER— AFTER THE BBC APOLOGY, HOW SHOULD WE THK ABOUT THAT BOMBSHELL PRCS DIANA INTERVIEW?— A SHIPWRECK, A MONTK MYSTERY, AND THE CLASS DIVI THAT STILL DEF THE HAMPTONS— THE HIGH STAK OF WILLIAM AND KATE’S STLAND VIS— THE BT SWIMSUS, JT TIME FOR SUMMER— FROM THE ARCHIVE: QUEEN ELIZABETH’S MOST LOYAL SUBJECTS— SIGN UP FOR THE ROYAL WATCH NEWSLETTER TO RECEIVE ALL THE CHATTER OM KENSGTON PALACE AND BEYOND.MOST POPULARDONALD TMP’S PLAN TO GET REELECTED AND PARDON HIMSELF WAS JT DEALT SER SETBACKBY BS LEVMSNBC IS HAVG ITS SUPER BOWL WH DONALD TMP’S INDICTMENTSBY CHARLOTTE KLEGEIA REPUBLINS SAY THEY'LL MOVE TO REMOVE FULTON COUNTY DA FANI WILLIS FROM OFFICE WH NEW STATE LAWBY ERIC LUTZCHRIS MURPHY
- IS ANDRé DESHIELDS GAY?
BROADWAY STAR ANDRé DE SHIELDS ON ‘HASTOWN,’ TONY AWARDS, RACISM, SEXUALY, AND FULFILLG HIS PARENTS’ DREAMSPOWEREXCLIVEMATTHEW MURPHYANDRé DE SHIELDS IS MARKG HIS 50TH YEAR SHOW BS ‘HASTOWN.’ IN A NDID TERVIEW WH TIM TEEMAN, HE TALKS G OUT, RACISM, AND FULFILLG HIS PARENTS' DREAMS.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED MAY 01, 2019 3:57PM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 29, 2019 5:15AM EDT THE ACTUAL LOR OF HIS RED DRSG ROOM, SAID ANDRé DE SHIELDS, WAS LLED “RAPTURE.” IT WAS THREE HOURS BEFORE A PERFORMANCE OF THE BROADWAY MIL HASTOWN, WHICH DE SHIELDS, AS HERM THE NARRATOR, WOULD WALK-SWAGGER OUT ONTO THE STAGE WEARG THE FTED, SHY SU HANGG ON THE DOOR ONT OF , VG THE DIENCE TO LISTEN TO THE “SAD TALE” OF ORPHS AND EURYDICE.IF YOU GO TO THE WALTER KERR THEATRE, LOOK AT THE DIENCE AROUND YOU WATCHG ANDRé DE SHIELDS SG, SPEAK, AND DANCE, YOU WILL SEE S OF WONR. THAT IS HIS CHARISMA AND POWER. IN HIS ZY DRSG ROOM, WH HIS PRECISE, RICH, EP VOICE, DE SHIELDS HAD SOME STORI OF HIS OWN TO SHARE, OF CELEBRATG 50 YEARS SHOW BS, OF GROWG UP POVERTY BALTIMORE, OF G OUT AS GAY, OF FACG RACISM ON BOTH BROADWAY AND THE GAY SCENE, OF SUCCS (FIRST AND FAMOLY THE TLE ROLE OF THE WIZ 1975), OF FULFILLG HIS PARENTS’ THWARTED AMBNS, AND OF HIS OWN DITED PURSU OF EXCELLENCE—WHICH, FOR HASTOWN, MIGHT FALLY YIELD HIM A TONY AWARD THIS YEAR, FOLLOWG TWO PREV NOMATNS. THE PATG OF THE DRSG ROOM WAS A PERK WRTEN TO HIS NTRACT, HE SAID, AND THE LOR WAS SIGNIFINTLY NAMED. HASTOWN HAD BEEN AN “ANOTG,” THE SPIRUALLY MD 73-YEAR-OLD ACTOR SAID, AND HE WANTED TO KEEP “ALL THE RAPTURO ELEMENTS OF MY LIFE THE IMMEDIATE VICY. RED IS MY RA,” HE NFID. “I DON’T KNOW IF YOU PUT MUCH CRENCE ASTROLOGY, BUT I GAZE AT THE STARS, BEE I BELIEVE THE STARS ARE GAZG AT ME.” DE SHIELDS IS A CAPRIRN, HE SAID, “AN EARTH SIGN, AND THE LOR OF EARTH TERMS OF ASTROLOGY IS RED CLAY. IT IS ALSO THE LOR OF THE FIRST CHAKRA OM WHICH ALL THE OTHER LORS TAKE THEIR SEED.”NOT EVEN BUDDHA HAD ACHIEVED NIRVANA, DE SHIELDS NOTED, ADDG HE WAS NOT A BUDDHIST HIMSELF, ALTHOUGH “ THE 1970S BUDDHISM BEME A SUBCULTURE THE ARTS MUNY. MANY OF CHANTED, IALLY ACHIEVG A MIC OF PEACE, HARMONY, TOLERANCE, AND LLABORATN. I’M A PANTHEIST. WHEN PEOPLE ASK IF I BELIEVE GOD, I SAY, ‘PUT AN S ON THAT.’ I BELIEVE GODS.”IN A 50-YEAR, MULTI AWARD-WNG AND AWARD-NOMATED REER, DE SHIELDS SAID HE HAD BEEN ABLE TO FD PURPOSE “WHERE THE ONLY GUARANTE ARE REJECTN AND SECURY. I HAVE A TALISMAN, A TOUCHSTONE. IT’S EASY TO BEE DISMAYED. I’M GOG TO BE HYPERBOLIC, BUT THERE ARE GOLN STON THAT HAVE CREATED MY PATH THIS DTRY. AND NOW, AT 73, HASTOWN I AM ABLE TO BE PART OF THIS IMPORTANT, SIGNIFINT NEW SONG CYCLE. IT PUTS ME MD OF WILLIAM BLAKE’S SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND OF EXPERIENCE.”EVERY NIGHT, PERFORMG HASTOWN, HE REGNIZ “THE SL FALL OM THE EY” OF SOME THE DIENCE, “AS IF THEY’RE BEG LIGHTER, THE BURN LIFTED OFF THEIR SHOULRS, THE YOLKS BEG BROKEN, QUTNS ANSWERED, CRIS ROLVED, THE THARSIS THEY ARE EXPERIENCG.”THEY ARE HAVG EXPERIENC HE HAS HAD, AND WHICH KEEP HIM GOG FORWARD, DE SHIELDS SAID, WHICH GUARANTE “AT 73, 83, 93, 103, I WILL PREVAIL.” ADVERTISEMENT “THE CHATTERG MAGPIE OF THE MD WANTS TO NTROL , PARTICULARLY THIS DTRY: ‘YOU DON’T SERVE THIS.’ ‘YOU’RE TOO TALL, TOO SHORT, TOO SKNY.’ ‘YOUR EY ARE NOT THE RIGHT LOR.’ ‘YOUR SK IS NOT THE RIGHT LOR.’ ‘YOU’RE NOT TED ENOUGH.’ ‘YOU’RE TOO TED.’” HE IS GREAT SHAPE, I SAID. “THAT IS SOMETHG I DO RELIGLY TOO. I EAT JUDICLY, EXERCISE VIGOROLY, AND I PRAY NSISTENTLY.” SO HE IS RELIG? “I DON’T WANT TO BE PUT THIS STRAJACKET OF RELIGN AND LL PRAYER. I AM NOT PRAYG TO ANYTHG. THIS IS PRAYER AS A NDN IF YOUR SPIR, A NDN OF YOUR MDS WHICH YOUNG PEOPLE NOW LL ‘WOKE.’”IT N ALSO BE A SALVE. “THE CHATTERG MAGPIE OF THE MD WANTS TO NTROL , PARTICULARLY THIS DTRY: ‘YOU DON’T SERVE THIS.’ ‘YOU’RE TOO TALL, TOO SHORT, TOO SKNY.’ ‘YOUR EY ARE NOT THE RIGHT LOR.’ ‘YOUR SK IS NOT THE RIGHT LOR.’ ‘YOU’RE NOT TED ENOUGH.’ ‘YOU’RE TOO TED.’ WHAT ABOUT THE QUIET VICE OF RDAL TTH THAT SPEAKS TO YOU? THERE’S SO MUCH DISTRACTN YOU N’T HEAR , AND YOU HAVE TO.”DE SHIELDS HAS NEVER HAD THERAPY. “A SHRK FOR $100 FOR RMATN I KNOW TUIVELY? NO. WE ARE BORN SENTIENT. WE KNOW EVERYTHG WE NEED TO KNOW. IF YOU N LM THE DISTRACTNS, THE KNOWLEDGE IS YOU.” THAT CHARISMA AND MAND OF THE HASTOWN DIENCE DOWN TO DE SHIELDS’ HOPE THAT HE IS “REMEMBERG FOR EVERYONE THE DIENCE. I AM SAYG TO THE DIENCE, ‘WE ARE GENI. WE KNOW EVERYTHG WE NEED TO KNOW, AND WE HAVEN’T FOTTEN ANY OF , SO LET’S CELEBRATE THAT.’”HASTOWN, FOR HIM, IS “EPIC” WH THAT WORD TRANSFORMED TO AN ACRONYM MEANG EXPANSIVE, PRIMORDIAL, INNOVATIVE, AND CATHARTIC: “WHAT WE ARE DOG IS EXPANSIVE, RETURNG PEOPLE TO PRIMORDIAL EMOTNS, ENURAGG THEM TO NOVATE OR REVENT THEMSELV. I LOOK OUT AND SEE PEOPLE UNNTROLLABLY SOBBG OR OPENG UP.” ADVERTISEMENT IN DE SHIELDS’ MD, MANY THGS E THREE PARTS. HIS REER, FOR EXAMPLE, HE SE AS “PART ONE IS TO HAVE THE DREAM, PART TWO IS THE DREAM SELF, PART THREE TO MANIFT THAT DREAM AN EPIPHANY THE NSC WORLD.” ART, FOR HIM, AS A THREE-SID EQUATN: “ENTERTAMENT IS THE FIRST PART, ENLIGHTENMENT THE SEND PART, AND ECSTASY THE THIRD PART.” MATTHEW MURPHY DE SHIELDS’ CHARISMA WAS NOTICED FIRST WHEN HE WAS YOUNG BY HIS NTS, UNCL, AND OLR SIBLGS. HE WAS NICKNAMED BY THEM ALL “PROFSOR”; ONE OF HIS NTS TOLD HIM HE HAD BEEN QUIET, HAPPY TO BE BY HIMSELF, AND BEHAVED NICELY. SHE ALSO TOLD HIM HE HAD “PREC THOUGHTS” AND WAS “PRETERNATURAL.” HE WAS ALSO NICKNAMED “JELLY BELLY, BEE THAT’S WHAT I HAD THEN.”DE SHIELDS GREW UP, THE NTH OF 11 CHILDREN, ON DIVISN STREET, WT BALTIMORE. “WE WERE IMPOVERISHED. YOU KNOW THE BETY OF THE POVERTY? YOU HAVE TO BE TOLD YOU’RE POOR. YOU DON’T KNOW UNTIL PARED TO SOMEONE WHO HAS MATERIAL THGS. THEN YOU START TO THK, ‘OH, WE’RE DIFFERENT.’ BUT THERE’S KNOWLEDGE THAT POVERTY TEACH YOU. LSONS.”HIS MOTHER, MARY, WAS A DOMTIC WORKER, HIS FATHER, JOHN, A TAILOR. “HE MA LOVELY SUS FOR OTHER PEOPLE WHO ULD AFFORD .” DE SHIELDS LOOKED AT A DRSG GOWN. “HE ULD TAKE THIS ROBE AND HE ULD TURN TO A LOVELY SMOKG JACKET.” ADVERTISEMENT WHEN I ASKED IF WAS A HAPPY HOEHOLD, DE SHIELDS SAID, “AS AN ADULT I NOW UNRSTAND THAT WAS A DISCIPLED HOEHOLD. I NOW KNOW WE WERE NOT HAPPY. “IT WASN’T RPORAL DISCIPLE, BUT WAS FELY CHRISTIAN, AND WAS FELY ‘BE RPONSIBLE.’ IT WAS FELY YOU NEVER G HOME TO 11 CHILDREN AND TWO PARENTS AT THE TABLE AT 6 EVERY NIGHT. YOU LEARNED HOW TO OK, SEW, AND CLEAN HOE BEE THIS IS YOUR VERSN OF THE UNED NATNS—AND WHAT’S GOG TO BT EQUIP YOU THIS WORLD IS HOW TO NEGOTIATE AND BE SELF-SUFFICIENT.”IN HIS TOBGRAPHIL STAGE SHOW, CONFSNS OF A P.I.M.P., DE SHIELDS SAID TO GET HIS “APPROPRIATE SLICE” OF AMERIN PIE, “I HAD TO GET OUT OF BALTIMORE OR DIE.” P.I.M.P. STOOD FOR POSIVE INDIVIDUAL MAKG PROGRS, HE SAID. IN THIS EXCELLENT SHOW, DE SHIELDS EVOKED THE STORY OF HIS LIFE THROUGH SONG, DANCE, AND STORYTELLG, FULL OF EXUBERANCE AND PIERCG HONTY. AND, OH, THE DANCG. DE SHIELDS SAID HE WAS “THE ONLY HIPPIE” OM HIS FAY. “I GREW UP DURG THE SUMMERS OF LOVE ’64 AND ’65. I’M THE ONE WHO WENT TO LLEGE [THE UNIVERSY OF WISNS-MADISON]. I’M THE ONE WHO BROUGHT WHE IENDS BACK TO THE ’HOOD. PEOPLE SAID, ‘IS ANDRé CRAZY? BUT I’M THE ONE WHO MA BEYOND 25, BEE GROWG UP BALTIMORE YOU HAD TO CHECK YOURSELF, ’E 25 IS OLD AGE. ADVERTISEMENT “THOSE MUNI WERE NTROLLED BY DGS, PRISON, AND ABANDONMENT BY THE ERNMENT, AND THEN YOU’RE TOLD, ‘YOU’RE LAZY, YOU N’T DO THIS.’ NOW THAT RAL WHE AMERI IS STNG OUT ON OPIAT, ’S NOT A CRIME, ’S A NDN THAT NEEDS TO BE ROLVED. WHEN WE GROWG UP, WE WERE CRIMALIZED.”AS A BOY, HE WENT TO THE LOL SCHOOL TWO BLOCKS AWAY AND THEN JUNR HIGH SCHOOL. BUT WHEN ME TO HIGH SCHOOL, DE SHIELDS WENT TO BALTIMORE CY COLLEGE, STILL ONE OF THE NATN’S LEADG HIGH SCHOOLS. “AT THE TIME WAS ALL-MALE, FELY PREDOMANTLY WHE. WHAT MA DIVERSE WERE THE YOUNG JEWISH MEN GOG THERE.”HE HAD TO TAKE TWO B TO GET THERE, THEN WALK THROUGH A NEIGHBORHOOD “WHERE PEOPLE FELY LOOKED AT ME AS IF I WAS A NE’ER-DO-WELL.”DE SHIELDS NOTED THAT THE SONG THAT CLOS OUT ACT I OF HASTOWN, “WHY WE BUILD THE WALL,” DIDN’T REFER TO PRINT TMP’S REAL-LIFE PLAN. THE SONG WAS WRTEN MANY YEARS AGO AND REFERS TO THE WALLS OF OUR OWN MAKG THAT NSTRA . “IT’S ALWAYS SOMETHG HERE,” HE SAID. “THEY FERRED THEIR DREAMS. SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LE OF THOSE 11 CHILDREN THAT X AND Y CHROMOSOME OF FERRED DREAMS HAD TO BE PART OF THE NCEPTN OF ONE OF THOSE CHILDREN. AND I’M LUCKY NUMBER 9. THAT’S THE HUNGER YOU PASS TO THE NCEIVG OF YOUR CHILD—WHAT WAS MISSG OM YOUR LIFE.” ADVERTISEMENT WHEN DE SHIELDS WAS OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE AN ADULT NVERSATN WH HIS PARENTS, HIS MOTHER TOLD HIM THAT HER LIFELONG DREAM HAD BEEN TO BE A CHOS GIRL. HER PARENTS WOULDN’T ALLOW . “THEY WERE JT A FEW YEARS AWAY OM THE EMANCIPATN PROCLAMATN, AND THEIR POT OF VIEW WAS ‘NO CENT LORED DGHTER OF ME IS GOG TO SHUFFLE HER WAY THROUGH LIFE.’” SIARLY, DE SHIELDS’ FATHER WANTED TO SG AND WAS A BETIFUL TENOR. “BUT HIS PARENTS SAID, ‘HOW DO YOU HOPE TO BE A RPONSIBLE BREADWNER FOR YOUR FAY WH SUCH AN SECURE POSN YOUR WORK FIELD?’ SO BOTH OF THEM WERE DISURAGED BY THEIR PARENTS. THEY FERRED THEIR DREAMS. SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LE OF THOSE 11 CHILDREN THAT X AND Y CHROMOSOME OF FERRED DREAMS HAD TO BE PART OF THE NCEPTN OF ONE OF THOSE CHILDREN. AND I’M LUCKY NO. 9. THAT’S THE HUNGER YOU PASS TO THE NCEIVG OF YOUR CHILD—WHAT WAS MISSG OM YOUR LIFE.”HIS TRODUCTN TO ARTS AND CULTURE ME OM GOG TO BALTIMORE’S ROYAL THEATER CEMA EVERY SATURDAY. “IN THE LATE 1950S, WHEN THERE WAS SUCH A THG LLED ‘NTUO SHOWGS’ AT THE CEMA, THERE WAS NO SUCH THG AS A LATCHKEY CHILD.” DE SHIELDS RECEIVED A WEEKLY ALLOWANCE OF 35 CENTS; 25 CENTS WOULD GET HIM TO THE SATURDAY NTUO FEATURE, THE OTHER 10 CENTS BOUGHT HIM A BOX OF MILK DUDS.THE FIRST SHOWG BEGAN AT 9 A.M., WH A BLACK-AND-WHE NEWSREEL. THEN THERE WAS THE “G ATTRACTNS” OF FUTURE FILMS. “THEN A RTOON. THEN THE FEATURE FILM. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, THAT WOULD BE A WTERN WH A WHE HERO: HOPALONG CASSIDY, GENE AUTRY, ROY AND DALE (EVANS) ROGERS AND THEIR HORSE TRIGGER, LASH LARUE, AND THE LONE RANGER.“WH FLASH GORDON, I ALWAYS INTIFIED WH MG THE MERCILS. ALTHOUGH HE WAS PORTRAYED AS A STEREOTYPIL EVIL ASIAN, BEE OF THE ‘POLICS OF OTHER,’ I CERTALY DID NOT INTIFY WH FLASH GORDON. I DIDN’T HAVE BLUE EY AND BLOND HAIR. I FELT LIKE I MT BE A MEMBER OF THE OTHER MUNY THAT DIDN’T LOOK LIKE ME BUT WAS TREATED LIKE ME.”THE CYCLE OF MOVI LASTED TWO HOURS, THEN BEGAN AGA AND AGA, TILL 9 P.M., WHEN DE SHIELDS AND HIS IENDS WOULD GO HOME. ADVERTISEMENT “ONE MAGIL SATURDAY,” HE RELLED, THE MOVIE CAB THE SKY SHOWED. A IEND JT BOUGHT DE SHIELDS A SMALL POSTER ADVERTISG THE FILM, WHICH HE HAS PUT ON HIS DRSG ROOM WALL. “I WAS 9, AND THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I SAW BLACK FAC ON THE BIG SCREEN. I WAS GOBSMACKED. I WAS NO LONGER THE OTHER, BUT THE DOMANT ONE.”HE KNEW EVERY ONE OF THE CELEBRI THE FILM OM READG EBONY AND JET MAGAZ; THEY WERE THE HERO OF PARENTS AND OLR SIBLGS.HE HAD SEEN EDDIE ANRSON AS ROCHTER, THE BUTLER ON THE JACK BENNY SHOW, BUT NEVER AS THE HOLLYWOOD STAR THE FILM MA HIM.“FIRSTLY, MY HEART SWELLED. SENDLY, MY HEAD SWELLED, AND THIRDLY, I HAD AN EPIPHANY. JOHN WILLIAM SUBLETT WAS ALSO THE FILM. HE WAS ONE HALF OF THE VVILLE ACT ‘BUCK AND BUBBL.’ BUCK WOULD PLAY THE PIANO, AND BUCK WOULD DANCE HIS ASS OFF ON TOP OF THE PIANO. “MY EPIPHANY POSSSED ME. EVERYTHG EXTERNAL SHUTS DOWN. I AM ENTHRALLED, AND A LTLE VOICE SAYS VERY CLEARLY, NOT SHYLY, ‘ANDRé, THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE GOG TO DO.’” “IN THE FILM, HIS AND LENA HORNE’S CHARACTERS ARE TRYG TO BREAK UP THE MARRIAGE MA HEAVEN OF EDDIE ANRSON AND ETHEL WATERS. HE ENTERS THE SALOON THROUGH SWG DOORS, RPLENNT WHE, HEAD TO TOE WH GREAT SASS. HE HAS A NE, THREE-PIECE SU, WATCH, SPATS, THE WHOLE THG: WHAT I LL A SHG MAN. WHICH I NSIR MYSELF TO BE.” (HE SAYS HE IS OM A LONG LE OF “SHG MEN,” CLUDG “LANGSTON HUGH, ALA LOCKE, JAM BALDW, AND BAYARD RT.) ADVERTISEMENT SUBLETT’S CHARACTER DANCED, FISHG ON A FLIGHT OF STAIRS. “MY HEAD WAS NSUMED CUMUL CLOUDS,” SAID DE SHIELDS. “THAT JT ISN’T WHAT HAPPENS FILM. MY EPIPHANY POSSSED ME. EVERYTHG EXTERNAL SHUTS DOWN. I AM ENTHRALLED, AND A LTLE VOICE SAYS VERY CLEARLY, NOT SHYLY, ‘ANDRé, THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE GOG TO DO.’”FROM THEN ON, DE SHIELDS WAS FOCED ON “THE FULFILLMENT OF MY STY AND PAYMENT ON THE FERRED DREAMS OF MY PARENTS. THAT WAS MY DRIVG FORCE. I THOUGHT, ‘I’M GOG TO BE THE NEXT SAMMY DAVIS JR.’ THERE WAS NOTHG ELSE TO THK. HE WAS THE EPOME OF ENTERTAMENT AT THE TIME. THERE WASN’T ANYTHG HE ULDN’T DO EXCELLENTLY, SUPERLATIVELY, WHOUT EXCEPTN. THEN HE FELL LOVE WH MAY BRT, A WHE WOMAN. THEN WAS, ‘OH, BEHAVE, SAMMY.’” WHEN THE UPLE MARRIED 1960, THEIR TERRACIAL MARRIAGE WAS ILLEGAL 31 STAT.DE SHIELDS REFERENC THE “HUGE BROUHAHA” WHEN LOUIS ARMSTRONG WAS NSIRED AS THE VOICE OF KG LOUIE, THE ORANGUTAN DISNEY’S 1967 MOVIE OF THE JUNGLE BOOK. “THE GUY WHO DID WAS LOUIS PRIMA, A WHE MAN, WHO THEN IMATED LOUIS ARMSTRONG. LIKE, WA A MUTE, WHAT’S GOG ON HERE? “RACIST AMERINS THOUGHT THE LYRIC ‘I WANT TO BE LIKE YOU,’ MEANT BLACK PEOPLE WANTG TO BE LIKE WHE PEOPLE. THAT ULDN’T BE FURTHER OM THE TTH THE JUNGLE BOOK. THE ORANGUTAN IS EXPRSG HIS ADMIRATN AND ENVY OF THE LTLE BOY; HE IS SAYG HE WANTS THE SAME POWER TO MAKE FIRE.”DE SHIELDS APPEARED A THEATRIL VERSN OF THE JUNGLE BOOK AT THE GOODMAN THEATRE CHIGO. HE PLAYED KG LOUIE. “I WAS HAPPY TO SG THAT SONG. IT HAS NOTHG TO WH RACIAL PREFERENC, BUT RATHER A SIRE TO NTROL A VAL ELEMENT OF LIFE.”THE FIRST PRODUCTN DE SHIELDS APPEARED WAS RAIS THE SUN, WHEN HE ATTEND WILMGTON COLLEGE. HE MA HIS PROFSNAL BUT THE CHIGO PRODUCTN OF HAIR, AGED 23, AND AT 26 TOOK THE TLE ROLE THE WIZ. ADVERTISEMENT ANDRE DE SHIELDS AS THE WIZ PERFORMS FOR THE BROADWAY PLAY ‘THE WIZ (MIL)’ CIR 1975. HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY OVER 50 YEARS HE HAS WON AND BEEN NOMATED FOR MULTIPLE AWARDS BROADWAY AND OFF-BROADWAY PRODUCTNS CLUDG A’T MISBEHAV’, BLACKBERRI, SAT TO, HAARLEM NOCTURNE, PLAY ON!, THE FULL MONTY, PRYMATE, DREAM ON MONKEY MOUNTA, ARCHBISHOP SUPREME TARTUFFE, AND THE JUNGLE BOOK. DE SHIELDS HAS ALSO APPEARED ON VAR TV SHOWS, CLUDG SEX AND THE CY, AND WON SPECIAL REGNN AWARDS (CLUDG OM AUDELCO, HONORG EXCELLENCE AIN-AMERIN THEATRE). IN 2007 HE WAS AWARD AN OBIE AWARD FOR STAED EXCELLENCE, AND ALREADY FOR PLAYG HERM HASTOWN HAS BEEN NOMATED THE DRAMA DK, DREAM LEAGUE, AND OUTER CRICS CIRCLE AWARDS. HE IS ALSO AN ADJUNCT PROFSOR AT NEW YORK UNIVERSY’S GALLAT SCHOOL OF INDIVIDUALIZED STUDY.HIS PARENTS ARE BOTH AD, BUT DE SHIELDS RELLED THAT HIS MOTHER WAS “TOTALLY PROUD” OF HIM. “SHE WAS VERY SATISFIED, VIRLY, THAT I HAD LIVED HER DREAM. SHE WNSED .”HIS FATHER DIED AT 50, WHEN DE SHIELDS WAS 17, OF A CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE AGGRAVATED BY CIRRHOSIS OF THE LIVER, EXACERBATED BY HEAVY DRKG. “IT AFFECTED ME GREATLY, SO MUCH SO I MA PART OF MY TERR ARCHECTURE,” SAID DE SHIELDS. “PEOPLE WHO ENUNTER ME N THK I AM BEG ALOOF, SMUG, ARROGANT, AND SUPERCIL. THAT’S BEE WE HAVE LOST THE GIFT AND UNRSTANDG OF SILENCE.”DON’T LET THE NFINT SHOWMAN, HOLDG THE HASTOWN DIENCE THE PALM OF HIS HAND, FOOL YOU. DE SHIELDS SAID HE WAS “A QUIET AND SOLARY MAN, ALONE FOR MOST OF MY WORKG HOURS APART OM HAVG TO E TO THE THEATER. IF I DON’T TREAT MYSELF EMPATHETILLY, HOW AM I GOG TO TREAT YOU OR ANYONE ELSE EMPATHETILLY?” ADVERTISEMENT “WE WERE 11 CHILDREN, NOW THAT’S DOWN TO THREE. I AM THE YOUNGT OF THOSE THREE. MY TWO YOUNGER SIBLGS HAVE DIED. I AM 73, MY OLR SURVIVG SIBLGS ARE 75 AND 79. WHAT I WOULD LIKE IS TO RECEIVE A TONY AWARD AND HAVE A MEMBER OF MY FAY BE AWARE OF .” THE TONY AWARD NOMATNS ARE ANNOUNCED ON TUDAY MORNG, AND DE SHIELDS IS SURELY A NTENR FOR A SUPPORTG ACTOR A MIL. HIS PREV NOMATNS WERE “EXCG, BUT I DIDN’T FEEL BEREFT WHEN I DIDN’T W. WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO ME NOW…” HE GETS UP, AND PICKS UP A SCRAP OF PAPER. “I’VE MA SOME NOT. WE WERE 11 CHILDREN, NOW THAT’S DOWN TO THREE. I AM THE YOUNGT OF THOSE THREE. MY TWO YOUNGER SIBLGS HAVE DIED. I AM 73, MY OLR SURVIVG SIBLGS ARE 75 AND 79. WHAT I WOULD LIKE IS TO RECEIVE A TONY AWARD AND HAVE A MEMBER OF MY FAY BE AWARE OF .”AGA, THIS BACK TO “PAYG THE KARMIC BT” BACK TO HIS PARENTS AND THEIR FERRED DREAMS. “MY STUD LSONS WERE NOT OM LEE STRASBERG, BUT GROWG UP WH 10 SIBLGS. I WOULD LIKE SOMEONE TO SEE THE REWARD OF ALL THAT THEY SHARED.” DE SHIELDS SPOKE POWERFULLY OF HIS OWN EXPERIENC OF RACISM. “I’M A BLACK AMERIN. THERE’S NO WAY THE UNED STAT OF AMERI FOR A BLACK MAN TO REACH THE AGE OF A SEPTUAGENARIAN AND NOT TO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE EVILS OF RACISM, IF NOT ON A DAILY BASIS PENDG ON WHERE YOU LIVE, THEN CERTALY THE CYCLE OF GENERATNS, CLUDG MY CHOSEN PROFSN. ADVERTISEMENT “IT’S VERY MON THE DAYS TO E THE TERMS IMPLIC BIAS AND UNNSC BIAS. AND I BELIEVE ’S BEG ED AS A RATNALE, AS AN EXCE, FOR DIVIDUALS TO NOT TO AL WH THE RACISM THAT IS AS AMERIN AS APPLE PIE.“WHEN RACIST ACTS OR THOUGHTS ARE ENTERTAED, WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS: WHEN WERE YOU UNNSC ABOUT DOG ? I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ANYTHG ABOUT UNNSC BIAS. WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO TALK ABOUT ARE THE BIAS WE RRY AROUND AS AMERINS THAT IS PART OF THE CULTURE. WE NNOT GET AWAY OM . THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN ATTEMPT TO HEAL THE EVIL THAT IS RACISM.”THAT FAILURE, SAID DE SHIELDS, IS MARKED BY ACTN AT THE VERY TOP.“WE ARE NOW UP TO PRINT 45, AND NOT ANY ONE OF THOSE 45 PRINTS—ALL OF WHOM HAVE BEEN MEN AND ALL BUT TWO ADMISTRATNS HAVE BEEN THOSE OF WHE MEN—HAVE MA AN ACTIVE IATIVE TO HEAL THIS FTERG SORE WE LL RACISM. FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS, THE DOMANT CULTURE THE UNED STAT HAS BEEN THE BENEFICIARY OF RACISM, WHETHER THAT BE SLAVERY OR STUTNALIZED FAVORISM.“THOSE CULTUR THAT ARE NOT DOMANT HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF THOSE VERY STUTNS. ONE PART OF THE CULTURE IS SILENTLY SUFFERG GUILT, THE OTHER PART OF THE CULTURE IS SILENTLY SUFFERG SHAME. IF WE NEVER EXPOSE THAT, IF WE NEVER STROY THE VEIL, IF WE NEVER BURN THE ILLN, THEN THAT’S GOG TO BE FUTURE OF THIS UNTRY.”I ASKED WHAT HIS EXPERIENCE HAD BEEN OF RACISM ON BROADWAY. ADVERTISEMENT “BROADWAY HAS E AROUND TO DIVERSY, EQUY, AND CLN, BUT ’S E AROUND AFTER WE DRAGGED THEM SCREAMG AND KICKG.” DE SHIELDS SED WRYLY. “THE GREAT WHE WAY IS NOT LLED THAT FOR RACIAL REASONS, BUT BEE MANY YEARS AGO WAS ELECTRIFIED AND APPEARED AS IF WERE DAYLIGHT ALL THE TIME. BUT ’S A MARVELO METAPHOR IF YOU WANT TO DISCS RACISM, BEE FOR SO MANY GENERATNS WE OF LOR HAVE BEEN TGHT THIS IS AN HOSPABLE ENVIRONMENT.”DE SHIELDS SAID BROADWAY WAS “HOSPABLE” WHEN HE ARRIVED NEW YORK 1973, BUT THAT SECURG THE PART THE WIZ WAS “A GAME CHANGER FOR BROADWAY. IT OPENED A DOOR AN OPPORTUNY, AND SHOWED LOUDLY AND CLEARLY TO THOSE DIVIDUALS WHO HAD BEEN TREATED HOSPABLY THAT ‘LOOK, YOU ARE FALLY AND EMPHATILLY REPRENTED ON THE GREAT WHE WAY. COME AND APPROPRIATE THIS CULTURE JT AS THIS CULTURE HAS FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS APPROPRIATED YOURS.”“WE HAVE TO BE TWICE AS GOOD TO GET HALF AS MUCH,” DE SHIELDS SAID OF THE EXPERIENCE OF PEOPLE LOR WORKG SHOW BS AND MANY OTHER PROFSNS. “THAT HAS NOT CHANGED, AND HERE WE ARE 2019.”DE SHIELDS SAID THE RACISM HE HAD EXPERIENCED HIS REER HAD NEVER BEEN OVERT OR VOL. “THE EXPLANATN ALWAYS IS ‘WE’RE GOG A DIFFERENT DIRECTN.’ YOU WANT TO SAY, ‘JT EXPLA TO ME WHY I’M NOT GETTG THIS GIG, SO I N UNRSTAND AND DO MY HOMEWORK. BUT ’S NEVER EXPLAED.’”DID HE EVER NONT OR CHALLENGE DIRECTLY? “YOU HAVE TO GET BEYOND ‘LIVG THE DREAM.’ THAT’S PART OF THE ILLN. ONCE YOU LIVE THE DREAM, YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE REALY THAT IS THE RULT OF LIVG THE DREAM. BEE THE DREAM IS SEGREGATED. THE DREAM IS RACIST.” ADVERTISEMENT “NO, THAT’S NOT THE WAY—TO REFERENCE HATON—‘TO GET TO THE ROOM’ WHERE ’S HAPPENG. IF ’S ALL ABOUT NONTATN, THEN WILL BE NIED AND YOU WILL BE FOREVER PERSONA NON GRATA. “THE METHOD THAT WORKED FOR ME WAS TO UNRSTAND THAT THE GREATT WORK I N DO IS TO BE THE BT ANDRé THAT I N POSSIBLY BE. YOU HAVE TO GET BEYOND ‘LIVG THE DREAM.’ THAT’S PART OF THE ILLN. ONCE YOU LIVE THE DREAM, YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE REALY THAT IS THE RULT OF LIVG THE DREAM. BEE THE DREAM IS SEGREGATED. THE DREAM IS RACIST. “YOU HAVE TO BE THE CHANGE THE WORLD YOU WANT TO SEE. TO CHANGE THE WORLD IS HARDLY EVER A RULT OF NONTATN, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT IS A RULT OF ACHIEVG EXCELLENCE. THEN YOU CHANGE A FEW MDS, YOU CHANGE A FEW HEARTS, AND THEY CHANGE A FEW MDS, AND THEY CHANGE A FEW HEARTS AND PEOPLE BEE ENLIGHTENED.” “LOVE IS IMPORTANT TO ME,” DE SHIELDS SAID. “FALLG LOVE IS NOT.”WAS EVER? “Y, ’S JT NO LONGER IMPORTANT TO ME. THAT IS ONE OF THOSE ILLNS I HAVE LIBERATELY BURNED. ‘FALLG LOVE’: JT LISTEN TO THE IDM. I DON’T WANT TO ‘FALL’ LOVE, ’S LIKE STUMBLG OVER A POTHOLE. I WANT TO LOVE. THOSE IMPORTANT MEN AND WOMEN MY LIFE HAVE LOVED ME TO NSCNS.” ADVERTISEMENT WHEN I ASKED IF DE SHIELDS WAS BI, GAY, STRAIGHT, OR SOMETHG ELSE, HE SAID, “I HAVE TO E LANGUAGE PEOPLE WILL UNRSTAND. I’M GAY. BUT WH THE CULTURAL REVOLUTNS GOG ON, THAT LABEL NEEDS TO GO AWAY FOR EVERYBODY. ONE HAS TO BE RECEIVED HOW ONE SCRIB ONELF, PECIALLY BLACK MEN WHO ARE STILL FIGHTG AGAST SUCH PREJUDICE. OUR FLH MAY BE EE BUT OUR MDS ARE ENSLAVED STILL. THERE ARE STILL SHACKL ON OUR EMOTNS, WHICH IS WHY BLACK MEN WILL LOVE AND HAVE SEX WH OTHER BLACK MEN BUT WILL NOT SELF-INTIFY AS GAY BEE ‘GAY’ IS A POLIL NSTCT VISED BY WHE MALE HOMOSEXUALS WHO N LOOK TO THE WORLD LIKE THE DOMANT WHE HETEROSEXUAL MALE FOR WHOM THE WORLD IS MA. “WHEN TO SEXUALY AND GENR, WE KNOW WHO WE ARE. IT’S HOW WE PRENT TO THE RT OF THE WORLD THAT MEANS GETS BEATEN TO SOMETHG ELSE IF ’S NOT NSIRED NORMATIVE.” DE SHIELDS LGHED GENTLY, RELLG PLAYG AS A LTLE BOY THE PATCH OF DIRT AT THE BACK OF THE HOE. HE REMEMBERS AN ADULT MEMBER OF THE FAY NEXT DOOR SAYG TO HIM, “HEY, YOU LTLE FAIRY.”“I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THE WORDS MEAN,” DE SHIELDS SAID; JT THAT THIS NEIGHBOR WAS ADDRSG HIM. HE MA A MISSN TO FD OUT WHAT A “FAIRY” WAS. HE DID, AND THOUGHT, “OH, I’M BEG INTIFIED BY SOMEONE ELSE.” “THAT’S HOW WE GROW UP: PEOPLE PUTTG APPELLATNS ON TO . WHEN WE BUY TO , THAT’S WHEN WE START FETTG THE KNOWLEDGE WE ARE BORN WH.”AS A TEENAGER HE WORKED A LIBRARY AND READ BOOKS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALY, MEANG HE BOTH UNRSTOOD THE HOMOPHOBIC SULTS HE ENDURED, “BUT ALSO HOW MYOPIC MEDIL SCIENCE HAD GOTTEN HOMOSEXUALY.” ADVERTISEMENT GETTG VOLVED WH THEATER “WAS FELY THE TRODUCTN I NEED TO KNOW THAT I WAS NOT ALONE. I NEVER EVER THOUGHT I WAS THE ABERRATN BEE MY ’HOOD EVERYBODY GROWS UP KNOWG AN ANDRé. WE’RE EVERYWHERE.”BUT HE DIDN’T SEE HIS EXPERIENCE REFLECTED TOO MANY PLAC. DE SHIELDS SAID ALL HIS READGS OF THE CELEBRATED AUGT WILSON, “AND THIS ISN’T TO TAKE AWAY OM HIS GENI, I’VE APPEARED HIS PLAYS, BUT PEOPLE LIKE ME ARE NOT REFLECTED ANY OF HIS PLAYS.”WOMEN E UP TO HIM ALL THE TIME, DE SHIELDS SAID, WHILE MEN KEEP THEIR DISTANCE. “GROWG UP BALTIMORE, I HAD TO HAVE GIRLIENDS UP UNTIL I WAS 19,” HE SAID. THEN HE SPENT A JUNR YEAR ABROAD DENMARK, WHERE HE HAD A SIGNIFINT RELATNSHIP WH A WOMAN, RUTH, “WHO LOOKED AT ME AND SAW MY TERR SELF. SHE TOLD ME, ‘IT’S ALRIGHT IF YOU LOVE MEN, JT DON’T STOP LOVG ME.’ THAT WAS LIKE BOIIG.” HE MA A MOTN OF A FLASH OF SELF-REVELATN. “SHE WAS TELLG ME THERE WAS NOTHG WRONG WH ME BEG GAY.” IN CONFSNS OF A P.I.M.P, DE SHIELDS RELLED THAT BY 1979, THE SEXUAL REVOLUTN WAS WELL UNRWAY; HE WAS NFINT, F, AND “GETTG LAID” EVERY NIGHT. THEN HE TALKED ABOUT THE IMPACT OF HIV AND AIDS ON HIS GROUP, AND HOW HIS IENDS ME TO BE “UNTED”: JUL, JSE, RON (“WHO DANCED ON MYSTER RHYTHMS… UNTIL HIS LEGS SHRIVELED TO AGILE REEDS UNABLE TO SUPPORT EVEN HIS SHNKEN TORSO”), BRIAN, WHOSE SK WAS “EATEN BY PURPLE BLOTCH,” AND MANY OTHERS KNOWN BY FIRST NAM, CLUDG ALAN, ALV, BARRY, CARL, PL, QUENT, WSTON, JAVIER, AND ZANE. “I WOULD LIKE TO BE WH SOMEONE, BUT I THK I AM GOG TO BE SGLE. THE SOMEONE I WANT TO BE WH IS A FANTASY. AND UNTIL REALY N MATCH FANTASY, ’S A FOOLS’ GAME.” DE SHIELDS HAD TWO SIGNIFINT RELATNSHIPS; ONE FOR 17 YEARS WH A PARTNER, CHI, WHO DIED OF AIDS-RELATED LYMPHOMA, AND ANOTHER WH A PARTNER NAMED JOHN, WHO HE WAS WH FOR TWO YEARS AND WHO DIED OF AIDS-RELATED MENGIS 1995. ADVERTISEMENT “I WOULD LIKE TO BE WH SOMEONE, BUT I THK I AM GOG TO BE SGLE,” DE SHIELDS SAID OF THE FUTURE. “THE SOMEONE I WANT TO BE WH IS A FANTASY. AND UNTIL REALY N MATCH FANTASY, ’S A FOOLS’ GAME.”IN HIS DRSG ROOM, DE SHIELDS ALSO SPOKE OF THE RACISM HE HAD EXPERIENCED ON THE PREDOMANTLY WHE LGBT SCENE. IN 1980, A HOLLYWOOD GAY BAR, HE WAS LLED A “N---ER QUEEN” BY A WHE GAY BARMAN, APPARENTLY ANGRY DE SHIELDS WAS QUTNG WHY A PARTICULAR MIXED DRK WASN’T AVAILABLE. THE BARMAN SAID, “I’M TIRED OF YOU ARROGANT N---ER QUEENS.” DE SHIELDS SAID: “A BLACK MAN WHO’S NFINT. FET HIS SEXUALY. HE’S ‘ARROGANT.’”OF URSE THERE IS RACISM THE LGBT MUNY, SAID DE SHIELDS. “BEE WE ARE AMERI AND THE SEED OF THE SEED OF AMERIN CULTURE IS RACISM. WHAT YOU’RE FIGHTG FOR IS CLN A RACIST CULTURE.”WHAT, FOR HIM, HAD BEEN THE IMPACT OF CULTURAL LANDMARKS LIKE MOONLIGHT AND POSE? “THE EXCELLENCE OF THE ART IS BI THE POT,” SAID DE SHIELDS. “WHAT THEY HAVE DONE IS MA EASIER FOR SOME BLACK PEOPLE TO INTIFY AS GAY AND TRANS. BUT THE WHE GAY RACIST STILL LOOKS WH UTTER DISDA AT AS THE SCUM OF THE EARTH, WHICH IS WHAT THEIR HETEROSEXUAL UNTERPARTS DO.” WHILE “VERY FULFILLED,” DE SHIELDS HAS MUCH MORE HE WANTS TO DO HIS REER. “THAT IS VERY MUCH PENNT ON HOW LONG I WILL RRY THE BREATH OF LIFE.” HE THKS OF HIS MORTALY, BUT HAS NCLUD THAT AS HE DIDN’T FEAR BEG BORN HE SHOULDN’T FEAR “ANY PROCS OF BEG UNBORN.” ADVERTISEMENT HIS PERSONAL CSA IS “TO BREAK THE “METHELAH CO,” AND TRYG TO FIGURE OUT HOW HE N LIVE BEYOND THE 969 YEARS OF THE FAMO BIBLIL FIGURE. HE HAS SURMISED A POSSIBLE ANSWER VIA TWO STAGE DOOR EXPERIENC. IN 1993, A LADY WHO HAD SEEN HIM THE ORIGAL WIZ ME TO SEE HIM THAT YEAR’S REVIVAL. SHE BOUGHT HER MOTHER (WHO HAD TAKEN HER TO THE ORIGAL SHOW) AND HER DGHTER. “THREE GENERATNS,” SAID DE SHIELDS. HE RELLED ANOTHER UPLE WHO SAW HIM HASTOWN LONDON LAST YEAR. THE LADY THE UPLE RELLED DE SHIELDS PERFORMG A’T MISBEHAV’ 40 YEARS PREVLY. JAM HARKNS, WHO PLAYS PL WILLIAMS A’T TOO PROUD: THE LIFE AND TIM OF THE TEMPTATNS ON BROADWAY, THANKED HIM RECENTLY FOR BEG AN EXAMPLE TO EMULATE. “MANY PEOPLE REFER TO ME AS A KEEPER OF THE FLAME. IT’S HUMBLG,” SAID DE SHIELDS.PERHAPS, DE SHIELDS THKS, THE WAY HE BREAKS THE METHELAH CO IS THROUGH HIS WORK, S FLUENCE AND LEGACY EXTENDG TO THE FUTURE. “MAYBE METHELAH DIDN’T LIVE FOR 969 YEARS, BUT HIS REPUTATN DID AND THAT’S WHAT’S IMPORTANT,” SAID DE SHIELDS.LATER THAT EVENG DE SHIELDS WENT OUT ON TO THE WALTER KERR STAGE, AND AS HE DANCE, SPOKE, AND SANG, ANOTHER HASTOWN DIENCE LOOKED ON WONR. ROLL ON THE NEXT 896 YEARS. ADVERTISEMENT MATTHEW MURPHY TIM TEEMAN
* andre de shields gay *
That is his charisma and his zy drsg room, wh his precise, rich, ep voice, De Shields had some stori of his own to share, of celebratg 50 years show bs, of growg up poverty Baltimore, of g out as gay, of facg racism on both Broadway and the gay scene, of succs (first and famoly the tle role of The Wiz 1975), of fulfillg his parents’ thwarted ambns, and of his own dited pursu of excellence—which, for Hastown, might fally yield him a Tony Award this year, followg two prev nomatns.
”When I asked if De Shields was bi, gay, straight, or somethg else, he said, “I have to e language people will unrstand.
I’m gay.
ANDRé DE SHIELDS AS THE GAY CHARACTER AUGT WILSON LEFT OUT
There are still shackl on our emotns, which is why black men will love and have sex wh other black men but will not self-intify as gay bee ‘gay’ is a polil nstct vised by whe male homosexuals who n look to the world like the domant whe heterosexual male for whom the world is ma. ”As a teenager he worked a library and read books about homosexualy, meang he both unrstood the homophobic sults he endured, “but also how myopic medil science had gotten homosexualy. “She was tellg me there was nothg wrong wh me beg gay.
In 1980, a Hollywood gay bar, he was lled a “n---er queen” by a whe gay barman, apparently angry De Shields was qutng why a particular mixed drk wasn’t available. “What they have done is ma easier for some black people to intify as gay and trans. But the whe gay racist still looks wh utter disda at as the scum of the earth, which is what their heterosexual unterparts do.
IS ANDRé DESHIELDS GAY?
Free that imag the gay character that Augt Wilson never wrote.
André De Shields starred as Ikoo Douglas, “the olst, gayt, least magil magil negro ever, ” as the script scrib him, who at 99 and on his athbed tells his life story to his longtime iend and sometime lover. Free began wrg years ago wh a qutn: “If a gay man were to be clud the events of the Century Cycle, who would he be?
SEE TONY-AWARD WNER ANDRé DE SHIELDS DAZZLE AN EXCLIVE CLIP FROM NYPL BENEFTHE THEATER LEGEND PUTS HIS OWN SP ON A SONDHEIM CLASSIC TO CELEBRATE 90 YEARS OF THE BILLY ROSE THEATRE DIVISN. BY CHRIS MURPHYJUNE 22, 2021FACEBOOKTWTEREMAILSAVE STORYTAYLOR HILL/FILMMAGICSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEGOOD TIM AND BUM TIM, ANDRé DE SHIELDS IS STILL HERE. THE TONY-AWARD WNG HASTOWN STAR AND THEATER LEGEND PROVED AS MUCH HIS PERFORMANCE AT THE VIRTUAL BENEF FOR NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY FOR THE PERFORMG ARTS, WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE TO STREAM ON WEDNDAY NIGHT ON BROADWAY ON DEMAND AT 8 PM.THE ONE-TIME-ONLY EVENT, FTGLY LLED “I’M STILL HERE,” WILL CELEBRATE THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BILLY ROSE THEATRE DIVISN AND S BELOVED THEATER ON FILM AND TAPE ARCHIVE, WHICH HAS DOCUMENTED AND PRERVED LIVE THEATRIL EVENTS FOR HALF A CENTURY. THE LATE THEATRIL PRODUCER HAROLD PRCE AND INIC THEATER DIRECTOR GEE C. WOLFE WILL BOTH BE HONORED AT THE DONATE-WHAT-YOU-N BENEF. DE SHIELDS PUTS HIS OWN SP ON STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S TOUR FORCE ELEVEN O’CLOCK NUMBER “I’M STILL HERE” OM FOLLI. DE SHIELDS, WEARG A SPIFFY CHECKERED SU AND BOW TIE BATN, PERSONALIZ THE ANTHEM OM THE VERY BEGNG, HOLDG A PLAYBILL FOR ONE OF HIS FIRST BROADWAY SHOWS—RACHEL LILY ROSENBLOOM (AND DON’T YOU FET IT) WHICH CLOSED DURG PREVIEWS—WHILE SGG THE LE, “SEEN ALL MY DREAMS DISAPPEAR.” AND, THEN THE FUN BEGS. “BRG , HAHA,” DE SHIELDS SAYS ACPANIED BY A BEAT DROP, HERG AN UPDATED, GROOVIER TAKE ON THE SONDHEIM CLASSIC. DE SHIELDS NTUED TO WK AT HIS THEATRIL REER, PULLG UP A POSTER AND PHOTOS OM THE BROADWAY PRODUCTN OF THE FULL MONTY, WHICH HE STARRED AS NOAH “HORSE” T. SIMMONS 2000. “DANCED MY SKANTI, THREE BUCKS A NIGHT WAS THE PAY, BUT I’M HERE,” DE SHIELDS KNOWGLY SGS AS PHOTO OF THE FULLY MONTY’S ENSEMBLE OF MALE STRIPPERS POPS UP ON SCREEN. THE GOOD TIM NTUE AS DE SHIELDS HAS A QUICK CHANGE, DCHG THE CHECKERED SU FOR A SPARKLY SILVER JACKET AS PLAYBILLS AND PHOTOS OM PRODUCTNS LIKE THE OBC OF ANNIE AND THE MERRY WIV OF WDSOR FLOOD THE SCREEN. “YOU KNOW BLONS REALLY DO HAVE MORE FUN,” DE SHIELDS SAYS, SUPERIMPOSED OVER AN IMAGE OF HIM WH “PLATUM BLON HAIR.” YOU N TELL HE KNOWS WHAT HE’S TALKG ABOUT. ALONG WH DE SHIELDS, “I’M STILL HERE” FEATUR PERFORMANC OM A BEVY OF BROADWAY STARS CLUDG ANNALIEGH ASHFORD, LRA BENANTI, STEPHANIE J. BLOCK, MATTHEW BRORICK, NEIL PATRICK HARRIS, RA MORENO, BERNATTE PETERS, PHYLICIA RASHAD AND MANY MORE. THE EVENT WILL ALSO FEATURE NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE OF BROADWAY PRODUCTNS OM THE THEATER ON FILM AND TAPE CLUDG GLENN CLOSE SUNSET BOULEVARD AND MARCIA GAY HARN AND MERYL STREEP THE SEAGULL. “THE BILLY ROSE THEATRE DIVISN HAS SERVED AS THE LLECTIVE MEMORY FOR OUR MUNY BY PTURG THE EPHEMERAL NATURE OF OUR UNIQUE ART FORM. UNTIL WE N ALL EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF LIVE THEATER AGA, WE ARE THRILLED TO LOOK BACK TO THE ARCHIV TO HIGHLIGHT THEATRIL MASTERPIEC OM THEIR VAST LLECTN,” SAID PRODUCERS JULIE BOARDMAN AND NOLAN DORAN. “OUR HOPE IS TO RAISE FUNDS TO ENSURE THE ARCHIV REMA ACCSIBLE TO FUTURE THEATRE MAKERS FOR GENERATNS TO E.”TICKETS TO THE FUNDRAISER WILL BE DONATE-WHAT-YOU-N, WH A REMENDATN OF AT LEAST $19.31 HONOR OF THE YEAR THE DIVISN WAS FOUND. TO PURCHASE TICKETS, VIS MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR— WHAT IS NAOMI OSAKA’S JOB, REALLY?— DID PAYG A RANSOM FOR A STOLEN MAGRTE PATG INADVERTENTLY FUND TERRORISM?— Y.A. AUTHOR A.S. KG LOST HER CHILD. NOW SHE HOP TO SAVE OTHERS— FIRST COM THE PANMIC DIVORCE, THEN THE “TS OUT” SUMMER— AFTER THE BBC APOLOGY, HOW SHOULD WE THK ABOUT THAT BOMBSHELL PRCS DIANA INTERVIEW?— A SHIPWRECK, A MONTK MYSTERY, AND THE CLASS DIVI THAT STILL DEF THE HAMPTONS— THE HIGH STAK OF WILLIAM AND KATE’S STLAND VIS— THE BT SWIMSUS, JT TIME FOR SUMMER— FROM THE ARCHIVE: QUEEN ELIZABETH’S MOST LOYAL SUBJECTS— SIGN UP FOR THE ROYAL WATCH NEWSLETTER TO RECEIVE ALL THE CHATTER OM KENSGTON PALACE AND BEYOND.MOST POPULARDONALD TMP’S PLAN TO GET REELECTED AND PARDON HIMSELF WAS JT DEALT SER SETBACKBY BS LEVMSNBC IS HAVG ITS SUPER BOWL WH DONALD TMP’S INDICTMENTSBY CHARLOTTE KLEGEIA REPUBLINS SAY THEY'LL MOVE TO REMOVE FULTON COUNTY DA FANI WILLIS FROM OFFICE WH NEW STATE LAWBY ERIC LUTZCHRIS MURPHY
*Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, Queer, Intersex and Asexual. ” Netflix’s new off-the-wall children’s show John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch, De Shields has done all — and the out gay personaly is gog strong wh no end fact that De Shields has been livg wh HIV for the last three s has not slowed him down one b. As wh a number of other celebri, has always been speculated the qutn - André DeShields is gay?
Yet, as often happens wh artists of this field, the mors that André DeShields is gay are persistent, which is surely annoyg. More and more celebri adm every year that they are gay, but this is not the se wh André DeShields sce this celebry never said so. In any se, celebri too often refe to discs their private liv, so we n't predict if they are gay or straight.
Although André DeShields has never reported to be gay, beg a famo actor and homosexual is somethg unrstood as normal by the society. Vooxpopuli manag thoands of famo celebri and 's possible we missed some tails about the qutn - Is André DeShields gay?
IS ANDRé DESHIELDS GAY?
Some Men is a survey of gay Amerin life over the urse of eight s — s miseri, folli, triumphs and tribulatns — told through terweavg stori. And when I, the actor André, sg that portn of the exposnal song, I see the gay muny the theater lean forward.