keesan@bbncc5.UUCP (Morris M. Keesan) (08/03/85)
In article <446@enmasse.UUCP> nancy@enmasse.UUCP (Nancy Werlin) writes: >In response to the question about Harriet_the_Spy: >the author (now unfortunately deceased) is Louise Fitzhugh; >her other books include . . . >Nobody's_Family_Is_Going_To_Change. > >Nobody's_Family_Is_Going_To_Change is far less vivid in my >mind; as I recall it's about an upper middle class black family >in New York City. The father, a successful lawyer, is >extremely unresponsive to the needs to his two children: a >brilliant, overweight 11 year old daughter who spends her time >reading college-level law texts and fantasizing about being >in court; and a talented dancer son whose chance to appear >on Broadway is thwarted by the father's belief that entertaining >is a degrading way for a black man to make a living. >I think that the son's plot has been turned into a Broadway >play, but I'm not sure. Anyway, the daughter joins a secret >organization of rebellious children, and eventually comes up >with a plan to change her home life. The son's plot has indeed been turned into a Broadway musical, called "The Tap Dance Kid". It's a very good musical -- great musical production numbers, and a surprisingly serious plot. The musical was based on the television adaptation, also called "The Tap Dance Kid". The children's secret organization was dropped, but aside from that, a happy ending tacked on for the theater, and the shift in focus from Emma to Willie, the musical was surprisingly faithful to the book, not only in plot but also in mood. -- Morris M. Keesan keesan@bbn-unix.ARPA {decvax,ihnp4,etc.}!bbncca!keesan