Finian's Rainbow

By Desmond Sam

What if...you had to walk in someone else’s shoes?

Finian’s Rainbow is a musical full of breathtaking moments that capture a time of racism and segregation. The show follows Finian McLonergan  and his daughter, Sharon, as they leave Ireland and travel to Rainbow Valley, Missitucky to bury gold. Og, the comical leprechaun that Finian “borrowed” the gold from, follows them to Rainbow Valley. The land is owned by Woody and his sister Susan, who is mute and only communicates through dance. Woody and Sharon are drawn to each other, which causes some problems. A racist senator tries to steal the land from Woody and the sharecroppers working the land, but Og transforms  the senator into a black person so he can fully realize the outcomes of his actions.

Finian’s Rainbow contains a cultural diffusion of musical genres like Irish folklore, jazz, blues, gospel, country and a little Frank Sinatra. The choreography is very jazzy, except for Susan, who uses classical ballet. So to every genre of music, Susan brings grace and beauty. Each dancer moves with elegance and power; each lift is done effortlessly. The sharecroppers bring life, passion and joy to the show.

Finian’s Rainbow is fulfilling with its breathtaking choreography and brilliant score. It is a union of what could be with what dreams are made of.

HOW TO SEE THE SHOW: $27 student rush • St. James Theatre, 246 W. 44th St.

Finian's Rainbow Dramaturgy

By Jahnesha Huertas 

Finian’s Rainbow was originally produced in 1947. One part of the story is that a leprechaun turns a racist senator into a black person to understand the hurt he has caused. In the original production, the white actor playing the senator wore black-face to show his magical transformation from a white man to a black man. This caused bad press for the show because people thought it was encouraging racism. Not just audiences agreed, but the NAACP was also angered by what they perceived was a negative portrayal of blacks. In the current revival, two different actors have been cast to solve this problem - a white actor portrays the senator before his transformation and a black actor portrays him after the magical occurrence.