'Black' comic turns out to be white

Theatre officials who booked a black comic received a shock when he turned out to be a white comic ‘blacked up’.

Race campaigners were furious when they found out; even though they too were convinced Willie P. Richardson was black.

The Heymann Performing Arts Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, were putunder pressure to pull Friday night’s gig, even though 700 tickets had been sold. In the end, the gig went ahead, and attracted few complaints

Manager Frank Bradshaw told the Lafayette Daily Advertiser: “It was our understanding he was an Afro-American.”

Promoter David Stallings denied the show was racist like the old black-and-white minstrel shows, because that Richardson simply became a character. “It’s good, clean, rural, Southern humour,” he told the paper.

And he pointed out that black comics have often played other races. Eddie Murphy has played Hispanic and Jewish characters while Damon and Marlon Wayans have portrayed spoiled white girls.

Protestor Ja’Nelle Chargois had called on the theatre to drop the comic, who was supporting a country music star Ray Price, after finding, to her surprise, that Richardson wasn’t the genuine article.

She said: “I’ve listened to many of Willie Richardson’s tapes and they’re not racially biased in any manner or against any group. But, if he’s someone who is painted in black face, then yeah, I think that’s offensive.”

On his website, Richardson, who also specialises in prank phone calls, boasts that he "takes pride in the fact that [his] albums are enjoyed by people of all ethnic and age groups".

Published: 9 Jul 2004