Was Pearl Bailey's 'Hello, Dolly!' Wokish?

The first time I saw Hello, Dolly! was in 1967; with the first all-Black production staring Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway and let me tell you, it was fabulous. I was 12, and it made a positive impact - what could be accomplished not only by Black people but ANY person.  Here's a synopsis from Life magazine:

"The musical Hello, Dolly! made its Broadway debut in 1964 and was an instant smash with Carol Channing in the title role. Three years later, when ticket sales were starting to slump, producer David Merrick retooled with an entirely black cast that featured Pearl Bailey as the lead and Cab Calloway as her love interest. The move was such a success that it landed Bailey on the cover of LIFE. And it also drew the attention of the sitting U.S. President."

In a good way.  I didn't consider that 'wokish' back then because the word didn't exist, or at least wasn't part of our vocabulary; but my thinking was also influenced by growing up (until 8) in an inner-city neighborhood in NYC, where everyone had a different familial background.  That continued as we-all moved into the suburbs.  It certainly broadened my thinking in ways that small, relatively isolated communities don't experience in the same way so they consider new things dangerous.  Consider the times then and now.

So what if a Black actress is playing Helen of Troy?  How many White actors have played Black and Brown characters?  Think Othello.  OK, it's not too common, but why should it be?

Whenever I've asked, "What does woke mean?"  to someone who's criticizing an idea or person as being too woke, I get blank stares and some mumbo-jumbo which only magnifies their ignorance.  I looked it up just now to see what AI would provide, easy enough for anybody to do, and this sums it up:

"Origins: It builds on the older African-American Vernacular English term "woke", which meant being alert to racial prejudice. 

Modern Usage: It often refers to policies, corporate statements, or media that adopt social justice language in a mild or half-hearted way. 

Critical View: Opponents use "wokish" to dismiss trends they view as intrusive or trend-following rather than genuinely helpful."

So there you go.  I also saw Carol Channing in a Portland production of Hello, Dolly! in 1995 and she was terrific, too; a true icon.  Had a thick mask of makeup including the batty black eyelashes she was famous for, but it didn't matter.

It was her PERFORMANCE which mattered, as it should with Lupita Nyong'o's Helen.

Come on, people, let's not turn everything into a WOKE issue.  We're smarter than that.