A White Black Guy In Hairspray?- Page 2

[jimnysf]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 3:31am

The same thing happened at two of the performances I saw when the show came to San Francisco a few years ago. Joe Abraham (white) filled in for one of the black kids. The first time he appeared in every scene that the black kids were in. The second time I saw him do it, he was in some of the scenes (detention) but was left out of the record shop scenes.

[pemberlee]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 3:37am

I was in a play in grade school where a white girl played Susan B. Anthony.

Also in grade school a music teacher got fired for making the only black girl in our school play a slave in some show. I still don't know how I feel about that one. On the one hand I get that the teacher was going for realism, but on the other hand the girl in question was a friend and I knew how she felt being singled out like that.

[fairygodmother]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 5:07am

to DG - i think you're completely missing the point of this thread. i don't think there's anything bigoted about someone pointing out the possible problems with casting in a show of this nature - when a show is built around integration, but they don't have enough black swings to go around the ensemble, its going to prove a problem. when the integration theme can get skewed because there's a white actor playing a fundamentally black role, no matter how big the part, it brings up issues of realism in the theatre, suspending disbelief etc. not to mention casting oversights!

there's been a similar debate going on in the UK when they've cast their first black and asian billy elliots - it would be interesting to hear your opinions on it. this is a kid's role on alternate weeks - but the (white) parents will stay the same throughout. not to mention that at this point in time, there were not many ethnic minorities in Durham.
sometimes we can go for colour-blind casting, where it isn't a major issue to the play etc. however, it doesn't seem to work both ways. for instance, i've never heard of a white child playing Simba in the Lion King, a white Kim in Miss Saigon etc. would you say its not important then?

[Leanne_Jones]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 5:15am

Some very good points. I had no idea they'd cast a black and asian Billy! I think its a good idea but i can't imagine what it must look like watching it, it would make it less believeable anyway.

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 6:12am

Maybe I'm missing the sarcasm, god I hope so, but...

Susan B. Anthony was white.

~Sam

[Weez]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 7:24am

I don't think there were many Japanese or Philippine ladies in 1832 Paris, but that didn't really stop Les Mis. :3

Some shows can do colour-blind casting because the races of the characters aren't integral to the plot. For something like Hairspray, you can't really get away with it so much. Although "white guy with a radio" does sound hilarious. XD

I heard that if enough people call out of a production of Rent, you might actually get a Mark's Dad. I'd love to see that myself. :3

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 8:02am

I've seen this happen before...it doesn't bother me though because...it just doesn't :)

[mejusthavingfun]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 10:08am

my favorite line of casting was in the Beauty tour when Chip's understudy was one of the bimbettes. LOL she had to go in for him.

[ozone20]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 10:15am

First off let me just say that its a completely ludicrous (not to mention a little insulting) notion to infer that there is a "shortage" of black talent to fill a black role even if it be a swing. My question is.. would they switch it around and put a black person in one of the tradionally white roles in the show? i think not. and if they did, would the excuse be that there was "not enuff white talent" to go around? NO. we would all then know how ridiculous that statement is.With the abundance of black talent in NYC, it comes down to nothing but lazy and cheap casting.

Updated On: 5/3/06 at 10:15 AM

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 10:16am

I really don't understand people who are thrown off by colourblind casting. You are already suspending deisbeleif when you walk into a theatre and are willing to pretend you are going to a location that you are not, and watching people pretend to be who they are not...does their race REALLY have to take you that much farther out of it.

Akiva

[ozone20]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 10:19am

It does when the show deals in racial themes. YES. and again there are folks mentioning the shortage of black talent as the possible reason why this would happen. I am all for interacial casting but in a race specific show its just lazy and cheap to do so. Again if we are gonna suspend disbelief lets cast a black tracy.. good idea? i mean really. would they dare put a black actor in a white role in hairspray and ask us to "suspend disbelief?" i'm think we all know the answer to that.



Updated On: 5/3/06 at 10:19 AM

[Fosse76]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 10:30am

Hairspray has a small number of swings to fill in the roles. It has to do with wanting to pay all these actors, not the talent. I have to go back and see this show...it's been a few months. Has it deteriorated that badly?

[musicnmath]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 10:30am

Before this goes on a wild tangent, I do believe SueLeen was being sarcastic in her post regarding the lack of black talent. She made a wild silly statement so as to point the reader to what she wanted to say next. Hyperbole as a literary device.

[ckeaton]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 10:30am

Many people were upset when Mrs. Crachit was black, Mr. Crachit was white, and tiny tim was asian.

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 10:31am

Sorry...I should have said my response was more about the Billy Elliot thing mentioned above. The one exception to my own colourblind rule is when part of a show deals specifically with race.

Akiva

[ozone20]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 10:32am

Exactly. its cheap casting.. but again only cheap on the side of the black roles in the show. not the white ones. where in that case is the black swing to be thrown on in one of the white roles at the last minute? would never happen. somehow its justified reversed.
Updated On: 5/3/06 at 10:32 AM

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 10:39am

Well...they have run out of white female swings before and had a guy go on as "Louie", one of the nicest kids in town instead of LouAnn....not that that makes any point really...just highly entertaining...also Rashad Naylor (sp?) was a male swing for the Dynamites...he never went on though. The fact of the matter is economy has to be taken into consideration and Broadway shows have to be more and more streamlined casting-wise...which has its upsides and downsides.

Akiva

[ozone20]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 10:43am

understandable. its just quite interesting that in a race specific show how race is "one sidedly" interchangable to save a dollar. oh well its not surpsing.

Also, were there white actors playing slaves in AIDA? or am i mistaken. I saw it a long time ago and i think i remember that.

Updated On: 5/3/06 at 10:43 AM

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 10:48am

I do see what you are getting at, but at the same time think of it from the producers side of it. Their are usually three swings and if you think about it the least important group to cover is the black males....the white ensemble are all introduced by name and are in the show quite a a bit...the black females need to understudy Inez, Dynamites and Motormouth...whereas the black males really only understudy Seaweed.

Akiva

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 10:51am

Hah...and don't get me started on my Aida rant...that show doesn't have to be about race at all...its about nationalities...as long as the costumes clearly seperate who is who I don't think race needs to be a factor...I wouldn't care in the least if there was a black Amneris or Radames or a white Aida...its been done in opera for decades. Thats like complaining they didn't use genuine egyptians and instead sold out and cast Sherie and Adam as "stunt" casting.

Akiva
Updated On: 5/3/06 at 10:51 AM

[ozone20]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 10:55am

i get it. its the way the show is designed. It lends itself to certain black male roles being played by white male actors. from the producers standpoint the dollar is the most important thing and in there minds im sure its about where they can skimp and save money. where? the black male roles. hey its life.

[ozone20]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 11:01am

the show (aida) indeed is not about race and the role amneris could be played by a black woman because she is egyptian! fact is tho white looking african slaves is simply ridiculous and rather amature. simply baffled by that one.
Updated On: 5/3/06 at 11:01 AM

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 11:02am

Broadway is a huge financial risk...so many shows don't recoup their investment, and when a producer does make money they often reinvest it in other shows. If someone wants to make a lot of money they don't necessarily become a theatre producer...there are other more secure jobs. They do it out of love, for the most part, AS WELL as business. Broadway theatre capacities are really not that high, which means limited intake of money every night, whether you are a huge hit or not.

So after the initial opnening few years when they felt it made sense to cut a swing cutting the black male track wasn't the racist choice...it was the logical one for the show.

"If it wasn't a business, it would be called 'show show'"

Akiva

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 11:05am

Also...i want to add that a white guy hanging out with the black guy actually added a layer to the show. It showed that the black community was being inclusive and had no problems accepting white people into their community...they just wished whites would do the same. I mean...why is that so unbeleievable in the world of Hairspray...where only a few scenes later the blacks have accepted Penny, Amber and Link into their record store and dance with them.

And how is a white african slave "riduclous and amatuer", but a blonde egyptian not? its not as though Aida is historically acurate at ALL.

Akiva

Updated On: 5/3/06 at 11:05 AM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/3/06 at 11:09am

I'm pretty sure I saw BD Wong go on as Tracy in Hairspray. Am I wrong?