Black Glinda?- Page 3

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:50pm

I already gave them my idea....blonde --> weaved....

anyway, Billy Burke was a redhead...so blonde doesn't mean anything....


"Evilene" - 2010!

[Jwei123]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:51pm

i really don't understand why this is SUCH a problem! Yes, there are politics behind broadway, and what not, but if there is a black woman fit for the role of glinda, meeting the demands vocally and acting-wise, WHY not give her the role. But i suppose my argument is futile.

This angers me SO much, that everyone says how far we have come since the 60s,and the civil rights movement, but really, how far have we come? Obv. not that far to a point where a black woman can portray a certain character.

Oh look, February 1st. Black History Month....

[LightMyCandle125]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:51pm

well as they say: if everyone stopped being so PC, maybe we could live in harmony!!!

sorry, just trying to make a broadway joke.

[BEKA531]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:52pm

just like the ethnicity of the character determines who can be cast, certain lines can also be a factor. wicked has a specific line which requires glinda to be blonde. i have no problem with glinda being black. however, whether she is black, white, red, purple, or blue, she still must have blonde hair. black people usually don't look "natural" with blonde hair.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:53pm

yes, Jwei....and why can't a white person who is OVERLY qualified play the role of Aida....or be Dorothy in The Wiz...or play the lead in Caroline....

It's a double standard......


But, if you want to go for the Aida analogy - Why can't a black person play Tevye?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:53pm

me101: You're reacting to my comments that weren't at all directed towards you, they were directed towards others. No worries.

Bronx: You haven't been this dense in a while, welcome back! "There are no blonde black women." Well, I disagree. But since we're playing your game, there also aren't any green white women.

mistress: Blonde isn't a racial indication. If a black woman wearing a blonde wig plays Glinda, the same point gets across the same way while the original intention of the show looses nothing. Whether it's a white red-haired woman wearing a blonde wig or a black woman wearing a blonde wig, both wigs aren't their natural hair color. But that's not the issue. It would absolutely work.

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:57pm

beka, this is also taking place in the fictional town of OZ and maybe in OZ, black people are often blonde. apparently they all believe in a wizard and people are doing magic in schools.

i personally think it would add an interesting layer to the story to have a black actress as glinda.

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:57pm

Thanks! It's good to be back. Broadway is a white institution and should stay that way. I am of the Walt Disney mindset. Change is bad. Why clutter Broadway with things that aren't needed? It's worked fine before. Keep the woman in the kitchen, the man in the offie and have as many children as possible so you can take them to Disneyland and show them hwo the world should be.
Updated On: 2/1/05 at 10:57 PM

[me101]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:58pm

Exactly, jwei. Racism is still an issue, and it does matter wether it directly effects you or not.

and all this about blonde not looking right. It's theatre! It's not real life, and the audience isn't stupid. If they see a black girl with blonde wig they'll know it isn't real, and understand if it looks a little artificial. You can use your imagination and pretend she was born that way

[Jwei123]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:58pm

munk~ aida is the tale of the struggle between the nubians and the egyptians...it has, while it is fiction, historical aspects to it.

When you introduce an actual culture that ACTUALLY exisited, you need to have that color..

and im sorry..munchkinland doesn't/ didn't exist

and for those who say color isn't an issue, it's the fact that the black woman wouldn't be naturally blonde...well then, if color doesn't matter, just put a wig on her....JLT is a redhead!

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:58pm

I don't think it should add anything to the story....

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:58pm

munk, my comment was directed at bronx. that no glinda doesnt need to be white, what she needs to be is blonde.

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:59pm

But as for that one line that "Requires" Galinda to be blonde, that can easily be changed. Sure it is a stereotype that we have gotten used to now but in truth there is nothing that binds the character to be blonde that would alter the storyline dramatically if it were changed. The main gist of Glinda is that she is supposed to be popular and bubbly in personality and very perky etc. We just feel that it also requires her to be blonde because we associate blondes with that personality. When in truth any woman of any ethnicity could play Galinda if they had the voice and the personality. The more I think about it the more I realize that the blonde hair is really just a kind of way to make her ditziness more obvious to the audience when it could be just as well portrayed by actual acting. Bottom line I dont think Glinda HAS to be blonde.

[me101]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:59pm

>>me101: You're reacting to my comments that weren't at all directed towards you, they were directed towards others. No worries.

I'm very sorry about that then.

[BEKA531]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 10:59pm

mistress, that's true. never thought of it like that.

ok, so i don't care which ethnicity they cast, as long as she is blonde.

[Jwei123]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 11:01pm

exactly, Mistress_Spouzic....

I mean oz MUST be real, with the talking goats and winged monkies...

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 11:01pm

Jwei - we are talking about a blonde wig looking good (or not) with black skin - JLT has white skin - we aren't talking about her RED hair....


AGAIN - Egyptians aren't white...obviously historical accuracy isn't that important (and Jesus wasn't white.....)

[Amneris]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 11:01pm

I hope this doesn't come off the wrong way lol. It's hard to explain but, African American ladies , most on broadway either have Jennifer Holiday voices or rich beautiful voices. I think the only one who could play Glinda and would be quite funny would be Audra MacDonald. It's the whole "vocal range" Opera thing that would do it.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 11:02pm

Exactly, Amneris...not many have that "Glinda" voice...although, if she could sing, I could SO see Regina Hall (Scary Movie) playing Glinda.....

[Jwei123]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 11:03pm

BsoBw~ OZ isn't real! talking goats, shreaking muchkins, it is FANTASY...

and no, while egyptians may not have been white, they were lighter than the nubians.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 11:05pm

BSO: Are you truly serious?

A white woman ABSOLUTELY CANNOT portray AIDA without some of the story's integrity being lost, if you don't understand that then there's no reason to continue with this conversation.

A more than qualified white woman could ABSOLUTELY portray Dorothy in THE WIZ. THE WIZ is not a show about race. It's always been done that way, but there's nothing in the show that limits the cast to being black.

And no, once again, A WHITE WOMAN CANNOT PLAY CAROLINE. The show, if you had seen it, is obviously about race and the african-american struggle in the 1960's. Caroline is a black maid in a white house which is ABSOLUTELY necessary to the story. If you, again, do not understand that, then I feel truly sorry for you. The role of a black maid cannot be played by a white woman when the show is about her and her family.

And, you're wrong again. A black man could not play Tevye, as Tevye is a gender and race-specific role. Glinda is not, so your analogies once again fail. If you're saying a black man could play Tevye, that's like saying a white woman could play Tevye. It is not within the boundaries of what the role must be. That would be like you suggesting a production of A RAISIN IN THE SUN with a white family - it will not work and it was not intended to work. However, a play like ON GOLDEN POND, which has always been done with a white cast is being revived on Broadway with an African American cast. Will it work? Absolutely. The characters are not race-specific and the story is not about overcoming racial issues. So unlike CAROLINE, AIDA, and RAISIN, ON GOLDEN POND (like WICKED) can be done with a cast of any race.

Posted: 2/1/05 at 11:06pm

BSO, maybe it shouldnt add anything but it probably would. And this is why, because people dont ever think of a white blonde girl ever being a victim of racism (other than people maybe thinkin shes dumb!) but if a black girl was playing glinda, there would be this idea that she may have, or her family at some point, also gone through hardship simply because of the color of their skin. And now shes judging someone else for the very same reason. With Fiyero being a black man, you might think it was easier for him to fall in love having experienced racism. Does that make sense?

[Derek]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 11:06pm

Hahaha I could see Regina as Glinda too, can she sing>?

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 11:07pm

BsoBw~ OZ isn't real! talking goats, shreaking muchkins, it is FANTASY...


WHAT?! ::cancels expedition::

And what does that have to do with anything? It goes back to the fact that people WON'T let a black person TRULY have blonde hair - I know it's wrong....

I still like my "weaved" change. They could SO turn Wicked into a Soulfull Black version....

E: "He chose me, so get outta my face, BYATCH!"
::slap::
"Feel bettah?"
G: "You know it"
E: "Check this..."
::slap::
"Down wit' it now?"
G: "Ya know it"
::fight::

[Jwei123]

Posted: 2/1/05 at 11:08pm

THANK YOU, Munk! FINALLY someone who agrees...

aida, and raisin in the sun both have plots surrounding race relations...the show just wouldn't work

and id be delighted to hear a white girl pull of dorothy in the wiz. if she can sing those soulful songs, go for it!

EDIT~ bsobw...me talking about oz being a fantasy land is just to show that it is not based on historical events dealing with different cultures...

Updated On: 2/1/05 at 11:08 PM