Black Glinda?- Page 8

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/2/05 at 8:46pm

Okay Justice, since you're being such a pain in the ass, is BLACK better?

[Justice]

Posted: 2/2/05 at 8:51pm

Well, considering that my post was just censored...

which is kinda bothersome because I said nothing that wasn't true.

Updated On: 2/2/05 at 08:51 PM

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 2/2/05 at 10:33pm

You know something, there is a big difference between racism and proper casting. Glinda is not supposed to be black. She was written as a white, blonde person, and must be played as such.

Believe me, I am very sympathetic to the struggles that minorities face in casting, but one has to be practical. Your physicality is essential to what roles you can play, no matter what race you are. I'm a tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed WASP. I'd love to play Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof," but I doubt it's ever going to happen. You know why? Because I don't look like a turn of the century Russian Jew. If I ever auditioned for the role and was inevitably turned down, it would not be because of prejudice, but because I WASN'T RIGHT FOR THE PART.

I really do hope that minorities get better representation in the theater, and in some cases "non-traditional" casting can work. But one must make these decisions based not on sympathy, but on practicality.

[Thetruth]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 12:31am

>>>>can everyone just stop for a second and try to imagine a ghetto-fabulous Galinda with blonde hair extensions?

That comment is horrible. Just because the actress playing Glinda is black doesn't mean the character has to change to being ghetto and wear blonde extensions. I'm so tired of that word "ghetto" anyway. Unfortunately, it's been used as slang in the streets by those who know how to use it and it's trickled out down to those "less in the know" who have no clue what it means.

And to whoever made the comment about black people's voices. I don't know about everybody else but we can sing in many diffent styles and genres. We don't all have the heavy "black church" feel to our voices.

[Jon]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 1:09am

Dorothy in THE WIZ has been played by a white girl in a major Equity theatre - not just ar all-white high schools.

Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre (near Chicago) did a multi-racial WIZ. Dorothy was played by Susan Moniz - well, she's Hispanic, but still a white girl! The cast included every conceivable ethnic type.

[Justice]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 1:17am

Black performers who don't sing the stereotype:

Audra McDonald
Cleo Laine
Ella Fitzgerald
Phylicia Rashaad
Vanessa Williams
Harolyn Blackwell
Jessye Norman
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Lenny Kravitz
Maxinne Sullivan
Sarah Vaughan
Lena Horne
Diahanne Carroll
and many many more...

[mikeonbroadway]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 1:20am

I read to the fourth page and got sick of some of the pointless arguments. So, if this has already been said -- ignore it.

"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. "

What is this incredible white woman with this enormous voice who you couldn't tell the difference from Tonya if they were behind a screen came in and auditioned. They could put her in blackface. The argument of slapping a blonde wig on a black woman (to me) is that exact same argument. A white woman in black face looks unnatural and in today's theatre AND THE TYPE OF SHOW WICKED IS pushes the imagination factor of theatre past the common limit, just like a black woman with blonde hair.

...and also -- from the show's standpoint. It generally isn't common for green people, either. They don't seem too tolerant over there and probably wouldn't jive with blonde-born black galinda.

[Musetta1957]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 2:22am

"Heather Headley, who considers herself a Haitian-American"

Isn't she from Trinidad?

[magic8ball]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 5:04am

">>>>can everyone just stop for a second and try to imagine a ghetto-fabulous Galinda with blonde hair extensions?

That comment is horrible. Just because the actress playing Glinda is black doesn't mean the character has to change to being ghetto and wear blonde extensions. I'm so tired of that word "ghetto" anyway. Unfortunately, it's been used as slang in the streets by those who know how to use it and it's trickled out down to those "less in the know" who have no clue what it means."

Ummm... in NO way, shape, or form did I ever even IMPLY that casting a black woman as Glinda would make the type of portrayal that I mentioned imperative. I said that it would be a FUNNY interpretation. Which it would be. And, since you obviously failed to locate your glasses before reading my post, I never loosely used the term "ghetto" to describe anything. I mentioned "ghetto-fabulous", which is a tongue-in-cheek term that was popularized in the modern media that absolutely does NOT require one who uses it to be "in the know" about a particular culture or lifestyle. Please- step DOWN from the soapbox because you're venting at the wrong person.

[brandonm]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 9:18am

what are you all talking about? if you're talking about Saycon, she's the standby for Elphaba, not Glinda

[Justice]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 9:19am

Brandom...did you read this whole thread?

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 9:26am

Audra would be an amazing Galinda.

[Justice]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 9:28am

Red - Audra's not a coleratura. She's a mezzo. And she doesn't have the ditzy quality one is required to have in that role. She'd make a better Morrible.

[sweetiedarlinmia]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 10:16am

I usually have a firm belief that Audra can do anything but I'm going to have to give a no to her as Glinda. It just doesn't work.

But here's what I would love to see, more roles written that can be performed by any actor and that are not bound by racial specific identifiers. No, wait, a lot of these DO exist. Perhaps it's that I would like to see more casting directors who are more willing to cast actors of color even if it may offend the "delicate sensibilities" of some in the audience. Or perhaps more producers who would take a chance on a production that features a diverse cast or perhaps even a story that features "minorities"(I'm not fond of that word) in a non-stereotypical way or, and here's a scary one, a universal story that just happens to be cast with African-, Asian-, Hispanic- Americans.

Now that I've gotten my rant out, let the debate/arguement over my comments begin.

[Justice]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 10:25am

That is why, to me, the revival of Carousel was an amazing concept. It was racially mixed, with no confusion. Nothing had to be explained as to why this one was black and this one was white. It worked perfectly. As it can with certain shows. You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, for instance.
I once saw a high school do Little Shop with a black Audrey, and to be honest, it worked.

Personally, the way I feel about a black Glinda, like many others, I do not see it. However, Elphaba, Morrible, Boq, Fiyero, even Nessarose, I do.

Imagine putting a white girl in the Dreams. (Michelle Morris, maybe?)
True, the show is based on a true story, so it wouldn't work.
I think, in truth, people have Glinda set in mind as to what she looks like, thanks to the movie.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 12:04pm

Actually, in the Lincoln Center "Carousel," there WAS problem with race in the casting--not because Mr. Snow and Carrie were played by African-Americans, but because their children were of different races. What did they do, adopt all of them? There is a line that can be drawn here. I'm all for equal rights for everyone, but sometimes you have to put artistic sensibility before human rights.

[TGIF]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 12:39pm

I understand why people are saying "She might have been on the recieving end of racisim" etc. But I want to stress THIS IS AN IMAGINARY WORLD. This is not American, they don't know about slavery they don't know about segregation between white and blacks except for the wizard. The time I saw the show Glinda has two main friends that appear with her throughout the first act. One is white. One is black. If she (and everyone else) is so exclusive why woudld this happen? Not to mention the rest of the ensemble.

I think it is completely possible, as long as they find the right actress.

There have been so many changes from the movie AND from McGuire's novel, it is crazy to say "This isn't how its supposed to be. The MOVIE wanted Glinda to be a Redhead, and the MOVIE wanted The Wicked Witch to be evil and ugly. The movie said that munckins should be played by little people. the MOVIE said many things that are disregarded. So why shouldn't this?

[Justice]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 12:50pm

The only race problem ever encountered in a show was this...

When Shanice was Eponine in Les Miserables, Young Eponine (who doubled as Cosette) was white. How did a white girl grow up to be black???

As for Carousel, I liked the concept that their children were both white and black. It made more sense than if their children were all one color.

[ElTico68]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 1:21pm

It's funny (not funny ha ha but funny in an interesting way) that all this conversation has to do with a black person playing what is supposed to be a "white" role, in a play in which we root for a green girl whose teacher is a goat and who has magical powers. HELLO! And, doesn't Fiyero, in the book, have some kind of strange pattern on his face? In this world, a black person with blonde hair wouldn't be out of the ordinary. It would be totally possible. So I see no problem at all with Galinda being black, asian, native american... just as long as she's not green.

There are times when race needs to be considered, especially in historical plays (i.e. Fiddler, Flower Drum Song, Caroline...) but for shows that take place in a fantasy world, I don't have a problem at all with color blind casting.

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 1:21pm

"Actually, in the Lincoln Center "Carousel," there WAS problem with race in the casting--not because Mr. Snow and Carrie were played by African-Americans, but because their children were of different races. What did they do, adopt all of them? There is a line that can be drawn here. I'm all for equal rights for everyone, but sometimes you have to put artistic sensibility before human rights."


Ummm.... where was the problem, really?

Artistic sensibility lies in the ability to sing and act the roles.

Posted: 2/3/05 at 2:02pm

TGIF, you may be right that slavery/racism never happened in the world of OZ, but because it happened in our world, it would be something people would have in the back of their minds. I did say that it probably shouldnt add anything to the show, but that it would. It would make it seem like glinda is trying to fit in, being more active in hating elphaba instead of passive and 'unexamined' It would also make more sense to some people why they might become friends, because glinda ends up relating to the ridicule, as opposed to feeling bad over it.

[Justice]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 2:03pm

I did see a black Mme. Thenardier on Broadway, and she was better than any white woman I had seen play the part.
(Just thought I'd throw that in here)

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 2:04pm

WOW...I have not gotten a chance to read every post here, but I think they can have a black Glinda. There have been shows in the past that have tinkered with dialouge and lyrics during the course of its run. In what is This Feeling, They can just take the work blonde out and replace it or have Elphaba just groan. If the Wiz can be done with an all black cast, I think we can have a black Glinda. I can't think of anyone offhand. I would like to see someone new if it were to happen. I just wonder why they chose to have a white Fiyero when he is descibed in the book as a person of color. Was Taye Diggs stint in the show to appease those who were wondering the same? Why didn't they use NLB's understudy or standby? Just my thoughts.

Posted: 2/3/05 at 2:05pm

i just assumed they used taye to have a bigger name in there.

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/3/05 at 2:07pm

That ran through my mind. Plus he is Idina's hubby.