Sierra Boggess to play Maria in West Side Story in London- Page 9

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 10:07am

theatreguy12 said: "JBradshaw said: "Question. Such outrage over this. Why was never any outrage over the many non Latinas that played Mimi in “Rent”?"

Outrage is usually quite selective. You could split hairs until the next millennium over any number of roles.

I remember the discussions about the recent revival of TKAI. "Finally... a mostly 'Asian'cast."

Wasn't the King in this show the leader of Siam?

The actor who played him was Japanese. The man playing him on tour is Filipino.

Couldn't they find an actor from the region once known as Siam to lead this show. I mean, grouping all Asians together as if they are all the same just because they come from the same continentisn't very culturally sensitive.

"

Because no actual Thai person would probably be caught dead doing The King and I. 

[Babe_Williams]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 12:05pm

I just want to know if linnamonrole listened to WSS yet 

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 1:48pm

This discussion is just disgraceful. Because most people casting, directing, and producing theatre are white, they will almost always default to white actors. That’s a sad reality. People of color are rarely seen for romantic or charismatic leads. People of color never have an equal opportunity. That is not just opinion, that is true. If you think that’s a lie, you’re delusional. If you say people of color need to produce their own work to get seen, that’s also ridiculous because it’s already being done and people aren’t supporting those endeavors as much as terribly written/directed/produced shows usually by straight white men. People don’t want to step out of their comfort zone and take a chance on something different. And when roles written specifically for people of color are played/sung by white actors, people think it’s wrong to protest.

Rent was done at a time when casting was very different. But hey, at least they almost always cast nonwhite actors for Mimi, Benny, Joanne, Angel, and Collins, as well as several ensemble tracks. Phantom, Les Misérables, Chicago, and many other household titles have eventually come around to casting people of color in leading roles.

I honestly don’t think Hairspray with race reversed would be very good at all. White people being the minority would give the show a very tone deaf connotation in today’s alt-right-friendly society.

If we’re complaining about the ethnicities of people who have played the King of Siam because the actors come from different Asian countries, let’s please equally complain about Kelli O’Hara not being appropriate for Anna (did she grow up in Singapore or England?) or Francesca (that last name of hers does not sound Italian).

Yes, I do think more gay people should play gay people, but sexuality is not worn on the skin like skin color. People make split-second judgments based on race and the optics of an actor’s race in relation to the character they play...that is not the same as someone who is or isn’t LGBT.

As West Side Story is literally about two people of different race, I cannot support a white woman taking a romantic leading role away from a person of color. I don’t care how big a fan I am of Stephanie J. Block, for example, I would never want to see her sing Kim in a concert of songs from Miss Saigon. I’d never want to see John Lithgow or Mark Rylance narrate a concert of Pacific Overtures. And I wouldn’t want to see Amber Riley in a concert of Hairspray as Tracy because it doesn’t make sense for them to have put her Tracy on TV when the character literally fights for integration of black people on the air.

Posted: 4/23/18 at 2:17pm

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Sierra-Boggess-Withdraws-From-WEST-SIDE-STORY-Concert-Following-Backlash-20180423

 

She has made a statement.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 2:18pm

Sierra has officially backed out of the concert.

"Last week, it was announced that I will be singing in a concert of West Side Story at Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms in London. Because it was a concert presentation and not the show proper - I had signed on to lend my voice to honor Leonard Bernstein in his centennial this year, with an orchestra I have loved singing with for years, following in the long list of sopranos who have all sung the score before me.

After much reflection, I've realized that if I were to do this concert, it would once again deny Latinas the opportunity to sing this score, as well as deny the IMPORTANCE of seeing themselves represented onstage. And that would be a huge mistake. Since the announcement of this concert, I have had many conversations about why this is a crucial time, now more than ever, to not perpetuate the miscasting of this show. I apologize for not coming to this realization sooner and as an artist, I must ask myself how I can best serve the world, and in this case my choice is clearer than ever: to step aside and allow an opportunity to correct a wrong that has been done for years with this show in particular. I have therefore withdrawn myself from this concert and I look forward to continuing to be a voice for change in our community and our world!"

Happy to see she has backed out. I wish her team would have advised her better from the get-go.

Statement

Updated On: 4/23/18 at 02:18 PM

[wssinsider]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 2:22pm

Bravo!! Thank you Sierra. Beautiful apology

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 2:23pm

Thank goodness that's over.

[SuTerifa]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 2:37pm

That was a very mature, considerate, and well-thought statement that Boggess provided. I will be rooting for her in her future endeavors.

[FranklinDickson2018]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 2:40pm

Sierra had nothing to apologize for.  She backed out gracefully and with great sensitivity as befitting the artist that she is. She did nothing wrong and hurt no one.  Obviously she did not think of the backlash for a CONCERT and when she did, she did the right thing.  But she did nothing wrong.  No apologies.

So what is next in this frighteningly more powerful social media backlash? We have this, the Gypsy robe, the terrible backlash over Great Comet.  I applaud casting diversity tremendously what I don't admire is the tremendous animosity that is spewed, even from people who have NEVER SEEN THE SHOW or can't even spell her name correctly.  They just want to get on the bandwagon.

I hope they gave Sierra another Bernstein concert in place to display her lovely talents.   But you know? 
She is a lovely successful performer who will go on to do other wonderful things and she is not going to spend her times on Blogs.  Trust me --- she has a life to live and a fine career. 

So what is the next target for the blogs? 

Lastly, I am amazed that this comment went by unnoticed?

Old White lady --- mean spirited ageism?  That goes un-noticed?  So this acceptable? But nothing else is?

SNIP FROM PREVIOUS POSTER

There goes another generation of brown little girls seeing a white old lady play Maria . 

 

 

 

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 2:40pm

Don't know how nasty it's been for her on social media, but I hope those who were on the nastier side recognize her honesty in stepping down from this opportunity. I thought the idea of her playing Maria with the dialogue and manner of singing that Maria sings in was laughable, and I am happy she realized what a mistake this was. I think this move is going to bode well for her. Grateful she did not just dismiss this as so many in this thread have.

[wssinsider]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 2:48pm

FranklinDickson2018 said: "Sierra had nothing to apologize for. She backed out gracefully and with great sensitivity as befitting the artist that she is. She did nothing wrong and hurt no one. Obviously she did not think of the backlash for a CONCERT and when she did, she did the right thing. But she did nothing wrong. No apologies.

So what is next in this frighteningly more powerful social media backlash? We have this, the Gypsy robe, the terrible backlash over Great Comet. I applaud casting diversity tremendously what I don't admire is the tremendous animosity that is spewed, even from people who have NEVER SEEN THE SHOW or can't even spell her name correctly.They just want to get on the bandwagon.

I hope they gave Sierra another Bernstein concert in place to display her lovely talents. But you know?
She is a lovely successful performer who will go on to do other wonderful things and she is not going to spend her times on Blogs. Trust me --- she has a life to live and a fine career.

So what is the next target for the blogs?

Lastly, I am amazed that this comment went by unnoticed?

Old White lady --- mean spirited ageism? That goes un-noticed? So this acceptable? But nothing else is?

SNIP FROM PREVIOUS POSTER

There goes another generation of brown little girls seeing a white old lady play Maria .

 







"

 

Lol she literally apologized “I apologize for not coming to this realization sooner and as an artist, I must ask myself how I can best serve the world, and in this case my choice is clearer than ever: to step aside and allow an opportunity to correct a wrong that has been done for years with this show in particular.”

breathe, relax, listen to some music. You seem very angry. All is good  and PS people don’t use the term “the blogs” anymore, is not 2007! 

 

Updated On: 4/23/18 at 02:48 PM

[Elfuhbuh]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 3:00pm

It was good for her to apologize and back out of this, and the way she apologized was very well thought-out. I don’t think anyone was hating on Sierra specifically so much as suggesting that she and her agent had a poor lapse of judgment.

As for social media, as far as Twitter goes, I didn’t see much vitriol or hatred in the backlash. I mostly saw fans of hers politely explaining that she made a poor decision and asking that she reconsider. Of course, holding white people accountable for anything is apparently grounds for other white people to come out of the woodwork and scream and cry about how we are oh-so oppressed in 2018, but whatever. Good on Sierra for making the right choice.

[BroadwayRox3588]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 3:19pm

Elfuhbuh said: "It was good for her to apologize and back out of this, and the way she apologized was very well thought-out. I don’t think anyone was hating on Sierra specifically so much as suggesting that she and her agent had a poor lapse of judgment."

Oh, they were.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 3:27pm

I think that was a very classy statement. I believe her to be genuine and I appreciate her words.

There’s so much Bernstein for her to sing: Candide, Peter Pan, Mass, On the Town, Wonderful Town, literally any other show. Bernstein wrote one score with a Latina ingenue, so that should be cast accordingly. Sierra has many more opportunities to celebrate Bernstein this year if she wants to.

But again, good on her, she doesn’t deserve vitriol or social media hate (barely anyone does), so I hope she takes this experience and moves onward and upward.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 3:56pm

My question now is, are we going to slam every high school that does West Side Story if they don't have a Latina actress as Maria or Anita?

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 4:02pm

If you don’t have the students, don’t do it. I mean, if you don’t have black students, you wouldn’t do Ragtime at your high school.

[XWW]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 4:05pm

fashionguru_23 said: "My question now is, are we going to slam every high school that does West Side Story if they don't have a Latina actress as Maria or Anita?"

I think that’s a different situation. In some schools, there may not be any Latinix students, let alone those with singing, acting, or dancing ability to do the part. I doubt any professional theater, especially those based out of NYC or London, can claim this problem. (Those schools probably shouldn’t do WSS anyway, but it’s still going to happen). 

Updated On: 4/23/18 at 04:05 PM

[newintown]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 4:07pm

"I mean, if you don’t have black students, you wouldn’t do Ragtime at your high school."

I think that's a naive assumption (based on some things I've personally witnessed in schools)...

[Elfuhbuh]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 4:08pm

fashionguru_23 said: "My question now is, are we going to slam every high school that does West Side Story if they don't have a Latina actress as Maria or Anita?"

Would you do a production of The Wiz if there weren't any black students?

[LesWickedly]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 4:10pm

Elfuhbuh said: "fashionguru_23 said: "My question now is, are we going to slam every high school that does West Side Story if they don't have a Latina actress as Maria or Anita?"

Would you do a production of The Wiz if there weren't any black students?"

Unfortunately many do. 

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 4:28pm

I don't know if this is something people just don't want to get because it's really obvious. Reminds me of that scene in Orange is the New Black when one of the flashbacks shows a black girl getting a tour from a private, all-white school and she gets excited to see they have a theatre program and she then she sees an a rehearsal of that high school's production of Dreamgirls with all white people playing all the characters. She ends up crying and not out of joy. 

It's pretty clear from a lot of these posts that there's a willingness to be tone-deaf.

Updated On: 4/23/18 at 04:28 PM

[Gizmo6]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 4:41pm

Also please don’t attack me but I think this specific situation at the root cause is American identity politics. If this was a white English actresss the backlash would not have happened. I believe this backlash is because Sierra is American and it’s been publicised more in America and the backlash has come from there.

For example, Kiss of the Spiderwoman is currently on in London with the two male leads played by white English actors and nobody has batted an eyelid.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 4:44pm

Interesting how my post a few minutes ago regarding Ana Villafañe’s faux pas was deleted.

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 4:56pm

I dont think I can ever un see Ana's tweets. It was pretty cringe worthy

[wssinsider]

Posted: 4/23/18 at 5:02pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "Interesting how my post a few minutes ago regarding Ana Villafañe’s faux pas was deleted."

It was???