Color Blind casting??- Page 4

[Jon]

Posted: 8/21/04 at 11:46pm

Besides, some black people aren't "African-American" at all. What about Jamaicans? What about blacks from Europe? Is Mel. B - Scary Spice whatever an "African-Brit"?

[Plum]

Posted: 8/21/04 at 11:52pm

And really, how many white folks are from the Caucasus mountain range?

Which, in case you're wondering, is located between the Black and Caspian Seas, and, according to my handy globe, encompasses parts of Georgia, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. :)

[LadyGuenevere]

Posted: 8/21/04 at 11:55pm

And people get confused when it comes to me.

I'm not a full out Caucasian. I have white skin, but I have a Filipino mother, so I'm multiracial. Jesus man, just call me WHITE.

[zepka102]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 12:00am

i really am color blind!!








ok, i know... that was kinda pointless... but i just wanted to say something :P

[Broadway Matt]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 1:28am

Oh come now! Racial slurs are one thing when used in context to be hurtful, but language itself is nothing but words. Words themselves have no power to be good or bad except for what each person/culture attaches to them.

But Christ, saying someone is White or Black or American Indian is not going to offend them unless it's untrue or they are out to get offended.

Terms like "African American" and "Caucasian" and "Native American" were invented by guilty white people to allow them to refer to the character trait "skin color" without the stress and risk of admitting they actually pay attention to such things. But everyone does, the same as noticing hair color, height, and breast size, and it's only something to be ashamed of if you have something to hide.

This culture just assumes you can achieve tolerance and understanding by overcomplicating the language to the point where everything can't help but be soft and passive. All that does is create the illusion of progress as long as everyone can remember the rules. Once that bulging list of forbidden words starts to overflow, people find themselves constantly offended and alienated but unable to explain why. That's the two cents of this Chinkie-Honky Mutt.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 1:31am

Here in Canada, "Native American" or "Native Canadian" isn't kosher anymore. I think we've moved away from the "Aboriginals," too. Now it's "First Nations people," I think.

[CJR]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 2:47am

Okay, I'm not going to sit here and go through the entire thread..... a few things though.

Yes, June Havoc is still very much alive and kicking. I don't know if having a black actress playing her or her sister in the show would offended her... if I think of it the next time I see her personal assistant (who's a friend of mine) I'll ask.

As for the initial question.... take Little Shop for instance. The Street Urchins (or 'the trio') are typically played by black actresses. I was recently Ronette in a production of LSoH and I'm most definitely not black. In Grease, the girl we had playing Jan was black... typically she's cast as a white female.

Look at Chicago as well... There have been both white and black actors and actresses in the leading roles.

I don't so much find casting to be color specific in a show unless it's imperative for the story line. Ie: Seaweed in Hairspray wouldn't be played by a white man.

[bythesword84]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 2:52am

I think there's nothing wrong with colorblind casting when the part is a fictional character who does not serve a specific purpose. Having a white Caroline in CoC would just be stupid.

As for when its a portrayal of someone who was/is a real person, I think its important to find someone who looks as close to that person as possible.


I mean, could you imagine if they cast an Elphaba who wasn't green?

[BWayBoy88]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 3:25am

Some characters based on real people dont need to look like the real person. Im not sure what Annie Oakley looked like, but I doubt that both Bernadette and Ethel Merman looked like her.

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 4:47am

Matt_G,

Are you actually Israeli American! I am Israeli Canadian...PM me as to what part of Israel you are from?

Anyways...Back on the topic...I have a little question...what roles typically played by a certain race would you love seen played by a person of a diffent race. Here's my list:

Aida (i guess the distinction between Nubians and Egyptains would have to be through cotume, as in the Opera)
Adelaide of Guys and Dolls (I think the black belting voice would do wonders for this role)
Roger from Rent (I wanna see what a black guy's tone could do to this song)
Maureen from Rent (Wanna see what a black girl's tone could do to this)
The Jets form WSS (I'd love to see a version where the Jets are black...Tony's songs could be really different and I wanna see Officer Krupke done as a freestyle rap)

Are there more on your list?

Akiva

[alterego]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 9:45am

There are times when colourblind casting is appropriate (as mentioned earlier for fictional characters) and times when clearly it is wrong. The post that started all this mentioned a black Marilyn Monroe impersonator, as Monroe is an American icon (and was white) I personally consider that to be wrong.

[Jon]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 10:28am

There was an all-black revival of Guys and Dolls on Broadway in the 1970's and it was brilliant. Robert Guilliaume was Nathan and Ken Page was Nicely-Nicely.

There have since been numerous productions with racially mixed casts.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 8/22/04 at 12:03pm

When I went to see Miss Saigon on Broadway a few years back, the role of Ellen was played by an Asian actress. I thought it was brilliant, and added a completely new subtext to the play.

Ellen is the woman Chris marries years after escaping Saigon and believing Kim was dead. She is usually played by a white actress, and the inference is just that Chris remarries. By casting Ellen as an Asian woman, it brings all these other consequences into the show: maybe Chris was seeking to find a replacement for Kim, in which case imagine what Ellen must feel like as a Kim facsimilie; or maybe Chris just has a thing for Asian women; or maybe it's all coincidence, etc.)

Updated On: 8/22/04 at 12:03 PM

[Plum]

Posted: 8/23/04 at 11:00am

The role of the title character in Memoirs of a Geisha will probably go to a Chinese actress- Zhang Ziyi of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

In this case I'm not sure what to think- it seems to play too much into the attitude that "all Asians look alike." Which *sigh* they don't. But I guess if they couldn't find one Japanese actress that satisfied them, they could do worse than Zhang. At least the male lead will be Ken Watanabe.

[Matt_G]

Posted: 8/23/04 at 11:09am

I was listening to MAN OF LA MANCHA w/ Stokes this morning and was just disgusted that they would cast someone like him in that role!

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 8/23/04 at 11:21am

Matt, what's "retarted" mean?

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 8/23/04 at 12:04pm

a born again virgin who has reverted back to his/her slutty ways...

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 8/23/04 at 12:08pm

Thanks, kmc. That actually makes sense.

[midtowngym]

Posted: 8/23/04 at 12:12pm

Boy, you guys must have missed the 'Audra McDonald can't perform in Sunday in the Park with George' thread. That was a doozie!

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 8/23/04 at 12:40pm

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?thread=306965#311090

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/23/04 at 1:11pm

Ernestine Jackson was a hilarious Adelaide in that all-black "Guys and Dolls" revival.

[Jon]

Posted: 8/23/04 at 3:09pm

By the way, the real Annie Oakley had long curly dark hair, and looked a lot like Andie Macdowell or... Idina Menzel!

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 8/23/04 at 6:05pm

In this case I'm not sure what to think- it seems to play too much into the attitude that "all Asians look alike." Which *sigh* they don't.

I'm Asian, and I have no qualms that a Chinese actress (actually, a predominantly Chinese cast) is playing Japanese roles in Memoirs of a Geisha. It's the same as a French actor playing a Greek character, or an English actor playing a Polishman. The differences aren't that apparent.

At least they're not casting a white actor as an explicitly Asian character (hello "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues").

[Plum]

Posted: 8/23/04 at 6:38pm

Depends who you talk to about the Chinese casting. :) I think Zhang will turn out okay- she's definitely pretty enough for the part.

[meagan9848]

Posted: 8/24/04 at 7:11am

it's early, I'm sleepy, and I didn't finish reading. BUT, here's my take on it.

If the race of the character is important to the storyline then the part should be cast accordingly. However, if the race is not at all relevant then it shouldn't matter. For example, Derrik Williams understudies Fiyero in Wicked which works fine, it wouldn't work to have Kristin Chenoweth playing Caroline...

just make thoughts.