Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
RW3
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/13
#1Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 1:55pmI was talking to a friend who had just watched the movie version of Mamma Mia and asked if there had been any black Sophie's on Broadway. I told her I wasn't sure. So, has a black Sophie ever graced the Winter Garden stage? Thanks!
#2Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 2:29pmI don't think so. Donna would then have to be black as well and if not then all three possible dads would have to be black otherwise there would be no question as to who her father was... right?
#2Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 2:39pm^ So it would then be Tyler Perry's Mamma Mia!, correct?
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
#4Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 4:36pm^^I would watch that.
"I think lying to children is really important, it sets them off on the right track" -Sherie Rene Scott-
#6Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 5:25pmWell Maury would have to be there to announce who the father is.
AEA AGMA SM
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/13/09
#9Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 6:13pmIs this can of worms really being opened? Really?
broadwayguy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
#10Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 6:22pmBlack, no. But one of the two original Sophie covers in the Broadway company, Somer Lee Graham, is biracial.
#11Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 7:00pmAEA, my post was a joke in reference to camping the show up with Madea. Please don't try to make it some racial thing.
AEA AGMA SM
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/13/09
#12Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 7:04pmSorry, Jordan, I wasn't specifically calling you out, more so the original post, because let's be real. When has any "has there ever been a role cast with an actor of a different race than what is normally cast" thread ever really turned out well?
#13Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 7:21pmIt's legitimate question and circumstances for a show that's about paternity.
#14Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 7:25pmI'm all for color-blind casting, but considering the show is about paternity, it would be hard without having either Donna or two of the fathers being African-American. It's a plot line, so it's hard to avoid. It's like having an Asian Coalhouse and Sarah - it changes the whole plot.
"I saw Pavarotti play Rodolfo on stage and with his girth I thought he was about to eat the whole table at the Cafe Momus." - Dollypop
#15Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 7:35pmWhat's wrong with having Donna and/or the two fathers being African American? I remember when there was a African American Elphaba, Fiyero, and Wizard (Ben Vereen) at one point in WICKED.
#16Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 7:42pmThere's nothing wrong with it so stop clutching your pearls. Nobody said there was anything wrong with it. They just pointed out the obvious that the cast would obviously need the men to be black as well.
#17Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 7:42pm
You see... Aside from the Wizard... none of those are about Paternity. The Wizard can be whatever race they want because Elphaba is green. Sophie however is dependent on the fathers. Either Donna has to be black & Sophie Mixed Race, or Donna be white Sophie be mixed and ALL the fathers be black, etc.
You can sub any race in there if you want, I just used black & white.
millie_dillmount
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/22/04
#18Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 8:25pmI saw an African American Sky once...not Sophie though.
"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611
#19Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 8:38pmI'm fine with them being cast with African-American or any race actor, as long as the racial casting is consistent enough to be realistic.
"I saw Pavarotti play Rodolfo on stage and with his girth I thought he was about to eat the whole table at the Cafe Momus." - Dollypop
winston89
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/18/06
#20Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 11:46pm
Brave Sir Robin2
I agree with you. Personally, I have nothing against color blind casting, however, I feel that it needs to work. I feel that Mamma Mia is a good example of why it wouldn't work. A perfect example to me of when it wouldn't work would have to be Rashad in August: Osage County. Sure, she may have done a good job in the role. But, at the same time it didn't make sense to me when she was black and every other single person on that stage was white.
"If you try to shag my husband while I am still alive, I will shove the art of motorcycle maintenance up your rancid little Cu**. That's a good dear"
Tom Stoppard's Rock N Roll
#21Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/1/13 at 11:58pmI'm slightly confused, and this is a sincere question. Why do you feel like Sophie, Donna, and the fathers HAVE to be white (or why them being another race wouldn't work)?
#22Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/2/13 at 12:05amNobody is saying hey HAVE to be white. What people are saying is that if Donna is black, then Sophie has to be at least mixed race if the "Fathers" are white and if Sophie is black or mixed race than either Donna or all the "Fathers" have to be black, otherwise it won't make any sense.
#23Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/2/13 at 12:12amFor me, Rashad as Violet in August: Osage County was fine. She is such a great actress that her race truly didn't matter. In that show, it's also possible that Rashad could have been the second wife and not the actual biological mother of the three daughters. The stuff loses impact if she didn't actually raise them, because the daughters view her as their mother rather than stepmother, but it's possible that she raised them starting at a very young age. Some finessing would need to be done as to why Violet's sister looks white, but it could be done. I saw the show with Rashad and Rondi Reed, and if you told me Reed was playing a character who was part African-American, I would find that plausible.
"What was the name of that cheese that I like?"
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"well I hope and I pray, that maybe someday, you'll walk in the room with my heart"
#24Black Sophie in Mamma Mia
Posted: 9/2/13 at 12:16amRondi Reed is Ginger... If you could believe she was playing a part black woman then denial is not just a river in Egypt.
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