Can Maria (Sound of Music) be black? — Page 6

For all of you who are saying that color-blind casting is ALWAYS the way to go, are you honestly telling me that an all-white production of A Raisin in the Sun or The Piano Lesson or Dreamgirls would fly??

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Right on Priest.

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I'm sorry, it's probably the limitations of my mind, but I'm so confused by how we got to this point of misunderstanding. I really can't answer you, BroadwayGirl107. I've tried to write responses, but it's just too complicated. I can only suggest that a re-read of the last few pages might clarify things, if you feel like doing that. If not (or if you do that and it's still not clear), I apologize that it's beyond my powers to answer you.

I can't remember if this is in the musical, but in the play Auntie Mame the Upsons propose to Mame that they (the Upsons together with Mame) should purchase the vacant lot next door to the Upsons' house as a present for Patrick and Pegeen so they can build a house there. The Upsons advise Mame that they have to move quickly. The danger, the Upsons tell Mame, is that someone named Abraham Epstein—who represents what they call "the wrong kind"— is about to buy the property. As of now, the area is restricted only up to their property line so they feel an obligation to make that the neighborhood remain restricted.

Even if that specific issue is not in the musical, it's still quite clear that the Upsons are bigots who would be horrified at the prospect of Jewish in-laws. They'd be horrified at the thought of Jewish neighbors.

So to cast an actress whose persona trades on her Jewish background would strain credulity to the breaking point.

^ I'm curious about that, too.

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According to Hirsch's book, their musical touring life was abruptly halted when Hitler invaded Austria. The Captain brought his family together and said, "We are standing at the open grave of Austria." He asked them if they wanted to stay or to leave. Despite the hardships sure to face them, they had no moral choice but to depart. Although it was a terrible blow to leave their home and all their belongings behind, when they learned that Himmler himself had taken over their house, their grief was almost unbearable.

In 1938, Austria was annexed to Adolf Hitler’s German Empire - the Anschluss of 1938 - and unlike many Austrian aristocrats, the Von Trapps were horrified. Georg made no secret of his feelings; allegedly, the Gestapo ordered the von Trapps to display the Hakenkreuzflagge (swastika flag) for Hitler's visit to Salzburg, but Georg replied, "I can do a better job with one of my Persian carpets." "Three times he refused the Nazis," said Renaud Doucet, the director of the Sound of Music show in Vienna. Twice he refused to become the commander of a U-boat, and command of a submarine base. "I have sworn my oath of loyality to only one Emperor" was his answer, and von Trapp rejected the offer.

And then he refused to sing at Hitler's birthday party. With that third refusal, the family realised they had to get out. They took a train and crossed into Italy, and at midnight on the same day, Hitler closed the borders." The von Trapps later learned that Heinrich Himmler, the head of the Gestapo himself, had moved into the family home."
(Excerpts from Maria's books, Georg's books and istria.net)

Do you really think that the horrors of the Nazi regime were not "race related"? Do you really think that Von Trapp left his homeland and everything he owned to come to America where he had no family or friends or career, because he just didn't feel like working for the third reich? He abhorred their policies and he was afraid that his family would pay for his refusal to join the reich.

The goal of the Third Reich was to "cleanse" the world and make it an aryan (white) one. They didn't consider Jews to be "white". Blonde hair and blue eyes, that was white. And if you look at the demographics of Austria in the 1930's, there was no African (black) presence at all.

I am an actress and there are many roles I would love to play but realize that I simply am not suited, I am not saying that this actress is not a good actress and a wonderful talent. I'm also not saying that you couldn't cast her and have a terrific production of "The Sound of Music". But you will be changing the context of the story.

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Your quotes and citing hardly shed any light on the subject at all.

The bottom line is whether or not this actress can sing and act the role well enough to make an audience believe she is playing this highly fictionalized REPRESENTATION of an historical figure.

Very often theater portrays historical figures in larger than life, even surrealistic ways.
We can do that because the idea of the person is what is important, the idea and ideals that the person signify are so strong, that a realistic representation of that person's features is almost irrelevant.

Does is matter what Dido looks like? What Aeneas looks like? Can they be black/white/purple/brown/black/ten feet tall/two feet tall/completely represented by puppetry/lighting/children/dogs/projections of crowns on a stage?

Of course.

Maria in SOM has acheived this status. Put her in the right clothes and give her a guitar with a slew of rugrats on her knees and Larry "Bud" Melman (RIP) could portray Maria.

So give me a break about a couple of shades of skin tone. The problem that you have with this is what the skin tone represents/class/history of discrimination/etc.

That is a problem that YOU have, not the actress trying out for this role. It has nothing to do with her.

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"Maria in SOM has acheived this status. Put her in the right clothes and give her a guitar with a slew of rugrats on her knees and Larry "Bud" Melman (RIP) could portray Maria."

I wouldn't take it that far, but I think the point has been made that this is the director's choice. Whichever choice she makes will effect the direction of the production, but I dont think we are all ever going to agree on this subject.

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I know that this is an old thread, but guess what??????























There are black people in Austria. I've never been there, but I have been to some of the surrounding countries (Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy) and there are black people in those countries and I am 100% positive that there are AT LEAST 3,000 Black Austrians. Even here in Russia, there are 40,000 black people. Also, people of African descent have lived in Germany for over 1,000 years and I'm sure that there is a similar history for Austria. There were black Austrians in Austria in 1938.

I thought of this thread when Nikki Renee Daniels sang The Sound of Music on July 4th last year.

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If Nikki Renee Daniels were ever cast as Maria, I would see it.

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When considering the presence of the Nazis is the show I can see how some may think race to be an issue within the context of it. I, however, do not believe that race is a central issue within the script. The Nazis rise to power is, but there was more to the Nazi mentality than race alone, and the issue of race is not specifically brought up in The Sound of Music.
We are not dealing with South Pacific, or Ragtime here. In those shows race is most definitely an issue, even THE issue in the center of the stories.It would therefore not make any logical sense to cast a black Nellie or a white Coalhouse.
I believe it is just as acceptable to cast a black Maria in the Sound of Music as it is to cast a black Lizzie Curry in 110 in the Shade and can be just as brilliant and acclaimed.

I should also state that I do realize that Brian Stokes Mitchell has played both Coalhouse and Emile, but his Emile was in concert where the score was the main focus, not a fully realized production, I think that makes a difference.

Updated On: 10/17/08 at 02:25 AM