Can Maria (Sound of Music) be black?- Page 7

[LadyDramaturg2]

Posted: 10/17/08 at 2:00pm

BigFatBlonde: why did you Bump?

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 10/17/08 at 2:08pm

Is the original poster still posting on here? And if so, did she get the part? I don't care about race. If they're talented enough, give them the role.

[??]

Posted: 10/18/08 at 12:25pm

I'm going to weigh in, rather late I know, on the Salem witch trials hunt for racists.

I think maybe, that we, as people who respect and understand the theatre can believe any race in ambiguous shows such as The Sound of Music. Maybe, what the real "problem" is, is how the audience will take it. You can't expect every audience member to be as level headed and theatre savvy as the rest of us. What you can expect is an audience who is there to see The Sound of Music, translated from stage to screen. Any difference would be jarring to them.

I think the issue might deal with precedent, as well as 'history'. The Sound of Music with Julie Andrews is a cultural thing. Almost everybody in the western world, and a large majority of those in the eastern I may say, knows this movie. Whether they like it or not is a different story, but the fact is, we are familiar and comfortable with the image we have of The Sound of Music and any reaction to colorblind casting will not be out of racism but rather out of seeing something different to what then is ingrained within us.

I'll give a lesser and much weaker example. One of the best productions of Grease I ever saw had a curly red haired Danny Zuko. He was fantastic! Actually, he was probably one of the best Danny's I have ever seen. However, upon his entrance the audience was confused. They expected to see John Travolta. I have heard directors say they have skipped Grease as part of their season because they don't have anyone with black hair to play Danny. Because Grease is so famous and popular, much like The Sound of Music, anything that differs from the film is jarring to the audience. Of course, I would dare make the statement that it would be 'foolish' to cast a black Sandy or Danny when the other is white because of the cultural standards of the time. Does everyone agree, I suspect not, but you do have to take in to question what was standard in the time setting.

All that being said, if this woman is the best I say cast her. The reason is, is that the only problem, if any, will lay with the audience as they will be exposed to something they weren't expecting to see. And even then, only a few will be bothered by it. The rest will go "oh, she's black" in their heads and move on with the story, as we all do. If, however, you were going to cast a black Von Trapp or multi racial children, I would question it, only because that gets to the point of the absurd. Maria's race is, granted, open. Having a father with multi ethnic children in 1940's Austria is stupid, not every year was the year of Bradgelina.

And Fenchurch, before you go calling me a witch (to which you will respond, 'no I'm going to call you a racist') consider that I have always wanted to play Walter Lee Younger. If I walk into an audition for the role and am the best actor there by far, should I get cast? By your logic if I didn't, they would be racist.

[canmark]

Posted: 10/19/08 at 12:22am

Given the length of this thread (and the other color-blind casting threads), this is clearly a hot-button issue. This may dissuade you from such casting or encourage you. Think of the publicity such casting will get! Your local media will likely be quite interested in this production and your new star. And while some people may stay away from your production, some people might go to it just because of this innovative casting (look at the audience at the recent Cat on a Hot Tin Roof revival--which I saw--which brought a larger-than-normal African American audience to Broadway). And it will also send a message to the theatre community--that you are an equal opportunity employer, and an actor or actress need not worry that they won't be given every chance to succeed.

I remember Nell Carter saying something about how she would audition for any role. She didn't care if they wanted someone who was white or petite, she wanted to show what she could do and let the decision be based on her talent.

Personally, it wouldn't bother me if Maria was white or if the children were of different ethnicities (heck, it'd be like the Jolie-Pitt family!), but it might bother some people.

It wouldn't bother me if James Earl Jones played King Lear and all his daughters were white.

In many cases--particularly in familiar shows that are not specifically about race (or age or whatever)--casting should be based on who is best for the role. Why narrow your pool of talent when you can expand it?

I'm not going to tell you what you should do. You certainly sound smart enough to make that decision. But I do think you should look at all the pros and cons and do what's best for your production and your theatre company.

Updated On: 10/19/08 at 12:22 AM