Diversity on Broadway — Page 16

Not that the Swedes are entirely lacking in racism of various kinds, but in a musical about a haunted opera, the idea of a black Swedish violinist is the idea that really trips you up?

And why would that be a problem? White actors playing Piangi have been doing it for 30 years to look Italian (Meditteranean race). To give you 1 of 1000 examples.

Updated On: 10/20/15 at 08:14 PM

Hey, I just remembered tomorrow is "Back To The Future" day - maybe Dave is from 1973 or something?

Go home!

Dave19 said: "White, black and arabian girls in Miss Saigon have been doing it for over 25 years to play Asian bar girls in Miss Saigon. Works perfectly. 

Why wouldn't they?

"

Non-Asian women playing Asian characters in Miss Saigon does not work, and it is wrong. What you have just described is "yellow face".

And there is nothing wrong with yellow face!

The cover Ellen needs to be in the bar scenes as an Asian girl.

That's casting. You can complain about it all you want, but don't search for problems that aren't there ok.

The actress is fine with it and so is the audience.

YOU are the racist in this case.

Edit: White actors playing Meditteranean race (Piangi) is also wrong? Get over yourself. 

Updated On: 10/20/15 at 08:32 PM

Dave19 said: "And there is nothing wrong with yellow face!"

 "I just needed to quote this so everybody can see the racism and ignorance displayed in this post."

So a girl that is trying to look a bit more Asian for a role is racism? I think she is only making the differences disappear, while people like you shouting "Yellow face!!" all day only make it worse and are the true racist.

I see, avoiding the question.

Well, good luck with sending angry letters to the producers of Phantom and Miss Saigon, insisting they keep the race separation in tact and how disgusting it is for the actors playing Piangi to give themselves a Meditteranean touch with make up. Because Meditteranean people are clearly not the same people as other people! Keep up the great work showface. You make the world a better place.

Ps, Isn't it tiresome to shout Blackface and Yellowface all day to other people?

Updated On: 10/20/15 at 08:51 PM

reprise

At the risk of being shouted down (figuratively, of course), I think maybe Dave and I are saying the same thing about ethnically diverse casting: The race of the actor does not matter. Sometimes the race of the CHARACTER matters, and sometimes, it does not. I still think that Christine, Raoul, and the Phantom should be white CHARACTERS, regardless of the race of the actors playing them. I also think that Eliza, Higgins, Mrs. Higgins, Freddy Eynsford-Hill, Alfred Doolittle, and some of the others in MFL should be white CHARACTERS. Pickering can be anything as a character. In fact, if Pickering were a nonwhite character, that would show Higgins' general lack of bigotry.

A recent movie starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Audra McDonald showed how race-neutral casting for a major character should work in realistic movies, but I don't think plays and musicals have to be as rigid in keeping casting consistent. Audra McDonald played Kevin Kline's second wife, who raised the kids he had with the Meryl Streep character. By casting an actor of color, the producer and director opened the movie to a great many black background actors, because the stepmom's black extended family attended the son's wedding, which was shown in the film. The reason that consistency is important in realistic movies but not in the theater is that we all expect to have to suspend disbelief to a greater extent in the theater than in film.

Back to Dave: Where Dave and I part company is when make-up is permissible and when it is not. I don't think anyone would care about dark make-up if it were not for the history of disrespect shown by the white theater, film, and TV establishment through the use of "blackface," "yellowface," and "redface." However, because of that shameful history, changing a white actor's race through make-up rightfully makes people squirm. On the other hand, using whiteface on a person of color to play a white character does not bother me in the least because it can help avoid confusion when an actor of color plays a white character.

Showface said: "Dave19 said: "Well, how dare someone use make up to look Meditteranean, is your opinion, right?

"

Yes

I am against using makeup to change races. 

"

Tip: Let it go

Only racists are offended by it.

DramaMama wrote in response to my suggestion for a version of MFL with Eliza being a black New Yorker:

"Lord, this DOES sound awful.  No one needs another story with a white knight saving the sad black person's life."

DramaMama, I agree with you and specifically said that the Professor should be black. Hence, the "white knight" would only figuratively be white, which, in my view, solves the problem of condescension.