Do you think more Asians will be on Broadway?- Page 3

[TennesseeTwang]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 6:48pm

While I agree that that if there were more people of color in positions of power, there'd be more people of color hired, I don't think that white producers should be let of the hook.

They should hire more minorities because the talent is definitely there and because it's the right thing to do.

Why shouldn't Broadway look like the rest of America? And why must roles that aren't race specific, always default to white?

And in response to a post earlier in the thread about Mimi being "Spanish", I'm not trying to be a know-it-all, but according to a pretty sharp friend of mine who's Latino, the term "Spanish" when used to refer to a person of Latin origin, is not only technically incorrect in most cases, it's annoying. A Spanish person is a citizen of Spain.

The Mimi charater is defined only as Latino, which means she could be black, white, Indian, Mestizo or Asian because the term Latino refers to one's ethnicity, NOT your race.

[Aigoo]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 6:59pm

Updated On: 7/11/05 at 06:59 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 7:10pm

To answer your question: I hope there will be more Asians on Broadway, and I am not even technically talking about being the Asian roles in musicals like: King and I, Miss Saigon, Flower Drum Song, and other Asian based musicals... I want more Asians to be on Broadway period. I think that Asians are just as capable of, for example, being Belle on Broadway or playing Elphaba in Wicked. I love Lea Salonga and she is my role model because she was able to do so much on Broadway, using her ethnicity as an advantage, not a disadvantage and even doing other musicals that race shouldn't/didn't matter.

On another subject matter: I think that high school directors are sometimes racist. I know people who weren't cast as certain lead roles in musicals at their high school because of their race. Instead of just telling the truth, directors would lie to them and tell the student that he/she was too tall or didn't fit the part. This is high school... it shouldn't matter what your race is anywhere, but it was offensive that someone who deserved the role the most was denied because of her own race. I think that it is sad and I never understood how in high school musicals that Americans can play Asians, like the King and I... but Asians can't always play Americans, like in Annie Get Your Gun.

I dont' think that producers should hire minorities in roles because they are minorities, but because they deserve it just as much as the next person and they are just as talented. I would love to see Lea as Elphaba or maybe even an Asian Glinda. Who says blondes have more fun? I think that just because Glinda is so bubbly and popular, you should not automatically assume that she should be blonde. Breaking barriers have always been hard everywhere, but I don't think roles should be race specific. Maybe next time around we will have a black Radames and a white Aida... who really knows?

--korenglish

[TennesseeTwang]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 7:32pm

"I would love to see Lea as Elphaba or maybe even an Asian Glinda"

I too would love to see an Asian Glinda because let's face it, those bubbly Homecoming Queen/cheerleader types can be found across all races and ethnicities.

[Aigoo]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 7:38pm

"... because let's face it, those bubbly Homecoming Queen/cheerleader types can be found across all races and ethnicities."

Tell me about it.

But I can understand where the "blonde" Galinda comes in...since this is sort of a prequel to the Wizard of Oz (which is very highly tied in with the movie rather than Baum's novel), they want it to sort of make sense, so that the audience can tie it in with the original production. In the Wizard of Oz movie, Glinda the Good was a female Caucasian with blonde hair. So I assume the people who oversee the production Wicked would want to stick with that given image.

Updated On: 7/11/05 at 07:38 PM

[Marlene]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 8:07pm

I'm sorry but an Asian Galinda would be a fashion no-no. I always look down upon when Asian people flat out decide I'm going blonde. :cringe: (Sorry...it usually doesn't work) I'm such a Galinda at times. (If only I could do the vocals.) But hey a red head could do Galinda. (JLT! <3 AHHHH!!!) But in all honesty an Asian Galinda is a stretch. Just because it's Galinda...and it has the whole blonde hair, blue eyes, caucasian label attached to it. Lots of love to any Asian actress who is casted and does a hell of a job.

I know that whenever we do casting in my school for any production (except for SING!) ethnicity does come into play. I think it's more physical attributes than ethnicity, but I know the whole overall look tends to be very important. Well then again hrrrrrm...perhaps it's just that we're lacking asians auditioning for parts that are any good.

[badrice_15]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 8:13pm

I saw Keala Settles when she came around to Sacramento on tour in Hairspray and she was AWESOME! And when I found out she was polynesian i was so encouraged to pursue act more because i am filipino and I really glad they are doing more color blind cast now. I hope that when I graduated from college in a couple years that show will cast solely on talent and not on race.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 9:03pm

Let's not forget Ruby Foo's on Broadway at 49th St....

Vivian Darkbloom
Ramsdale, New England

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 9:55pm

Wow Margo. I find that really disturbing, but thanks for letting us know what happened.

[buffyactsing]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 10:08pm

Amen Koren,

Especially in high school, race and such should matter.

I had a wonderful high school drama teacher that gave me several opportunities I would never have had elsewhere because of my weight. I had the opportunity to play Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. And was the Audrey Understudy in Little Shop. How many fat girls can say that?

Unfortunatly elsewhere, I always either play male roles (despite having a rather high and girly voice), roles that were male converted to female (You'd be suprised how often this happens for me) and, if I'm really really lucky, a grandmother.

When I was in 6th grade there was an African- American girl who was a wonderful singer. Everyone was convinced she would be Jasmine. Instead a petite caucasian girl was cast as Jasmine (who's darker anyway, What the heck!) and the girl was merely given "Arabian Nights" to sing. Everyone was upset. It was a shame.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 10:27pm

Ann SAnders played Belle for a short stretch and the writer of AIDA is Asian.
This Fall there will be a Korean production of AIDA with all Koreans, i say go for it and Talent is the barometer not race.
I know that is naive.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 7/11/05 at 11:52pm

To echo something Margo Channing pointed out, the talent pool for Asian-American actors is probably larger now than it ever has been. And yet ... Asians still have to fight to play (that's right) Asians. Examples? In last year's national tour of 'The King and I,' the ruler of Siam was played by a Caucasian. In a Carnegie Hall concert of 'South Pacific,' the Tonkinese roles of Bloody Mary and Liat were played by African-Americans. A recent production of 'Pacific Overtures' at the Signature Theatre was cast with all Caucasians. Why? It's 2005, folks. There are many qualified quality Asian actors to go around.

Could you imagine a production of 'Porgy & Bess' or 'Dreamgirls' cast with all Caucasians? And the uproar?

[sidwich]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 6:49pm

I agree with Margo that there are more opportunities than ever before for Asian actors on Broadway and generally, but there is a long way to go. I remember reading a recent interview with Lea Salonga recently, and she said that part of the reason that she has been doing mainly concerts recently is because the opportunities to do projects like musicals haven't been that open to her as an Asian. The progress has been steady but slow.

And if you think there was rumbling when Lincoln Center/Nicholas Hytner cast an African-American Carrie in "Carousel," you should have heard the gasps when a black Mr. Snow kissed a white Carrie in the original National Theatre production.