Estate of Edward Albee Yanks Rights to Production Over Casting of Black Actor — Page 3

"Again, not saying this necessarily will fit into this specific scenario, but yeah, it's hard to "stop calling everything racist" when very little is done to change the diversity of theatre. I don't think anyone ever told Laura Osnes to "create your own art" if she wanted to have a career as a Broadway actor."

Thank you for saying this. I think it's very easy to say "go create your own work", but it ignores the difficult reality of finding a place to do that work. By all means, more works by POC and queer people and people of different faiths! But the onus should not be entirely on them by closing off anything typically cast only with white people.

Also, since a few of you are in quite the tizzy about it, the director (at least according to the Jezebel article) said nothing about changing the lines, so I'm not sure what you're yelling about.

GavestonPS said: "It doesn't make any sense for a story set in the early 1960s that others see Nick as Jack Armstrong if he is black.

Were the story set today, Nick would have been written differently I feel sure. But it isn't and he wasn't."

This is part of the reason why the casting of Denée Benton in The Great Comet was a poor choice to me; the suggestion that a young black woman might have been a countess involved in a love triangle with two princes in 1812 Moscow requires far too much suspension of disbelief. I wholeheartedly support the casting of different races, and even genders, in roles that have been "traditionally" performed by a certain physical type of actor if the character is not bound be the era of the work, but historical pieces start to fall apart for me when such anachronisms are introduced.

^ Lot666 - author's intent is important. The entire point is that author's intention has to be respected. The Great Comet has (to me) always been about the storytelling and the music. Even the way the narration has been placed throughout the piece, where the characters continuously break the fourth-wall, comes off as a chamber musical where a few storytellers have come together to tell you what happened in early 19th century Moscow.

I myself don't think anything in the text warrants a caucasian Nick - but Albee apparently thought so. An African-American Nick, even if he's not racially accurate for the era of the play, can work through that material and expose new layers. The way Hamilton and Great Comet actors are doing up there.

To wonderfulwizard's point - Leslie Odom Jr. said something very smart during his THR Actors Roundtable interview last year about diversity on Broadway. He believed that we need to encourage more actual stories about diverse cultures, and not just encourage color-blind casting. Color-blind casting is great, and can give opportunities to actors, but that relies on what producers and casting directors think of it. Writing actual shows about non-white folks bind any production to open up their doors and hire actors of different races - in effect, future proofing their job. It is a bit divisive to say what he did, but I think there's great wisdom in it.

Valentina3 said: "we need to encourage more actual stories about diverse cultures, and not just encourage color-blind casting."

I agree. I believe it would be far more effective to create and produce stories about people of other races than to shoehorn non-white actors into roles written (or implicitly presented) as white characters.

Updated On: 5/19/17 at 09:18 AM

It's always bizarre to me when folks have trouble with color-blind or color-conscious casting in musicals. Like. That people erupt into song and occasionally stop communicating all together to break into dance... totally acceptable. A BLACK WOMAN running an orphanage during the depression?????? How RIDICULOUS! (to say nothing of the often ridiculous, unbelievable plot details of your standard musical)

If you had no trouble with people bursting into song, anachronistic (and fabulous) costumes, strobe lights and EDM music in 19th century Russia, characters frequently breaking the fourth wall to talk directly to patrons, and characters talking about themselves in third person and acknowledging they're in a play... but have trouble with an otherwise perfect actress playing a character who would historically likely have had a lighter complexion... like... I think that's on you, boo.

wonderfulwizard11 said: "Lot666 said: "wonderfulwizard11 said: "If audiences can get past a club scene with strobe lights in 1812 Moscow, they can deal with a black countess in 1812 Moscow."

I was in the audience, and I couldn't."

Well, that sounds like your problem, not that of the creative team."

Please reread my above statement. I said "I was in the audience, and I couldn't." I said nothing about the creative team.

Fascinating thread. Quick hypothetical question in this context- if an actor of uncertain race auctioned and was deemed the best actor for Nick, would the producers be compelled to ask him about his racial background, just to comply with the Albee estate? what if he refused to answer? Couldn't he or she then file a complaint? The ensuing publicity might shame the estate into backing down.

"if an actor of uncertain race auctioned and was deemed the best actor for Nick, would the producers be compelled to ask him about his racial background, just to comply with the Albee estate?"

I think the estate approves photos of actors. I don't they care about the actual ethnic background... just what will or won't be apparent to the audience.

Well, the overwhelming majority of the western theatrical canon- dating back to the ancient Greeks- is made up of works that were written either explicitly or implicitly to be performed by white actors.

It's all well and good to suggest that *contemporary* playwrights write works for people of all backgrounds, but that doesn't negate the 2,000 years of theatrical works that came before and are still regularly produced.

Personally, I think playwright estates- and playwrights themselves, though this sort of strict control seems to be largely passé- need to be more flexible. Allowing varied interpretations of work is beneficial to the work's longevity; it opens up the text to more and more possibilities and, in turn, more productions and audiences. I think Sondheim is very savvy in this regard, as his openness to having his works re-interpreted means they are constantly in the public eye and gaining exposure.

Who exactly is/are the Albee Estate? He had no children, his long-term partner predeceased him. Who are these people who speak for him, and how reliable are they as representatives of his wishes and opinions?



Does it matter? Albee left his work in the hands of people he trusted to carry out his wishes, and they are LEGALLY OBLIGATED to carry out his wishes, right or wrong. If you think a playwright as particular and protective of his work as Albee did not leave very specific instructions in his will, you are mistaken.

newintown said: "Who exactly is/are the Albee Estate? He had no children, his long-term partner predeceased him. Who are these people who speak for him, and how reliable are they as representatives of his wishes and opinions?

In the 90s, I saw two separate regional (non-Equity) productions of Woolf; one had an African American Nick, the other an African American Honey. Neither production was particularly good, but the flaws had nothing to do with anyone's race.

As for the Comet discussion above - there's not a lick of "reality" or "historical authenticity" in that show (nor is there intended to be, I think), so why anyone would focus on the race of the actors is beyond me.

Anyway, I'm all for rainbow casting, and opportunities for actors of color - I love shows like A Doll's House Part II in which race is not a consideration; but I also think August Wilson made a point worth considering, about how an actor of color playing a white character (even adapted to one's own race) is kind of betraying their own heritage."

it is a very reliable steward of his wishes, having been very involved in ministering to his wishes well before his decline. It is one of the most intelligent legacy-honoring arrangements in the theatre, and although I have not seen it I have been told it is detailed in remarkable eloquence by the man himself.

I would love to know how many of you are white, but I can clearly tell from some of your posts.

Also, Lot666 your statement about Benton is so unapologetically racist I literally cannot even begin to comprehend you right now.

Yes, there is only one Virginia Woolf and while there are many beautiful black plays out there in the world, why should POC be denied the right to perform in one of the absolute greatest plays (black or white) of all time? They didn't even bother to see the production. The director could have discovered some new, interesting theme in Woolf that hadn't been found before. Shouldn't we always be finding ways to make old works fresh, new, and relevant? Should we just let the dust collect because of "author's intent?"

If you still can't comprehend how awful this is, try to imagine yourself in this actor's shoes. Imagine what it must be like to be denied the opportunity to perform a role in a brilliant play simply due to the color of your skin.