Ethnic people in non-ethnic roles — Page 2

Some of these examples are ridiculous. Magenta in RHS is SPACE ALIEN - they don't have a race.

Boq is a Munchkin.

I don't think race should ever be an issue in non-human characters.

If you want true COLOR BLIND casting, look at LaChiusa's "Bernarda Alba", set in Spain, in which Phylicia Rashad's daughters ranged in ethnicity from Daphe Rubin Vega to Sally Murphy.

I wanted to raise the Les Mis issue again because it helps explain my point about what I think in regard to colorblind casting.

I personally have no problems with colorblind casting except in certain instances where race is an issue in the show (and with actual historical figures I think it works better if the actors are the same race, but I've seen it done successfully otherwise so I don't really have a problem with that either). Where I do take issue is where two actors of different races are playing *the same character* at different ages, as with the young Cosettes/Eponines in Les Mis. I think that's just confusing. I saw an excellent production at the Muny in St. Louis two years ago that had a black Fantine and black Thenardier and they were both great, but young Eponine was black and adult Eponine was white. I found this to be potentially confusing to people in audience who might not even realize that they were supposed to be the same character (especially since young Eponine doesn't have any lines and isn't onstage for very long).

This is not exactly a race issue for me, though, because I just think that the actors playing younger and older versions of a character should look somewhat similar, so it is believable that they are playing the same person. I would also have problems with a dark-haired white actor "growing up" into a blonde adult actor, or the other way around. Even if people in real life do change their hair colors, for a play it makes more sense to have the actors resemble each other. It is just easier to believe that they are the same character if the actors look somewhat alike.

"Where I do take issue is where two actors of different races are playing *the same character* at different ages, as with the young Cosettes/Eponines in Les Mis. I think that's just confusing."

I have seen it done either way. The one I posted either when different races played all the roles and I also saw a young Cosette/older Cosette/Fantine all played by Asians(Kylie Rubenstein,Alli Ewoldt and Lea Salonga) and it worked out great. The only thing with that show is Madame T was played by an Asian(Ann Harada) and young/older Eponine was played by 2 white actresses(I think it was Carly and Megan McGinnis).

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I'm not sure if this has been discussed before, but given the recent South Pacific airing I got to thinking...Emile is french and white (no duh) and Nellie has trouble accepting that he was married to a woman of color (we know, we know)...so how did the Reba and Brian Stokes Mitchell concert work? She herself is dating a man of color, so how can she morally act like him dating someone ELSE of color was a hard thing to grasp. I haven't seen all of the concert so do they twist it around somehow that it makes sense?

That's the 'blind' part.

But yes, when race is an issue IN the show (regardless of who is color blind cast) it can make it difficult to follow.

I think that live theater seems more active in pursuing color blind casting than does any other performance media.

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I saw Simba fly out on the rope as a little black boy and swing back as a blonde adult..that was strange
also in Starlight express ...reba rice hurt her leg and came back out as a new blonde haired girl...
but after a minute it didnt matter for either
I do think some roles are color based (color purple..raisin in the son ect...) but otherwise I dont care if Oklahoma was starring Audra Mcdonald I would think it was kind of cool.. or a Dianne Carrol as Norma was fine

And he needs to get his head out of his @$$.

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No one actively seeks out the Broadway Doctor. It's something that's foisted upon you.

Also, not being white is the equivalent of having two heads or being a puppet. According to the doc, that is.

Favorite Eponine= Shanice

Favorite Elphaba= Saycon

Saddest casting that fell through= Vannessa Williams as Queenie in The Wild Party.

Yay color blind casting...except when aida is white.

I love it when Directors take the route of color Blind casting Rodgers and Hammerstine's Cinderella is the best example both on screen and on stage. and when I was a Kid I was never bewildered by the fact that an asian man. had a father who was caucasion and a mother who was african- american mother. i was to mezmorized by the show it's self. I wasn't puzzled by race. there was no effect.

edit- It's theatre it's up to your own interpretation and imagination. the actors are bringing the writers vision to life. and theres always dimensions where you can experiment.

Updated On: 8/20/10 at 12:02 PM

A year or two ago, a local theater in Oregon produced Ragtime with mixed race casting. People were identified by the costumes, rather than by their actual ethnicities.

See, my issue with situations like what Wildcard described, but is when it's like, an entirely white cast (maybe 1 or 2 token minorities) in their color-coded costumes to reflect real life ethnic groups. Especially high schools that have to do the latest popular show. It's belittling to suggest that serious, centuries-long conflicts based on skin color or ethinicity or religion can be reflected by a t-shirt color and fixed by a wardrobe change.

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"Her name escapes me, but there was an African American woman who played Madame Thenardier in Les Miz."

Her name was Fushia Walker, who later dropped the Walker part when she played Rafiki in Lion King on tour and can be seen on several TV commercials.

She was an intense Mme. Thenardier. but Eponine was still white, although being that Mr. Thenardier was also white it seemed possible.

For me the only issue I have is when it is a character that seems unbelievable in a period piece. Like Cornel John and Norm Lewis as Javert. Highly unlikely that there would be a black police man in France, let alone rise up the ranks of the force. Yes it is theatre and the whole thing requires some level of suspending belief, but still.

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