Posted: 9/13/17 at 6:48pm
There have been a few controversies as of late regarding the casting of White/non-latino casts in well established regional theaters, especially when it comes to casting a white Evita.
I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts.
Personally, I think many forget that Argentina is as much an immigrant majority as the US, and as such is just as diverse racially. As someone who is both of Italian heritage and studied Italian for 10 years, I also like to point out next to Argentina had one of the largest Italian immigrant populations during the 20th century. In reality 60% of Argentians can trace back their heritage to that of Italian origin. Add to that Eva's father was French, and her mother European Spanish, thus actually making her Caucasian by today's standards.
On top of that Evita is not about race, unlike more race specific musicals like Dreamgirls, In the Heights, West Side Story, or South Pacific thus race should not be a factor while casting. Add to that Maria Von Trapp and Miguel De Cervantes have also been cast with people of multiple ethnic backgrounds despite both being actual people.
If Evita were from a central American country where the population is made up less of immigrants and more of a mix of Native/Slave/and early settler populations, I think it would be a different story. Unfortunately for people who like to play the race card, Argentina is one of the most racially diverse countries in the world. As such It is actually more insensitive and bigoted to ignore that fact, when it comes to casting.
