Evita white washing controversy?
Evita white washing controversy?
#1Evita white washing controversy?
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.
#2Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 7:03pm
Also, a role made famous by Lupone and Patinkin, and I suppose, Madonna... all non-Latinos.
LindaSmyth
Chorus Member Joined: 7/24/14
#3Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 7:11pm
Yeah, the controversy makes no sense.
Eva Peron was of Spanish descent, both her parents were from Spain. Which means that yes, she was Hispanic (culturally speaking), but she was white. Just like Elena Roger, an Argentinian, was also white. If we wanted to be "racially accurate", someone like Laura Benanti (of Italian descent) would probably be more appropiate for thw part than a latina like, say, Karen Olivo.
This reminds me of the complaints some people made about casting in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, which also didn't make sense.
#4Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 7:13pm
My mother came from Ecuador, so she and I had a discussion of this. The strain of racism running through South America is more overt than the sometimes subtle dog whistles of America. If you're white, Anglo presenting and "European," you're nobility. If you're indigenous, "mud people" or otherwise brown, you're a peasant to the ones with a coat of arms- doesn't matter if you're richer than them, you still count less.
If the casting of Evita was visibly Latino, and not mostly Anglo, it would be something of a Hamilton situation- course correcting for the race prejudice inherent in the actual historical populace.
ladypresent
Understudy Joined: 3/13/17
#5Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 7:32pm
i am so sick of this crap.
people are offended by everything these days.
#6Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 8:09pm
Someone should rip Patti's Tony for Evita out of her hands and put her and Hal Prince in a maximum security prison for committing these terrible hate crimes. IS THERE A SAFE SPACE NEARBY? I CAN'T TAKE THIS HATE ANYMORE. IT'S RACIST AND BIGOTED.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
#7Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 8:12pm
I mean, Eva was a white woman herself. There really shouldn't be any controversy over this.
Marlothom
Broadway Star Joined: 4/13/04
#8Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 8:25pm
Casting a light skinned (in most cases a white) actress as Maria in West Side Story on the other hand . . . especially when they cast a very dark skinned (non-white) actor as her brother, Bernardo.
"Observe how bravely I conceal this dreadful dreadful shame I feel."
Updated On: 9/13/17 at 08:25 PM
GeorgeandDot
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/16
#9Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 8:59pm
My eyes just rolled so hard that I had a stroke. Jesus Christ. Eva Peron was a white woman who lived and was born in Argentina. Are only women from Argentina allowed to play the part? We saw how well that went in the 2012 revival...... If she looks like her, can act like her, and most importantly, can sing the score, what's the problem?
#10Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 9:04pm
Why stop with Evita? The entire cast plays Argentines for most of the show. Shouldn't they ALL be played by Latinos?
#11Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 9:13pm
look at a photo of Evita! the lady was white. i think Patti was more ethnic-looking than the real thing.
speaking of Argentinians (and West Side Story), i'd like to see Josefina Scaglione back in a musical sometime!
"Contentment, it seems, simply happens. It appears accompanied by no bravos and no tears."
henrikegerman
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/29/05
#12Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 9:29pm
Ethnically, Eva Peron was mostly Basque, on both sides. French Basque on one side, Spanish Basque on the other. She also had some Spanish, Italian and Portuguese ancestry.
Lynda Smyth said: "If we wanted to be "racially accurate", someone like Laura Benanti (of Italian descent) would probably be more appropiate for thw part."
Laura Benanti is not Italian.
She's Serbian, Irish, German and Native American. At least according to Wikipedia.
#13Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 10:02pm
huh with a name like Benanti i always assumed she was italian
edit: ah i see how her stepfather's name was Benanti
"Contentment, it seems, simply happens. It appears accompanied by no bravos and no tears."
Updated On: 9/13/17 at 10:02 PM
#14Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 10:05pm
Let's demand that all future casting on Broadway involves publically listing the birth certificates of the cast and their ancestors to 5 generations previous to make sure they are morally able to play those roles. I won't stand for this bigotry any white casting of a white woman any longer! In this Trump white supremecist world we need to understand that this is a slippery slope that will lead to genocide. If you don't see what's wrong here it's because you're a privileged white male. Check your privilege.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Updated On: 9/13/17 at 10:05 PM
rattleNwoolypenguin
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/11/11
#15Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 10:16pm
Yikes. White people's defensiveness about this is unsettling.
Yes Patti LuPone played her originally. And then we had Madonna ha.
But we also put Lawrence Olivier in blackface and had him play Othello once upon a time.
We had Yul Brynner as the King.
We CAN learn from past racially insensitive casting and be more inclusive.
Especially in this time, why wouldn't a director think "Here is my opportunity to do a show and give more representation to acting POC in these horrible Trump times."
also EVERY lead they cast is white. EVERY SINGLE ONE. It's like they didn't even try.
#16Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 10:30pm
we all agree white people should not play characters that are people of color. it seems like Eva Peron...wasn't one?
"Contentment, it seems, simply happens. It appears accompanied by no bravos and no tears."
#17Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 10:58pm
rattleNwoolypenguin said: "Yikes. White people's defensiveness about this is unsettling.
Yes Patti LuPone played her originally. And then we had Madonna ha.
But we also put Lawrence Olivier in blackface and had him play Othello once upon a time.
We had Yul Brynner as the King.
We CAN learn from past racially insensitive casting and be more inclusive.
Especially in this time, why wouldn't a director think "Here is my opportunity to do a show and give more representation to acting POC in these horrible Trump times."
also EVERY lead they cast is white. EVERY SINGLE ONE. It's like they didn't even try."
Evita only has three leads. All three were real people and all three were of European heritage. So I don't know what you're talking about.
GeorgeandDot
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/16
#18Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 11:12pm
rattleNwoolypenguin said: "Yikes. White people's defensiveness about this is unsettling.
Yes Patti LuPone played her originally. And then we had Madonna ha.
But we also put Lawrence Olivier in blackface and had him play Othello once upon a time.
We had Yul Brynner as the King.
We CAN learn from past racially insensitive casting and be more inclusive.
Especially in this time, why wouldn't a director think "Here is my opportunity to do a show and give more representation to acting POC in these horrible Trump times."
also EVERY lead they cast is white. EVERY SINGLE ONE. It's like they didn't even try."
First of all, I'm not white (Blasian actually) and I'm actually pretty offended that you would actually compare black face to a white actress playing a white woman (literally lol). Did it occur to you that these people were maybe the best choice for the roles. Seriously, are they supposed to cast the nearest Argentinian woman, regardless of the fact that she maybe couldn't sing or act the part? It's not like they cast Emmy Rossum as Celie in The Color Purple or Emma Stone as Kim in Miss Saigon. She's literally a white woman playing a white woman. Are we supposed to cast only a woman born in England to play Anna in The King and I? Did Kelli O'Hara steal the role away from a British actor? Would this be considered "American-washing" because the actor has to be from the same country as the character that they're playing?
#19Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 11:35pm
For those who care to hear the other side of the story:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater/dance/2017/09/10/casting-controversy-surrounds-north-shore-music-theatre-evita/CEGGy70vnRZoAlVOIYzoEL/story.html
#20Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 11:39pm
GeorgeandDot said: "rattleNwoolypenguin said: "Yikes. White people's defensiveness about this is unsettling.
Yes Patti LuPone played her originally. And then we had Madonna ha.
But we also put Lawrence Olivier in blackface and had him play Othello once upon a time.
We had Yul Brynner as the King.
We CAN learn from past racially insensitive casting and be more inclusive.
Especially in this time, why wouldn't a director think "Here is my opportunity to do a show and give more representation to acting POC in these horrible Trump times."
also EVERY lead they cast is white. EVERY SINGLE ONE. It's like they didn't even try."
First of all, I'm not white (Blasian actually) and I'm actually pretty offended that you would actually compare black face to a white actress playing a white woman (literally lol). Did it occur to you that these people were maybe the best choice for the roles. Seriously, are they supposed to cast the nearest Argentinian woman, regardless of the fact that she maybe couldn't sing or act the part? It's not like they cast Emmy Rossum as Celie in The Color Purple or Emma Stone as Kim in Miss Saigon. She's literally a white woman playing a white woman. Are we supposed to cast only a woman born in England to play Anna in The King and I? Did Kelli O'Hara steal the role away from a British actor? Would this be considered "American-washing" because the actor has to be from the same country as the character that they're playing?
"
I think your misunderstanding, what were are discussing. The problem is that 3 recent well respected regional theaters that put on productions of Evita recieved backlash from the left for not casting Latino leads, despite all 3 being of European heritage: Evita being French and Spanish, Che Gueverra being Spanish and Irish, and Juan Peron being Italian.
GeorgeandDot
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/16
#21Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 11:49pm
^It's not the left. I'm part of the left. Part of the faaaar left. This is just plain old shallow thinking from people with far too much time on their hands to get offended at the drop of a hat.
Updated On: 9/13/17 at 11:49 PM#22Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 11:51pm
HeyMrMusic said: "For those who care to hear the other side of the story:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater/dance/2017/09/10/casting-controversy-surrounds-north-shore-music-theatre-evita/CEGGy70vnRZoAlVOIYzoEL/story.html"
The other side of the story is moronic. What does understanding "the added struggles that we Latinx people face today" have to do with performing in Evita? It's not freakin' In the Heights.
#23Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 11:56pm
HeyMrMusic said: "For those who care to hear the other side of the story:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater/dance/2017/09/10/casting-controversy-surrounds-north-shore-music-theatre-evita/CEGGy70vnRZoAlVOIYzoEL/story.html"
As we've all ready established Eva, Juan, and Che are not latino by today's standards. Argentina may be in South America, but it is not a latino community, it is a population of people just as diverse as the United States, and disregarding that fact is indeed more dangerous then "white washing". If you were to actually ethnically define Argentina, it would be an Italian country thats population are more likely closer related to the casts of the Jersey Shore and the Real House wives of New Jersey then the original casts of In the Heights, Hamilton, and On Your Feet combined.
rattleNwoolypenguin
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/11/11
#24Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/13/17 at 11:56pm
You wouldn't cast white people as Seaweed or Motormouth in Hairspray.
You wouldn't cast white people in Pacific Overtures.
White people get cast as latino people all the time cause they can "pass for it"
That point is INCREDIBLY VALID and problematic. And it's especially valid in this case.
If you wanna fight that, it says something about you.
rattleNwoolypenguin
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/11/11
#25Evita white washing controversy?
Posted: 9/14/17 at 12:00am
And also the statement of "Since Eva Peron in not latino in traditional sense" we should of course give the role to a White American woman.
How does that not SOUND bad?
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