Padding and Tracy Turnblad — Page 2

I think that the part's better with an overweight person. A little bit of padding's okay, but I don't think someone like Shoshana Bean should have the role. I agree with Shira and LilmizBroadway. The part's more meaningful with someone who really is fat.

yeah, but would you rather have a pretty good overweight girl play it, or an AMAZING skinny girl play it?

I do think the role should be played by a larger girl. I never meant to come off as thinking otherwise. I do however believe a smaller girl COULD play Tracy and still understand the role. I hope they continue to use larger actresses, there are not enough roles out there for them. But I don't think its fair to say that a smaller girl could never do the role justice. Should she? no. Could she? Sure.

When a writer is writing about a character in a play, s/he is writing about someone they have made up in their head. When the director has auditions, they are looking for someon CLOSE to that description. SInce the writer made up the character, there isn't someone like that actually out there so if the actor is close to that description and has talent then let her use padding so she's more fit for the character!

---

i think most directors and producers look for heavy girls for this show, much the same as they look for sexy velma kellys...many people just feel that an actress SHOULDN'T be considered because she isn't heavy enough...that's all...it's a sensitive subject for many people

If the best singer and voice for the role happens to be skinny they have no problem with casting her if she'll bring in the dough.

bially, I completely understand your point, but you're overlooking one vital issue: for any other role on Broadway, if "the best singer and voice" is a chubby girl, the casting directors still wouldn't give her the part - they'd give it to the next skinny girl on the list. Let's face it, thin actresses get parts over chubby actresses. Hairspray is one of those rare opportunities where the opposite happens, because the role calls for a chubby actress.

I always feel that the best performer should get the role, regardless of weight; but sometimes you run into these kinds of dilemmas. A few hours ago, I was on a bus with an old lady who had just seen the show here in Toronto; she had noticed that Tracy (who is naturally average-weight) was padded, by comparing her face to her body. Even if this Tracy was an amazing singer/actress, how about believability? The old lady saw through the disguise. So maybe a plump Tracy really is needed.

Speaking of which, the Toronto Tracy is played by an American Idol alumnus (don't ask me the name, I don't remember). She's good, but not stellar. I can't help but think that they could have found an unknown, chubbier actress who could perform the role better.

---

I think that made sense. it makes sense in my head.

OK. How many of you really know what you are talking about.
BlueWizard. Have any of you actually auditioned for or been in a Broadway production. I have. Have any of you talked at length with actual casting directors and producers about the whole talent versus looks topic. I have. How do you know that skinny girls are given parts over fat girls in other shows. I have seen every production on Broadway right now. There are plenty of bigger women out there. Just because you are big doesn't mean that that is a reason to take a part away from an actress who happens to be skinny. I would much much rather see an AMAZING skinny Tracy than an ok fat one. Broadway is the top of the heap in theatre. Casting directors do not care how you feel. They don't care if you feel good about getting a role or not getting a role. They are not gonna say, "Oh she's not as good, but lets give her a chance anyway because she may not have other opportunities out there."- they don't care enough to say that. The BEST person should get the part. And that works the other way too. If the part is typically played by a thin actress and a fat one is better, give here the part. Unfortunately that doesn't happen very often, I understand that. But ya know what... thats show business. Thats just the way it is.

---

Updated On: 9/1/04 at 05:45 PM

LilMizBway, I can understand where you are coming from. I was an anamia through late middle school to early high school and Hairspray basically saved my life. Here was a sixteen year old girl who had confidence and guts to fulfill her dreams and didn't give a sh*t about her weight. It inspired this former 16 year old to realize that there was no need to be ashamed of my weight and that I was never fat to begin with.
As for the actual debate, well Shoshana Bean will never be cast as Effie White, but she has been cast as Elphie Thropp and I personally am not familar with many actresses who are green.

The girl cast should be the girl with the most talent who can most believably act the role. If she happens to be skinny, pad her up. If she's heavy, let her be. It's just as discriminatory to cast someone because they're fat as it is to just cast a skinny girl. I understand that a fat girl will be a more 'natural' Tracy, but that doesn't automatically give her the necessary chops. Don't rule anyone out.

People think life is easier when you're skinny. I most certainly am, I come from a long line of tall, thin people and will probably never have a weight problem. Does that make me less self-conscience? Absolutely not. I've always felt wierd because almost all my friends are heavier and I'm out-of-place sometimes. It's not fun to have people call you anorexic or tell you how lucky you are all the time. Lucky? Yeah, I recognize that, but there's no need to asume I'm shallow because I'm thin, and that does happen. These days, the craze is becoming comfortable with yourself (even magazines have more curvy girls) and sometimes the articles I find run down skinnier people and make it sound like we're all image-obsessed. It's a tiring stereotype.

To get back to my point, it's not fair to say that a skinny girl can't do Tracy because she is skinny. That's ACTING. A good actress deserving of the role will convincingly and honestly play a fat girl whether she is or not. By the same token, a fat girl who auditions may not be able to do the role because she's not comfortable with herself and can't convince the audience she is. In simple terms, let the best actress win.