Ok, I just re-opened this thread for the 1st time since my last post, and though I know I'm going to regret jumping back into the argument, I think there's a key thing here that needs to be clarified.
The primary issue here is not inauthenticity, it's white-washing. The two issues are closely intertwined and overlapping, but not the exact same issue. If we're just talking about authenticity, then YES, having a white person play an Egyptian is just as inauthentic as having a Latinx person play an Egyptian. And YES, it would be nice to have a cast of people that have actual ties to Egypt or the Middle-East.
HOWEVER, the really nasty part of all this is not merely the inauthenticity, it's the white-washing. It's the fact that White people throughout history have taken other cultures and characters of color and turned them into White people. Throughout history and even today, characters of color from literature, folklore, etc. are made white for mainstream adaptations. And when the ethnicity of a character is unknown, they are white 99% of the time. And all of this is happening while POC are struggling to be represented in the media. THAT'S the context that we're bringing to this issue.
Latinx people are POC, so even though casting a Dominican person might not be "authentic" casting, they are also being disadvantaged by the white domination of the media, so their being cast as a person of a different race is not contributing to the most prevalent issue. It's all about the context of the entertainment industry that white people have built for themselves.
And as I said earlier, the fact that this is merely a concert on Long Island doesn't change the fact that this is (A) contributing to the larger problem of white-washing, (B) setting a bad example for other developmental productions and (C) showing us that the creative team doesn't really care all that much about casting POC, even if they choose to do so in future large-scale productions.
And also, it's ludicrous to suggest that they couldn't find POC who could sing the crap out of the score. To be honest, I don't even think these are the best WHITE people they could have cast, so they certainly are not earning any points on that front in my book. Even if we put aside race, do you really think that Stark Sands, of all people, is going to sing this role better than anyone else could have? I mean, Stark Sands is a talented enough guy, but come on! He's not exactly Pavarotti.
Updated On: 7/23/16 at 03:12 AM
. Btw, no need to point out there has been a black Rose etc. I know, but talking generally here. 
