Should Puerto Ricans only be cast as Sharks in "West Side Story"?- Page 2

[ardenriver]

Posted: 6/9/05 at 8:08am

1) "they've been casing Hispanic actors in MISS SAIGON for years"

I assume you meant to write "casting." Well not really, certainly not as Vietnamese - there were one or two like Yancey Arias (Marina Chapa, the original Gigi, was the only other one I can think of). Most of the rest of the cast that some think are Hispanic are actually Filipino. A huge chunk of the population of the Philippines have Spanish surnames - Spain was in occupation there for 300 years. I'm one of the only ones I can think of who doesn't have a Spanish surname. Barry K. Bernal, Zar Acayan, Alan Ariano, Tony Avanti, Brian Baldomero, Annette Calud, Mirla Criste, Francis Cruz, Imelda de los Reyes, and Ray Santos of the original Broadway cast are all Filipino.

2) "are philipenos similar to jalapenos?"

Are you (1) unconsciously ignorant, (2) willfully ignorant, or (3) just a jackass?