Sierra Boggess to play Maria in West Side Story in London- Page 5

[Elfuhbuh]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 1:05am

"Why was no one mad when this problematic kind of casting happened in the past?!"

Don't be tone-deaf. There are lots of things throughout history that were considered "okay" before future generations looked back and realized that they were wrong. That's what PROGRESS is about. Yul Brynner starred in The King and I in the past, but that doesn't mean it's appropriate to cast a white man in the role today. It's the same for Maria and the other Puerto Rican roles in West Side Story.

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 1:06am

Funny, on the studio album of Bernstein conducting WSS, no one seemed to take issue that Jose Carreras played Tony, that Kiri Te Kanawa played Maria, that Tatiana Troyos played Anita. Funny, no one seems to have an issue with Audra McDonald playing Lizzie or Carrie or Joshua Henry playing Billy B - each of thoseroles are Caucasian characters and of course we could go on and on. A concert is a concert - she's SINGING the songs, not playing the role. Alexandra Silber played Maria in the San Francisco concert with Cheyenne Jackson. 

 

The studio recording was twenty years ago. Times have changed. And as far as Audra playing Lizzie and Carrie and Joshua playing Billy, again, those stories aren't about race. West Side Story is.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 1:13am

Anyway, I get the appeal of being all “let’s go totally color blind and just cast the best people for the role regardless of color” and then citing all the times in the past 20-30 years that productions started casting POC in roles traditionally portrayed by white people even if it wasn’t historically accurate...like Audra in a Carousel. However, if we totally stopped talking about color and race in casting and fully adopt the full colorblind thing for every role and fully embrace white actors playing the very few roles on Broadway that are made specifically for specific ethnicities and culture, then what’s going to happen is what lead to the whole call for diversity in the first place...meaning whites will not only get to be cast in the vast majority of roles on Broadway because they are seen as the default and almost every role is made for them, but now they will be cast in roles made for POC as well. It’s sort of sneaky and smart to frame this as a push for diversity.

Updated On: 4/21/18 at 01:13 AM

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 1:19am

I believe Otello at the Met a couple seasons ago was one of the first productions not to feature a singer in some sort of blackface, so you know...progress.

Updated On: 4/21/18 at 01:19 AM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 1:21am

I'm just saying if Betsy Wolfe said she'd be playing Celie in a concert version, we'd all still say WTF. It's the same damn thing. 

[Elegance101]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 1:24am

And don't even get me started on the goddamn accent...

Opera is a whole different rabbit hole, as well. They are pretty far behind in terms of representation, but I know very little about the opera world.

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 1:25am

See, now what we’re not going to do in this thread is assume that Alexandra  Silber is white. It took twenty seconds to Google that.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 1:31am

RippedMan said: "I'm just saying if Betsy Wolfe said she'd be playing Celie in a concert version, we'd all still say WTF. It's the same damn thing."

And despite trying to sound rational by talking about how diversity and colorblind casting should go both ways, your seemingly extreme illustration is pretty much what some are  actually arguing for. I think there is some resentment that some roles that are “traditionally” cast are starting to open up to non-traditional casting and they see it as having roles taken away from them while they are not gaining any roles that were reserved for POC.  It’s all about the feeling of losing power and opportunity and this thread has really been a small sampling of the typical reaction to diversity in every other facet of life in this country. Of course, people won’t say that they want a world where Sierra could play Celie because they know what the reaction would be. So instead, some are smartly trying to co-opt the whole movement for diversity so they can argue that white actors should be able to play all sorts of races without making it sound exactly what it actually is a call for. They also hide behind feigned ignorance and false naïveté to avoid substantive engagement.

Updated On: 4/21/18 at 01:31 AM

[binau]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 3:02am

RippedMan said: "I'm just saying if Betsy Wolfe said she'd be playing Celie in a concert version, we'd all still say WTF. It's the same damn thing."

We’d definitely have the same reaction, I agree. Although I don’t think it’s QUITE the same thing. For better or worse, the physical look of latinx vs white people is a lot more blurry and sometimes hard to distinguish. This is why, for example, people complained there was a white actor in OOTI playing Daniel when he apparently isn’t. And why Chita Rivera can and does very comfortably play white characters without anyone needing to be ‘colour blind’. This is why sometimes I think the simplistic POC and non-poc distinction is a bit practically useless. The challenges faced by people of certain colours in terms of roles open to them will be different. Yet when we group everyone as the same thing “POC” we make it seem like everyone faces similar issues. 

[Elegance101]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 3:19am

I hear you, qolbinau, and I want to apologize if it seems like I've been doing that. That is not my intention by any means, I just think white people being given an opportunity to tell someone else's story isn't right. Isaac Powell is mixed race, so he is not white. Regardless of what he can "pass" as, he is playing a light-skinned person who comes from both European heritage and African heritage, which is what he is (at least in the sense that his dad is black and his mom is white). So even if lines are blurred, I don't think it should be about "passing" in regards to playing different races.

But I want to make it clear that I don't want to group all POC together and paint too broad of a brush. I apologize if it came across like that.

Updated On: 4/21/18 at 03:19 AM

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 5:04am

People actually says ''reverse racism'' as a real thing? LOL
So true- there is no reverse racism- because racism is racism- regardless. We can't have it both ways- if POC can play white characters- then white characters can also play POC- PERIOD.  As far as I am concerned, this thread is tiresome. For people who want white people to step aside and repent for the sins of our fathers- too bad. Not gonna do it- nor should anyone. If we want to live in a color blind world it stars right now with each one of us- but that is not the case for so many- and that is fine with me. So rail and talk about how unfair ti all is- meanwhile, progress is being made all around us- which is obvious if you look at what is happening in all segments of the media. Racism is not pretty- no matter where it rears its ugly head.

[binau]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 5:16am

Would you really want to see a white person play Celie or Effie though? I know I wouldn’t.

[Dave28282]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 5:50am

BWAY Baby2 said: "For people who want white people to step aside and repent for the sins of our fathers- too bad. Not gonna do it- nor should anyone. If we want to live in a color blind world it stars right now with each one of us- but that is not the case for so many- and that is fine with me. So rail and talk about how unfair ti all is- meanwhile, progress is being made all around us- which is obvious if you look at what is happening in all segments of the media. Racism is not pretty- no matter where it rears its ugly head."

Exactly. The people who don't understand this and want to maintain a separation are just as bad as the people they are blaming for making them victims, a role they want to stay in. They are doing the exact same thing, excluding a race group because they feel they have the right. It is just as evil. The real issue is that they don't understand that, and feel they have to do the same thing in return to get even now. But the race gap gets bigger because of it. It's much bigger than let's say, 20 years ago. And those people are responsible for it. A one way street in reasoning is always wrong. Period. Especially if it's about deliberately separating colors, which the whole problem is in the first place. People will never give in to this. It's not the solution. It's toxic.

I would also like to add that colorblind to me means seeing color and understanding history, but refusing to think in victim roles nowadays because I insist all people are equal. That change in mindset is the key to true equality.

Updated On: 4/21/18 at 05:50 AM

[gypsy101]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 5:58am

Dave, we get it; you’re racist. you’ve been spouting off your weird theories about theater and race for years now. you still just come off as racist.

also the afforementioned studio cast recording of WSS with all kinds of different races and singers far too old for the roles was some kind of long-wanted operatic recording of the score, and it was actually 34 years ago, not 20. we’ve come along way in regards to casting since then.

[Dave28282]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 6:05am

People who separate are racist, like you do. With your weird remarks such as "exclusively white music".

Stop thinking in separation so much.
 

Updated On: 4/21/18 at 06:05 AM

[gypsy101]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 6:11am

i said “it’s not white music,” don’t misquote me.

[Dave28282]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 6:16am

qolbinau said: "Would you really want to see a white person play Celie or Effie though? I know I wouldn’t."

That's not a good example because the lyrics are literally about her being black. Just like Snow White must be white and Penny in Hairspray must be white.

But that is not the case for 99% of the roles out there. A black Christine or Carlotta in Phantom, an Asian Aladdin or a white/mixed Maria don't fall into that category to me. Theatre should paint with illusion and equality. Both ways of course.

You can't complain about Sierra as Maria and then not complain about a black Christine, the daughter of a 19th century Swedish violinist in Paris. It's either both ways or not.

Updated On: 4/21/18 at 06:16 AM

[Dave28282]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 6:19am

gypsy101 said: "i said “it’s not white music,” don’t misquote me."

Still bullocks. Eminem makes the same style of music. Racist.

[Marlothom]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 10:42am

My main beef with West Side Story casting is that they always cast a VERY LIGHT SKINNED (or white) Maria, and very DARK SKINNED Bernardo.   They are siblings. 

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 11:06am

Dave28282 said: "You can't complain about Sierra as Maria and then not complain about a black Christine, the daughter of a 19th century Swedish violinist in Paris. It's either both ways or not."

Actually, you can. But I also know it’s useless to talk race in the theatre with Dave.

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 11:13am

Marlothom said: "My main beef with West Side Story casting is that they always cast a VERY LIGHT SKINNED (or white) Maria, and very DARK SKINNED Bernardo. They are siblings."

This also has bothered me, but to be fair, my brother and I are mixed and he is much, much, much darker than me, while I can pass for white very easily.

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 11:55am

Did Ana really say "Live your Puerto Rican dreams girl!" OMG this is the most yikes thing i've ever seen.

[wssinsider]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 12:04pm

broadwayboy223 said: "Did Ana really say "Live your PuertoRicandreams girl!" OMG this is the most yikes thing i've ever seen."

Yes she did. People started yelling at her so she deleted it. Ana is obviously clueless. 

Updated On: 4/21/18 at 12:04 PM

[bk]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 12:08pm

gypsy101 said: "Dave, we get it; you’re racist. you’ve been spouting off your weird theories about theater and race for years now. you still just come off as racist.

also the afforementioned studio cast recording of WSS with all kinds of different races and singers far too old for the roles was some kind of long-wanted operatic recording of the score, and it was actually 34 years ago, not 20. we’ve come along way in regards to casting since then."

Says the guy who's moniker is "gypsy 101"  you'll want to change that soon, yes?  Unless you're a Roma of of that descent, which is I'm sure what you'll say :)

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/21/18 at 12:35pm

Dave, I can vaguely see your point, but no one going to see Phantom knows Christine's background. Do they even mention that in the show? I mean, the show itself, is about a masked man who lives beneath the opera house and seduces this girl into loving him...so...disbelief has been suspended, so I don't think anyone's really worried about race. 

But in a show like WSS which is explicitly about race, yeah, your mind is going to say huh...that seems odd...