The Black Woman in South Pacific...huh?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 11:25pm

I'm not a racist or anything--some of my best friends are black-- but what is with casting this Juanita Hall as a Polynesian woman in South Pacific?

I mean WTF, right? She's black, not Polynesia. She's got no business playing Asian parts. What's next? A black kid in Billy Eliot?

Updated On: 10/15/08 at 11:25 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 11:27pm

HAHA.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/15/08 at 11:32pm

She also played a Chinese woman in Flower Drum Song.

NO FAIR!

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 12:32am

Actually, Bloody Mary isn't Polynesian. She's Tonkinese. She's from the northern part of Vietnam.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 12:49am

I thought you meant Nell Carter who played it at CLO with Sutton Foster as Nellie.
May she RIP.
Carter not Foster.
Foster was a wonderful Nellie!

[Weez]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 5:52am

My friend has a Tonkinese cat. She looks like a beautiful, sleek, elegant cat, but she acts like a stupid kitten and has an astonishingly deep voice when she decides to shout at you. Which she does. Often. XD

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 6:13am

And actually I believe Juanita Hall was a mix of black and Filipino (I believe? or was it another Asian race...)

She was multiracial, at any rate.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 7:32am

Actually besty, she was not.

[Quasi]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 8:15am

There were black and asian kids on stage as Billy Elliot in London.

[Mamie]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 8:47am

Can the cat make happy talk?

[broadwaymom]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 9:46am

I was thinking of taking my kids, seven and six to see Billy Elliot this December in New York. Aside from it's length, does anyone have anything to offer as to what whether it would be appropriate for kids that age? I have not seen it, but it looks fabulous and I love the "be true to yourself" message. Thanks, NESS

[Mamie]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 9:58am

I should let others chime in on this but I'll just pass on what I know. It takes place in a working class town in Wales during very hard times. The language is very rough and there's a lot of anger shown by Billy's dad at the beginning of the play. I know of some children who really hated it but I can easily see others who would really be moved by the story.

Have you seen the movie? I strongly suggest you get the DVD and watch it. The emotion and times are well represented in the play. (You may have to watch it twice to understand everything that's being said. The accent's are much stronger in the film than they are on the American stage.)

edit: I just realized this thread has jumped to Billy Elliot. I guess we should expect that for a while.

Updated On: 10/16/08 at 09:58 AM

[jpbran]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 12:57pm

Just wanting to bring it back from the thread-jack.

[blondebaby589]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 2:36pm

I. LOVE. YOU.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 3:10pm

The original thread is still there for some reason...

[kangaroo]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 6:25pm

"I'm not racist... some of my best friends are black"

yes, that must mean you aren't racist.

[sally1112]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 7:46pm

Oh my...