Posted: 12/9/24 at 10:01am
The other day, I was watching Bohemian Rhapsody and just marveling at the remarkable performance of Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury. Then, something occurred to me. Rami Malek does not sound like an especially Indian name. And I discovered that Rami is actually of Egyptian descent. Now, Egypt and India are fairly near each other, but, from fairly surface level research, I could not deduce much actual ancestral connection between Parsi Indians and Northern Egyptians. Now, Freddie is perhaps an interesting case in that his race is not necessarily integral to his story. I feel that if somebody who merely appeared African American but really wasn't was playing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, for example, that it would be very odd because it is fairly essential to his story that he was African American. This raises the question, however, of Ethnic casting in Musical Theatre. My very first thought was "maybe I could play Usnavi in In the Heights after all!" I'm Filipino, which is actually more ancestrally related to Domican than Egyptian is to Parsi Indian. I heard somebody raise concern over Audra McDonald playing Mamma Rose, though I feel as if the real person having been white is a null point when it is really a work of historical fiction in which, again, the character's race is inessential. Something like In the Heights definitely concerns the race of its protagonist and its other characters, but Lin Manuel is Puerto Rican, which is the right general area, and they are quite related, but it still makes you wonder about how far the unspoken rules of racial casting goes. I feel most people who have played Maria or Anita in West Side Story are likely just "Hispanic" and not any specific descent. Is it just a matter of being believable? I feel I almost look more Latino than Asian. That raises the opposite question-- does that disqualify me from playing roles that mandate being Asian in a show like Miss Saigon? Can somebody who is racially ambiguous and believable as multiple races portray multiple different races onstage? What about Kristin Chenoweth playing Velma in Hairspray, who is supposed to be the whitest white person ever, despite being one fourth Cherokee? Is the appearance being believable to the race of the character in such instances the most important aspect, since of course any great actor should convincingly be able to portray the necessary emotion? To go back to Usnavi-- say you are presented with two men, one of whom is Dominican and one of whom is of Asian, Pacific Islander, or tangentially related Hispanic descent, with the second being more suited for the role vocally and dramatically, but both being largely acceptable for the role, would you cast the more ethnically accurate actor or the one who fits the role slightly better? Is this a slippery slope into allowing white people to play ethnic roles, which most people agree isn't great? What about in shows like the Mystery of Edwin Drood, where brown face was employed in order to satirize English Music Hall performances that it is a pastiche of? And what about in that same production that is playing up the overwhelming whiteness of all of its actors despite Chita Rivera being cast in a leading role? Again, is it merely the appearance of a race that allows casting in a role that demands a certain race? And this is to speak nothing of the issue of sexuality and gender identity sensitive casting for shows depicting LGBTQ+ individuals, though as a gender fluid gay man I personally find it fully acceptable for straight actors to portray gay roles and vice versa. These are just some of my thoughts and questions of the subject and I would love to hear from all of you rather knowledgeable folk who have doubtless been around a bit more and/or longer than I.
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