Thoroughly Modern Millie -- Casting Non-Asians- Page 3

[alliez92092]

Posted: 8/9/08 at 8:43pm

We just did Millie at my summer program and we had caucasians playing the roles. Seeing as we had no Asian kids in the program it was what we had to do.

[Patash]

Posted: 8/9/08 at 8:53pm

"The production I was involved in just put them in eye makeup and long hair, and called it a day. It might have possibly been offensive, but we heard not one complaint from anyone of Asian descent."

Maybe they were too distracted by the set?
Sorry, but I am appalled by that picture!

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 8/9/08 at 9:34pm

It's a high school, maybe you should calm the hell down.

The show was fantastic, and the picture does not do the set justice. That was just one of many parts of it.

[Patash]

Posted: 8/9/08 at 11:08pm

I'm perfectly calm, and I have directed many high school musicals. I realize many high schools do sets that look like that, but it just isn't a production that I'd have any faith in what the audience thought about it. Seriously, if they would forgive that set (yes, of course it's just one of many), then they'd certainly forgive white actors playing Chinese. Sorry to be so honest.

You, yourself said, "The production I was involved in just put them in eye makeup and long hair, and called it a day." That speaks volumes.
Updated On: 8/9/08 at 11:08 PM

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 8/9/08 at 11:27pm

Maybe you shouldn't base your entire view from a single picture and a statement.

[Patash]

Posted: 8/9/08 at 11:32pm

Sorry, that's all you gave us to base an opinion on.
I'm sorry you are offended. I'm sure your production was as good as Broadway. But you really should burn that picture and never let anyone see it again.

[mr.scribble]

Posted: 8/10/08 at 1:23am

haha i saw one where they had one asian and the other white and that put if off a little but they just used more defined eye liner for the white guy and it all was fine, oh haha and the actual asian was a girl so they had a few questionable things going on in casting but it was a great production

[Jon]

Posted: 8/10/08 at 11:05am

What if you had a high school where the most talented boy in the school happened to be Asian? He could sing, tap dance, act like a pro. He would be the best possible Jimmy in TMM. Unfortunately, he ends up being cast as one of those two Asian guys, because thate just HAVE TO cast Asians in those roles.

[Patash]

Posted: 8/10/08 at 11:09am

If the most talented guy in the HS could do all that and was Asian, then the director would be a fool not to cast him as Jimmy. Why couldn't Jimmy be Asian? But that's a whole other issue from the two characters who in the play must be Asian (or that interesting Lithuanian alternative someone above mentioned).
Updated On: 8/10/08 at 11:09 AM

[Junior]

Posted: 8/12/08 at 9:29am

When I did the show, our Ching Ho and Bun Foo were played by Caucasian actors... who were also female... It got laughs, but it worked. Kind of. It got a little confusing at the end... Our director worked on a seperate pseudo storyline between one of them and Graydon. During the finale, after everything had been revealed, the actress playing which ever of the two "boys" that didn't end up with Miss Dorothy let down her hair, revealing she was a girl, and jumped into Graydon's arms... yeah. It was a bad production.

But on topic, I think it could work to have caucasian actors play the boys.