Weird Cast of RENT Photo? Caucasian Joanne???- Page 2

[Patronus]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 9:17pm

Patronus, she's not African-American, she's Canadian.

I stand corrected. It's really odd as well, because I rarely use the term African-American when referring to people I am unsure of their heritage or home country for that very reason.

Thanks for the correction.

[leon1489]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 9:28pm

Um... Mark wouldn't be Asian because he's supposed to be Jewish. If you are Asian and Jewish, please correct me. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's like having a black Sarah in Ragtime. It kind of ruin's the believability of the show. In that particular case.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 9:31pm

I'm not saying that the races have to be ultra-specific, but I think that it definitely adds a new element to the voices of the characters and even to the show. Joanne is usually played a black woman and thus she is written very soulful music to sing. I am a black actor and I would love to play Mark and Roger, but I would be just fine playing Collins or Benny, too.

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 9:50pm

I know a few Asian Jews, and a lot of Black Jews. It is a religeon, not just a race.

Akiva
Updated On: 1/8/06 at 09:50 PM

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 10:22pm

Erinrebecca, The problem with them casting the show as in the original isn't that there isn't enough diversity in the cast, but that there is no imagination with the casting directors. The fact that there are "so few" roles of color only supports the reason for opening up the casting. If a white girl can't play Joanne, then it makes it that much harder for a black woman to play Eliza Doolittle. Non-Traditional casting has to go both ways. Unless a play or character is SPECIFICALLY written with a racial issue that's raised, race shouldn't matter.


Vocal quality doesn't have much to do with race. Sure there are certain ways latins and blacks sing and speak. As far as singing is concerned, I know PLENTY of white girls who can blow. Honestly Joanne isn't THAT soulful. It's a rock musical, not Dreamgirls. There are plenty of white girls who can sing that in their sleep. You can't start playing the race card with "vocal type" because then all the little white jewish boys trying to sing King of the World from Songs would have to sit down. In addition, all the black girls couldn't sing Simple Joys of Maidenhood. I think there are hints of culture in certain styles of music, but that doesn't make it singularly 1 culture. That's the beauty of America.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 10:49pm

Sorry, jazzysuite, I have to disagree. I don't think it's due to a lack of imagination on the part of the casting people. You have to remember that the family of Jonathan Larson has been integrally involved in this production since his death. The fact that they have chosen to hire a certain type of individual for each role over the years is not an accident. Having said that, this has only been for N.A. casts and there have been variances in understudies with some casts, including on Broadway. So it hasn't been cut and dry for every single role. Whether race matters or not in this case, it's the way it is. :)

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 11:07pm

Actually Larsons family aren't the ones casting the show. I mean really we've already stated that there have been racial changes for the North American Mimi's and Angels. As a matter of fact there's actually a mention that Mimi is latina, which makes the case of a white Joanne even stronger. I mean you said yourself that casts have varied, so there's no real reason for not having a white Joanne.

It's not just Rent. Rent's not even the biggest culprit of it. A lot Casting directors have no imagination. I mean sometimes it's about fitting into a costume. Mind you I think it's getting much much better. Wicked is doing a lot for that. They've had black Elphebas and black Fiyeros (not JUST Taye either). It's generally easier to find someone that fits the original cast mold. That's in ANY show.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 12:03am

I didn't say that the Larson family was casting the show, I said they've been an integral part of the show since the beginning. And they have, as has Michael Greif. Regardless of what the reasons are, that's the way it's been and I doubt it will change anytime soon. Even in the current kids who have been cast for the next tour, the same casting has been adhered to.

The same rules have been followed since the beginning for N.A. casts in each fulltime role, within certain parameters. Mark - Caucasian, Roger - Caucasian (with the arguable exception of Christian Mena), Mimi - Latina, black, or a mix of one or both of those with Asian, Maureen - Caucasian, Joanne - black, Benny - black, Collins - black, Angel - Latino, black, Asian. Casting of the ensemble, swings, and understudies has been a bit more flexible.

Who knows if it will change in the future but I wouldn't hold my breath.