Chorus Member Joined: 11/16/15
I personally would love a musical about environmental concerns ! I would also love more musicals about foreign countries.
Updated On: 11/21/15 at 06:22 AM
Urinetown.
Leading Actor Joined: 9/16/15
muslim terorrists
We've been seeing more recently, but in general Broadway often ignores the topic of over-weight people, and rarely casts overweight people in general. I was happy to see Bring it On, It Shoulda Been You and Gigantic tackle the topic (though I haven't seen Gigantic yet, I obviously know what it's about)
That's always a discussion I've been interested to bring up, Heavier people are rarely cast in lead roles that aren't specified as heavier characters, even when it wouldn't be a problem.
But that's not really a problem to be addressed ON Broadway, rather amongst the community.
Welcome to the real world. Overweight people have been shut out of jobs in many areas, not just Broadway.
We just need an enthusiastic fat composer who writes a new show and casts all people of size to make us see that story through a new lens.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
Well, you know, Hairspray.
Tracy and Edna are fat in the script. There's a difference between that and size-blind casting.
haterobics said: "Tracy and Edna are fat in the script. There's a difference between that and size-blind casting."

Broadway Legend Joined: 10/11/11
That's what was wonderful about casting James Corden as the Baker in the Into the Woods. He's a bigger guy but that element is never made fun of, nor is it ever commented on. He's just this normal person.
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/17/07
I'd like to see a show that addresses current issues within the black community. Especially the anti-black women attitude displayed by some black men.
The struggle of red headed cis gendered orphan girls (and their dogs) to find a home during the depression.
Years ago, before it became the in thing, there was an environmental musical. It was called Mother Earth. It flopped.
Urinetown is kind of an environmental musical, though it's undercut by the comedic, contrarian ending.
homeschool lol
Actually, a musical about homeschooling would be genius.
I remember seeing kinky boots and there being many non typical sized actors, although it was somewhat built inot the script?
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
Define "in thing."
The first Earth Day in New York City: April 22, 1970. "In addition to shutting down Fifth Avenue, Mayor John Lindsay made Central Park available for Earth Day. The crowd was estimated as more than one million..."
Mother Earth, Belasco Theater, October, 1972.

Patti Austin was in the original cast of MOTHER EARTH.
Here are the musical numbers featured in the show:
Lyrics by Ron Thronson and Music by Toni Shearer
Total performances: 12
^is this a joke?
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
The song titles sound great. In a way, the earth did bear us all.
Just opened this thread for the first time since I posted in it (I sometimes lose track of these things!)
mc1227 said "Welcome to the real world. Overweight people have been shut out of jobs in many areas, not just Broadway."
I totally agree with you 100%. But the thread was about Broadway, so that's why I mentioned it specifically. Not sure the if your "welcome to the thread world" comment was necessary, but whatever.
I've seen very few examples of size-blind casting. The only one that comes to mind off the top of my head is Alysha Umphress in On The Town, which was great to see. I'm sure I've seen others, but that's one of the only ones I can think of where it directly fought against the notion that only skinny people can play sexy, desirable characters, and where it wasn't written into the script as a theme of the show.
I admit I totally forgot about Hairspray in my original post - it probably would have been a better example than the ones that I gave.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
I refuse to believe that one musical was the beginning and end of Broadway's conversation about cats.
My friend and I saw a picture of Minnie Faye in a production of HELLO, DOLLY! where she was a kinda larger. I didn't think anything of it, but it annoyed him to no end. This still annoys him to this day. I can text Fat Minnie Faye to him just to get him going.
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