Why hasn't a caucasian Simba been cast?- Page 2

[BwayTday]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 3:40am

This thread is infuriating. The fact that any one would directly or indirectly complain about the discrimination of WHITE people in an industry where rampant "whitewashing" is the norm is astounding.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 3:48am

Saycon was the STANBY! So do YOUR research! Not the same as BEING the role!

Ten year old temper tantrums are not cute.

[NoHSMisNotAMusical]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 4:10am

I hate being PROVED WRONG! I don't want to DO MY RESEARCH
-broadwaystar2

[Broadwaystar2]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 4:13am

No it is not a tantrum. But before you try and correct someone next time, just politely do your homework We are all lovers of the theater obviously.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 5:22am

There are 2 separate issues surely?

1. Is there too little diversity in theatre roles?

2. Is colour-blind casting acceptable/ desirable?

I think most people would agree on No 1.

I don't mind what your opinion is for No 2, but just have some consistency. Either you believe in colour-blind casting or you don't. Positive discrimination is still discrimination.

[watchmesoar]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 6:36am

Broadwaystar2 I don't see the problem. Take Alexia Khadime for example. She was Elphaba full time in London for almost 2 years! And she obviously is not WHITE!

[N2N Nate.]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 6:56am

"Saycon was the STANBY! So do YOUR research! Not the same as BEING the role!"

She STILL played the role. There is no logic to this statement. Besides, why would it matter if the actress playing Elphaba was white or black or asian or whatever? The character is green. On a side note, has there ever been a black Glinda? Could there ever be?

Anyway, I understand the need for a diverse cast and yes, the majority of the cast is black. I would have no problem seeing a white simba ( obviously) and I probably wouldn't care if the Simba I saw was white and the Nala I saw was black. These are animals, not people, so I really don't see why it really matters.

Updated On: 10/20/13 at 06:56 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 7:53am

Yes, it's not discrimation when those with the majority of anything are the ones shut out.

It's been stated twice now (by me and another poster) that there are stipulations about using white vs people of color in the production.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 7:59am

"You have obviously never turned on the television and or read a book. South Africa at one point had a multitude of Caucasians running the government. Study your history sir/madame! There is life outside your apartment!"

Even better. Let's re-cast some of the only black musical roles on Broadway with white people and justify it by saying they represent apartheid South Africa. That win people over.

The Lion King should continue with the trend of Roundabout's Sondheim and have every role on Broadway played by white gay men. Simba and Nala can be gay and Alan Cumming can play Rafiki.

[justincharacter]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 8:50am

There has never been a LEAD (not understudy or standby) black actress playing Elphaba...

[N2N Nate.]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 8:54am

Yes I realize that, But there has been a black actress cast in the role of Elphaba, and that said black actress has gone on for elphaba more than once. That is all I was saying.

[anmiller07]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 9:10am

There has never been a LEAD (not understudy or standby) black actress playing Elphaba...

As has been stated, ALEXIA KHADIME was the principal Elphaba on the West End for about a year and a half. But, as has also been stated, this doesn't really make a difference - te character is green. Show me an ethnic Glinda, then we'll talk. Updated On: 10/20/13 at 09:10 AM

[Blactor]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 9:34am

"This thread is infuriating. The fact that any one would directly or indirectly complain about the discrimination of WHITE people in an industry where rampant "whitewashing" is the norm is astounding."

^^^THIS.

Plus, Scar is often cast as a caucasian person...

...keeping with the historical accuracy of Africa being plagued by evil white men.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 10:02am

The Lion King should continue with the trend of Roundabout's Sondheim and have every role on Broadway played by white gay men. Simba and Nala can be gay and Alan Cumming can play Rafiki.

Now THAT'S a production of Lion King I would actually like to see.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 10:20am

The only way a black actress can get credit for playing Elphaba (the the ultimate role that would prove race is no longer an issue anywhere in the world) is if she plays it for 8 years, having originated the role in a production that will play more than 18,000 performances (excluding special events and "benefit" performances) that casts no more than 8 white people together at any time not including understudies or swings, who must (in part) be comprised of naturally born African citizens who are not to speak any language besides their native language, or the blackness of the role shall be considered null and void.

[gavyj]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 11:38am

Wow mm this is definitely the most racist thing I've ever read on these boards. Really guys?

[gavyj]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 11:41am

Oh, and a white woman directed the damn show and she wanted a predominantly black cast. So there.

[RW3]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 1:26pm

1-I'm sorry if my questions sounds racist. I had no intention on making it sound racist
2-The only reason I posed this question is because I was watching a video about the new Australian cast and I realized that the Simba wasn't black.
3- That video made me realize that Simba has been portrayed by African American, Hispanic,Japanese, and Filipino men but never a Caucasian man.
4-That is why I turned to BWW message board and asked the question
5-Again, I'm sorry if my question sounded racist

[PatrickDennis92]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 1:37pm

First, I don't understand the Wicked sentiments. Wicked is all about racism. It's not racist, of course, but it's highly racial in theme. I think a black actress would be extremely well suited for Elphaba because of the underlying race issue. Now a black actress playing Glinda would be different. It would do something else entirely.

Anyway, as for Lion King. Yes, there is undeniably a double standard, but there should be. It's the same double standard that allows non-white students access to tremendous scholarship opportunities in this country. Are many of the minority students who receive these scholarships less academically prepared and accomplished than many white students who are unable to get scholarships? Absolutely. But the fact is, in this country, white people have played a very significant role in undermining progress for non-white people. And as such, white people often have a tactical advantage, be it educational, economic, or cultural. Do the hard working white actors on Broadway have anything to do with the tarnished history of racism? Most likely not directly, but look at the shows-- almost all white all around. This reflects the cultural concept established long ago that theatre is for white people. We are making remarkable progress in having our entire culture reflected on our stages, and that doesn't just mean color, but we have a ways to go. Because of this, minority casting protections serve their purpose. One day such protections will be irrelevant, but for now they are helping us get to a better place.

[gavyj]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 1:47pm

2-The only reason I posed this question is because I was watching a video about the new Australian cast and I realized that the Simba wasn't black.
3- That video made me realize that Simba has been portrayed by African American, Hispanic,Japanese, and Filipino men but never a Caucasian man.

^This may have helped explain your question.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 3:26pm

I think the root of the casting has to do with the production's infusion of African tribal culture, themes, and music. Hence the only caucasian roles feature much heavier makeup than say Simba.

[darquegk]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 4:07pm

Non-white Simba is not a double standard. When Lion King is revived and the rights are released, there will be lots of white Simbas. The difference here is not in racial politics or double standards, it is in Julie Taymor's direction.

The stage version of the lion king is reimagined heavily to be a sort of fable on the African principle of Ubuntu, or collective awareness. "I am because we are," says the Ubuntu philosophy. Hence, the numbers describing the "ways of the pride" have been reimagined as faux-indigenous African chant music and dancing. The characters outside the African Ubuntu philosophy are the bureaucrats (Zazu), the outlaws (the hyenas), the socially apathetic (Timon and Pumbaa) and the self-serving villain (Scar). Tying the production together is the transformation of Rafiki from a baboon shaman to an African griot, a sacred storyteller. The griot Rafiki comes to represent Africa, and African-ness, at the heart of the production.

But, like Harold Prince's Marxist reading of Sweeney Todd, none of this is textual. Rather, these racial and cultural politics are Taymor's creation, juxtaposed with the story of the show. Other directors may make other choices, and be color blind or otherwise.

[rabymon10]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 6:36pm

OP, just for total clarification, Nick Afoa, of whom you saw in the video of the upcoming Australian production may not be 'black' as you may describe it, however he is (very noticeably too) of New Zealand Maori decent, the indigenous population of New Zealand. Somebody of greater Maori lineage may have skin tones as dark as somebody who can be characterised as being noticeably African in the traditional sense. The reason why this would be acceptable, per the casting brief, is that Maori, Polynesian, and Indonesian immigrants are a unique sector of what makes up significant parts of the population of the Australian East Coast, thus reflecting a cultural 'truth' that is looked for to communicate parts of what gives Julie Taymor's production of 'The Lion King' its identity.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 7:16pm

Roxy is right. It is reverse racism for a white director to create a role specifically for young black actors, a group of people who have historically been very limited in their casting opportunities. Reverse racism, we say!

[N2N Nate.]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 7:29pm

Do the casting directors for Lion king even allow Caucasian actors to audition for Simba and Nala?