white Broadway

[colleen_lee]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 1:16am

http://www.columbiaspectator.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/02/22/43faacc371b5c

agree? disagree?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 1:17am

Agree with the sentiment. Disagree with the inaccuracies.

[FOAnatic]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 1:23am

Disagree.

[BSoBW3]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 1:27am

Except the two Elphaba standbys/understudies are black, for Wicked.

The current Fiyero is black.

And there are plenty black people in the ensemble.

So...What?

Updated On: 2/23/06 at 01:27 AM

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 2:01am

He used Wicked as an example and it's prob a bad one because it's got the most black people in a non-racially charged show. However he is correct about a lot of things. There are plenty of things he's been inaccurate about. Toni Braxton has already played Belle. Not well, but she counts I suppose. Of course I have yet to see someone who isn't a celebrity, no matter how far under the A list, play Belle. A black Phantom could be totally possible. I think it's foolish to say she's enchanted by a black man, but why not? Honestly though I can count on my hands the number of well known male minority stars. I don't really count Latino as a minority (which I know it is) because many of the latino stars can pass for white.

You look at cast break-downs and they say they're looking for the Boy or Girl next door or All-American. Now a 6'2 blonde OR brown haired man could walk in the door and qualify, but you have a 6'2 black man walk in and suddenly he'd be miscast. Why? I live next door to black people...they're americans too. I'm not sure who's at fault here. It's soooo much worse in the world of Opera.

When they do cast black people in non-black roles you've generally got to have the talent of Audra. If Audra weren't AUDRA would she be doing Lizzie in 110 in the Shade? NO of course not. I've been told that Audra wasn't right for Grace in Annie because Warbucks wouldn't have had a black secretary in 1922. It's funny that in theatre we'll have the suspension of disbelief in regards to everything (people falling in love on sight, singing spontaneously, historical inaccuracies) except Physical appearance. Does that say something about society? I think so.

[BwayLeadman]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 2:03am

Funny, I was talking about this topic with a few friends, a few hours ago.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 2:40am

When they do cast black people in non-black roles you've generally got to have the talent of Audra.

It's happened, though. Remember YAGMCB?

There were also Alvin Crawford, Johmaalya Adelakan, Sean Jeremy Palmer, and Angela Lockett in the American production of Martin Guerre.


A black Phantom could be totally possible.

Not only could be, but has.

http://www.theatre-musical.com/phantom/guillaume.html

Updated On: 2/23/06 at 02:40 AM

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 2:56am

Even with Robert Guillaume playing the phantom. It's stunt casting. "Hey it's Benson!!" I'll go see Phantom. It's not as if he's an unknown. With YAGMCB, the concept of the revival was a mixed cast. Look at beetohven Day. It's sort of made for a black guy. It doesn't have to be. Mind you it is multi-ethnic. WE could sit here and name all the ethnic people on broadway (I'm not sure how many people have ever heard of the people you mention). The point is that those are obvious exceptions. How about a role that wasn't set out to be made for a black or asian person?
Updated On: 2/23/06 at 02:56 AM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 3:00am

This guy is full of s**t because he has absolutely no knowledge of the history of Broadway. FIRST before I get to Broaday exclusively, I'd like to point out that Robert Guillume played the Phanton of the Opera in the LA Production for two years and was AMAZING. Broadway is not and has never been an exclusively WASPy environment. I'd like to point out that our theater in New York has had black faces onstage in sensitive roles DECADES before Hollywood. The dignity of the african American actor was established with great stars like Bert Williams in the Ziegfeld Follies of the 1900s. He was THE big star of several of the productions and in others, he shared the final bows with the likes of Will Rogers and Fannie Brice.

Jules Bledsoe and Paul Robeson were introduced to white audiences in Show Boat which was an AMAZINGLY daring project for 1926 that talked about slavery, missegenation and racism as no show had before.

Ethel Waters entire career is one of distinction. In the 1930's in shows like "Mamba's Daughters" and "Cabin in the Sky" she became a national institution. "Member of The Wedding" in the '50's was a big hit.

And let's not forget "Porgy and Bess" which I believe is the one true American opera and a masterpiece.

The career of Brock Peters, Rex Ingrah, Todd Duncan, hell I could go on and on.

Sure there has been racism on Broadway. Even some of the shows I have mentioned have had uncomfortable passages. The Nicholas Brothers starred in "Babes in Arms". The were the most successful and well-known names in the show when it first opened, having had a decade of performing experience behind them and yet Rodgers and Hart made them sing a song called "All Black People Got Rythm." That is regrettable. But the effort has been there on Broadway before any other sector of the entertainment industry.

Just as it helped and sheltered the mainly Jewish writers who were victims of the blacklist in the 1940's and 50's, Broadway has tried to raise the voices of freedom and equality in America and they deserve a hand for that.

Uh, but I accept no responsibility for "Flower Drum SOng...."

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 3:08am

Umm he's not full of Sh*t. What you're talking about are piece that are black. roles made for black people. The "sensitive" roles you speak of are all race specific. That was the point of the article. I don't think he said there are no black people on broadway. He mentioned the Color Purple and Rent. He said it's mostly white, which is true, and that there isn't as much nontraditional casting as we would all like to think...which is again true. He wasn't saying that Broadway hates black people. He was saying that you really wouldn't and don't see a black Eliza Doolittle or Curley. But I mean even look at the roles MADE for black people. Most of them are militant, angry jazz singing' tap-dancers, or servants. Mind you that's most of them.
Updated On: 2/23/06 at 03:08 AM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 3:15am

How about a role that wasn't set out to be made for a black or asian person?

Eponine? *snort*

[sadiem100]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 3:24am

"Some may ask, “But what about Oprah’s new show The Color Purple? It stars black people.” Well, if you are simply looking for shows that star a minority-filled cast, Rent is another example."

This sentiment is hypocritical in a way. He is just looking for shows that have starred a white-majority cast in the article. Also, WASP stands for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. What about people who are white, but aren't Protestant? Take Idina Menzel, who is Jewish, who was thrust into stardom after being chosen to star in the OBC of Wicked. I think if you are going to attack this issue of discrimination in casting choices you have to include other ethnic and religious groups in it.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 3:32am

Other groups yes...religions no. That really doesn't matter. I don't think anyone is getting turned down because they are Buddhist. However it's even worse for asian actors AND Indian actors. How many Indian actresses do you see that AREN'T in Bombay dreams (some of them were black and italian).

Also WASP nowdays doesn't exactly hold the precise meaning it once held. Now it's more of an adjective used to mean "pretty whitebred".

[mpw607]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 6:03am

I find the modern obsession with(and sometimes paranoia about)equality issues really tiresome. There are far more pressing issues in the world like war, poverty, hunger, and liberty that need addressing first.Worrying about race quotas on Broadway is a purely superficial issue. In any event modern socialists are pushing diversity, which means recognising and valuing people's difference, not saying that every one is exactly the same. That means that I as a white person can enjoy the Colour Purple or traditional soul and R&B music or enjoy Jewish humour in the producers, even though I cannot emulate them myself.

Let's suppose some race commissar (that's how they are behaving these days in the UK) issued an edict that the role of Mary Poppins had to be played by a black actress. Do you really think it would be credible to the paying public? Hell, we in England winced at Dick van Dyke's terrible cockney accent in the film. If you followed the equality activists' logic to the end, not only would you have a black Mary Poppins but could also have white leads in the Colour Purple. If you don't think the second idea would work, why do you think the first would?

Before some one starts a flame war, I'm not arguing that minority actors cannot play Shakespeare. Indeed because of the universality of Shakespeare's genius a black Hamlet or Lear could be very credible. But for pieces that are less imbued with genius and more dependent on time and place I think common sense should be preferred to social engineering.

[singingsweetee82]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 8:01am

yes, mpw607, I do thinnk you could have a black Mary Poppins but not a white lead in the Color Purple. The difference is that The Color Purple is a race driven show, while Mary Poppins is not. Race is important to the plot and message of the Color Purple. In Mary Poppins, what does it matter if she's not white? Would it change anything about the story? No. That's the important distinction. I also think it would be ridiculous if someone, as you said, "issued an edict" that Mary Poppins had to be black. All I'm saying is that the possibility should be left open. Theatre requires a certain suspension of belief. You can believe that a nanny has a magical, bottomless bag and flies with an umbrella, but you can't believe that she could be black because of the time in which it's set?
I also find it amazingly condescending that you call racial equality "superficial." I'm sure that in your life, it is. But do you not understand that by telling minority actors that they can only play certain roles, you are having an enormous impact not only on their lives, but on their livelihoods? I'm glad that you've never been a victim of discrimination, but please don't insult those of us who have by calling our issues "tiresome" and "superficial"

[jta2k]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 9:01am

BRAVA sweetee82! That was very well stated and a point well made! Those were my sentiments exactly.

[sweeneytodd2]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 9:27am

A little off topic, but don't you think black people could be in the new production of Sweeney Todd?

[LeaGirl]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 9:39am

I always thought broadway was one of the BEST places for colorblind casting. As a little girl, sitting through repeated (you've no idea how many times) viewings of Les Miserables with my mother, I learned to just accept that while a black child might be playing young Cosette, the adult Cosette was played by a white woman, and that was just theater. I thought it was wonderful.

Or maybe Les Mis was just better about it than other shows, but there was LOTS of it going on when I was growing up, though I rarely noticed unless it was something like that.

[showbiz]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 11:08am

I agree. Broadway mirrors society and has long been racist. One can always count on one or two black actors in the chorus of a musical.
Besides Broadway is affectionately called "The Great White Way", pun intended.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 11:14am

IT's gotten a lot better. Hence the Les Mizes and the wickeds but when talking about classic theatre, it's still a problem. Look on this thread. Now from the issue of racial prejudice, people have leapt to making classic characters black a mandatory thing. Now the color purple is a bad example for the reasons stated above, but even in shows about race, it's been switched. Example...Once on this Island. I've seen white daniels, white Ti mounes and white gods. It's typically an all-black show. Ya know what? The show still worked on every level except the race issue..which was FINE. Then there should be the oppertunity for a black Desiree and an asian Henrick in a Little NIght Music.


I think as a white person it's very easy to sit back and say ohh well there are more pressing problems. YEah for you because you're white. I think a lot of white people aren't in touch with things that go on. It's not such a distant problem. 50 years ago segregation still exsisted. That's not so long ago. It's more than knowing yeah racism still goes on. Have you seen it? most reall haven't. But let me tell you, until you're a minority actor actually in the trenches looking for work having people tell you not to go out for roles because of your race, there will be no way for you to know exactly how present it is in everyday life. Of course there are exceptions and thank God for them, but it's still an issue.

[bare_nakedlady]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 11:25am

Completely Disagree! Besides all of the great points everyone here has made, While this article makes mention of broadway shows it says nothing about the audiences. When I saw THE COLOR PURPLE my friend and I were accompanied by only 4 other 'white' people in the audience. Conversely, when I saw the brilliant CAROLINE, OR CHANGE there were probably only 6 'black' people there. Why is that? Do 'minorities' only come when Oprah endorses a show? I hate Demographic surveys, because it's impossible to tell why people come to shows when both of these shows should have targeted the same demographic. There are plenty of 'minority' roles that have been my favorites on broadway. But you also have to ask yourself who are the audiences, if a certain demographic simply isn't going to come no matter if it has a lot of 'minorities' in a show or not, than why change? This is the business world after all. It's grimy and sleazy but that's the way it is.

And if this article were so true there would have been a Parade thrown for ROBIN GIVENS as being the first 'Black woman' to play ROXIE. But I guess I missed that parade with the rest of the people who don't care what ethnicity their actors are as long as they fit the role/time period/piece. Or maybe because tons of 'Minorites' have already played this role on broadway and on tour.

[keatonbynumbers]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 11:28am

I agree that the sentiment itself exists in society, but Broadway is (IMO) the least guilty of this and the last place people should be looking for this argument. I feel like Broadway and theatre in general has always been leaps and bounds ahead of other forms of performance as far as racial diversity goes. And I think that's always bled into theatregoers. Not to generalize or anything, but people I meet who tend to be serious about theatre tend to be very open-minded (not that--gasp!--racial acceptance should really be considered "open-minded", just common sense, the fact that many people still don't have it means that people who do are "open-minded"); as a result, a serious theatregoer would probably not bat an eye at a black Mary Poppins, for example.

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 11:31am

Disagree:

Lea Salonga as EPONINE

Toni Braxton as BELLE

Also, forgot to mention CHICAGO, which has one of the most diverse casts on Broadway (where race is definitely not a huge issue in the casting of lead roles).

[NBC]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 11:32am

I was going to mention Chicago as a show that has had plenty of black actors playing roles that were originally written as white. (Though admittedly it took them awhile to come up with a black Roxie on Broadway...but there have been plenty of times when three of the five principals have been black.)

Though I admit I was thinking while watching Ring of Fire last night that it didn't need to be an all-white cast, just because Johnny Cash was white...

[misto625]

Posted: 2/23/06 at 11:42am

Anyone remember the national tour of Cinderella? Eartha Kitt as Fairy Godmother, Ken Prymus and Leslie Becker as mixed-race royalty, Asian Prince? Hell- think of TV movie with Brandy, Whitney Houston, Paolo again, and Victor Garber and Whoppi married.

Along the lines of Bare_naked lady, I can count the black people I have seen in the audience of Lion King, one of my fave Broadway shows.

I have noticed the trend of there being a token black couple in some shows, such as Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Meshach Taylor played Lumiere on Broadway. I wonder what it would be like to have a black Beast or Cogsworth, who have had black understudies on tour.

Believing Mary Poppins can fly is part of the construct of the show, but I think having Mary Poppins being black would alter the way people view her interactions with the children. I think it would be nice to have a non-celebrity black Phantom. Norm Lewis as an example.