white Broadway — Page 3

*standing ovation* take a bow margo!!

There was a great version of LONG DAY"S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT at The Public back in the early 80s starring Gloria Foster, Earle Hyman, Al Freeman Jr., and Peter Francis James. There are lots of examples of this. I'm a big supporter of non-traditional casting -- but only for works that don't specifically deal with race (which is the VAST majority of the canon).

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Anyone read the article on Playbill today about welcoming an 'Asian' and 'Black' BILLY ELLIOT to the west end?

Billy Elliot

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I too am African American. This guy evidently does not keep up with what is happening on Broadway regarding casting, etc. I do agree with some things but it is evident that he is not as educated about Broadway as he pretends to be.

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RentBoy, I feel you! I deal with the African American Community here, and my thing is that if you are going to demand things, or want change at the theatre, then be there to support it. If you don't then you have no right to complain about the things you don't like.

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You say:
"if they were to do an all white version of something, people would be outraged."

Really? That only happens when plays specifally deal with race (maybe 1% of the whole canon). Otherwise, it seems to me that almost EVERYTHING else is an "all-white version." Perhaps you don't notice it because you're white, but look around. If it's not an August Wilson play, how many black actors do you see getting cast in straight plays on Broadway? One? Adriane Lenox in DOUBT and in that case the play specifically dictates her character has to be black. What about the "colorblind" roles in Odd Couple, Barefoot In the Park, or Rabbit Hole? Why are there no black people in them (or all but one of the upcoming plays)?

Understand, I don't really have a problem with any of these shows. I'm playing devil's advocate here to make a point. Non-traditional casting is about providing opportunity to those who, because of their ethnicity, have been typically overlooked or not even considered in the past (as well as often in the present). It's an attempt to level the playing field. White actors have not been historically discriminated against in the casting process because of their race (they may have had difficulty because of their height, weight, look, etc.... but not because of the color of their skin). I would guess that (certainly up until a decade or two ago) 99+% of leading roles on Broadway went to white actors -- especially in nonmusicals. Remember, a black woman never won best actress in a play until Phylicia Rashad did it just two years ago. And the vast majority of those parts did not specify the race of the character -- black actors simply weren't chosen (if they even got a chance to audition to begin with). "All-white" productions have been the norm, not the exception throughout the long history of Broadway.


All of August Wilson's plays were about the African American experience in this country in the 20th century. The plays specifically deal America's race problem and to cast white people in them would undermine the message of the plays. In The Piano Lesson, the piano in question is a remant from slavery, a familial reminder of ancestors or struggled and died in the face of white racism to leave a legacy for future generations, who are represented on stage in the play. There is a tug of war between the brother and sister involving the sale of the piano -- the brother wants to sell it and use the proceeds to improve his hopes for the future, while the sister believes it would dishonor their past and their legacy to do so. In short, it's a VERY BLACK play and would make no sense and be ludicrous with a white cast.

Non-traditional casting is in part about giving opportunities to actors of different races and ethnic groups who historically have been denied opportunities on America's stages. It wasn't that long ago, that the only black actors you would see on a Broadway stage would be playing incidental maid and butler characters and would never even be considered for leading roles -- even ones where the race of the character is not necessary or integral to the plot.

Back when Paul Robeson played Othello (opposite Uta Hagen and Jose Ferrer -- still the longest running Shakespearean play in Broadway history), he and the cast received constant death threats not only during the Broadway run, bt especially on the subsequent national tour. The notion of an actual black actor playing the moor Othello was offensive to many people (opposite a white Desdemona), even though Shakespeare wrote the character as black (it had always been played by white actors in blackface). Despite his incredible success in that role, Robeson was never allowed to again play Shakespeare on Broadway. It would have been too controversial for him to play Macbeth or Henry V or King Lear.

It wasn't until Joe Papp founded the Public Theatre that a major arts organization advocated having actors of all colors play whatever roles they were qualified for. Papp was responsible for giving the first major exposure to actors like James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman and Gloria Foster and the Public's many successes through the years with this philosophy has led to other theatres throughout the country to re-think their internal stereotypes and exclusionary casting policies and it's resulted in some of the more interesting productions around the country in the past several decades.

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Updated On: 2/23/06 at 05:36 PM

This is what happens when people try to do color blind casting. Oh the horror!
Effie is wearing glasses

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Anyone who thinks non-traditional casting is a bad idea need only look at Audra MacDonald. She got her big break and first Tony when Nicholas Hytner cast Carousel non-traditionally. She received another Tony for Master Class, in which she played a character whose race was not specified either. I don't think the Earth stopped turning in either instance.

Every time someone raises the issue of equality or diversity or non-traditional casting, people who disagree get so indignant. Instead of getting indignant, why not try to see the situation from another person's point of view. An earlier poster brought up the supposed hypocrisy of Asians being upset about the Jonathan Pryce/Miss Saigon situation. Instead of being the ten thousandth opponent of non-traditional casting to bring that up, why not imagine what it's like for an Asian actor. The chances of getting cast in a "white" show are slim to none. Finally, along comes a great, big Broadway musical with an Asian (or half-Asian) lead character. You think, "great, finally I have a chance to audition for a part and only worry about being good." But no, even that opportunity gets taken away from you because they cast a white guy. I promise you if Asians had equal opportunities to star in "white" shows, nobody would have complained.

There's a DVD of broadway performances from the old Ed Sullivan show. One of the performers was Pat Suzuki singing "I Enjoy Being a Girl" from Flower Drum Song. I'd never heard of her before, but she was wonderful. If R&H hadn't written an Asian musical would she have ever starred on Broadway? My guess is no, and that's too bad. She would have been great in any number of 50's and 60's musicals. No, they weren't specifically written Asian, but so what? An actor is an actor is an actor.

And for the record, JasonF, affirmative action is not about giving someone a job or enrolling them in a school "soley based on their race." That's just drivel conservative politicians spoon feed the American public to foster divisiveness and get votes from "victimized" white people. Affirmative action means approaching hiring situations with an open mind. Casting Audra in Carousel was "affirmative action." Did she take the job away from a white person? Probably. Was she the best person for the job? I assume so, but who knows? Nicholas Hytnter might have had an "agenda." I don't think the Broadway community was in any way, shape or form harmed.

Updated On: 2/23/06 at 08:55 PM

BUT...

In all of Audra's roles, she never played a "white" woman.

There are references in Dreamgirls to characters being black. Say you had a black girl who could sing Magnolia in "Show Boat" beautifully, better than any white girls. It wouldn't work! Because Magnolia being white and Julia being racially mixed is part of the fabric of the show. Carrie Pipperidge is racially nonspecific. I hate when people say that was such a breakthrough. Audra was the best performer for the role, and she got it. But its not like she could play Mother in Ragtime. Likewise, Marin Mazzie could not play Sarah.

Sorry. In a few shows, that cannot bend.

Every time issues of race and, in this field, color-blind casting come up, I always refer to this quote:

"For those of you who are tired of hearing about racism, imagine how much more tired we are of constantly experiencing it, second by literal second, how much more exhausted we are to see it constantly in your eyes."
-Barbara Smith

I love Audra McDonald, as many here know, however not every minority performer has the undeniable talent of Ms. McDonald. There are thousands of minority performers who are qualified for roles, may actually be the best person for the role, but "don't fit our concept of the piece." That statement right there is what keeps a lot of talent minority performers from roles. Producers and directors unwilling to step away from notions of the past and realize that the past has many a flaw in thinking. Of course, if race plays an issue the role should be cast accordingly. No one is advocating the disrespect of a piece for the sake of putting one more minority on the stage. What IS being advocated is that casting doesn't come down to looking/listening to a great voice & perfmance, but it's coming out of a black/asian/hispanic etc. person so we have to pause and consider the reaction. And for anyone here to put forth the notion that this doesn't happen, is quite mistaken.

-my 2 pennies

Edit:
I agree with everything you said, Flahooley!

Updated On: 2/23/06 at 10:14 PM

Well of course. THere are minorities for a reason. But that's not the problem. I don't think people are saying there should be a 50-50 ratio of blacks to whites. That's not realistic. I think, as I said before, it's easy to sit here and say that there's lots of black performers on broadway. I'm sure most of this comes from white people. The main problem comes in not in well this white person was better for the role, but you're not right BECAUSE you're black. I used the examples of Eliza Doolittle, Mary Poppins, and Desiree Armfeldt. I think casting directors have no imaginations a lot of times. A lot of people are looking to refill the originals. WE need to have a Fair-skinned, brunette with a turned up nose for Mary Poppins. WHY? because they want Julie Andrews.

well, maybe i'm being ignorant in this topic, but aren't there more white people in the United States? So wouldn't it make sense, that its that way? I mean I wouldn't expect white actors to be the prodominent race in Mexico or something like that.

There's the new LaChiusa show that opened that employed many minority actors. I think shows like Rabbit hole were sorta going for the all-white cast. I mean, I think it sorta was the point. To be this like all-american suburban type story.

I just have a hard time believing that people set out to cast all white shows. I think its all based on talent. Cherry Jones was in Doubt, not because she's white but because she was amazing. Brandi and Saycon are in Wicked because they are great singers/actors, not because they're black.