Casting without Considering Appearance

[suestorm]

thank you GAVESTON :) I think most people would agree that PHYLLIS calling anyone Odd or uninformed is a great example of the pot calling the kettle black! all one needs to do is check pretty much most threads to see examples of her radical views and flamethrowing

[Reginald Tresilian]

"Radical views"? Such as?

[SonofRobbieJ]

Here's what I've learned about race in the last week.

1. Not getting a role because of hair color is equal to hundreds of years of the American holocaust known as slavery.

2. Writing the word 'nigger' 7000 times in one screenplay will win you a Golden Globe.

The more you know (insert shooting star here).

[CarlosAlberto]

The more you know (insert shooting star here).

BRILLIANT! LOVE IT!

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

3. There's a growing contingent of white boys who seem to think that their Effie is the one that's going to break the race/gender barrier.

[SonofRobbieJ]

HEY!

You just described me.

Though it's my Caroline that I've been peddling 'round.

[CarlosAlberto]

3. There's a growing contingent of white boys who seem to think that their Effie is the one that's going to break the race/gender barrier.

Ooooh now u done brought up the gay wiggers.

:: pops more popcorn ::

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

As it goes, I don't get a stick in my craw about cross gender casting. I know there are arguments to be made against it, but it's not really a topic that comes up on here a lot, except when trying to draw attention from points people are making about cross-racial casting.

[SonofRobbieJ]

^ Well...I'm not even really talking about cross-gender casting either. I'm talking about doing a song during a cabaret show or in a club setting. I'd never expect to PLAY Caroline.

Mrs. Lovett, sure. But not Caroline!

[tazber]

OMG! Piet Arion should totally play Effie!

[CarlosAlberto]

No! No! No! Piet Arion should really just keep his big swishy mouth shut!

[SonofRobbieJ]

He's really more of a Lorrell.

[Mister Matt]

I'm just relieved to know that promoting complacency and ignorance is the answer to racism. If you deliberately say something racist or offensive, the fault lies on anyone who finds it racist or offensive.

[RippedMan]

I think a mixed-race play would be interesting. Like what Disney did with Cinderella with Brandy. Why not? I thought Rashad was great in August: Osage County. Who cares if her children were white? That's not the point of the play. Suspend your disbelief.

[South Fl Marc]

"Like what Disney did with Cinderella with Brandy."

The only problem with Brandy doing Cinderella was she couldn't sing the role and her acting was horrible, especially compared to the rest of the cast.

[Greatwhiteway3]

I am really passionate about this issue. It gets my blood boiling. Short and sweet...My opinion, if you don't agree so be it.

If its a concert version, cast anyone you like. Best voice, most diverse, I don't care.

If its a show, I want to be engrossed in the story. Not distracted thinking how is it possible that this 1950's white couple or has a a black child and an Asian child when adoption isn't brought into the story and it isn't likely that would have happened in the USA in the 1950's... Or, is it possible that an black man in 1820's France would have made it to Inspector in the French police.. and I'm a HUGE Norm Lewis fan.. again, concert version fine, show.. No.. You may not find it distracting, but I do and again, its my opinion.

I'd rather they pick an entire cast of say Asians, in show (when historically accurate) rather than making 1 sibling Asian, the other black and the parents hispanic and asking the audience to dispense with belief. BUT, for example, there was recently a version of Oklahoma done with an all Asian cast.. Not historically accurate for that time.. sorry.. You want to do an all Asian cast of Next to Normal.. GREAT!.. Of course, if its a production in an Asian country where white actors may not be available then that's different.

In certain cases, the forced cast diversity is as ridiculous as a white and Asian cast of Showboat.

There was recently a production of White Christmas in Syracuse where 1 sister was white the other was black, parents white.. This was in the 1950's USA.. didn't happen.. They didn't even try to explain it.. Why not make it modern times and talk about an adoption at least?

I think lots of this is about white guilt.. Sorry.. Many of these shows were written years ago when most of the audience was white. and the writers were white. They wrote what they knew and what the audience knew. Sorry That's the way it was then. Today, you have more diversity.. Let modern writers make more diverse shows. They are slowly, but surely.... Again, you want to try and adapt the story to make it more modern.. You want to make a uniform cast (black, asian, hispanic etc) as long as its historically accurate FINE.. but stop making silly casting choices and asking us to PRETEND it could all happen... to try and make up for wrongs done in the past..

IMHO

[suestorm]

GREATWHITEWAY... that was not short nor sweet!!! :p
but i totally agree with it, makes sense and is logical! but logic at least when it comes to this topic, in this forum is often in short supply

[Jordan Catalano]

I like the part in this thread where everybody says things they've said a hundred times before. It was my favorite part.

[CarlosAlberto]

La - la - la - la - la la la - la..

I've got a castle on a clou - - -

Whoops, wrong thread!

[Jordan Catalano]

There is a multi racial non gender identifying age unimportant totally nonsensical castle on a cloud. I like to go there to not sleep. Old men playing Annie is allowed. Up in my (non white) castle on a cloud.

[Wynbish]

There is a person all in nondescript clothing...

[GavestonPS]

The problem with Greatwhiteway's argument is that he doesn't know his history.

19th century France was NOT Alabama. I don't know whether they had any black inspectors, but I know of no law that would have prevented it.

I'm not going to look for exact figures right now, but something like 1 in 5 cowboys was African-American. Another good percentage was Latino, Native American or mixed.

It was only Jim Crow-era films and TV shows that made the "Marlboro Man" the icon of white American males.

So while biology may not have changed, our notions of history as all-white (except for slaves) is a cultural product and a shame and not something to be encouraged.

If Greatwhiteway will only think of all the ways he is suspending his disbelief every time he walks into a theater, he may realize that ignoring racial improbabilities will only make one more. The problem is in his head, not on the stage. And by "problem" I mean lack of imagination, not racism.

[Greatwhiteway3]

Thanks Sue! Let's stop the madness!

[Greatwhiteway3]

Your imagination is MUCH better than mine.. Sorry. maybe I'm a bit to anal but I'd sit there the whole time saying, really, they want me to believe at some point this white kid turned black?.. Not to mention having a wealthy black businessman in Victorian London.

[Greatwhiteway3]

Thanks Gaveston. I like who you tell me I don't know history, while in the same breath stating you aren't sure what the answer is. I believe I asked if it was possible a black man in France could have made it to Inspector or any level in the police for that matter. ... You didn't prove otherwise. You just state in your opinion because France wasn't Alabama he PROBABLY could have. I'll take that bet.

I appreciate your point, although a bit patronizing. I have no issue pretending or suspending disbelief in theater. You want to tell me some witch is black or asian under her green makeup that's fine, but if you want to tell me Abe Lincoln or George Washington are black or you want to tell me it's biologically possible for a white father and black mother to have an Indian child (without an adoption), well I think that's pretty reasonable disbelief... Again, I have no issue with racial casting.. You want to make an all black version of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof .. GREAT..(which I saw and enjoyed) great.. Minor changes were made so we didn't have to pretend this black Stanley was of Polish descent which made it make sense...You want to make an all Asian cast of My fair lady, great.. change the story and make it happen in Hong Kong.... I assume you would be ok making In the Heights all white? or making Fela all Asian? or how about both main characters in Memphis white, but one wearing a t-shirt saying "pretend i'm black"? You seem to be very imaginative.