In the wake of the recent casting controversies over Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop and Lloyd Suh’s Jesus in India, there have been a number of online commenters who have cited Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton as a justification for their position in the debate. What’s intriguing is that Hamilton has been offered up both as evidence of why actors of color must have the opportunity to play both characters or color and characters not necessarily written as characters of color – but it has also been used to say that anything goes, and white actors should be able to play characters of color as well.
Broadway has made a lot of strides in the past few years for much more diverse casting, and I think that’s so amazing. But something that’s lacking (and honestly, always has been tbh) is fat representation. Think about it. When was the last time you saw a show where the main protagonist was fat? I can’t think of any since Hairspray or Lisa Howard in It Shoulda Been You, but please correct me if I’m wrong. It just feels like that if you’re a fat musical theatre actor, the only roles you’ll get to play are those that specifically call for fat people (like Martha from Heathers) or a villain (like Carlotta, Madame Thenardier, or Madame Morrible- and even those roles are played by thin people often). Outside of that, the only other role fat people ever can land on Broadway is (for lack of a better term) the token fat belting ensemble member- if a show has one, then it only has one. It would be awesome if people who cast shows could put heavier actors into more roles- especially leads. There are plenty of roles that could be played by fat people, but it seems like casting directors only ever seem to put actors who fit society’s view of beauty into leads, especially romantic ones. And it would be great if we could move past putting one fat ensemble member with a few random belty solos here and there. It would absolutely blow my mind if there were two or three heavier ensemble members. I know that dancers on Broadway are typically pretty thin, and so are most romantic leads, but there is definitely more that could be done. Fat representation matters.
ok so i’m writing a paper about nontraditional casting on broadway and i need examples of revival casts in which typically white characters have been played as PoC!!! if any of you have any ideas please let me know bc i need help and all i can think of is carousel in 1994 so if you know of any other casts like that i’d love the help!!!
I feel like there’s something people don’t understand or just plain ignore when they complain about the lack of nontraditional casting. Especially like the post I just read saying “diversity in this cast is so good, but why isn’t character a played by an actor of race b?” You can only cast from the pool of actors who actually auditioned. If there weren’t pocs, etc, who auditioned for the role, they can’t be cast. And if there were a white person (or an African American in this case) who was a better actor and did a better job of portraying the character in a way the casting person liked, they’re the one who is going to be cast, and that is not racist. I’m not saying racist casting can’t or doesn’t happen, but in a situation like particular case, that is not what’s going on.
Totally intrigued by Dallas Theater Center's summer production of Les Miserables directed by Liesl Tommy. The story is reset in modern day with an awesome racebent cast.
When Disney Theatricals announced that they were bringing Aladdin to Broadway, I was ecstatic. Finally a musical on Broadway about Middle Eastern people and culture. Middle Eastern actors would have the opportunity to play a wide variety of roles: the ingénue, the hero, the villain, the funny sidekick. Instead of the stereotypical roles we are always cast in: the taxi driver with one line, the belly dancer with no lines. I was so excited that Middle Eastern culture and actors would be represented in such a beloved story and to such a wide audience.
Imagine my shock when the full cast was announced. There are 34 people in the cast of Aladdin. Zero are of Middle Eastern descent.
If there was a production of “Mulan” on Broadway, and zero Asian actors were cast, the entire Broadway community would be up in arms. Especially the community of Asian actors and the AAPAC. Why is it different for a show taking place in the Middle East?
Now I know one might argue: “Aladdin” takes place in “Agrabah” which is a fictitious city in the Middle East. Yet, the show is very clear that it takes place somewhere in the Middle East. Middle Eastern culture, practices, dress, and even Arabic words are used in the show. The opening song of the show is called “Arabian Nights.” Therefore, whether or not “Agrabah” is a real city in the Middle East or not, there is no denying that writing of the show proves that it does take place in the Middle East.
When audition notices came out for “Aladdin”, every character’s description said “Any ethnicity.” As much as I appreciate the open casting process, this show is about a very specific and underrepresented ethnicity. The story of this show is based in very real and true cultural prejudices that are specific to Middle Eastern culture and upbringing.
I am 100% for casting diversity, but when a story is about race, and about a specific ethnicity, I believe that ethnicity should at least be represented. I do understand that the pool of Middle Eastern actors in NYC is small in comparison to other ethnic groups. I am not suggesting that every actor cast in Aladdin should have been of Middle Eastern descent. I am merely asking why was it not a priority to find even a handful of Middle Eastern actors to represent the culture of the show?
So I ask the creative team and producers of “Aladdin”, why? Why was it not a priority to cast Middle Eastern actors in this show? The fact that no one in the cast or creative team is Middle Eastern, almost suggests that this production is now a satire of Middle Eastern culture.
While the new cast of Disney on Broadway's Aladdin does include some actors of color, it does not include any actors of Middle Eastern descent, notes one actor of Middle Eastern descent. Check out his full article on this exlusion at artsincolor.com
Neil Gaiman reveals that a black actor turned down the role of the 12th Doctor
snuffles44 asked: Thank you very much for your explanation of why you think it was not time for a female doctor (though I respectfully disagree). What about someone of another race than white playing the doctor? As someone who understands casting/storytelling, do you think there will ever be a non-white doctor?
Neil Gaiman: Of course. (I thought I’d said that I was disappointed that it didn’t happen this time, and that there are some amazing actors out there. I was rather disappointed that Paterson Joseph didn’t get it last time, although I’ve loved Matt’s Eleven.) And yes, I have no doubt there will be. (I know one black actor who was already offered the part of the Doctor, and who turned it down.) Just as there will be a female Doctor.
papercranechronicles asked: Can I ask you who the black actor who turned down the role was?
Neil Gaiman: You can ask, but seeing that it was something I was told in confidence by the actor in question, you won’t get an answer.
Cheerios Ad Starring Interracial Family Predictably Summons Bigot Wave
A nice Cheerios advertisement whose only discernible difference from other Cheerios commercials is that it depicts an interracial family was forced to disable its YouTube comments section today after it became inundated with virulent racism.
Despite the hate, Camille Gibson, vice president of marketing for Cheerios, told us in a statement, "Consumers have responded positively to our new Cheerios ad. At Cheerios, we know there are many kinds of families and we celebrate them all."
