Does Opera Have to Be “Realistically Cast”?

Fatemeh’s article on Verdi’s Aida in Racialicious today was very interesting.  She claimed that the recent Portland production was nothing but a Eurocentric/white-washed view of Egypt, because of costumes, choreography, etc.  She also mentioned that much of the cast was white, not black, even though the opera takes place in Egypt.  Well, this isn’t Porgy and Bess.  There’s no rule saying that the entire cast has to be black (the Gershwin estate has a clause where Porgy and Bess needs to be cast with black singers, which is why, for a long time, P&G wasn’t produced often).  In any case, does opera and even live theatre doesn’t always need to be played out “realistically,” IMHO.  There are some cases when it’s necessary, but I don’t think Aida falls into that category.  I’ve seen tons of Shakespearean plays where the characters’ costumes vary from “traditional” Renaissance era pieces or costumes that reflected the play’s setting (e.g. Roman costume for Julius Caesar) to later periods.  Should the production of Julius Caesar that featured Denzel Washington from a few years back be criticized because it takes in the twenty-first century (the characters were wearing suits and had cell phones)?  What about the Disney/Elton John version of Aida, where the Egyptians were all played by white (and perhaps one or two Asian) actors while Aida and the other slaves were black (on another note:  The Egyptians’ costumes in the Broadway production were really boring/plain, while the slaves’ costumes were very colourful…music contrasted too)? And unlike the Jonathan Pryce as the Engineer fiasco when just prior to Miss Saigon’s Broadway debut in ‘91, FEW PEOPLE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THE PREDOMINANTLY WHITE “EGYPTIAN” CAST.  And why should people care?

Opera doesn’t have to be as realistic as even live theatre.  If it was, many singers would be extremely limited in terms of what they can audition for, even for a chorus role.  For example, someone who looked like me would basically be limited to basically Madama Butterfly and Turandot.  I saw a production of La Boheme a few years ago where the Mimi was Asian.  I guess Fatemeh wouldn’t like that, would she?  Nor would she have liked the fact that it took place in the 1950s rather than the 1830s (A production that takes place in the 1950s?  Might as well fast forward another 30-something years and call the production Rent, right?)

Othello airs on the CBC on June 15…interesting casting though

Carlo Rota, who plays Lebanese-Canadian Yassir on Little Mosque on the Prairie will be playing Othello in the upcoming movie on the CBC. The thing is, Carlo isn’t Lebanese, but Italian. The rest of the cast is also white. Is this weird? Lately, they tend to cast black actors as Othello, unless you’re going a la Patrick Stewart, with a white Othello and a primarily black cast. I have heard the argument that since Othello is a “Moor” from northern Africa, he’s going to look more Arabic anyway. And since Carlo is darker, it would work. Should they have casted a black actor? My high school did Othello a few years ago, and used a South Asian actor in the title role.  Personally, I think Othello should “contrast” from the rest.  He’s supposed to be “different.”  An actor of Italian descent isn’t “different” enough.

Note that black face isn’t used in this production.

The movie is directed by Zaib Shaikh (Amaar on Little Mosque). He may be a better Othello, but he’s too young. Maybe we’ll see him in Stratford in 15 years?

Non-Traditional Casting at the Stratford Festival

Romeo and Juliet opened at the Stratford Festival yesterday. Juliet is played by Nikki M. James (she is also Anika Noni Rose’s replacement in Caesar and Cleopatra, which will open later this summer), who is black and Gareth Potter (white), plays Romeo.

You don’t usually see this sort of thing at the very traditional Stratford Festvial.

Toronto Star review of Romeo and Juliet

Colour-blind Casting in Theatre - Good thing or bad thing?

At the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (aka “Stratford”) this year, the actress playing the female lead in Romeo and Juliet is Nikki M. James.  Nikki is black.  While most seasoned theatre-goers probably won’t have any issues with this - colour-blind casting has been used before in many major productions, especially ones casting big names, I can’t help but wonder what the general public would think.  Are they accepting Nikki’s tragic portrayal?  Does it help that Lady Capulet is also played by a black actress?  Romeo, by the way, is played by a white actor.

Stratford has historically been lily-white.  The first time I saw a non-white actor in any Stratford show was in 1999 when I saw West Side Story (The Stratford Shakespeare Festival isn’t only about Shakespeare.  In fact, this year, they’re also doing George Bernard Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra.  Nikki M. James is also in this show, replacing Anika Noni Rose as Cleopatra.  Julius Caesar will be played by Christopher Plummer.) where all of the Sharks were played by non-white performers.  Maria was played by Miss Saigon alumna, Ma-Anne Dionisio.  Since then, Stratford has had more non-white performers, though not plenty.

Does colour-blind casting change the interpretation?  For example, in 1999, the role of Ellen, Chris’ American wife in Miss Saigon, was played by Margaret Ann Gates, who is of Korean descent.  As Miss Saigon is supposed to be the “updated,” 1970s version of Madame Butterfly, one would expect Ellen to be a white, southern belle.  When Margaret Ann was cast, message boards (this was the late 90s - not too many blogs at that time) were flooded with threads with titles such as “was he just seeking a replacement?”  or “does he even love his wife?”.  Had Margaret Ann been white like all the previous non-understudies, these threads would not have existed.  But these online critics were harmless compared to Michael Crawford’s replacement, Robert Guillaume, in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera.  Many people just weren’t ready to see a black Phantom and many returned their tickets even before he made his debut.  However, Robert Guillaume’s run as the Phantom was nonetheless popular.   Some people even found the 1997 version of Cinderella, starring Brandy and Whoppi Goldberg to be distracting.  However, that was TV, and TV has a very different audience, often one that isn’t as enlightened.

For some reason, tragic shows are more likely to go for colour-blind casting, and the actors are usually cast in tragic roles.  Les Miserables has done so since at least the early 1990s, when Toni Braxton made her debut as Eponine.  Other non-white Eponines have included Ma-Anne Dionisio, Lea Salonga and Joana Ampil (for some reason, they like to cast former Kims as Eponine.  Similar role, I guess).  Lea has also played Fantine.  Javert, the evil policeman in the production, has been played by Norm Lewis, who is African-American. Brandy’s Cinderella, a Canadian touring production of Grease! (Ma-Anne Dionisio was Sandy) and a mid 90s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which I saw with my English class in middle school are the only non-tragedies I can think of.

How do YOU feel about colour-blind casting?  Good?  Bad?  Does it only work if a non-white performer is cast in a traditionally white role (unless, of course, you’re doing a “reverse” production of say, Othello)? Does it only work if the person in the role is a big name (think Denzel playing Brutus in Julius Caesar or any of the “big named” stage actors like Lea or Ma-Anne) Feedback!!!

Cultural Lessons: Drama/Theatre

Going to live theatre was definitely part of my upbringing, especially after I was 8 or 9 years old.  If you include ballet, my first stage performance was The National Ballet of Canada’s The Nutcracker, around Christmas 1987 or 1988 (I’ll do a post on dancing another day).  By my teens, I was going to at least two shows a year (I was a teen during the HEIGHT of British Theatre Invasion of Toronto (Cameron Mackintosh musicals)).  I saw shows such as Les Miserables, Showboat, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, etc, as well as plenty of trips to Stratford.  But when it came to actually being involved in the theatre/drama business (whether it be actor, director, producer or whatever….even if you tell people you want to be the next Ang Lee of the stage), it’s a definite no-no.  No wonder it’s so hard for Asians in this part of the world to be noticed in the film and theatre world!  If you don’t build it, no one will come!

This is what I don’t understand.  Why is it okay to play a musical instrument but not okay to be involved in theatre (with the exception of actually going, of course)?  Can’t theatre be seen as an accomplishment, just like playing piano or violin?  Why is acting, “less proper”?  Does it have to do with the historical connection with prostitution?  Can’t acting or directing be seen as a hobby just like classical music?  I did a double major in drama and history just so I wouldn’t look like I was a rebel.  And the drama part wasn’t even a BFA but a straight BA (Honours).