Hello everyone! As I progress with my research, I have delved deeper into the world of casting and casting Asian actors in non-Asian roles. Of course after some pretty extensive and in depth research, I came up with very little. First of all, the only roles that Asians have been cast in are written specifically for Asians and stories they are telling don't reflect the Asian-American experience. Some key musicals are trying to break that mold and show that ethnicity shouldn't be a problem in casting. Let's start with the musical that is highlighting strong women of all ethnicities and backgrounds, Hamilton.
Philippa Soo plays Elizabeth Hamilton nee Schuyler, Alexander Hamilton's wife. Of course Elizabeth Schuyler was a white woman of high standing in her community but she is portrayed on stage by Ms. Soo, who is of Asian descent. She bucks the trope of the Asian woman being shy and meek and instead plays a strong female character who has to go through so much loss in her life. Elizabeth's eldest son Phillip died in a duel when he was very young and soon after that Hamilton also dies in a duel. Many of her children also died before her and she outlived her sister, Angelica, as well. Seeing an Asian woman portray such a strong, complex, and dynamic woman on stage really shows that stereotypes do not define women of color and if we can continue on this trajectory in theatre, the results can be truly beautiful.
Next up we have Alice Lee who portrays Heather Duke in Heathers the Musical. What is unique about Ms. Lee's performance is that she portrays a mean girl. A truly horrendous and absolutely ruthless mean girl. That trope is another that is never explored or given to Asians. Alice Lee brings a lot of bravado and sass to her performance as Heather Duke and explodes on the stage from every move she makes to every note she sings. She is truly unapologetic and flaunts her Asianness on stage proudly.
A truly unique performance is Ann Sanders in The King and I. Ann Sanders is the understudy for Kelli O'Hara who plays Anna Leonowens and she made her Broadway debut back in February. She is the first ASIAN Anna in Broadway history and her performance means a lot to the Asian theatre community. This bold casting choice proves that casting can be ethnically non-specific and still convey an important and relevant story. By casting an Asian actress as Anna, the focus is taken off of the racial aspect of the story and is placed onto the cultural conflict, which is the true emotional center of the show. The conflict is not about Anna being white and her whiteness clashing with the Asians. The true conflict is between Western and Eastern values and how those values can be reconciled.
- Fun Fact: The King and I is based on the true story of an English governess named Anna who goes the court of the King of Siam to teach them English values. Interestingly, Anna was not completely white. She was born in India to a British father and an Indian mother. She actually took the job in Siam after her husband's death because she no longer had his status to protect from pariah status in British society because she was mixed-race.
P.S. This week's musical reference is the song "Never Ever Getting Rid Of Me" from the new musical Waitress
Philippa Soo plays Elizabeth Hamilton nee Schuyler, Alexander Hamilton's wife. Of course Elizabeth Schuyler was a white woman of high standing in her community but she is portrayed on stage by Ms. Soo, who is of Asian descent. She bucks the trope of the Asian woman being shy and meek and instead plays a strong female character who has to go through so much loss in her life. Elizabeth's eldest son Phillip died in a duel when he was very young and soon after that Hamilton also dies in a duel. Many of her children also died before her and she outlived her sister, Angelica, as well. Seeing an Asian woman portray such a strong, complex, and dynamic woman on stage really shows that stereotypes do not define women of color and if we can continue on this trajectory in theatre, the results can be truly beautiful.
Next up we have Alice Lee who portrays Heather Duke in Heathers the Musical. What is unique about Ms. Lee's performance is that she portrays a mean girl. A truly horrendous and absolutely ruthless mean girl. That trope is another that is never explored or given to Asians. Alice Lee brings a lot of bravado and sass to her performance as Heather Duke and explodes on the stage from every move she makes to every note she sings. She is truly unapologetic and flaunts her Asianness on stage proudly.
A truly unique performance is Ann Sanders in The King and I. Ann Sanders is the understudy for Kelli O'Hara who plays Anna Leonowens and she made her Broadway debut back in February. She is the first ASIAN Anna in Broadway history and her performance means a lot to the Asian theatre community. This bold casting choice proves that casting can be ethnically non-specific and still convey an important and relevant story. By casting an Asian actress as Anna, the focus is taken off of the racial aspect of the story and is placed onto the cultural conflict, which is the true emotional center of the show. The conflict is not about Anna being white and her whiteness clashing with the Asians. The true conflict is between Western and Eastern values and how those values can be reconciled.
- Fun Fact: The King and I is based on the true story of an English governess named Anna who goes the court of the King of Siam to teach them English values. Interestingly, Anna was not completely white. She was born in India to a British father and an Indian mother. She actually took the job in Siam after her husband's death because she no longer had his status to protect from pariah status in British society because she was mixed-race.
P.S. This week's musical reference is the song "Never Ever Getting Rid Of Me" from the new musical Waitress
