Re: MT VOID, 04/11/25 -- Vol. 43, No. 41, Whole Number 2375

On 4/13/25 9:29 AM, Evelyn C. Leeper wrote:

The problem with color-blind casting is that the viewer doesn't
know whether the *character* is, e.g., African-American or not.  I
mention this because in TITANIC: THE MUSICAL we see a group of
second-class passengers including several characters from Ireland,
central Europe, and other places, and one of the characters is
played by an African-American.  I thought at first the character
was African-American, but then not only did she seem to be married
to a white man, but she was dancing with the white first-class men
and the white stewards, and I thought, "Well, either she's not
African-American, or they're confused about the social conditions
of the time."

It's a weird thing. Racial miscasting is regarded as something terrible, yet it's done all the time without getting complaints.
When there are complaints, they often get it wrong. People complain when Othello is played by a white of European extraction, but a black actor of sub-Saharan ancestry would be equally inaccurate. People from that area were rare in Shakespeare's England. A "Moor," which is what Othello is called, would have been North African or Middle Eastern.
Historically, well-qualified actors matching a part's ethnicity were often passed up in favor of white actors in movies. A big reason for this was the Hays Code, which banned interracial romance or kissing. Once a white was chosen for a role, any part romantically involved with it also had to be white.
--
Gary McGath    http://www.mcgath.com