"It's the story about America then, told by America now," director Tommy Kail has said of the choice to cast African-Americans, Latinos and Asians as the Founding Fathers and their female contemporaries. In fact, the only major role played by a white actor is that of Britain's King George III.
2 comments:
I think it is interesting that this is something that the producers are still having to explain, and still have to defend. It seems like everyone that has even slightly looked into Hamilton has heard that "It's the story of America then, told by America now." The color-blind casting is part of what makes Hamilton unlike any other show. It definitely has other elements that make it very unique, but the fact that casting deliberately uses nonwhite actors to play the founding fathers delivers a lot of the meaning behind the show. If all of the characters were cast to be racially accurate, a lot of the power of the show would be lost. I also completely agree that it does not really matter what the critics or anyone else says about the races of the characters. It matters what the playwright determines, and what the playwright wants for his or her characters.
I think it is a little ridiculous that people got so upset about the casting notice for Hamilton. Everyone clearly knows that the cast of Hamilton is comprised of people of color. That is one of the main points Lin-Manuel Miranda is trying to make with this production. He wants the cast to look like what America looks like now, which is diverse and filled with people of different ethnicities. This is one of the few times that racism is against white people, so it seems like a big deal. The wording on the notice may have been exclusive, but changing the wording to please everyone is not going to change how they actually cast the show. The casting directors will not cast white people in the leading roles except for King George III because that is not how the show is meant to be played. Changing the wording on the casting notice is not going to give white people a better shot of getting the parts.
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