Authenticity in performance

[Harrowby Hall]

I'm not really sure whether this belongs in this section or in the General Discussion or even Politics and Current Affairs. It has elements of all three.

Each year, at the Proms, it has become the practice to do a semi-staged performance of a musical. There have been presentations of My Fair Lady, Kiss Me, Kate and Oklahoma! all presided over by the admirable John Wilson. This year there will be a semi-staged production of West Side Story.

The role of Maria was given to Sierra Boggess: a young woman with a beautiful voice, an excellent actress with a stunning stage presence. Possibly the best female artist in the world in this genre who has already made a number of appearances at the Proms. Sierra Boggess has just announced that she is withdrawing from the performances because she thinks the role should be performed by a Hispanic performer - she is of white northern European heritage and Maria is from Puerto Rico.

This raises a number of points. perhaps the first being is Sierra Boggess putting political correctness above artistic expression? But then it also raises the question of whether "Hispanic" is a real ethnic classification or perhaps it is really cultural. Are people who live in Spain ethnically different from those of northern Europe?  I can think of a Portuguese singer - Sofia Escobar - who has performed the role.

Another question is the nature of acting: it is pretending that you are something that you are not. The last time I saw Hamlet the title role was performed by Benedict Cumberbatch. Should I have complained that an English actor was cheating a Danish actor out of a part?

About 20 years ago, the National Theatre did an acclaimed production of Carousel. The New England ambitious fishing boat owner, Enoch Snow was played by a black actor ...

[Nearly Sane]

Surely one of the questions here is about whether a role that is ethnically identified is linked to an ethnicity that is underrepresented for whatever reason in the art form. Hence the move against someone blacking up as Othello since it merely meant that one of the few obviously black roles was then played by a white actor along with all the other parts. (And that's not to mention how our of place it felt watching an actor blacked up).


Ideally, we will get to a stage where almost any role could be played by almost anyone but that needs to be when there isn't a huge swathe of privilege.


BTW - much of this is linked to the thread The Problem with Apu.

[Aruntraveller]

Well Bernstein used Dame Kiri so it's all very confusing....... although admittedly that wasn't a dramatic performance, but to me her voice, fine though it is, seemed unsuited to the part as it sounded to "operatic".

Whether you need someone from the exact demographic supposedly being represented I don't know.

[Enki]

Matthew Bourne's 'Swan Lake' was seen by my wife some years ago. He cast all the swans as male dancers. My wife was hugely impressed, finding it a very beautiful performance.

[Nearly Sane]

Matthew Bourne's 'Swan Lake' was seen by my wife some years ago. He cast all the swans as male dancers. My wife was hugely impressed, finding it a very beautiful performance.

I think that's an interesting case because it explicitly changed perception of the ballet and made it homoerotic. Again as with the case of black actors as Othello, there is an element of speaking to the power of privilege.

And I agree with your wife, it was very beautiful.

[Steve H]

Laurence Fishburne, the black American actor who was an impressive film Othello, has said that he doesn't mind white actors taking the part, as long as black actors can take other major Shakespeaean parts, such as Hamlet or Henry V.

[Harrowby Hall]

It is questionable whether Othello is - in fact - a "black" part. Othello is a "moor", presumably a north African and, perhaps, little darker in complexion than many Italians. References in the text to "black" and similar may relate to mood or character rather than skin colour. The part could be played by an un-blacked-up white actor without any problem.

[Harrowby Hall]

Here is Sierra Boggess singing Maria in the Balcony Scene from West Side Story at the Proms six years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3d1wrj4riQ

[Nearly Sane]

It is questionable whether Othello is - in fact - a "black" part. Othello is a "moor", presumably a north African and, perhaps, little darker in complexion than many Italians. References in the text to "black" and similar may relate to mood or character rather than skin colour. The part could be played by an un-blacked-up white actor without any problem.

I think  that ignores the history of the part being played as blacked up, and the dearth of actual black parts that exist. Again, when we get to a state where their is no or little dominance in roles, then I would hope that all you have is the best actor for the part but we are not there yet.

[Nearly Sane]

Recently we had the issue of Quentin Letts suggesting that a pece of colour blind casting was some form of positive discrimination. Now I realise that Letts is a professional opinion holder but it is indicative I think that we are not there yet in terms of actors being able to be seen as just actors.


https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/apr/08/daily-mail-quentin-letts-accused-of-racist-attitude-in-theatre-review

[SusanDoris]

Here is Sierra Boggess singing Maria in the Balcony Scene from West Side Story at the Proms six years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3d1wrj4riQ

Aaahhhh! that was really lovely. Thank you for posting the link. (I have only looked at this thread this morning.)

Yesterday, on PM programme I think, there was a David Bidella (?) talking about people appropriate for their roles. The question arose about a complaint apparently - can't remember by whom - about a black actor playing the part of the god Zeus and another playing the part of Achilles in some production!!! The irony of this was not mentioned!!

P.S. Who was the male singer in the video?  Too difficult to try to find it.

[Steve H]

Aaahhhh! that was really lovely. Thank you for posting the link. (I have only looked at this thread this morning.)

Yesterday, on PM programme I think, there was a David Bidella (?) talking about people appropriate for their roles. The question arose about a complaint apparently - can't remember by whom - about a black actor playing the part of the god Zeus and another playing the part of Achilles in some production!!! The irony of this was not mentioned!!

Probably 'Troy: Fall of a City', whose Achilles, Aeneas and Nestor were black. Is it possible that they really were black? Greece isn't all that far from North Africa, and would no doubt have traded with it.

[Steve H]

Recently we had the issue of Quentin Letts suggesting that a pece of colour blind casting was some form of positive discrimination. Now I realise that Letts is a professional opinion holder but it is indicative I think that we are not there yet in terms of actors being able to be seen as just actors.


https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/apr/08/daily-mail-quentin-letts-accused-of-racist-attitude-in-theatre-review

I already knew that Lett was a Prat. Now I know that he's a Philistine as well.

[Harrowby Hall]

P.S. Who was the male singer in the video?  Too difficult to try to find it.

Julian Ovenden - he is quite good but his American accent does slip occasionally. I think he keeps pigs or something in Downton Abbey (Never watched it.)

[SusanDoris]

Julian Ovenden - he is quite good but his American accent does slip occasionally. I think he keeps pigs or something in Downton Abbey (Never watched it.)

Thank you - I'll look him up later.

[Robbie]

Madama Butterfly has rarely been produced with an oriental cast & no-one seemed bothered by that.

[Nearly Sane]

Madama Butterfly has rarely been produced with an oriental cast & no-one seemed bothered by that.

Though there was an issue when Miss Saigon transferred to the U.S. with Jonathan Pryce playing 'yellow face'.

I searched for some details on this and found the link below which I rather like


http://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/case-study/miss-saigon-controversy

[Harrowby Hall]

And when was The King and I performed with a Thai cast? It's actually banned in Thailand.

I think that the silliest example of "authentic" casting I have heard about occurred about a year or two ago. I believe that a film was proposed about Bonnie Prince Charlie and an actor was lined up. No, No, came the protests. He is not Scottish and cannot do a Scottish accent. BPC was born in Rome and spent most of his life in Italy and France. It is doubtful that English was his first language - let along sounding like a Scot ...

[jeremyp]

Probably 'Troy: Fall of a City', whose Achilles, Aeneas and Nestor were black. Is it possible that they really were black? Greece isn't all that far from North Africa, and would no doubt have traded with it.

Also Zeus.

Anyway, all of those characters are fictional inventions of the Ancient Greeks. They were probably envisioned as Greek just like their inventors. However, does it matter?I would say the answer is no unless the character's ethnicity is a plot point as it is in Othello.

[Robbie]

Though there was an issue when Miss Saigon transferred to the U.S. with Jonathan Pryce playing 'yellow face'.

I searched for some details on this and found the link below which I rather like


http://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/case-study/miss-saigon-controversy

Thank you. I note that BD Wong objected to Jonathan Pryce as 'yellow face'. I quite like BD Wong but remember reading that he played the part of a Japanese woman in an updated version of M Butterfly on Broadway years ago. one could equally say that as he is not a woman,it's not an authentic portrayal. I might have misremembered that though & am not going to look it up now - bedtime. See you all tomorrow.

[Nearly Sane]

Thank you. I note that BD Wong objected to Jonathan Pryce as 'yellow face'. I quite like BD Wong but remember reading that he played the part of a Japanese woman in an updated version of M Butterfly on Broadway years ago. one could equally say that as he is not a woman,it's not an authentic portrayal. I might have misremembered that though & am not going to look it up now - bedtime. See you all tomorrow.

That he then might do something 'wrong' doesn't make him wrong in the point.

[Robbie]

True. Not in bed yet, had to look it up and I was wrong. BD Wong played the character 'Song Liling', a male Chinese homosexual opera singer who poses as a woman in order to get close to Gallimard....spying for the Chinese Communist Party is involved. So not Madama Butterfly as we know it  . I'm happy now, night night.

[Harrowby Hall]

Thinking about Madama Butterfly. Pinkerton is a selfish, small-minded, faithless American. Perhaps the role should be reserved for Donald Trump.

But I don't think that Illica or Giacosa mention orange hair in their libretto.