A new workshop production of "The Nightingale" by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater at the historic La Jolla Playhouse in California is striking nerves in the Asian American community.
The show, which was adapted from a short story by Hans Christian Anderson and is set in ancient China, has amassed critics vocal about the lack of actual Asian actors present on stage. The lead role of a Chinese monarch is being played by a white actor, and the rest of the cast is multiethnic.
Most of the grievances have been aired on the theater company's Facebook page. "Would you cast non African American people in the roles of 'The Color Purple' or an August Wilson play or 'Topdog/Underdog'???" wrote one commenter. "I am eagerly anticipating your multiracial, non-traditionally cast production of Glengarry Glen Ross! Should be outstanding!" wrote another.
After receiving enough complaints to warrant a discussion,...
The show, which was adapted from a short story by Hans Christian Anderson and is set in ancient China, has amassed critics vocal about the lack of actual Asian actors present on stage. The lead role of a Chinese monarch is being played by a white actor, and the rest of the cast is multiethnic.
Most of the grievances have been aired on the theater company's Facebook page. "Would you cast non African American people in the roles of 'The Color Purple' or an August Wilson play or 'Topdog/Underdog'???" wrote one commenter. "I am eagerly anticipating your multiracial, non-traditionally cast production of Glengarry Glen Ross! Should be outstanding!" wrote another.
After receiving enough complaints to warrant a discussion,...
- 7/19/2012
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse became the target of an online backlash last week in response to the casting of "The Nightingale," which began performances at the theater July 10. Part of the playhouse's Page to Stage, a program dedicated to the development of new work in which the director and producers make changes based on audience reaction, the new musical is based on Hans Christian Andersen's classic fable of the same name and is set in China, but with a mostly non-Asian cast.Asian-Americans as well as actors and audiences of all ethnicities have taken to Facebook, Twitter, and personal blogs to share their disappointment, confusion, and outrage at the creative team's decision to stage the still-in-development piece with a multicultural cast rather than a predominantly Asian one. Yet "Nightingale" composer Duncan Sheik and writer-lyricist Steven Sater, recipients of Grammy and Tony awards for their hit musical "Spring Awakening" (which.
- 7/18/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Daniel Lehman)
- backstage.com
The La Jolla Playhouse prompted controversy over casting choices for new musical, “The Nightingale,” on Wednesday. Written by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater (“Spring Awakening”), the show, which began performances July 10, is loosely based on the Hans Christian Andersen fable. Though the musical is set in China, the production has few Asian cast members. “It was our intention from the onset to create a multicultural cast in a reinterpretation of this Hans Christian Andersen classic fable, blending East and West, past and present,” Christopher Ashley, the playhouse’s artistic director, said in a statement. Many commenters on Facebook were upset by the lack of Asian talent.“It's a severely missed opportunity to showcase talent in the Asian-American community and directors should rethink how they ‘reinterpret,’ ” wrote Jeff Courtrymen, one of the many angry Facebook users who responded to Ashley’s announcement. Sheik responded by stating that the piece isn’t about the.
- 7/12/2012
- by help@backstage.com (Laura Meltzer)
- backstage.com
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