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| With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? | |
| Posted by: bobby2 04:49 pm EDT 08/14/17 | |
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| Seems so odd that for all those years and all those productions there was never an African American woman in any. All those talents wasted. (I suppose Bennet made up for it with Dreamgirls) Was the thinking that it took away from the joke of Richie announcing that he was black? |
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| re: With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? | |
| Posted by: Greg_M 05:21 pm EDT 08/16/17 | |
| In reply to: With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? - bobby2 04:49 pm EDT 08/14/17 | |
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| Well, "The Wiz" opened the year before, maybe they weren't any available females who danced well enough | |
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| re: With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? | |
| Posted by: Alcindoro 02:56 am EDT 08/15/17 | |
| In reply to: With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? - bobby2 04:49 pm EDT 08/14/17 | |
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| In the first workshop the role of "Richie" was a black female, played by Candy Brown, whose story the character is based on. When Brown left the project to appear in CHICAGO, there was an effort to find a black female replacement. Bennett wasn't satisfied with anyone they saw, at which point someone (I believe it was Baayork Lee) asked, "Why does it have to be a girl?" At which point Ron Dennis was brought in to play the role. | |
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| re: With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? | |
| Posted by: bobby2 03:18 am EDT 08/15/17 | |
| In reply to: re: With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? - Alcindoro 02:56 am EDT 08/15/17 | |
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| That makes a lot of sense. I always thought the part about him wanting to be a kindergarten teacher was a bit odd. Did they even have male kindergarten teachers back then? | |
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| re: With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? | |
| Posted by: MikeR 12:03 pm EDT 08/15/17 | |
| In reply to: re: With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? - bobby2 03:18 am EDT 08/15/17 | |
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| I had a male kindergarten teacher in the 1974/75 school year. | |
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| re: With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? | |
| Last Edit: PlayWiz 08:54 pm EDT 08/14/17 | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 08:47 pm EDT 08/14/17 | |
| In reply to: With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? - bobby2 04:49 pm EDT 08/14/17 | |
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| Bennett and the rest of the creatives and producers cast, besides Richie: a Latina woman with the most solos in the show, an Asian woman who was very short (another kind of lacking demographic in taller choruses), gay guys, straight guys, a married couple auditioning together, bitchy women like Sheila, nice girls like Maggie, Cassie -- someone who was thought to be beyond the chorus trying to get back in the chorus, etc. I think they tried to cover a lot of bases in the original. No movement -- there was no internet, and a lot of people nowadays seem to think the show was reasonably inclusive for its time. Back then, I don't recall it being an issue. There were ladies of color in other choruses on Broadway around that time and shows like "Sophisticated Ladies", "Ain't Misbehavin' ", "Raisin", a multi-racial "Pajama Game" revival, indicated that the powers that be knew there was a lot of talent to be tapped. | |
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| re: With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? | |
| Posted by: Delvino 11:49 pm EDT 08/14/17 | |
| In reply to: re: With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? - PlayWiz 08:47 pm EDT 08/14/17 | |
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| Not every Morales was played by a Latina, nor were all the Pauls Latinx. | |
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| re: With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 12:26 am EDT 08/15/17 | |
| In reply to: re: With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? - Delvino 11:49 pm EDT 08/14/17 | |
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| He was talking about the original production, which I took as the original cast. Usually shows tend to try to cast similar types over the years, but I didn't keep track of everyone as the show went on for many years. | |
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| re: With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? | |
| Posted by: bobby2 12:02 am EDT 08/15/17 | |
| In reply to: re: With the original production of A Chorus LIne was there every a movement to get a black actress cast? - Delvino 11:49 pm EDT 08/14/17 | |
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| I think some of the Connie understudies were also not Asian. Instead of having to hire one woman to understudy the role they'd have a white woman cover Connie and other roles and they'd somehow drop the Chinese remarks the character makes. (year of the chicken etc.) | |
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