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| The middle eastern cast members of BOMBAY DREAMS... | |
| Last Edit: GrumpyMorningBoy 02:20 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 02:08 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: Just for the record about 'Phantom' ... and the irony of 'Aladdin' - WaymanWong 01:26 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| ... mostly evaporated into other non-Broadway careers. (With a notable exception for Aaron Albano, who is Filipino-American, and who basically hasn't stopped working.) I do think Disney deserves quite a bit of credit. Despite Audra's famous flame-out when auditioning to be a spoon in Bway's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, they've cast a black actor as Kristoff in the FROZEN out of towner, and they've famously developed quite a lot of careers within their workshops for THE LION KING, relying on a specific casting director in New York (Mark Brandon) who identifies, tracks, and even rehearses with black musical theater performers who Disney thinks might make for strong cast members one day. I don't think any other recent show (other than BILLY ELLIOTT, with the young Billys) has done something like this. If ALADDIN needed some specific skills for the cast -- say, people who can sing in quarter tones -- we might see a similar workshop casting for performers from arabic / middle eastern descent. But the show doesn't really need it. Either way, Disney does deserve some good credit here. - GMB |
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| Link | Playbill | Cast of BOMBAY DREAMS |
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| Were there many Middle Eastern cast members in BOMBAY DREAMS? | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 02:25 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: The middle eastern cast members of BOMBAY DREAMS... - GrumpyMorningBoy 02:08 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| I always think of that cast as overwhelmingly Indian/South Asian. Its leading lady was Anisha Nagarajan, who recently was featured in Mira Nair's ''Monsoon Wedding'' at Berkeley Rep. What's the latest word with that show? Will it get to be the second Indian musical to make it to the Great White Way? |
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| Link | BroadwayWorld.com: My interview with Michael Maliakel, who hopes his 'Monsoon Wedding' takes Broadway by storm |
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| Speaking of Bombay Dreams alumni... | |
| Posted by: sf 05:37 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: Were there many Middle Eastern cast members in BOMBAY DREAMS? - WaymanWong 02:25 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| OK, it's London rather than New York, but for the past year Preeya Kalidas, the original lead in the London 'Bombay Dreams', has been playing Patti in 'School of Rock'. That's a step in the right direction, I think, and she's wonderful in it. | |
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| Speaking of 'Bombay Dreams' and 'The Great Comet' ... | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 07:34 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 07:33 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
| In reply to: Speaking of Bombay Dreams alumni... - sf 05:37 pm EDT 10/25/17 | |
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| Earlier this year, Shoba Narayan made her B'way debut stepping in for a vacationing Denee Benton, as Natasha in ''The Great Comet.'' As Playbill's Olivia Clement noted at the time: It wasn't just a personal milestone for her. Narayan is the first South Asian female in a principal role since ''Bombay Dreams'' over 10 years ago, and she was then the only South Asian female in a Broadway musical. Narayan says: ''What's happening is really special. Growing up, I didn’t see a lot of me represented in the mainstream arts and media besides the animated characters Princess Jasmine from 'Aladdin' and Apu from 'The Simpsons' growing up. Today, TV and film has made moves towards South Asian representation, but Broadway has been a little bit behind. ... It would have meant so much to me [as a young South Asian girl] to see someone like me [on Broadway]. I’m overcome with happiness that a younger generation will have that opportunity.” |
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| Link | Playbill.com: A dream come true for Shoba Narayan as tonight's Natasha in 'The Great Comet' |
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