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| re: 1776 -- Female Cast | |
| Last Edit: mikem 11:27 pm EDT 04/16/20 | |
| Posted by: mikem 11:20 pm EDT 04/16/20 | |
| In reply to: 1776 -- Female Cast - BroadwayTonyJ 10:52 pm EDT 04/16/20 | |
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| One of the missing elements here is that neither Diane Paulus nor anyone else in the production has told us why they've decided to cast this particular show in this way. What's the overall concept of this production? Is it set in the 1700s? Are the actors wearing period male costumes, something more unisex and contemporary, or something else? It's hard to tell whether this is an overarching directorial concept that will illuminate the text, or if this is just a gimmick. BroadwayTonyJ, it sounds gimmicky to me to cast Hal in Picnic with a female actor. Was it clear why the show was cast in that fashion? |
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| re: 1776 -- Female Cast | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 01:11 am EDT 04/17/20 | |
| In reply to: re: 1776 -- Female Cast - mikem 11:20 pm EDT 04/16/20 | |
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| I don't think the casting choice was intended to be a gimmick. The artistic director stated he wanted the audience to look at the story from a fresh point of view. He felt that the female actor he chose for the role was the one who best embodied his vision for Hal. The production got mostly positive reviews from all the papers except from the one that everyone in Chicago reads -- the Tribune gave it a mixed review. | |
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| re: 1776 -- Female Cast | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 03:56 pm EDT 04/17/20 | |
| In reply to: re: 1776 -- Female Cast - BroadwayTonyJ 01:11 am EDT 04/17/20 | |
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| "I don't think the casting choice was intended to be a gimmick. The artistic director stated he wanted the audience to look at the story from a fresh point of view. He felt that the female actor he chose for the role was the one who best embodied his vision for Hal." When casting like this happens, I find it interesting to ponder EXACTLY what is the intent of it. Hal in PICNIC is William Inge's portrait of what might be described as a hyper-male character who trades on his specifically hyper-male sexuality as he moves through life, and it seems that pretty much every aspect of his life is informed by his hyper-male sexuality. If you have a woman playing the role, that can arguably allow us to look at those facets of the character in a new way through a sort of distancing or "strange-making" effect along Brechtian lines. Another way to phrase it is that casting a woman as Hal allows that actor in her performance to comment on this hyper-male character. But even if one does find that fascinating, obviously the play and the character work -- if they still do -- on a VERY different level than in a traditionally cast production, and of course, not every audience member is going to respond well to that. |
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| re: 1776 -- Female Cast | |
| Posted by: mikem 11:01 am EDT 04/17/20 | |
| In reply to: re: 1776 -- Female Cast - BroadwayTonyJ 01:11 am EDT 04/17/20 | |
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| BroadwayTonyJ, thanks! I think one of the pivotal aspects of Picnic is that multiple women in the town are physically attracted to Hal, so having him played by a woman and the other characters also played by women creates themes that could overshadow the other themes of the play. I'm glad to hear that was not the case. | |
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