"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. |
