Black Glinda- Page 2

[CedricOates]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 9:51am

TrChSpHa said: "CedricOates said: "Dave28282 said: "Wicked has a history of casting POC in all roles.

I just don't think a black Glinda is the best option, as the whole point of the story is that she portrays the typical privileged sorority girl, who has never experienced anything butadoration,completely contrasting with the colored Elphaba. This contrast is the basis of their bond. One is colored and one is not. Glinda makes remarks about Elphaba's color and the whole story is about how she is excludedand Elphaba makes remarks and gestures about Glinda that suggest she is dumb and blonde and oblivious.

Besides missingthe point story wise, I also think thatthe race focus and victimization in society is at an absurd level at the moment that this will not give the role the emission of care free privilege that it needs. I suspect that racist people will cheer and clap from the moment she walks on, but that is forced race focus which is wrong in my opinion and the core of maintaining the racial gap.I also wonder, because Wicked is full of POC, why this role in particular is seen as some kind of "victory", because believable casting is not about victories or giving minorities of choice chances. Maybe in the future, when society understands that racism is a 2 way street, and that the race focus decreased a little (a lot), and nobody puts themselves in the victim role anymore, castings like these could feel more believable but society is not there yet. Sitting in the audience with victory flags to pretend this focus on showing how much black people are victims, widening the gap, celebrating this casting as some kind of victory, while the whole point of the story is about excluding color is a bit misplaced and forced.

Like we discussed before, percentages of POC working in the arts are already very much level. Most people auditioning for a role are white so that automatically means a higher chance a role goes to a white person. That does not make anyone tone deaf, except for the people not understanding this. Forced race focus is never a victory. This goesfor roles where color does not matter, but wanting the opposite in roles where it does matter and then see it as victory is even worse.

This."

Please don’t co-sign this one."

Maybe I misunderstood what the message meant. Help me understand?

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 9:52am

@CedricOates

I'm confused, are you glad there's going to be a POC Glinda, or do you agree with Dave28282? 

[CedricOates]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 10:02am

JBroadway said: "@CedricOates

I'm confused, are you glad there's going to be a POC Glinda, or do you agree with Dave28282?"

100% Glad for a PoC Glinda! Just, should have happened way earlier than now. Happy it’s happening none the less.

[sing_dance_love]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 10:08am

In my opinion, the casting of a black Glinda creates the opportunity to highlight additional shade and nuance to the character. In this situation Glinda (and presumably, her family) is a girl who has assimilated herself into the upper classes by sheer force of personality and determination and has done whatever is needed to change herself in the process (by dyeing her hair blonde, for example). Now, at Shiz, she meets someone who, in refusing to change who she is to live up to others’ standards, might remind her of who she once was, and what she might have been had she taken another path. Now there is additional emotional layering to Glinda’s attempts to shun Elphaba, to “make her over” in a more palatable way, and her eventual friendship with and acceptance of her. Again, all of this is subtextual but could be fascinating to act and watch.

In the same way, I think a Legally Blonde with a black Elle could be fascinating.

 

Updated On: 6/6/18 at 10:08 AM

[GoblinKing2]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 10:48am

Does there even have to be subtext at all - considering that there have been "citizens of Oz" and other lead roles who have been people of color in the past?  It's as simple as the prevailing culture shunning Elphaba, not because she is of color, but of the wrong color, "wrong" being arbitrarily decided at some point in the past when the culture divided into "us" and "them."  It would be like that old Star Trek episode - "Don't you see?  I'm black on the right side.  He's black on the left side."  

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 10:55am

CedricOates said: "JBroadway said: "100% Glad for a PoC Glinda! Just, should have happened way earlier than now. Happy it’s happening none the less."

 

Ok. I'm asking because you responded to Dave's post by saying "This" but Dave is opposed to a POC Glinda. So you sort of contradicted yourself. Just curious why you said "This" to Dave's post. 

 

[lightguy06222]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 11:18am

Daves post is FAR to deep.  while I completely agree, no one in the audience seeing WICKED is doing a deep analysis of the show.  

all that matters is if the girl is talented or not.

 

way to go black Glinda.

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 11:28am

Wicked takes place in some other world where black people don't seem to be marginalized as we've seen with Fiyero's casting in the past. There are also background characters who are joining in on the ostracizing Elphaba due to her green skin color which nobody else has. If this was a more nuanced and deep show, it could be one of those themes of members of a oppressed class finally reaching a higher rung of the ladder and putting down a new population in order to maintain their position in the social order. In this world it seems only talking animals and Elphaba are oppressed. Maybe munchkins but they joined in bullying Elphaba (from what she says not from what we see). So having a black Glinda would not disrupt any sort of theme of oppression and privilege the show is portraying.

[seaweedjstubbs]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 11:46am

This is awesome! Congrats to Ms. Johnson for making history! Now little girls of every color can imagine themselves playing Glinda someday! Hope to catch her when she's on!

And stay mad, Dave. Nobody cares.

[singer234]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 11:53am

This is awesome news. I hope more shows follow this trend. There’s no reason Cady or Regina can’t be of color in Mean Girls, and another show I’ve always thought would have an interesting dimension added to it would be a production of Dogfight with a Rose of color (which actually already happened with Lindsey Mendez, I suppose). It would add some deep subtext and be vastly more interesting, imo, especially considering the show’s time period.

[TravisOKC]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 2:22pm

adamgreer said: "No worries, it’s all good.

To get back to the original post, who is finally leaving- Lindsay Northen or Heather Spore?"

 

I kind of wonder if Lindsay will be leaving the show to tour with Jared (if he is cast as willy wonka) in the US tour of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  Just a thought.

[RicardoMagon]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 4:55pm

There should be a black glinda because contrary to Broadway and Hollywood belief, there are black girls who are upper class and rich like Glinda. Black girls have different personalities besides the stereotypical sassy black girl stereotype that is portrayed on tv, theater and film.

There are black girls obsessed with pink and finding a hot boyfriend. There are black girls who speak like glinda speaks. There are black girls who have blonde hair. Black girls have been put into a corner where if they get mad for any reason they are then assumed to be the "sassy black" stereotype. But nah, black girls got all different types of personalities. It's just that hollywood and broadway never bothered to show them...

Watch Dear White People,one thing that show is great at doing is knocking down stereotypes of the african american young woman by having 4 female black characters with completely different personalities that you DONT see in hollywood or tv shows. There's actually one  black female character on the show that has the mannerisms of Glinda.

The lower middle class sassy black girl stereotype is dying. Get with it people. In real life, black girls have never just been the stereotype..

 

[Sondheimite]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 4:57pm

Updated On: 6/6/18 at 04:57 PM

[TrChSpHa]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 5:02pm

RicardoMagon said: "There should be a black glinda because contrary to Broadway and Hollywood belief, there are black girls who are upper class and rich like Glinda. Black girls have different personalities besides the stereotypical sassy black girl stereotype that is portrayed on tv, theater and film.

There are black girls obsessed with pink and finding a hot boyfriend. There are black girls who speak like glinda speaks. There are black girls who have blonde hair. Black girls have been put into a corner where if they get mad for any reason they are then assumed to be the "sassy black" stereotype. But nah, black girls got all different types of personalities. It's just that hollywood and broadway never bothered to show them...

Watch Dear White People,one thing that show is great at doing is knocking down stereotypes of the african american young woman by having 4 female black characters with completely different personalities that you DONT see in hollywood or tv shows. There's actually one black female character on the show that has the mannerisms of Glinda.

The lower middle class sassy black girl stereotype is dying. Get with it people. In real life, black girls have never just been the stereotype..

"

Yes. Thank you.

And of course they'd put her in a blonde wig; it's not like Black women are incapable of rocking blonde (or any shade of) hair. 

[Sondheimite]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 5:15pm

Updated On: 6/6/18 at 05:15 PM

[RicardoMagon]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 5:54pm

Hopefully Broadway and Hollywood will eventually figure out what Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ryan Coogler, and Justin Simien figured out. It's long overdue. There's no reason why an Asian man can't play the Phantom or a  young Latino man play Evan in Dear Evan Hansen. There's just no excuse for it anymore. I doubt change will happen anytime soon though.

[RicardoMagon]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 5:54pm

Hopefully Broadway and Hollywood will eventually figure out what Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ryan Coogler, and Justin Simien figured out. It's long overdue. There's no reason why an Asian man can't play the Phantom or a  young Latino man play Evan in Dear Evan Hansen. There's just no excuse for it anymore. I doubt change will happen anytime soon though.

[Sunny11]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 6:11pm

The fresh prince of bel air had a Black Glinda like character over a decade before Wicked opened on Broadway, the oldest sister Hilary. 

[Dave28282]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 6:38pm

Some people on here clearly haven't read or understood my post.

Clearly this girl was better than anyone else auditioning. Clearly all the other girls auditioning were not as good as her. She was clearly so much better, that they decided to overlook the story a bit.

That's cool. It's not the best option, but what can you do if no one else was as good as her?

She got the part and I'm happy and supportive for every person who gets the part. She will be great. 

The problem lies in people seeing this particular role cast black as a victory, which is ridiculous and way too race focused.

[Dave28282]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 6:46pm

RicardoMagon said: "There should be a black glinda because contrary to Broadway and Hollywood belief, there are black girls who are upper class and rich like Glinda."

There "should" not be any color Glinda. 

The role should be based on other things and if a girl is talented over others they can slightly look past certain traits.

But don't go complaining that there "should be" a black Glinda. That's a toxic race focus. The core of the problem. That's not how casting works.

 

[Dave28282]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 6:49pm

JBroadway said: "@CedricOates

I'm confused, are you glad there's going to be a POC Glinda, or do you agree with Dave28282?"

I'm confused, do you want a POC Glinda or a good Glinda?

Of course it can be both but shouldn't the focus lie on the 2nd?

You can better ask him: "Are you fine with a POC Glinda, or do you focus on race too much and demand it?"

Updated On: 6/6/18 at 06:49 PM

[Dave28282]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 6:51pm

RicardoMagon said: "Hopefully Broadway and Hollywood will eventually figure out what Lin-Manuel Miranda figuered out"

That deliberately casting on the race of choice is a good thing?

 

[TexanAddams18]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 6:56pm

Dave28282 said: "Some people on here clearly haven't read or understood my post.

Clearly this girl was better than anyone else auditioning. Clearly all the other girls auditioning were not as good as her. She was clearly so much better, that they decided to overlook the story a bit.

What exactly are they overlooking? The only physical description in the text (correct me if I am wrong) is that she is blonde. An African American can be blonde. There are many of them. What is the problem?

 

 

Updated On: 6/6/18 at 06:56 PM

[Dave28282]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 7:00pm

I described this in my previous post on page 1.

[Gizmo6]

Posted: 6/6/18 at 7:04pm

Dave28282 said: "RicardoMagon said: "There should be a black glinda because contrary to Broadway and Hollywood belief, there are black girls who are upper class and rich like Glinda."

There "should" not be any color Glinda.

The role should be based on other things and if a girl is talented over others they can slightly look past certain traits.

But don't go complaining that there "should be" a black Glinda. That's a toxic race focus. The core of the problem. That's not how casting works.

"

Who are you to dictate how casting works?