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As was David Bologna.chocchipcookie26 wrote:George Maycock also seems to be a greaaat singing Michael
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At the risk of opening up a can of worms on a potentially sensitive topic, it is interesting that there have been quite a few non-caucasion actors who have been chosen to play Billy, even though the actors who have played Dad, Dead Mum, Grandma and Tony have all been white. I've always assumed this was because it's so difficult finding kids who are able to handle the demanding role of Billy that they're not able to be picky and say that the kid has to look a certain way or have a certain background.jillmichael wrote:Also, I feel like they've got some kind of predilection for choosing Billies that have some type of ethnic heritage- no idea why. I honestly don't notice ethnic background on stage, like it doesn't even come up in my mind. Just when you think about it from the outside, there's a bit of a trend going. It's not a bad thing, of course! It's cool!![]()
I completely agree - for me, it does not matter what the background or looks of the Billy are, and equal opportunity is of course important, but to make a big deal out of the fact that they do have different ethnic backgrounds (for example, the first Broadway press meeting where they introduced Trent, David and Kiril and asked them where they were from, saying that Kiril is Ukranian when he said California) does make me wonder whether this was taken into account rather than just finding the most suited boy to play the part. Of course I do not wish that any of the boys who were chosen were not as they are all brilliant, but I still wonder if the company was very careful to be "politically correct" and show that they were not biased towards a specific look...Todd wrote:jillmichael wrote:Also, I feel like they've got some kind of predilection for choosing Billies that have some type of ethnic heritage- no idea why. I honestly don't notice ethnic background on stage, like it doesn't even come up in my mind. Just when you think about it from the outside, there's a bit of a trend going. It's not a bad thing, of course! It's cool!![]()
My personal experience has been that while I may notice the difference in appearances at the beginning of the show, I quickly get caught up in the story and the performance to where I don't notice whether the actors look like they could be from the same family or not. Suspending disbelief - up to a point - is required for musical theater in the first place, right ? And typically, the actor who plays Billy is so dynamic and talented that I focus more on those qualities and enjoy the show for that reason, not because of what he looks like.
Having said all that, I do remember being a bit confused by a comment Elton John (or maybe it was Stephen Daldry) made one time that was something to the effect of, "It's important that we always have different ethnic backgrounds when casting the Billys." My question to that would be: why ? It seems to me the more important question should be finding the best kid to play the part. If that means that they're all white, or all hispanic, or whatever, then so be it. If he meant that there should be equal opportunity for color-blind casting when kids audition for the part, then I'm all for it. But saying that there should be one Billy of this background and one of that background smacks of political correctness run amok, and could be detrimental to the success of the show in the long run if that sort of thing ever becomes a higher priority than finding the most talented kids to play Billy.
johnnyc wrote:I suspect that they are looking for potential. I think having a certain charisma is also a necessity.
It's rare indeed when they find a kid who already is the "complete package," as was Colin Bates. Colin had already "paid his dues" and was a professional entertainer. So he was able to go on stage as Billy after something like a two month training period in London.