[Mb-hair] A Few Questions

[richard haase]

joe there are plenty of black people in PA
also you can have ny or philly auditions for a day etc
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Little Birdie" <lbirdie at hotmail.com>
To: <mb-hair at islandlists.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2005 11:36 AM
Subject: RE: [Mb-hair] A Few Questions


> Hi Joe, and welcome to the Hair list.
>
> It would be hard to do a production of Hair without at least a small
amount
> of racial diversity in the cast. I have seen many productions that had
only
> a few people of color in the Tribe, and seen that work, although the
> strongest productions are often those with a larger mix. There are songs
and
> lines in Hair that reference racial equality, and this is one of Hair's
> messages. Even such simple lines as in Claude's hallucination when a black
> man and a white man take each others arms and say "Black and white go nice
> together, don't they?" would have to be cut or changed. Not to mention the
> song Colored Spade.
>
> Certain roles, and the songs those characters sing, are written
specifically
> to be played by African American actors and actresses, while others are
not
> specified. I have seen success with gender switching in the role of Hud.
> Delores Hall understudied that role on Broadway, and was good when she
> played it. Hud isn't necessarily a man, but he is most definitely black.
> Your problem is not an uncommon one, sadly, and I believe some companies
> have tried casting this role with a caucasian actor. I would have a hard
> time thinking that could work, but perhaps others here who have struggled
> with this situation can tell you more about it than I can, never having
seen
> it done.
>
> There are other ways to fill in your company - perhaps you could open
> auditions to faculty and staff? To people outside the school community
> because of these special circumstances? I would strongly encourage you to
> try and find some ethnic diversity if you are mounting a production of
Hair.
>
> I am not sure what you are asking in your last paragraph, when you speak
of
> vocal or gender switching. Do you mean to solve this problem, or in the
show
> in general?
>
> Nina
> The Hair Archives
> http://www.michaelbutler.com/hair/holding/Hair.html
>
>
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