The Fairy Princess was feeling ok about her last blog – which was published this morning, and she thought she had, like a hot second of respite from the abject foolishness that is show business.

She was wrong.

According to an article in The Guardian, screenwriter David Franzoni, who wrote the blockbuster film, GLADIATOR which starred Russell Crowe – and which, btw, though not historically accurate, was an enjoyable film – has a new project.

The subject of the new film is the 13th century poet Jalaluddin al-Rumi.

Rumi was a Persian poet, born in what today is known as Afghanistan.  He was an Islamic scholar and a Sufi mystic. His writing has been translated and appreciated the world over since the 13th century! Go on with your bad self, Rumi!

Rumi believed in the the use of poetry, music, and dance as a path for reaching God.

Let’s look at some Rumi quotes in case you are unfamiliar with his writing.

“Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes around in another form.”

“Dance, when you’re broken open. Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off. Dance in the middle of the fighting. Dance in your blood. Dance when you’re perfectly free.”

“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.”

“When I am with you, we stay up all night. When you’re not here, I can’t go to sleep. Praise God for those two insomnias! And the difference between them.”

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

Sounds like a great guy!

Does Rumi merit a biopic?

Absolutely – this is a great choice for a biopic. Rumi was a spiritual man who was both scholar and artist and his life has touched millions of people since the 13th Century. He escaped the Mongol invasion, traveled widely, and finally settled in Turkey, where he passed from old age.

Two of his works, the Masnavi and the Divan, are considered among the best poetry ever written, so yeah, of course – give this man’s story the full Hollywood treatment – especially now, when we could all benefit from the story of this Sufi teacher – a man of peace and love, who meets the fellow with whom he has conversations that change both his life and his poetry.

This should be a win!

This should be more than a win, this should be a happy dance kind of time!

Rather specifically, it should be a Sufi swirling dance kind of time!

But it’s not.

Sadly, screenwriter Franzoni and producer, Stephen Joel Brown definitely want to give Rumi the full ‘Hollywood’ treatment.

They want Leonardo DiCaprio to play Rumi.

They would also like Robert Downey Jr. to play Shams of Tabriz.

Who was an Iranian Muslim.

 They want to, in full Hollywood tradition – erase the Middle Eastern roots of the men whose stories they want, so desperately, to tell!

This is what they say in The Guardian article:

“David Franzoni, who wrote the script for the 2000 blockbuster Gladiator, and Stephen Joel Brown, a producer on the Rumi film, said they wanted to challenge the stereotypical portrayal of Muslim characters in western cinema by charting the life of the great Sufi scholar.”

They want to challenge the stereotypical portrayal of Muslim characters in Western cinema, by having two stars of Western cinema who have no ethnic ties to the Middle East play the roles.

Well, that is pretty stereotypical – hate to break that to you, Mr. Franzoni.

It’s whitewashing.

It’s the erasure of ethnic people in the stories of their own lives.

It is the essence of what TFP always likes to say:

Oh sure, they ‘love’ the Rumi story. They ‘love’ it as source material.

What they are failing to ‘love’ is the very real point that these two men are ethnic men.

What they are failing to realize is that in 13th Century Afghanistan, as men who were religious scholars, their heritage both religious and ethnic played a vital part in their lives and influenced how they came to their work – work which is still selling, hundreds of years later!

Look, this film is not even written yet, the writer and producer are on their way to do research – and no, the two actors mentioned are not attached in any way – one hopes they would be too intelligent and too aware to agree to star in a film that is supposed to be about two men with Persian heritage.

If not, someone for the love of all that is holy please go and whisper these two titles in their ears “PRINCE OF PERSIA” and “GODS OF EGYPT” – should wake them up like a kimchi slap in late August.

This is the same issue that happened when the writer for Dr. Strange decided to give us all a lecture on the vagaries of casting an East Asian Actor, as he saw it – for which Marvel later smacked him with a wet noodle and made him apologize for – these writers do not see ethnic peoples as anything but source material for the basis of a script in which Caucasians will star.

This is a very real problem that is enabled by the entire way Hollywood writes and casts films.

It is a problem of entitlement. It is fueled by past successes and enormous egos, and there needs to be a reckoning.

That these two men feel quite comfortable in saying their end goal, to tell the story of one of the world’s greatest poets, includes having him played by a man with no Persian background, all to change the stereotypes of Muslims…

For announcing their intent to whitewash the roles of two of the most influential Muslim men who were ever born, TFP fines Mr. Franzoni and Mr. Brown to fifty whacks with the wand and a WGA diversity training session, which they are to be locked in like it’s a Scientology debriefing until they ‘get it’.

Seriously, Dudes…think about it – GODS OF EGYPT and PRINCE OF PERSIA, but you want to do the same damn thing…

TFP out.

The Fairy Princess has been out of sorts lately – several deaths in the Family in a short period of time, some travel, some charity work – and therefore has not weighed in as yet since The Ancient One was crowned Celtic by Marvel.

Which is not to say she has not been paying attention – she has attended panels and discussions, so let’s get to it.

The Good:

Asian American Film Lab is lighting it up again with their annual 72 Hour Shoot Out. This is when contestants have 72 hours to write and produce a short film that centers around a theme. This year’s theme was “Lose the Labels’.  All eligible films have been submitted now and the top ten winning films will premiere on July 23rd at the Asian American International Film Festival in New York City.

In more AAFL news, their short film, The Opposite of a Fairy Tale, will premiere at MOCA on Thursday June 16th at 6:30pm. The short is about elder abuse in the Asian and Asian American communities, and is based on a true story.

The Bad:

THE KING AND I revival on Broadway has posted their closing date – June 26th.

We have to be happy to have had this sumptuous revival on Broadway, which gave us our second (ever) API Female TONY Winner in Performance, Ruthie Ann Miles…

however with the closing of the show, the API representation on The Great WHITE Way is now being represented in leading roles for women by TONY Nominee, Philippa Soo of HAMILTON,

Miss Isabella Russo in SCHOOL OF ROCK,

and Courtney Reed in ALADDIN.

 

JUST ANNOUNCED Casting of Ali Ewoldt as the first API to play Christine in PHANTOM on Broadway. (The role has been played by an API previously – Margaret Ann Gates in Canada).

TFP did not get the ‘math gene’, but in case you were wondering that is 1 plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 equals 4. (stop singing that number from SIDE SHOW!)

For MALE representation on Broadway in a lead role there is…ONE, as of June 26,2016.

In ALADDIN.

Adam Jacobs. Here he is with his Parents.

Yep, once KING AND I is closed, the only API Male Lead on Bway will be Mr. Jacobs.

Until MISS SAIGON gets here, we had hopes of a more Jellicle representation, but…

We can do WAY better with that, Broadway, can’t we? Don’t give in to the perception that APIs cannot sell tickets, or that people will not go and see shows with APIs in lead roles. It’s  the ‘No Fats, Femmes, or Asians” esthetic that keeps infiltrating our ability to be called in, to be truly considered, and finally to be cast.

Broadway should be better than that. Broadway should be better than what TFP likes to call ‘accidental racism’ – the ‘OH, there just aren’t any”, or “We don’t know if they have broad appeal…”

There are a ton of shows coming in and guess what – other than MISS SAIGON, GOTTA DANCE and one cast member of CATS…there are no APIs. Feel free to email TFP if she is wrong, but judging by what is coming in…nope.

The only lead role for an API coming into the next season is Lori Tan Chinn in GOTTA DANCE. Which will bring the number of lead roles – assuming the casting announced at the top of this blog remains intact – to FIVE.

                         

UPDATE: Philippa Soo has announced that she is leaving the cast of HAMILTON in July- so…back to FOUR.

TFP wants to expand everyone’s idea of casting APIs, we do not have to just be in roles where ethnicity is ‘required’ – we can and should play any role that our talent justifies – and thus she throws this circumstance out there, just for your consideration.

Next season, the venerated East West Players is doing GYPSY.

Yes, that is what TFP was told.

Now, traditionally, EWP has done what a great many ‘ethnic’ theaters do in America and has done for example, an All API Sweeney Todd – this is all well and good. However, recently AD Tim Dang, who is retiring after years and years of service, did choose to integrate his casting, particularly in their production of PIPPIN because, he believes this is the ‘next step’.

TFP is inclined to agree with him.

So when she started thinking about GYPSY and how it might be perceived, she had a thought, based on her own niece’s being blonde and blue eyed…

What if Mama Rose was Hapa? Aka ‘mixed race’. What if the father of Louise and Baby June (who is never seen) was Caucasian – thus Baby June is blonde and while Louise is a brunette, she also does not look what most people would view as Asian?

Then, all of a sudden you realize, without having to be ‘told’ about racism – you would ‘see’ why it was that Mama Rose singing to all those Shriners really did not have a ‘chance’, but why her kids would? It would also go along with many Hollywood stories – Viven Leigh, Merle Oberon…people who had Asian heritage, but who ‘passed’.

For example, just as an example – ALLEGIANCE’s Manna Nichols…as grown up Louise? TFP thinks audiences would relish this kind of reimagining of a classic MT piece.

THINK of the EPIC and intrinsic anger that Rose’s Turn would have by the end of the show and the poignancy of Louise watching her and telling her “You would have been great, Mama.”

It would be a very interesting way to deal with APIs doing GYPSY in this day and age – and let’s be honest – Gypsy Rose Lee? LEE?

It’s just a thought.

Back to the APIs of The Broadway – come on Producers – ALLEGIANCE is closed, KING AND I is closing – tick tock. Tick tock – we cannot just leave it to The Family Jacobs to hold it down for all of us.

Now…coincidentally, Mr. Jacob’s sister named…wait for it…Arielle, is going Down Under to play Jasmine in their production of ALADDIN and for half a second TFP needs to address some sh..some stuff going on as an Aussie.

TFP is a dual citizen, and her family has been in Oz since the 1800’s. Her Chinese side of the family. So no, no one was transported – sit down, and let’s get to listening.

There has been quite a bit of push back in Oz about Ms. Jacob’s casting, as well as productions bringing over cast members from The States to do shows in Australia. The shows that are upsetting folks are – ALADDIN, KINKY BOOTS, BOOK OF MORMON, LION KING, HAMILTON...and everyone needs to stop moaning about it.

You see, Aussie theater is even more closed to people of color than American or British theater – hard to believe, but it is true. The shows that are bringing over performers are not HEATHERS or MY FAIR LADY – both currently in production there – no – the shows that are bringing over performers are shows that require Actors of Color in the roles.

(* Correction: MFL does have one Brit, in the role of Henry Higgins, 3x Olivier Winner, Alex Jennings. He is Caucasian. 

The Australian Performers Union is trying to hammer out an agreement with Foreign Producers, which TFP supports without question. 

This post is not about that fight specifically- this is about reactions she has noticed on Aussie Actor message boards etc- it is not about performer visas or the ability to obtain a green card, it is about professional camaraderie.)

Whilst Oz has gotten away with ‘well we just don’t have any over here‘ for quite a long time – it was only a year or so ago they cast a Caucasian as The King in King and I, before internet uproar had them replace him with Jason Scott Lee, and then Lou Diamond Philips- that is simply not true. 

There are PoC Performers, but unless you go to Theater 4A or some such place, they are not visible.

Thus, when it comes to a visible presence on Aussie stages for Performers of Color, it is rare to non-existent. Which is why Producers often bring PoC performers from overseas.

Which led to some really ‘interesting’ comments that TFP saw on Aussie actor message boards etc.

So, my fellow Aussies – you need to stop.

Lola cannot be played by a Caucasian. Likewise The Genie, Jasmine, and so on and so forth.

Again- this is NOT to say that there are no Actors of Color over in Oz, for example they are doing AVENUE Q over there and they do have an Asian Aussie playing Christmas Eve – which, let’s face it, is better than they did in Cincinnati!

But the truth is, an overwhelming majority of roles in Australia, in musical theater, go to Caucasians – and it is this disparity, that leads to minority Aussie actors not having as much on their resumes and possibly less representation by agents and so forth – and the snowball effect is – if you are a big producer bringing a show over from The States or Britain, and your show requires an Actor or Actress of Color, you are going to bring someone in because they have the Broadway/West End experience of eight shows a week.

These castings are not, truly, something for Aussie Actors in Musical Theater who are NOT of minority heritage, to get upset about. Let’s also remember, than when an Aussie or NZ Actor is on Broadway – of which there have been many, no performers over here protest in the way that TFP has seen in the vice versa.

Hugh Jackman? Bring it. Hayden Tee? Sings like a boss. Kaye Tuckerman in MAMA MIA? No one blinked. There are SO many here they have their own night at 54 Below! 

US performers are fine with it.

No worries, Mate. No Worries at all.

Also note – the original story of Aladdin was added to Arabian nights later. The original story occurs in China along the Silk Road trading routes, so casting a person of East Asian descent is technically correct.

These producers are not doing anything except protecting the integrity of their show – and they have a right to do so. Relax. No, you probably will not be in HAMILTON unless you are King George, but that is called a ‘world view’ and that is something to be embraced and learned from.

In short…allow yourselves, Aussie Producers and Directors to embrace more diversity on your stages, look for local PoC Actors, but until then..if Actors of Color are coming over there to work, you need to…

TFP now has to address a stupid thing said this past week – she will try and be brief…which, as we all know, is not her strongest suit.

So, the President of CBS Glenn Geller said, in regards to their picking up almost exclusively, shows that star mainly Caucasian males in their 40’s, 50’s, that though they have some diversity in their ensembles and shows (Madame Secretary, Mom, 2 Broke Girls) with a female leads, that “We’re not casting color-blind, we’re casting color conscious – the right roles for diversity.”

The “Right roles’, as in…very few? As in “Supporting”? As in “Recurring?”

The genius of this verbiage is that over the course of the years, people have stopped calling for ‘color blind’ casting – which came to mean to some, just sticking a diverse actor in a role simply to complete a picture, and they have started using ‘color conscious’. Meaning, please, if the show takes place in an area or field where there is naturally diverse people, please use variety when representing this location.

He is taking the ‘advancement’ of the language and turning it back on under-represented folks, in essence saying – Y’all would not like to be in THIS show, it’s not a place you would fit.

Like, in society? In America?

TFP supposes it does not matter – ABC is totes kicking CBS’s tush in their casting and subject matter – take a look at this fantastic trailer from their new show, SPEECHLESS

Carry on ABC, you are kicking ass and taking names. 

The Dummer Award? Named for Exec Victoria Dummer? Acknowledging advanced ways of thinking and supporting a rainbow of talent?

Awesome! Rock on ABC!

Likewise, yay for The CW and the dope way Mark Pedowitz said he was renewing everything because he liked the schedule.

Baller.

Congrats to the TV Execs that show vision!

All the other ones Kiss My Fan Tan Fannie! They know who they are.

TFP out.

The Fairy Princess was feeling pretty good – she was in the Opening Number for the Easter Bonnet Competition for Broadway Cares/EFA – directed by T. Oliver Reed, written by Jed Resnick, and choreographed by Rommy Sandhu.

The number celebrated both the 25th Anniversary of The Will Rogers Follies AND the current Broadway season, which is rife with Diversity. TFP got to ‘play’ with Tony Award Winner, Cady Huffman, After Midnight‘s Carmen Ruby Floyd, and Hamilton’s own David DeGuzman, as well as all the beautiful dancers in cowboy hats, tap shoes, and chaps – it was a blast!

That was this past Monday and Tuesday and you can read all about it in Playbill.com as well as catch photos and the Sweeney Todd sketch by the company of Hamilton that made TFP simply howl with laughter both when she saw the rehearsal and during both performances.

The whole fundraising event raised over 5 Million dollars for one of TFP’s favorite charities, and thus she was filled with the spirit of good intentions – until she read the interview with screenwriter C. Robert Cargill, who worked on the yet to be released, but infamous for it’s whitewashing of The Ancient One character, Dr. Strange.

In the interview, Mr. Cargill says that casting Tilda Swinton was done, in part, to prevent China from boycotting the film, because as the world knows, China is forever trying to annex Tibet from being an independent country. Mr. Cargill said, in a nutshell, that if you consider that Tibet is a real place…

(IF?!?!)

Continuing on…if you consider that Tibet is a real place and try and cast a Tibetan, China will not go, and the studio will lose bajillions and bajillions of dollars. Likewise if they cast a Chinese person as a Tibetan, they would lose…TFP does not know…she tried to find out Tibet’s spending habits in regards to film, but it is not popping up. However, for argument’s sake, let’s say a few million at least.

Thus he and the director had to make the character of The Ancient One a white woman from a Tibetan male.

Because…CHINA.

Thank you so much C. Robert Cargill for your analysis of the situation, but you are talking out of your ass.

Realizing that C. Robert Cargill’s statements were doing more harm than good – plus which, the person they were considering was Ken Watanabe, who is Japanese, and whose casting would not have offended Chinese or Tibetan people (other than in that pesky most Asian countries have a bad history with Japan kind of way) Marvel has ventured into the whitewashing fray and released a few statements of their own, to try and contain the poop volcano that seems to be spraying them every time one of their people tries to ‘defend’ this casting.

Also, Marvel made Cargill apologize:

I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but none that I regret as much as choosing to answer a question to which I had no place in speaking. I tried to make it right by clarifying my position on Twitter Monday but unfortunately — perhaps ironically, given that this story gained so much steam on social media — those comments were not picked up by those reporting on my statements from the original podcast. Those original statements were my own personal musings about a character, and although I worked on the film script, I came to the project after the first draft and was not part of any casting discussions or decisions so I had no right or knowledge to speak about them as if I was. It was a moronic decision, and worst of all, I embarrassed my friends and colleagues by coming across as if I were speaking for them. I was not.

(Benedict Cumberbatch has wisely not commented, he is shoring up his good PR by doing fun Shakespeare videos with Prince Charles- wise man.)

Here is what Marvel is now asking us all to believe – that the  part of The Ancient One was so rife with racism, that they could not even deal with having an Asian play an Asian – no, they had to protect us all from seeing ourselves playing ourselves – so they CHANGED The Ancient One‘s origins.

The Ancient One now is a revolving title that somehow gets passed along and in this case, has been passed to a bald Tilda Swinton in silk pajamas, because…wait for it, the NEW AND IMPROVED ANCIENT ONE IS….

Wait for it…

CELTIC!

Marvel has a very strong record of diversity in its casting of films and regularly departs from stereotypes and source material to bring its MCU to life. The Ancient One is a title that is not exclusively held by any one character, but rather a moniker passed down through time, and in this particular film the embodiment is Celtic. We are very proud to have the enormously talented Tilda Swinton portray this unique and complex character alongside our richly diverse cast.

Well, now TFP has to, just HAS to say something because…TFP is Asian and…wait for it – IRISH.

A.K.A. Celtic.

So now, as an Irishwoman, TFP has to brave these stupid Marvel-less waters and protest on behalf of the erasure of Celtic tradition.

Let’s go to the photo of Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One…

First thing one notices is of course, the baldness.

One problem – Ancient Celtic women would not have shaved their heads. It was a cold climate for one, and long hair kept one warmer than not, but also, charms and spells of protection could be woven into hair – hair was sacred.

NO ANCIENT CELT WOULD SHAVE THEIR HEAD.

Perhaps you were as unaware of Ancient Celtic Female Warriors as Marvel is.

Well, click on the link for the tale of the legendary Scottish female warrior woman, Scathach. Or the the other woman she battled against – Aife.

They may have looked a bit like Keira Knightly’s character in King Arthur in 2004, when they depicted Guinevere. Perhaps less sexy. Perhaps more.

Or take a look at the largest legendary Warrior Queen, Boudica as played by Alex Kingston,

Is one getting the overall picture of what an Ancient Celt would look like? Long hair?  Leather? Iron weapons? Tatoos? Possibly blue body paint? Probably used furs for warmth and some kind of homespun for clothes. Cloaks?
Any of that on Ancient Tilda Swinton?

Then there are the adornments. Now, as most Asian people will tell you – at the time of The Ancient One‘s original origin story – the valuable jewelry would be made of jade in varying shades, ivory (which is why we will probably have no elephants left by the time TFP‘s son grows to an adult), gold, precious or semi-precious stones, and a variety of perfumed woods.

We have all seen images of Tibetan monks and so on with prayer beads, or necklaces of some sort – no one is immune from the status of adornment.We would expect to see some sort of adornment, because Tibetan traditions include wearing forms of wealth- and again, even religious people have items that have meaning, though they might not be made from precious metals.

If the new Ancient One is Celtic – there should be  a variety of adornments made of silver or gold – armbands, torques, bracelets, amulets, pins, necklaces – in Ancient times, they were supposed to protect the wearer. One did not go to battle without them, one’s status was seen immediately when one wore them. People were buried with them, so the Gods would recognize their status in the afterlife.

TFP failed to notice any armbands, torques, bracelets or anything Celtic adorning Ancient Tilda Swinton.

Now, it is all very well to try and whitesplain your way out of a bad casting choice –

TFP fully expected something of this sort. However, with this new explanation, Marvel is taking the offense to a whole new level!

Now they have TFP‘s Irish up!

First they co-opted Tibet, then they took the Asian face out of Tibet, then they took the contribution of Tibet away, but kept the location of Tibet, and then they put a Scottish heritaged person in there and arbitrarily announced the character was now an Ancient Celt, but stripped the character of any of the defining looks or accompanying symbols of being an Ancient Celt!

Is anyone else exhausted?

Tilda Swinton said that when she was approached, it was not to play an Asian character. Ok Tilda, we’ll play along then, given this new information – but here is the thing – you let them whitewash the Celtic out of the character!

YOU! Who actually has Celtic heritage!

They whitewashed the Celtic out of the character of ‘The Ancient One Who Is No Longer Tibetan But Celtic’ and Tilda Swinton let them! Tilda and whoever the Costume Designer was – guess they did not get the ‘switch it to Celtic‘ memo, they were still in the Asian-adjacent train of thought.

This is actually hilarious. TFP thought she was annoyed about this as an Asian American – guess what? She’s more frustrated as a person of Celtic descent!

Oh Marvel – you have made this explanation crazier than a rat in a coffee can and all TFP can think is….

Marvel – you cannot just announce that you are co-opting yet ANOTHER culture in this mess of a film and expect us all to buy it – or buy a ticket!

Ancient Celts were actual people with long history of creativity, warrior tradition, they had a culture, they had music, laws – they are not a get out of jail free card to be thrown into  this mess of a miscasting.

Trying to excuse the casting with this explanation dishonors two traditions – Tibetan and Celtic. Let’s clarify in case you still have not gotten it – you got it wrong, TWICE.

TFP cannot EVEN!

OMG this is amusing beyond all reasonable measure!

See you all next week when The Ancient One somehow becomes Incan.

TFP out.

 

The Fairy Princess wanted to write today about language – the power of it. You see, this week, an attorney in New York City, Randolph McLaughlin

from the Civil Rights Firm of Newman & Ferrara decided to call attention to a casting notice put out by the musical HAMILTON.

Yes, that HAMILTON – the big, fat, hip hop hit of a musical, and no you will never get a ticket any time soon – HAMILTON.

What he did was call attention – and a press conference – calling out the language used in the casting notice – here is his quote:

“You cannot advertise showing that you have preference for one racial group over another, You can’t express racial preference. I don’t know how a producer in the 21st century can think this is OK,” he said. “Even when the intention is obviously good, you can’t express racial preference. This is an issue we have been fighting for decades and it started for black people. Imagine if the casting call was for WHITES ONLY. Al Sharpton would have a picket line. Listen, Idris Alba might not be the best person to play James Bond, but he should certainly be allowed to audition for the role if he wants to.”

Now – is he wrong?

Asian Pacific Islanders, Latinos, African Americans are all represented in HAMILTON, and to those of us in the performing communities the success of this show gave us hope – and hope is a powerful motivator.

Hope can change things.

What seemed so incredible about this was the fact that non-discriminatory language that had been designed to protect ‘us’ was being turned back on ‘us’ to make a point. However look back on what he said ““…Even when the intention is obviously good, you can’t express racial preference. This is an issue we have been fighting for decades and it started for black people…”

We really don’t know why he felt the need to do this – what we do know is – within the letter of the law about discrimination and who can be advertised for and how they can be advertised for – he was in the right.

Does it make it worse that he is a Person of Color or better?

TFP doesn’t know.

Many people thought, if TFP can refer to her social media community for a moment in the most general way- that this was about people who were not a majority in HAMILTON launching a calculated and hypocritical attack at the people that were a majority in HAMILTON.

It wasn’t.

 

UPDATED: TFP has been notified via Twitter, that The Lamplighters decided to change the setting of their Mikado to Victorian England. Apparently this was announced four days ago, please note the date of March 25th.

TFP thanks them for responding to community concerns and wishes them a long and successful run, however she is leaving this post up because she realizes she is widely read and she has  a responsibility to note that the news of this change – which is hugely positive – gets to all concerned.

So therefore, she leaves her initial post up – with the knowledge that by putting this information at the top – the news will indeed reach the people it needs to.

She does suggest that The Lamplighter should update their PR photos, because their Yellowface photos are all over promoting the show – and this could lead to much community push back, which is now rendered unnecessary.

She also wishes to congratulate them on making changes and not chickening out like NYGASP, who cancelled their production completely.

Go on there, Lamplighters – snaps to you.

THIS WAS THE INITIAL POST.

TFP LEAVES IT UP TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE ISSUE AT HAND AND TO MAKE SURE THAT OTHER G&S COMPANIES IN THE U.S. NOTE THAT POSITIVE CHANGE CAN BE HAD…AND IF NOT…SHE WILL LIKELY WRITE ABOUT IT – AND NO ONE WANTS THAT, DO WE?

The Fairy Princess was sitting in solemn silence – wait, that is totally false, as she has an almost four year old – there is never silence.

What some would call silence, TFP calls “waiting for sh*t to hit the fan’ and she was right – the fan is on and it’s blowing, and in this case – the fan is being waved in San Francisco of all places by, you may have guessed it, a Gilbert and Sullivan company. In this case, the company is called The Lamplighters.

Their motto is “Bringing Music and Laughter since 1952” They should at “At Asian Americans” to the end of that. Not with, at.

You see, they are going to produce The Mikado. In the ‘traditional Yellowface style”.

TFP has had MUCH experience in writing about The Mikado and here are a few highlights of opinions she has expressed, ad nauseum, in the past –

No one is out to get your precious Mikado!

Asian Americans do not want to ‘take it away’ from G&S enthusiasts – and by circling the wagon and deciding that is what we ‘all’ want to do, Caucasians are definitely and defiantly missing the point of what the continued objection to The Mikado is – the mockery of Asian appearance and dress by Caucasians.

TFP assumes you know you look ridiculous, but just in case you don’t…Lady Cora?

The following images are from The Lamplighters’ Production…

Thoughts?

Your continued productions of The Mikado are not smartly done – the companies involved have not invested the time and effort to find out how to honor the Japanese customs in the way Gilbert wanted to do – you have somehow decided it was your right to imbue it with American jingo-ism stemming from WW2 backlash against Japanese Americans, and you have made it beyond ridiculous – caricatures that almost no one wants to see.

You might as well declare you want to build a wall around The Mikado and have APIs pay for it.

You have not invested in finding local Asian American talent that could lend this piece it’s dignity back – yes, yes, you talk about putting an ad in a paper or online to ‘find’ someone – but most of the time, Asian Americans know that the line about diversity in your ad is nothing but lip service.

Let’s face it – you do this because you LIKE it – you like making fun of people, specifically API people – and since Blackface is a giant no-no that even y’all can understand, Yellowface is too fun for you to give up.  It is your last chance to mock another set of people secure in the argument that you can hide behind the “It’s Art” statement.

By the way – the minute you bring out the ‘authenticity’ argument, TFP will direct your attention to your own rewrite of “A Little List“. The minute you rewrite it, you are not authentic – seems relatively simple to understand from where TFP sits.

You really don’t want API’s in your production, because they might call you out on your own racism, and that is so veddy, veddy uncomfortable.

You could set The Mikado almost anywhere – there have been countless productions – the most famous of course is the English National Opera’s – where excessive makeup and costumes are not the order of the day, and which would express more creativity and sensitivity.

 

Those are points that TFP has made – over and over – in regards to Seattle, in New York where NYGASP actually closed the show – (which TFP was not for, the cancellation) and now, we are looking at you, San Francisco.

San Francisco, you should be ashamed of yourself.

You have what is one of the largest Asian American populations in the United States – 21.4% –  and one of the longest records of Asian American settlement in American History.

Asian Americans have contributed to the health and well being and entertainment of San Franciscans since the beginning, and for those who do not know, or who have not seen the wonderful documentary FORBIDDEN CITY by Arthur Dong, San Francisco had a wonderful nightclub that featured the talents of Asian Americans called The Forbidden City. (Now available on digital remaster Blu-Ray on Amazon)

They had the Chinese Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the Chinese Frank Sinatra, the Chinese (there were plenty of APIs in the club, everyone was billed as being ‘the Chinese…insert white performer name) – you get the picture.

In point of fact, the novel by CY Lee – FLOWER DRUM SONG, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, was set in The Forbidden City in San Francisco. Likewise the musical FLOWER DRUM SONG was also set in San Francisco. This then became the film FLOWER DRUM SONG, which had one of the most famous movie numbers filmed on what is now the most famous street IN San Francisco – Grant Avenue!

Asian Americans and San Francisco go together – like Clang Clang Clang and Trolley. Asian Americans are as visible and as vibrant in San Francisco as The Golden Gate bridge.

In point of fact – Angel Island off the coast of San Francisco was the famous immigration point for Asian people trying to enter the country!

San Francisco was where Wong Kim Ark tried to re-enter the country of his birth and was denied, and thus he sued the United States and THAT is why – if you are BORN here, you are a Citizen.

He was born in the United States. In San Francisco – 751 Sacramento Street.

San Francisco and Asian Americans are united in a blood oath, we just cannot quit one another.

(Above photo by Lia Chang)

San Francisco – you deserve better than this Lamplighter production – you are too find a city to allow caricatures of Asian peoples on your stages…and while TFP is not advocating to close this production, lessons can always be learned no matter how painful –she is asking The Lamplighters a simple question:

If you could not hide your production behind the Yellowface makeup, exaggerated cartoonish gestures, and flowing robes – would it be any good?

Would this production – stripped down – show the fun of mocking Victorian mores? Or would it simply show that you do not have the talent to rely only on your voices and performances?

It is a question worth answering.

Oh yeah, and Kiss our Fan, Tan Fannie!

TFP out.

 

The Fairy Princess has, of course, written extensively about white washing the Asian Americans out of the Musical Theater, Major Motion Pictures and mocking them on International Awards shows….and it has all be for ‘the greater good‘.

She does not benefit personally over pointing out that the King in King and I should be of Asian descent, she’s never going to play the King.

She has pointed out in the past that Mrs. Anna was of mixed Asian descent, but this was more for general knowledge and not for her personal benefit.

She has never been requested for a production of The Mikado, but she does not want API’s tortured when they go see it, so she has asked that productions be more sensitive about putting on this operetta.

TFP was not going to jump into to replace Tilda Swinton or Emma Stone – simply put – most of what she writes about is not personal, it’s common sense.

Recently she was sent an article about a production of Avenue Q that is  up in Cincinnati written by David Lyman, who pointed out the casting of Christmas Eve with someone who does not present as Asian or Asian American.

Let’s not beat around the Trekkie Monster – TFP was in the Original Broadway Company of the show in question and while she has been told but never shown photos that this role has been whitewashed in regional theater before, and colleges etc – this is the first time she has read about anyone having an objection to it– for which she would like to thank Mr. Lyman and Cincinnati Actor, Elizabeth Molloy for ‘standing up’.

Now, we are all clear that Christmas Eve, who is supposed to be an immigrant from Japan, is to appear Asian – not due to exaggerated makeup or prosethetics a la Jonathan Pryce – the character is legitimately supposed to appear Asian.

The way they decided to solve a problem like an Asian in the Original Broadway Cast was to actually cast an Asian American in the role, Ms. Ann Harada. (And then TFP)

Crazy, right? TFP will just give you a minute to take that in. How you doing?

Yes, they did this crazy thing and wrote a part specifically for an Asian performer and they cast API performers! Over and over and over again. Like, they went out and auditioned real live API performers and…guess what?

FOUND THEM!

In New York City, if there is a Christmas Eve, it’s a pretty safe bet she is being played by an API.

TFP does not even think this is up for debate, it just IS – just like, you know Aussie Hugh Jackman played Aussie Peter Allen, or like a Laura Benanti tweet that is funny,  or the notion that Lin Manuel Miranda will rap in a musical – there are things that just ARE in the current musical theater canon, they just ARE – which is totally fun and fine.

Kick ball change.

Here is a photo from the 10th Anniversary of the show – a photo TFP likes to call ‘Ghosts of Christmas Eves Past‘. You will notice the inimitable Ann Harada in the center in navy, then left to right – Lisa Helmi Johanson, Sala Iwamatsu, Erin Quill, Hazel Anne Raymundo, and (future TONY winner) RuthieAnn Blumenstein.

Now, if one was to put this in “Harry Potter” speak – yes, you have some Purebloods and some half Muggles, but as one can see, one of the requirements to play the part of Christmas Eve was that it should be played by someone who naturally has API appearance because of things in the text.

There is an accent, which there should be because it is someone coming from another country to the USA, and what is your problem with accents – have you never met an Australian?

There is also the point of view of the immigrant, and the verbal syntax of an Immigrant to whom English is a second language.

The reason, continuing on all the other playwright vs. casting issues that have been cropping up lately, to cast an API in the role is because the role is written for an API!

Not only was it written for an API, it was actually written BY an API – one of the authors of Avenue Q, Bobby Lopez is of Filipino descent. Since then he has won more Tony Awards, an Emmy Award, an Oscar, and more than one Grammy – so…one would assume he knew what he wanted when he co-wrote the show with Jeff Marx & Jeff Whitty.

Mr. Lopez is the youngest EGOT winner on record and he accomplished it in the shortest time span on record – ten years!

There is actually no ‘gray area’ in regards to this character. Don’t believe TFP? On we go to the lyrics:

Christmas Eve enters and sings:

Your lives suck? I hearing you correctly? HA!

I coming to this country, for opportunities.

Try to work in Korean deli, but I am Japanese.

But with hard work I earn two masters degrees in social work.

And now I a therapist. But I have no clients.

And I have an unemployed fiance and we have lots of bills to pay.

It suck to be me. It suck to be me.

I say it sucka, sucka, sucka, sucka, sucka, sucka, sucka, sucka,suck!

It suck to be me!

Music & Lyrics by Bobby Lopez and Jeff Marx

So the first question that TFP wants to answer, regardless of the specifics of the Cincinnati production is – should non-Asians be cast in the role of Christmas Eve?

The answer please, Ms. Nicole Scherzinger?

When you cast a non-API person in the role of Christmas Eve, you wind up turning her into Mickey Rooney – and that is not cool – don’t believe TFP, take a look –

If the sight of that photo does not send shivers down your theater loving spine, then

You may be the most liberal person you know – you may love the show with every fiber of your being, you may be a card carrying member of everything – if you cast a non-Asian person as Christmas Eve, the song is not the only thing that is a little bit racist.

TFP acknowledges that the Actress playing Christmas Eve in the Cincinnati production has stated that her ‘great, great, great grandmother was from the island of Ma’ohi in Tahiti’.

GREAT!

Wait..how many is that removed? Count with TFP, she’s bad at math…

The Actress, Her Parent, Her Grandparent, Her Great Grandma, Her Great Great Grandma, and her Great Great Great Grandma. That is seven! A -ha- ha! Or perhaps six…TFP is not sure if you count the last person…or does one not count the first person?

(Now, if one was Native American and had ‘blood quantum‘ laws to deal with, that would be an issue, but APIs do not have that)

The theater producers said they did not want to ‘judge’ someone on their Asian-ness so they went forward and cast her.

Obviously their next production is Show Boat.

DNA is DNA – that is not the issue. The issue is – is the story being served in a way that honors the original intention?

TFP would say that the casting of Gary Coleman and Christmas Eve are of tremendous import to the effectiveness of the show.

In a show that deals with stereotype and intolerance, it’s important to keep the authors’ intent in mind when producing it. It is not all about “The Internet is for Porn” and “Loud as the Hell“, it’s also about “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist‘ – or did you not watch the last Democratic Debate in Flint?

The main issue is that Christmas Eve is an immigrant character. First generation. The background of her story is such that it provides reason to use her to skewer certain tropes, particularly, for example when Brian, her fiance, in order to prove he is not racist, says to Princeton, “How many Oriental wives have you got?” – after which, Christmas Eve brings the rain, and then acknowledges her own prejudices.

Which affects the show.

Which means this falls under the domain of the Director, Elizabeth A. Harris. She was backed by the Producers. They are the ones who are in charge of casting, no Actress casts themselves.

In this case, in Cincinnati, the casting of Christmas Eve affected the reviewer’s ability to enjoy the show so much, that he spent the first half of his article discussing the history of “Yellowface’ casting in theater and film.

One imagines that there were others in the audience similarly affected.

Unless they were all Trump supporters, and then one supposes they all thought it was great.

Look, TFP always has a hard time convincing people that she is 2nd generation Irish American…

so she can acknowledge that the struggle for mixed race people is real – after all, she has never been cast in The Beauty Queen of Leenane.

As to other reports that Christmas Eve is regionally played by Caucasians – this post is to acknowledge the profound sadness that TFP feels seeing how easily people dismiss the contributions of API female performers in musical theater. How our ‘worth’ is viewed as inconsequential beside someone’s need to tell this lovely little ‘dirty puppet show‘.

Just do the typical, insensitive production of The Mikado if you are going to whitewash- at least we know what to expect.

(Kidding, totally kidding on that one – DO NOT DO A RACIST MIKADO)

The role of Christmas Eve is in one of…here is the list – Flower Drum Song, Miss Saigon, Avenue Q, Allegiance, School of Rock, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,  King and I – 8 musicals where an API female is ‘required’. 

South Pacific does not always cast Bloody Mary with an API, so though one thinks of it as ‘required’, TFP has seen it an equal number of times with someone who is a minority, but not API. 

It is the only straight up comedy.

Spelling Bee is comedic, but has dark moments, TFP does not consider it as broad a comedy piece.

Even hearing about college productions or local productions where she is played with no thought for what the authors’ intended gives TFP ‘the sads‘.

As she said previously, the production in Cincinnati is not the first time she has heard of this issue – friends have mentioned it in passing, like seeing Bigfoot or a Unicorn – but this is the first time she has read such a passionate questioning from the local press, and for that reason, she felt she had to address it.

As stated at the top, this is somewhat personal, and if TFP has stuck up for The King, and the Orphan of Zhao, and everyone else – she must stick up too for Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve is a game changing API character in musical theater – there is nothing submissive about her – she is ballsy and tough and she has a kick ass song, as well as punchlines.

It is not too different from Jessica on Fresh off The Boat on ABC.

(FOTB has been renewed for a third season, a historic third season, btw.)

For that reason, the casting of Christmas Eve needs to be done with acknowledgment and respect – or it should not be done. If you cannot find an appropriate Gary Coleman or Christmas Eve – do not produce the show. If you went ahead and those two parts were knowingly stripped of their ethnicity, that just proves that you do not understand the show at all.

TFP does not accept the ‘we cannot find any’ excuse that will no doubt be lobbied whenever the whitewashing of Christmas Eve comes up for two reasons –

First – the show is almost (ack!) 15 years old, just like any other show over a decade old, in that time, people have learned to sing this music.

Second: If someday it may happen that an Eve cannot be found – go down your little list and make a damn phone call and get someone who can do the role! This excuse can be solved by an index finger, a smart phone, and free wifi at a coffee shop.

It is really that simple.

However, let’s throw it back to Christmas Eve herself – she allows for knowledge to be acquired – let us hope this ‘experience’ of being called to the table was worth the ‘learning’ it shared.

TFP was reminded of this quote by Ann Harada, which was pretty badass, in response to this situation.

Here’s the quote:

Now that everyone has fallen out of the nest and been eaten by a bird a few times, let’s try and do better.

TFP out.

 

The Fairy Princess has been asked…repeatedly…what she thought of the Oscars. She didn’t really want to discuss it, but people keep asking.

Overall, she thought they were boring.

Binary discussions of race are boring. Binary discussions of racial discord in this country leave out so many, they should not be even considered as adding to a significant conversation.

A word about the #OscarsSoWhite – TFP had the honor of meeting and chatting with, and totally enjoying a conversation with the creator of that hashtag campaign, April Reign, at BroadwayCon.

TFP knows firsthand that #OscarsSoWhite was always inclusive, she knows it was always to be an open invitation to all People of Color, LGBT, Differently Abled, and so on – it was to be an inspiration. It was never to be an attack or an exclusionary hashtag campaign. It was never meant to mean that discussions of race are binary within the United States.

Chris Rock and Reggie Hudlin misunderstood the message. Perhaps because they felt under attack – but they misunderstood. And what was with they playing off Oscar Winners of Jewish heritage with Wagner? Come ON?

TFP was a music major – you’d better know she caught that one!

Did she think the Opening Monologue had a lot to say…well, sure, but she doesn’t know that talking about how disruptive Jada Pinkett Smith has been to the Oscar Show is the effective use of a Host’s time, nor did it come out as anything resembling the smart and funny comedy that Chris Rock has displayed time and time again.

He was sporting some Good Hair though.

TFP is a fan of Chris Rock, or she was, and might be again at some point – however this blog today is to celebrate some cool things that are going on, not revisit old stuff – and by now the Oscars is old stuff.

However she did want to say something to both Sascha Baron Cohen and Chris Rock as a Parent – and then she will leave it to better minds than hers to analyze and dissect.

As a Parent, watching you ‘diss’ Asian people – both by emasculating the Asian male and by telling us that Asian kids are both geniuses and child sweat shop workers – you made me scared for my kid.

Some might think that is an exaggeration.

How can you watch an Awards ceremony and feel scared for your kid, just because a couple of hundred very rich people laughed at jokes about his heritage?

TFP was scared for her kid because it is quite clear, at least in this broadcast, that Asian Americans are not included in America – in the America that was represented at The Oscars. Also, not only were people that looked like him NOT included, they mocked people that look like him. Those people that laughed at those two instances, laughed ALL ACROSS THE WORLD.

The Oscars are not a finite American Broadcast – they go internationally.

Sascha Baron Cohen and Chris Rock – you made me fear for my son, that if he goes internationally to any other country than an Asian one – including by the way Australia which he has direct lineage from – he will be mocked, possibly attacked – either physically or verbally because you have endorsed this kind of prejudice and helped it spread across the globe.

People will think he is an easy target, because even though he is only 3.5, you have emasculated his heritage- TFP has resolved herself to making sure, now, more than ever before, that he can defend himself physically and verbally – and trust and believe – you are not ready for the rain that is coming.

Comics are comics – TFP’s kid is her kid. You have made it unsafe for him, in a world that is already fraught with the normal xenophobia, you have both shown kids of other disenfranchised groups and kids of groups with advantages, who will suffer their own growing pains, a reason to take down my kid physically or verbally. You showed them this is socially acceptable. You both gave them the tools in this Oscar Broadcast, you gave them the “reasons” – physically or verbally he could be hurt because of your actions.

Both of which could scar him.

So you go sell those Girl Scout cookies to millionaires in an attempt to appear as a regular concerned Parent, when you and your wife are involved in a dispute about your $70 Million dollar fortune – and you think about that, Chris Rock. You have 3 kids, Mr. Cohen – so when you tuck them in at night, consider that you have made the world just a bit unsafer for TFP’s kid.

TFP had one more thought…

Now on to some good things – the casting for the new Broadway show NERDS was announced and TFP’s ‘Brother from another Mother“, Raymond J. Lee is in this new company at the Longacre Theater in NYC.

Along with fellow cast member Katie Lee Hill, they are holding it down for the APIs.

NERDS is exciting for a few reasons – female director – Casey Hushion, diverse cast, and well, because it is new! Although The Longacre Theater is feeling a bit Hunger Games for API’s right now – 30 go in, 2 come out… ALLEGIANCE we miss you – she wishes the cast and crew a long and happy run.

Geek it out, NERDS! Meet you in the Broadway Computer Cluster!

JJ Abrams, well known Director, Writer, and Producer and founder of Bad Robot Production company has announced that his Company is implementing immediately a different policy regarding submissions in all departments – acting, scripts, production – to diversify their talent pool.

Now, TFP knows that people will start screaming about ‘quotas’, this is not about quotas at all, it’s about access.

It is about all those folks banging away at their laptops with the next great TV show or film, getting past the rejection pile simply because they are not represented by the top 3 agencies. This is about the actors who keep trying and trying and trying – who are trained and marvelous, but who often get rejected because the Casting team feels they are not the ‘right look’, getting a chance to come in for more than one or two lines at a time. This is about kids who always grabbed a camera to go out and fram a shot, or edit sound, or any of the hundreds of other jobs in production – it’s about them getting a shot – that is it.

Could this all result in ‘business as usual’ on film sets? Of course. But TFP is willing to see if Mr. Abrams can make a change – he’s a pretty ballsy guy. Let’s choose to go with this and see what happens. Two things Mr. JJ – TFP will be watching this closely, and also…she’s available!

The Asian American Film Lab 72 Hour Shootout Competition Registration process has BEGUN!!!! Yes it has – that means in 72 hours, once the the theme is announced, within 72 hours, contestants have to submit a short film which will be judged by Industry Sponsors. TFP is proud to be a media sponsor for this event – which is an active way for people to gain recognition, experience, and accolades which empowers their careers as filmmakers.

It’s helmed by the brilliant Jennifer Betit-Yen, produced by Youn Jung Kim, and honestly, it is a hoot and a half to be there to see the theme announced, watch last minute pair ups for crews and then watch them all tear out of the room. TFP saw it last year – it was awesome. (Photo by Lia Chang)

The website run by Phil Yu is looking to fund another year. What started as an outlet for his personal use has grown into a full time job, that website is of course – Angry Asian Man.

The website is having it’s annual subscription campaign, and  would be grateful if you would contribute.

Likewise Drag Sensation  – Miss Coco Peru,

has a kickstarter campaign going on to turn her show, “Conversations with Coco’, which has been a sensational fundraiser for LA’s LGBT Center, into a pilot. Her first guest will be someone who could probably host the Oscars and do it in a faster, smarter way – Lily Tomlin!!!!

Wolf Trap Opera has announced their season today – Wolf Trap is a place that shows America what Diversity in Classical Music can and should look like. If you are an opera lover, or if you want to see yourself reflected in the Opera Scene – TFP suggests you go and visit Wolf Trap this summer. They will be putting up three operas – The Rape of Lucretia, L’opera Seria, and La Boheme.

There you go – there is a few cool things that are helping TFP get through the week. Let’s remember we are all in this together and if you happen to be a registered Democrat – there is a bit of voter fatigue going on – don’t let Drumpf happen!

TFP rarely turns the blog over to anyone, but take it away John Oliver – TFP Out!

 

 

 

The Fairy Princess has her tiara in a tilt. She was all chill from being at

and she wrote about it and she thought she was done with talking about Diversity in Casting for a while. Until she read this response from Joel and Ethan Coen to Jen Yamato from The Daily Beast who asked a question based in part on the recent controversy of #OscarsSoWhite started by @BroadwayBlack Managing Editor, April Reign.

The Coen Brothers – who earlier in the interview called The Oscars unimportant and diversity important, quickly changed their tune when it came to the spotlight being turned on their own new film, Hail Caesar!

(Did he just indicate it is difficult to tell Chinese people from Aliens?

That is totally ridiculous – you go to film specifically to see Aliens because they are a long accepted part of our cinematic landscape!

Asian Americans could only dream of being as popular as Aliens in American cinema!

Plus everyone seemingly can tell all the different kinds of Aliens apart!

Alien franchises, species, prequel or sequel etc, but according to literally every Asian American TFP knows, no one can tell if an Asian person’s ancestors hail from China, Japan, Korea, The Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand

….New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka, one need only list half the planet and get the point –  IF ONLY AMERICA WOULD LOOK UPON ASIAN AMERICANS WITH THE FONDNESS THEY HAVE FOR ALIENS….oh wait, they are not done talking yet…)

 

To be honest, TFP cannot tell the Coen Brothers apart – but she does know that one of them is married to Frances McDormand.

However, she would simply say YES your film IS set in the Hollywood of the 1950’s, in which the image was strictly controlled to represent one kind of look.

Despite the white washing of virtually every ethnicity by that power machine – including religious cleansing – Hollywood has always had some diversity behind the scenes, never overwhelming, but there. The Coens seem to think that because they did not know about them, Hail, Caesar did not have to include them, but PoC were there, getting defensive and arguing artistic freedom does not negate the fact that they existed.

The Coen Brothers HAVE INDEED USED PEOPLE OF COLOR as leads in films – THE LADYKILLERS in particular, was a diverse cast – Tzi Ma, Marlon Wayans, and Irma P. Hall right up there with Tom Hanks. Steve Park was in FARGO, and of course, Javier Bardem in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. In TRUE GRIT, they cast Hailee Steinfeld, who of course, has Filipino heritage.

No one is calling The Coen Brothers racist or any kind of thing like that – that is very far from what this conversation is – don’t get it twisted!

This IS the point of Ms. Yamato’s question – your job as a filmmaker is to tell the best damn story there is, everyone is agreed, and you pretty much do on a consistent basis. Ken?

However, telling the best damn story does not have to mean that everyone is #AllLookSame – obviously in a film about the film industry in the 1950’s, those in front of the camera had the appearance of being white. The definition of what was considered ‘white’ at that time, was very loose. People spent an inordinate amount of time ‘passing’, and Hollywood helped them do it.

Rita Hayworth born Margarita Carmen Cansino, Kirk Douglas born Issur Danielovitch, Tony Curtis born Bernard Schwartz, Lauren Bacall born Betty Joan Perske, Anthony Quinn born Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca – to name a few.

Here are some inspirations you could have looked to, real life Asian people who existed in Hollywood -for example:

Sessue Hayakawa – was as popular as Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks! He was a one of the FIRST movie stars of the United States. He became a heartthrob to American audiences after starring in Cecil B. DeMille’s film, The Cheat. He threw ‘wild’ parties that were famous and drove a gold plated Pierce Arrow car! In addition to that, he turned down the iconic role of “The Sheik” that went to Rudolph Valentino and made him a star. He founded his own studio and produced 23 films and made $2 million!

His first ‘talkie’ picture was in 1931 opposite Anna May Wong. He journeyed to France to work on a piece and got trapped by the German Occupation, where he supported himself by selling watercolors and joined the French Resistance! In 1949, Humphrey Bogart’s people found in him France and offered him a role in Tokyo Joe – after which he came back to the USA and wound up being nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in The Bridge on The River Kwai. He lost to Red Buttons. He also received a Golden Globe nomination for that role, became a Zen Master, an Acting Coach, wrote an autobiography called Zen Showed Me The Way.

The only thing that limited his work, was the the anti-miscegenation laws that existed in the 1930 Hollywood Production Code, that prevented portrayals of interracial romances on screen.

Let’s go of course, to his aforementioned leading lady, Anna May Wong – born and raised in California, who was definitively, America’s FIRST Asian American Film Star – Mr. Hayakawa having been born in Japan – she appeared in her first film at the age of 14 as an extra in Alla Nazimova’s The Red Lantern.

Ms. Wong’s career has typical actress highs and lows, however hers were tinged with the racism that pervaded the country in regards to Asians. 

For example, when MGM refused to even consider her for the character of O-Lan in Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth, and went with a German actress, Luise Ranier.  O-Lan, of course, was supposed to be Chinese. Anna May Wong was Chinese American, feted all over the world, and a marquee name, and yet…they preferred eye tape. However, in the 1950’s – which is when Hail, Caesar is set – she was starring in her own television show in the United States, called The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong.

So…was there an Asian American film star floating about in the 1950’s, well yes there was – and she had been in Hollywood, in films, since 1919.

Merle Oberon was a giant film star, who was of mixed heritage, what they called at the time Anglo-Indian.

She tried to conceal that by saying she was from Australia, and there was a fire with all the birth records destroyed.

However, she was born in Bombay, India to a 12 year old mother. She was raised as a daughter by her Grandmother. It was complicated.

Ms. Oberon was a bona-fide star, cementing that title with several films that remain iconic – Wuthering Heights, The Dark Angel – for which she won an Academy Award, A Song to Remember, and literally dozens more. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ms. Oberon’s first film in a role was in 1933, The Private Life of Henry VIII and her last film was Interval, filmed in 1973.

Vivian Leigh, considered one of the greatest stars of all time for her role as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With The Wind, was also of mixed heritage, some say Indian Parsi, and some say Armenian – whatever the case, she was a glorious actress. A legend.

Her role in A Streetcar Named Desire created an indelible image of a Tennessee Williams’ heroine on film, both of the aforementioned performances earned her an Academy Award. A Streetcar Named Desire, for those keeping track of the timing of Hail, Caesar, was released in 1951. Ms. Leigh also has a star on the Walk of Fame.

Keye Luke was the first Chinese American contract player signed with RKO, Universal Pictures and MGM. Born in China, he grew up in Seattle and was also an accomplished fine artist.

He was known for playing Charlie Chan’s Number One Son in the Charlie Chan films, the original Kato in the Green Hornet film serials, he was in the Space Ghost cartoons, and appeared on Broadway in the original production of Flower Drum Song.

James Hong! Still working!

Mr. Hong began his career in the mid 1950’s with television roles, but he is one of the most prolific Asian American actors around- and is in fact, currently in the theaters represented by his work in Kung Fu Panda 3. TFP‘s personal favorite performance is as Lo Pan in Big Trouble In Little China –

Besides the Actors, there were People of Asian descent working in Hollywood behind the scenes, for example:

Winnifred  Eaton Reeve, was America’s first Asian American screenwriter and was a popular book author.

She was half Chinese, although she usually told people she was half Japanese as she published under a pseudonym, Onato Watanna. She spent six years at Universal and MGM, she was sent to Los Angeles from the New York office by Carl Lemmle himself. While she wrote hundreds of stories, treatments, scripts, she only received credit on six of them – one of them being the 1929 version of Showboat.

Obviously not everyone who was of minority status in the United States and working in Hollywood was in the Industry, many people of color were involved on the support side, and one such man was Toriachi Kono, the longtime assistant to Charlie Chaplin.

Mr. Kono and Charlie Chaplin became estranged after Mr. Chaplin began his relationship with Paulette Goddard, however prior to that, he was known as The Gatekeeper to Mr. Chaplin. He began as his driver, and ascended to a position of complete trust where he oversaw businesses and all manner of things. Mr. Kono parting with Mr. Chaplin had a deleterious effect on his life, he was accused of spying for the Japanese, and imprisoned prior to the Internment Camps. Still, for many years, he was a player in Hollywood – he was the man you had to get past, to get to one of cinema’s greatest stars.

Look, this is TFP’s point – there is always an opportunity to make diverse films that represent Hollywood because Hollywood is not just one type of person -it’s many.

People of Color have always been in the system, whether in front of the camera, behind the camera, writing scripts, catering, being a grip, or a dresser,  or a driver, working in the wardrobe department, set design, or a production accountant or an assistant or anything else, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE FRIGGIN’ INDUSTRY! This list could have probably been longer, but the point is not the number of names, the point is – they were there.

People of Color were there.

If we are making films today that reference the 1950’s studio system and all it’s intrinsic problems then casting diversely is a way to illustrate there was more to the story than we have all been shown in the past. Why let Louis B. Mayor and his view win? Why let those guys at the top that told us what we could like and what was attractive – why continue their vision?

Casting without a wide range of people is really just the effects of The Production Code still trickling down after all these years.

Asking a question about diversity in light of all the #OscarsSoWhite was an appropriate journalistic thing to do, the answer though, could have used some polish.

For downright rudeness, when the reporter was just trying to do her job, TFP sentences The Coen Brothers to 20 whacks with the wand – each.

The answer that Ms. Yamato received reeks of sexism – really, you are telling a female reporter that she doesn’t know what she is talking about?

After they began the interview by saying that Diversity is what is important and not the Oscars? So she asked them about the diversity in their film and they lose it? C’mon.

No. Just, no CoBros…not cool.

TFP out.

 

 

The Fairy Princess was lying snug in her bed, when she got the call – er, the Direct Message on the Twittah, asking if she would be interesting in attending the FIRST EVER BroadwayCon and speaking on a panel.

WHAAAT?????

Then they asked TFP to speak on a panel…about Diversity? Maestro!

Along she went and she had no idea how much the work of MISCHIEF MANAGEMENT (@MischiefMgmt – Melissa Anelli & Stephanie Dornhelm), Anthony Rapp (@albinokid), and PLAYBILL, would rock everyone’s collective world. It was exciting, exhausting, and almost existential.

She wound up speaking on two panels – one called A BRAND NEW DAY: DIVERSITY ON BROADWAY (Moderator – Andrew Shade, Panelists: Quiara Alegria Hudes, Alia Jones-Harvey, Telly Leung, and Roberta Pereira)

AND:

INSIDERS, OUTSIDERS, and MASKED AVENGERS: YOUR ROLE IN THE BROADWAY COMMUNITY (Moderator – Jennifer Spitulnik, Panelists: Aaron J. Albano, Andrew Breidis, Laura Heywood, Patrick Hinds, and Nikka Graff Lanzarone)

The rest of the time, she attended lectures, panels and performances by a variety of people (WOW were there a ton from CMU) and in each and every one, she learned something.

TFP spoke on Diversity for her first panel, and truth be told, a bit about it on her second panel and this is what she said and she’s just going to hit on some of her points, which she shared to that audience.

First point – there are 40 Broadway Theaters and 30 Shows currently listed on IMDB.

Of the 30, 22 are musicals and 8 are plays.

Of the 22 musicals, there are 2 directed by women.

Of the 8 plays, 3 are directed by women.

Broadway audiences are 68% women.

TFP brought note cards (apologies to Ruthieann B), to ensure she had her facts straight.

YES, this has been a banner year for Diversity on Broadway in terms of casting -these are our new musicals –  HAMILTON, ALLEGIANCE, ON YOUR FEET, FIDDLER, THE COLOR PURPLE, SCHOOL OF ROCK – all with Diverse casts!

SIDEBAR:

That ALLEGIANCE is closing before it’s time on February 14, 2016 is something TFP holds you ALL responsible for.

If you are API and can afford a ticket, and you didn’t go – this is your fault.

And if you are ANY other kind of American and can afford a ticket and didn’t go – this is ALSO your fault

– you should have gone and seen what happens when American citizens are incarcerated because of what they look like. You should have gone and faced this dim part of American history and seen the show and vowed “No, it’s not happening again, not on my watch.”

Is it a perfect show? Nope. Few are. So what?

The closing of this show prematurely is going to affect the rise of another opportunity for Asian Americans to tell an Asian American story on our Broadway stages.

Look,  if composers who are of API heritage and who have won TONY awards are not writing shows about the API experience, what does that say about things changing in that regard? Not a lot.

END SIDEBAR:

They join the Diverse Musical Casts already on Broadway: ALADDIN, BEAUTIFUL, BOOK OF MORMON, FUN HOME, THE KING AND I, KINKY BOOTS, LES MISERABLES, THE LION KING, MATILDA, SOMETHING ROTTEN and CHICAGO.

Dance break!

Now, by “Diversity”, TFP is not just talking about skin color – that is not, actually what Diversity means – Diversity means representing all kind of people – it means varying Ages, Sizes, Genders, Ethnicities, LGBT, Religions – the Diversity umbrella is broad – exceptionally so, which is why it is actually – infuriatingly easy to accomplish.

As a fellow panelist, Olivier Award Winning, Tony nominated theater producer Roberta Pereira said “Someone said “We should do HAMILTON casting” and I said, ‘To me that is just casting’.

So yes, for Musicals – the 2015-16 season has been a revelation, on stage – but has it been a  revolution?

Let’s look ahead to the NEXT season….these are the musicals (Sticking to musicals, we’ll get to plays) that look to have somewhat Diverse casts:

These are upcoming and have theaters etc, according to Playbill.com:

SHE LOVES ME, NERDS, BRIGHT STAR, AMERICAN PSYCHO, WAITRESS, TUCK EVERLASTING, SHUFFLE ALONG, DISASTER

Potentially coming, again, according to Playbill.com are:

GOTTA DANCE, MOTOWN, CATS, SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE, HOLIDAY INN, NATASHA & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812, GROUNDHOG DAY, HELLO DOLLY, THE BANDSTAND, FALSETTOS, PIECE OF MY HEART, THE BERT BERNS STORY

Now let’s go behind the table – behind the table is generally a boy’s club.

Of all the above musicals definitely coming and potentially coming, only 3 will be directed by women – NERDS by Casey Hushion, WAITRESS by Diane Paulus, NATASHA & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 by Rachel Chavkin.

This is an improvement, because currently on Broadway, female directors of shows that are on stage now number TWO– and that is Julie Taymor for THE LION KING and Diane Paulus for FINDING NEVERLAND.

Shout out to JoAnn Hunter, who choreographed SCHOOL OF ROCK. She joins Ann Reinking who recreated CHICAGO in the style of Bob Fosse and Mia Michaels who choreographed FINDING NEVERLAND. Gillian Lynne also is up on the boards as choreographer with PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.

Of all the above musicals, only BRIGHT STAR (Edie Brickell- music), WAITRESS (Sara Barellies-music & lyrics, Jessie Nelson-book, Adrienne Shelly-original screenplay), TUCK EVERLASTING (Claudia Shear – book), and GOTTA DANCE (Nell Benjamin – lyrics), have female writers.

On the ‘current’ Broadway, there is the FUN HOME (Lisa Kron – Book & Lyrics, Jeanne Tesori – Music), ON YOUR FEET (Gloria Estefan – Music), BEAUTIFUL (Carol King – Music & Lyrics), KINKY BOOTS (Cyndi Lauper – Music & Lyrics), THE COLOR PURPLE (Marsha Norman – Book, Brenda Russell, Alle Willis – Music & Lyrics w/Stephen Bray), and WICKED (Winnie Holzman – Book), that have female writers.

So…while there is change behind the scenes – it’s not overwhelming. TFP focused on Women who are part of the writing/directing process – but do not discount the fact that there are few female designers – lighting, sets, costumes, technical – that are continually working, so there is a long way to go in terms of getting behind the Broadway fully integrated. If TFP were to look for PoC that were behind the scenes…well, that area is ripe for some changing of the guard as well.

NEXT YEAR – Let’s break it down – from what TFP can surmise from released Cast lists – SHUFFLE ALONG is leading the pack in People of Color. WAITRESS, DISASTER, and AMERICAN PSYCHO all have some variety of performers. Those are four out of four that are coming for sure.

Now, except for SHUFFLE ALONG, not one of those shows is about telling the story OF People of Color, they have one or so PoC in the casts, but they are not telling the story OF any diverse people. There is a difference.

This was the ‘fear’ that TFP mentioned at the panel – that because ALLEGIANCE is closing prematurely, the investment by producers, writers, and performers in stories where APIs figure to tell their history in America will not happen again any time soon because – and this is really the only reason, not because it was not a compelling story, but because it did not make it’s investment back.

Telling stories that include PoC is wonderful – equally wonderful and equally important is having those shows where PoC show their journey in America.

Of the 9 plays that are upcoming, only 2 tell ‘diverse’ stories – ECLIPSED starring Lupita Nyong’o, and HUGHIE starring Forrest Whittaker. There are 4 revivals, and 5 new pieces – most of which star celebrities like Frank Langella, Cate Blanchett, Gabriel Byrne, Jessica Lange, Jesse Tyler Fergusan, Jeff Daniels, Michelle Williams…so for revivals and new works in terms of plays, casting is remaining generally as it ever was.

ONLY ONE revival, that of THE CRUCIBLE,  which stars Sophie Okonedo as Elizabeth Proctor, is presenting many actors of color. This is excellent, because America is a seafaring nation, and as TFP has mentioned over and over again – seafaring nations are never only ‘one kind’ of color. They cannot be – because people travel from abroad and vice versa.

(Otherwise how would we wind up with all those crazy stories that involve Caucasian people in China? They had to get there some kind of way.)

This is what TFP said at the panel and this is what she believes – that stories that are specific are universal. Universal stories can be told in a variety of ways. The world is ever changing in terms of population and for Broadway to continue to make their over 13 billion dollars per season, they must invest in finding new writers, they must invest in presenting a variety of stories – both revivals and new works – to reflect our American scene.

To answer the overwhelming question that was posed at BroadwayCon – IS BROADWAY CHANGING?

The answer is…sorta.

TFP’s other fear is that because of the success of HAMILTON, ON YOUR FEET, SCHOOL OF ROCK, KING AND I,  etc, that the ‘diversity box’ for many producers is checked, and since those examples DO exist, they do not really have to worry about it when casting their new show.  Let’s keep an eye on that shall we?

Much depends on the theater owners who ‘curate’ the season – if you purchase a ticket for something, you are voting. Simple as that. That is the ‘best’ way to reach the theater owners, so if you want to continue to support a broad panoply of stories on Broadway, you have to purchase a ticket to represent your point of view. Same holds true with the Producers – yes, they do it because it is exciting and because they love theater and everything, but the bottom line is ever looming, and Producers need and want to make money

Off Broadway Producers tend to have more cojones when it comes to exciting and color conscious work, so if you are a PoC and you want to see yourself reflected in the plays you give your money to, may TFP suggest you check out a variety of new works – WASHER/DRYER by Nandita Shenoy at MaYi Theater Company, SOJOURNERS by Mfoniso Udofia at The Playwrights Realm , A DREAM OF RED PAVILLIONS by Jeremy Tiang at Pan Asian Rep, and SMART PEOPLE by Lydia R. Diamond at 2ndStageTheatre – these are some of the most exciting new plays out there, TFP encourages you to take a look. If you are looking to keep abreast of new shows, keep in mind that NAATCO is having it’s Silver Anniversary Season, and their last piece, CHARLES FRANCIS CHAN JR’s EXOTIC ORIENTAL MURDER MYSTERY by Lloyd Suh was a groundbreaking piece.

Much depends on what writers are writing – however, TFP was much encouraged that every writer she met at BroadwayCon talked about how important it was for them to tell a wide range of stories.

When TFP says ‘writers’ she includes theater bloggers and tweeters and podcasters that keep the conversation going – for example: BroadwayBlack (@BroadwayBlack), Howard Sherman (@HeSherman), The Ensemblist (@TheEnsemblist), TheaterPeople (@PatrickHinds), Laura Heywood (@BroadwayGirlNYC), Andrew Breidis (@Actor_Friend) – and of course, the fine folks over at Theatre Communications Group, which includes Educators and Scholars  – they all are actively active in addressing the needs of theater today – from the audience, to the education, to the issues at hand.

Much depends on Casting – often the word ‘revival’ is a chance for change that is not taken, it is a reason to harken back to the casting of the play when it was written – and that is a low percentage choice, and there is no reason that Casting cannot reflect more of America.

Broadway is kinda sorta changing, and it is breathtaking to see.

However, since we are all only as good as our last show…we’ll just have to see where this goes.

Thank you to BroadwayCon for having TFP be part of the conversation. Looking forward to next year for sure!

TFP out!