I've seen three mo tenors, those guys are very talented. I do agree with your point about black male tenors, also.<BR>

I love this thread.<P>I was accepted to a very prestgious school for the theatre arts and declined because I wanted to get married instead.<P>I recently auditioned for a state university theatre department and was told that I might as well give up on any "real" career in theatre - since Asian women can only be in Miss Saigon, The King and I, various Gilbert and Sullivan works (The Mikado and others), and Madame Butterfly.<P>::rolleyes::

DONT LISTEN TO THEM BREE!Many great performers were told they couldnt succeed because of--WHATEVER.I hope you continue w/ your goals-keep us posted!<p>[This message has been edited by angela (edited February 22, 2002).]

And thanks Stuart for that summary.Now I bet Carlos Acosta would make a HOT Othello!Has Willard White been performing for a while?He sounds familiar to me.<p>[This message has been edited by angela (edited February 22, 2002).]

iIdon'tfollow opera closely angela, but White haas been around for some time and has a glorious voice. You can keep scratchy tenors, give me a bass baritone any time with all that velvet richness.

I'm with you Stuart. And give me a mezzo over a lyric soprano any day.

Bree, that is so incredibly sad. Sure some roles were created wiht racial issues in mind, but they should know that an artist of ANY nationality can do wonderfully if they love what they're doing, and doing it well!

Hmm, Willard White's example concerns me. I think we slide down a slippery slope when directors begin casting performers based on the color of their skin even when the talents are contrary to the requirements.

OKAY I wont ask......<BR>Nooo...I think I will...<BR>What dont you like about Willard White,Azlan?

No, no, I have nothing against White. I am only referring to his comments as transcribed by Stuart:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>He gave the example of people saying to him how much they enjoyed his singing and how they would like to hear him perform 'Othello'. He takes a deep breath as he knows that they are looking at the colour of his skin as the role is for a tenor and not suitable for him.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>What White is saying is that he doesn't want to be cast because of skin color when the role is not suitable for him.<P>I think it would be silly for example to cast a Chinese person in the role of the Chinese in "Nutcracker" who doesn't know the part.

I gotcha!<BR>Now if only I could get you to change your mind about Desmond Richardson.......

Okay, you read me wrong again. I have nothing against Desmond. I am actually looking forward very much to seeing him dance. My questions are rhetorical and concern bigger issues of casting for/against race.<p>[This message has been edited by Azlan (edited February 24, 2002).]

Interesting:<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>The new face of theater <BR>Nontraditional casting has become the norm<P>Steven Winn, SF Chronicle<P>Eight years ago, when her American Conservatory Theater cast for Anton Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" included an African American, an Asian American and a Latina, artistic director Carey Perloff heard from plenty of subscribers troubled by a company that "didn't look Russian." <P>Compare that with the reaction Steven Anthony Jones raised for playing Ebenezer Scrooge in ACT's "A Christmas Carol" earlier this season. Not a single person wrote or telephoned the theater to question casting a black actor in the Charles Dickens classic.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><a href=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2002/02/17/PK120387.DTL&type=performance target=_blank>More</a>

THANKS FOR THAT AZLAN!<BR>One of my favorite 'mixed'productions-the 1999 TV production of Rodgers and Hammersteins Cinderella w/Brandy in the lead!

Hearing "there are no roles for Asians outside Miss Saigon or The King and I" (what century are we living in?) is not only disgusting and absurd, but puts me in mind of the Latina actress Margarita Carrenas who got nothing but "senorita" roles until she lightened her hair, took on her Irish mother's name and became, of course, Rita Hayworth.