Today’s discussion regarding color blind casting reminded me of the famous recast of one of my favorite plays, August: Osage County. In the play’s second full year on Broadway, in an effort presumably to bring a new audience to AOC, the producers brought in Phylicia Rashad to play the role of Violet Weston. I remember telling this to a friend of mine. She gave me a puzzled, almost-horrified look, then said, “Are they recasting the whole thing?”
Here’s a review of the Rashad iteration of AOC.
The review wisely does not gloss over the nontraditional casting: “Casting an African-American actress as the mother of an all-white family to some degree inevitably requires greater suspension of disbelief. It adds a stagier feel to a production distinguished for the naturalistic work of the Steppenwolf ensemble that was an integral part of the play’s development.”
On the one hand, I bristle at the idea that a Black actress should be automatically excluded from consideration for any play. On the other hand, I also bristle at the idea of an all-white production of Radio Golf.
