Obnoxious casting call
I haven't posted a press release in a long time. I have no idea how I got on the list for this one. It takes up a lot of room, so I'm snipping it liberally. Yes, it's real: I'm sure they released in on April 2 on purpose. The full Web site is at http://spidermanonbroadway.marvel.com .
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SPIDER-MAN
TURN OFF THE DARK
ANNOUNCES OPEN CASTING CALLS
DIRECTED BY JULIE TAYMOR,
MUSIC & LYRICS BY BONO & THE EDGE
[snip]
SPIDER-MAN is seeking principals and understudies for the roles of ‘Peter Parker,’ ‘Mary Jane,’ and ‘Female Lead Villian.’ The production is looking for performers with dynamic rock/pop voices including those with experience in bands and as solo performers. Regardless of experience, anyone who thinks they might be qualified is encouraged to audition.
[big skip to obnoxious part]
The production is looking for candidates to fill the following roles (both principals and understudies):
PETER PARKER - Male. 16-20’s. Must have a great rock tenor voice. Can be nerdy with understated sex appeal and a good sense of humor.
MARY JANE - Female. 16-20’s. Beautiful girl next door. Strong pop/rock singing voice required.
LEAD FEMALE VILLAIN - Female. 25‐35 years old. All ethnicities encouraged. Must have an amazing rock voice. Think Sinead O’Connor with a Middle Eastern /Bulgarian/Greek twist. Foreign and/or world music types are great. Foreign accents are great.
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There are so many things bothering me here, I don't know where to start. I'm going to have to do it in random bullets.
Someone is probably thinking how great they're being to make roles for actors who aren't white. But if they're all villains, how great is that really?
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SPIDER-MAN
TURN OFF THE DARK
ANNOUNCES OPEN CASTING CALLS
DIRECTED BY JULIE TAYMOR,
MUSIC & LYRICS BY BONO & THE EDGE
[snip]
SPIDER-MAN is seeking principals and understudies for the roles of ‘Peter Parker,’ ‘Mary Jane,’ and ‘Female Lead Villian.’ The production is looking for performers with dynamic rock/pop voices including those with experience in bands and as solo performers. Regardless of experience, anyone who thinks they might be qualified is encouraged to audition.
[big skip to obnoxious part]
The production is looking for candidates to fill the following roles (both principals and understudies):
PETER PARKER - Male. 16-20’s. Must have a great rock tenor voice. Can be nerdy with understated sex appeal and a good sense of humor.
MARY JANE - Female. 16-20’s. Beautiful girl next door. Strong pop/rock singing voice required.
LEAD FEMALE VILLAIN - Female. 25‐35 years old. All ethnicities encouraged. Must have an amazing rock voice. Think Sinead O’Connor with a Middle Eastern /Bulgarian/Greek twist. Foreign and/or world music types are great. Foreign accents are great.
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There are so many things bothering me here, I don't know where to start. I'm going to have to do it in random bullets.
- It bothers me to see "ethnicity" substituted for "race." Being African-American is a very different thing from being Afro-Caribbean. Being a WASP is very different from being a fair-skinned Ashkenazi Jew. I somehow doubt that they would tell a younger Eric Bana, "You are not eligible to play a New Yorker because your father is from Zagreb."
- It bothers me to see that "all ethnicities [races] encouraged" is something to call out for a specific character, but specific races are not called out when that "encouragement" is lacking. Of course it would be obnoxious for a casting call to say "MARY JANE--White female, other [so-called] ethnicities discouraged," but it's clear that's the case…so it's still obnoxious. (Yes, I understand that Peter Parker and Mary Jane are established characters of established race, but if that's part of their casting they should damn well be honest about it.)
- It bothers me that an undetermined "foreign accent" is considered a great thing for a villain. Are foreigners supposed to be better at being evil? Is it supposed to be more fun to hate such characters? Last time I checked, George W. Bush was American, WASPy, evil, and unpopular. If they gave the name of an established villain with an established accent, it wouldn't bother me as much...but since they didn't, I'm guessing that either it's a new villain or they've decided Typhoid Mary would be cooler with a "sexy and exotic" accent.
Someone is probably thinking how great they're being to make roles for actors who aren't white. But if they're all villains, how great is that really?