Realistically a black actor can only detract from such a production because he is so obviously false and out of time and place. His presence distracts and becomes jarring.
Imagine a musical about Africa with Justin Bieber starring as a an African tribesman. He would be laughed off the stage before the first act finished. It is not about racism. It is about the absurd.
Now in something like Cats, you could cast whomever you want without worry. Blacks, Chinese, Hispanics could all be cast in Cats without a problem. But War and Peace depicts history. History can't be rewritten.
Justin Bieber as an African tribesman would be almost as jarring as John Wayne portraying Ghengis Khan.
. History can’t be rewritten.
But....
“However, we had the wrong impression of how Oak felt about the casting announcement and how it would be received by members of the theater community, which we appreciate is deeply invested in the success of actors of color – as are we – and to whom we are grateful for bringing this to our attention. We regret our mistake deeply, and wish to express our apologies to everyone who felt hurt and betrayed by these actions.”
This is a glowing NYT review, but read the comments. Seems almost everyone who sees the show HATES it! And that was in Nov 2016, long before it lost its star...
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/15/theater/natasha-pierre-and-the-great-comet-of-1812-review.html
That’s it...we are living in “ABSURD” TIMES!
Bravo!