Whites need not apply for ‘Hamilton’ open audition (March 2016)

Open auditions are being held for the hottest show on Broadway — but whites need not apply.

Already the hottest ticket in town, rap-based musical “Hamilton” put out a casting call, seeking “NON-WHITE men and women” to audition for its Broadway run and touring companies.

Producers are also looking for actors “ages 20s to 30s” who can sing and rap — but “no prior theater experience necessary,” the ad says.

The seemingly prejudicial race and age poster flies in the face of the culturally diverse cast that has helped “Hamilton” surge to success and garner stellar reviews.

The modern musical chronicles America’s founding fathers like Aaron Burr and George Washington — played by actors who are black and Latino. The show’s writer Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is Puerto Rican, plays the title role of Alexander Hamilton.

In a statement, “Hamilton” said its producers “regret the confusion that’s arisen from the recent posting” but defended the verbiage.

“It is essential to the storytelling of ‘Hamilton’ that the principal roles — which were written for non-white characters (excepting King George) — be performed by non-white actors,” the statement said.

“This adheres to the accepted practice that certain characteristics in certain roles constitute a ‘bona fide occupational qualification’ that is legal.”

It also noted other shows like “The Color Purple,” “Porgy & Bess” and “Matilda” that call for “race, ethnicity or age specific casting” — but agreed to tweak the ad.

Hey...another one; welcome to the club! :-)

Of course singing in the chorus counts; especially at the vaunted Met!

Try to catch the the Brit made, 1939 color movie of THE MIKADO, or watch it on line. Martin Green does ALL of the "bits", which sadly have been ditched now, by amateur and professional troops. All of that cast, except Kenny baker, who was an American singer, are the Savoyard/D'Oyly Carte cast that I grew up seeing in person.

From a crazed Savoyard, AFAIC, the "bits" are every much as important, to the operetta, as the words and music are and I know every movement. ;^)

It is arguable as to whether THE MAGIC FLUTE is an opera or an operetta and it has been going on for centuries. LOL

Re G&S...Gilbert's favorite and mine as well, YEOMAN OF THE GUARD is more an opera, than an operetta, just as Mozart's Flute is more like an operetta.

It's a silly argument, more or less just an "INSIDER" thing, and since I LOVE TMF, don't really care what genre one might call it.

I grew up in New York and except for the period I spent in the US Army active duty, I was there 30+ years.

Many New Yorkers don’t go to broadway, seems every musical except ALW ones recycles same tunes like Disney kids movies.

Much of the audiences travel to NYC from Trump Midwest counties. Church womens groups hiring tour buses, and people flying into town for mid week shows.

Maybe Hamilton is sold out for the foreseeable future and won’t feel the pain of boycotts. Rest assure broadway in general is going to witness a recession.

White women who are middle aged voted for Trump and everyone likes Mike Pence a lot. As a Republican from New York I am ashamed of the protests and street unrest against Trump. Trump helped revive the economy of New York, he built housing over on top of the old abandoned rail yards. If you Photoshoped Trump’s skyscrapers out of a photo of the New York skyline the city would look anemic. Trump owns or has built a sustantial number or these buildings.

If Trump changed his official residence and paid no New York personal income tax Cuomo would have a way bigger deficit.

I mentioned that I received two types of education, one in school and the other at home.

Home education consisted of listening to my mother practice her scales and opera singing, as well as listening to classical music and other types on records (we had over 3,000 LPs, another 1,000 45s and some 78s, including at least one clay record).

When my mother died, we inventoried her books and they numbered over 3,000 (22 bookcases plus). My family took what we wanted for our children and sold the rest to people who would preserve them (often as whole collections - food, music, the arts, etc), while donating some to educational causes.

One subcollection was the Judaica group, consisting of old prayer books, history books, art, music, and biographies ( a number were autographed by both famous and general authors).

I have added to that collection esp. with Holocaust/WW2 books and books about Israel, biblical archaeology (I was an archaeologist for a few years), language, etc. That is why I once wrote in my book project (for my synagogue), “Remembrances of the Holocaust” (personal stories covering over 4 generations of shual families from Europe to America), that we were not just “The People of the Book” (The Torah/Old Testament and others), but that we were “ The People of the Books”.

When I interviewed people for the book, I often went to their homes and they would show me their own libraries, often very extensive in many subjects including Jewish affairs. And I am talking about serious collections.

It occurred to me that these people, from Holocaust survivors to soldiers to Displaced Persons camps, and their families before and after them, placed a very high value on education, both at school and at home. Books became the additional home teacher besides the parents.

Today, I have over 500 books plus another 300-500+ congressional hearings/reports/studies (including 5 of my own testimonies and reports) in my library. Add in another 500+ magazines and you can see how important a comprehensive home library is and what it meant to us for our own further education as well as that of my children and grandchild.

My sister has another 500-800 books, plus hundreds of records - 45s and albums - too.

If you lose your electricity or a magnetic storm/accident wipes out your computer, you can still read a book by candle light or sunlight.

Jewish books were burned by the middle ages pogroms and inquisitions, as well as the later barbarians ranging from Hitler and his Nazis, to Stalin and his KGB, and Arab mobs and raiders throughout the Middle East.

We long ago communally decided to prevent the near total loss of Jewish knowledge on the grand scale of the burning of the great libraries of Alexandria in Egypt and elsewhere.

Don’t get me wrong. Many other people of different religions and backgrounds value books and knowledge just as we do. I’ve seen some great collections in Taiwan and SE Asia, many of which were destroyed by the communists when they destroyed freedom there.

In my lifetime, Jewish books were singled out for destruction by the Third Reich. Our personal collections, around the world, are an insurance policy for the future of Judaism (and people interested in our religion and history), that these libraries will remain.

In the meanwhile, our kids do very well in school, and we can thank our books for helping make that possible.

Well, you phrased it poorly, which led to my confusion. Thanks for clearing it up.

Frankly, the more we "talk", the more we have in common. I too am all for books; for real, printed on paper, vellum, or some other form of what hat ever been used to write on. Anything on line can always also be made to disappear or changed.

I've never counted how many books I have, but I've managed to run out of room again and I didn't think that that would happen here. And that's after giving my progeny and grandson books from my collection; not to mention donating some rather rare books to the kiddo's boarding school. LOL

Long ago, because I used to read a lot of science fiction, I began to get nervous about book destruction and considered committing to memory, at least two books of my.

Like you, I always said that I got a separate education at home, which was a superior one to the one I got at school.

I'm delighted that I'm not alone in this and that you too have passed the love of books and knowledge down. :-)

Okay, we also share an interest in archeology. I've been fascinated by it all and ancient civilizations since I was old enough to walk on my own and not get tired, going through museums. Throughout me childhood, my first stop was ALWAYS the Egyptian rooms, in the Met. And when we first started going to London, seeing things like the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, the Babylonian and Persian stuff at the British Museum, was a HUGE thrill...after only having seen these things in books!

Well, I'll stick with Mozart's opinion - he should know!

The G&S "bits" are all part of the fun, but it's tough to learn them. My daughter's college did "Pinafore", and the fellow who was playing Sir Joseph couldn't handle "When I Was a Lad" . . . so they CUT it! The WHOLE thing! Horrible!

I ragged him for it afterwards - and sang the entire first verse from memory, just to show! (I am an all-purpose alto, second soprano, first tenor and, in emergencies, a light baritone. Not a big voice, did not inherit that from either parent, but I can sight sing any darn thing.)

The college really did a good job, patter singers don't grow on every bush, but that is really a highlight . . .

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