By Kathryn Wolper
Late last week, a casting call for the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton” drew attention and criticism. The casting call sought “nonwhite men and women” to audition for parts in the historical hip-hop smash hit, the New York Times reported. The current and original cast features mostly nonwhite actors and actresses, with the exception of Jonathan Groff, who plays King George. After people reacted to the specific listing, “Hamilton” revised the listing to say that all are welcome to audition.
Besides featuring catchy and historically witty songs, “Hamilton” is notable for its subversion of expectations of race in history. The play explores privilege, family life and heritage. The employment of nonwhite actors and actresses to explore these themes transforms them from historical ideas to concepts relevant to modern social and political life. In today’s social context, heterosexual, able-bodied white males are considered more privileged than people of other sexual orientations, abilities, races and genders. For this reason, portraying each of the characters in “Hamilton” as white males would, for a modern audience, decrease the nuance that makes the story so rich. The declaration that Alexander Hamilton is “young, scrappy and hungry” by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is both the playwright and acts in the titular role, seems more convincing from a man of color than from a white man in a powdered wig who appears to have just stepped out of a textbook. Furthermore, the differences in the races among cast members help highlight the diversity of backgrounds of the real historical people who make up the narrative. Variations in class, experience and background marked the interactions between these historical figures and informed many of their political viewpoints, which now stand as the foundations of American politics.
The Actors’ Equity Association, which originally reacted to the change in the “Hamilton” casting call with a tweet praising it for preserving diversity of the characters and still allowing people of all ethnicities to audition, released a letter to replace this tweet. The AEA makes the distinction between casting calls that describe a character as being a certain race and ones that request actors of a certain race. The authors of the letter claim that specifying certain characteristics of a character is an expression of “authorial intent,” while specifying the characteristics of actors who choose to audition may qualify as employer discrimination.
Despite the ethnicities and backgrounds of the people who audition for “Hamilton,” the casting choices will surely reflect the intentions of Lin-Manuel Miranda. The wording of the listing does not change the outcome, but rather sparks an interesting debate about the intersection of race, art and opportunity. A discussion that includes cultural background and opportunity does not discredit “Hamilton” or its acclaim. Rather, it emphasizes similar themes in the play itself and reminds audiences that even today, people must battle their origins to achieve their dreams.
