"Why the green girl is never Black?": Racism in casting

(Photo credit should read TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP/Getty Images)

One of the first shows I saw on Broadway was Wicked. I was pulled into a story about Elphaba, a young woman and civil rights activist, who wants nothing more than to do good in the world. She feels that working for the Wizard (aka, the most renowned political figure in Oz) would be the ultimate honor. But once she gets there, she is horrified to find that this political figure she had always admired is a conman -- and that he is enslaving and oppressing his own citizens. 

Right before the renowned “Defying Gravity,” government officials come for Elphaba. She has a choice here. She can “just say sorry,” as Glinda suggests, and remain silent about the injustices. She can work for the government. She can have success and fame and fortune. Or...she can speak up, and in turn, become an enemy of the very government she aspired to be a part of. 

Any die-hard musical theatre fan knows what choice she makes. She doesn’t benefit from this choice. As a result of it, the Wizard denounces her as hysterical, violent, and radical. He pits Oz against her. Glinda, however, remains silent, and thus, gets everything she wants.

In many respects, Wicked is a production that advocates for the voices of the oppressed. It encourages political upheaval for the sake of the people. Elphaba’s determination is celebrated. It is a show that I, and many other people, absolutely love. 

However, its casting has not reflected this message. To date, the role of Elphaba has only been played full time by one Black woman -- the extraordinarily talented Alexia Khadime, who took on the role in the West End cast twelve years ago. Since its opening in 20023, Elphaba has never been played by a Black woman full time in the United States. A character, who is painted green for the entire production, has almost always been played by a white woman full-time in America. The reason for this is that the theatre industry (and entertainment industry, in general) has always been, and continues to be, racist.

Editor’s note(8/25/21): The cast for the Broadway production’s reopening has been announced and Elphaba will be played by Lindsay Pearce, who is white.

One argument defending this is that theatre should not “be political,” or “politically correct,” and that the role should just go to “the best person.” To this, I ask you – why do you believe that the best person is never Black?

For example, it would be ridiculous to assume that no qualified Black actor has ever walked through the door at an Equity call for the role of Elphaba. It has been on Broadway and has toured the country for seventeen years. Even if, by some wildly absurd chance, no Black actress was the best fit for the role – that is also a problem that we, as an industry, are responsible for. Why do qualified Black actresses not get appointments for these calls? Why do their agents not send them? Why do they not go? Perhaps it is the fact that we have shown them they are not welcome – that they do not “type” for Elphaba. This is not only applicable to Wicked.

Let us not forget that, just last year, the casting of Halle Bailey in The Little Mermaid re-make film inspired hatred and backlash, as audiences argued it would not be realistic for a Black woman to play Ariel. Why is it that, as an industry, it is easy for us to imagine a mermaid who gives her voice to a talking octopus – but a Black princess is too unrealistic? Why are we willing to go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that Black actors are not welcome in these roles?

Others argue that there are already a lot of Black roles in the musical theatre canon. For example, shows like Ragtime and Hairspray offer a multitude of roles for Black people. They address very real, painful experiences faced by the Black community. It is crucial for us to recognize this suffering and continue to tell those stories.

However, these should not be the only roles where Black actors are welcome. Why do we only allow Black people to perform when they are performing their trauma? Why are they only welcome in stories when they are forced to live through the hate and discrimination directed toward their community again and again? This is already something that they are living through every day. It is inescapable.

Theatre is a way for people to process pain and communicate social justice – but it is also a way of healing and joy. We welcome black people into the arts community when they exist to educate white people about systemic racism – but we slam the door in their face when they ask to belt “Defying Gravity” or be a princess. It is not the Black community’s responsibility to continue to play out this violence and trauma (through the lens of a white person, no less), with no other options. While these stories are valuable contributions to the theatre canon, they are not the sole purpose that Black artists exist.

Not to mention – many of the roles in shows with Black casts are whitewashed. Until only a year ago, the writers of Hairspray explicitly stated that it was okay for white actors to portray Black characters in the show. Not only do we tell Black actors that they should only tell stories of their oppression – we teach them that they are disposable.

I don’t ask that we stop producing Wicked. I ask that we listen to its message. I ask that we respect theatre as the incredibly influential, thought-provoking medium that it is. I ask that we remain aware of the role theatre plays in systemic racism, both on and off the stage.

I ask that we love theatre enough to acknowledge its failures and to think deeply about how we can make it a space of fair representation. As artists, we have the power to make this an industry that Elphaba would be proud of – to change it for the better and for good.