A funny thing happened on the way to an assassination: Observations and commentary by a Pilipino American actor in Stephen Sondheim's musical play, 'Assassins'

摘要

In May 2007, Joanne Gordon cast me as the Presidents of the United States for Stephen Sondheim's musical show, Assassins. In a play fraught with the juxtapositions of musical motifs against the assassins of American presidents, I believe my casting provided another layer of contrast. Ordinarily, only White men would be considered for the American presidents. As I am an American of Pilipino descent and not White this casting was a visual dichotomy that adds to the clash of elements. My interest is that of a veteran Asian American actor. It has been my experience that the Asian American presence in American theatre is meager. So when a non-traditional casting takes place I consider it an event worthy of scrutiny.;I propose to explore the historical background of minority actors in America, specifically the experiences of Asian Americans; the effect of non-traditional casting; and my personal experience with Assassins from rehearsal to performance.