> In the original book, Esmeralda is ethnically French
I mean, I just think that no one seems to be aware of this. She's not French in the movie adaptation, which is what most of those kids would be familiar with. (And the musical does heavily draw from the movie – including leaving out her meeting her mother).
Without the added context of the original book's description, since it seems no one was aware of it, do you think the uproar was justified?
I think it's just plain old fashioned ignorance, right?
Dunno, to me this just looks like kids who were excited to see a musical starring someone who looked like them for once, and were understandably upset when that didn't happen.
>I think it's just plain old fashioned ignorance, right?
Pushing to get a play cancelled (and succeeding!) over a misunderstanding that can be resolved by a 30 second googling is in fact willful ignorance.
>Dunno, to me this just looks like kids who were excited to see a musical starring someone who looked like them, and were understandably upset when that didn't happen.
They started a months-long letter writing and protesting campaign, according to your own NYT link. And the person who started the campaign was African American, not Gypsy. And while most of the Gypsies I met while living in Eastern Europe looked vaguely Middle Eastern or Indian (I realize their actual ancestry is more complicated), there are white Gypsies as well. I have never, however, heard of black Gypsies. I'm sure with immigration to Europe combined with intermarriage there are some now, but the typical Gypsy in France a few centuries ago is not going to be black. So I have no idea what your "someone who looked like them" comment is supposed to mean.
>Looks like the students were targeted by alt-right publications for that, too
Oh no, shitheads on the internet said mean things and a tiny number even made threats! I'm sure you can find examples of that for any controversial news story that makes national headlines, I don't see your point here.
I mean, I just think that no one seems to be aware of this. She's not French in the movie adaptation, which is what most of those kids would be familiar with. (And the musical does heavily draw from the movie – including leaving out her meeting her mother).
Without the added context of the original book's description, since it seems no one was aware of it, do you think the uproar was justified?
On the other hand, there are examples of the musical performed with a caucasian lead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5wNynK1tHg