• London Theater: Diversity vs. Quality

Quentin Letts, a critic with the London-based Daily Mail, has caused a stir with comments on an actor in a recent Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) production. In a review of The Fantastic Follies of Mrs Rich, he remarked,

“There is no way he is a honking Hooray of the sort that has infested the muddier reaches of England’s shires for centuries. He is too cool, too mature, not chinless or daft or funny enough.

“Was [the actor] cast because he is black? If so, the RSC’s clunking approach to politically correct casting has again weakened its stage product.

“I suppose its managers are under pressure from the Arts Council to tick inclusiveness boxes, but at some point they are going to have to decide if their core business is drama or social engineering.”

That set off a barrage of criticism in the UK press, which almost universally branded Letts a bigot for suggesting that the actor may have been cast for reasons other than his talent. The RSC slammed his “blatantly racist attitude” and insisted that the actor’s race had nothing to do with their decision to hire him for this part, citing his many stage and television appearances as proof, I assume, of his acting ability.

I haven’t seen the show, which I understand is quite good, and the actor for all I know is very fine. But I understand completely where Letts is coming from. Continue reading →