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

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.