A darker shade of Violet?

So, Im all for so called "non- traditional" casting. Hell, I love that Jennifer Lewis is starring in Hello Dolly! in Seattle this month.


But I must admit that I am very curious (not to mention skeptical) about how Phylicia Rashad is going to successfully step into the role of Violet in August: Osage County. Deanna Dunagan won a Best Actress Tony Award for playing the part-













I dont think they're replacing any of the other cast members with African American actors- so Im really confused as to how this is going to work. I saw this play with the original cast- and let me tell you the three hours does not need to be complicated by us wondering why the mom is a different shade. Nothing against Ms. Rashad- she is fierce, but can she pull of Violet? We'll see!


Photos from Broadway.com and Playbill.com

Ohhhh- also, the cast of West Side Story is performing on Letterman tonight!