If you're doing a professional show then yes, it should be a black cast. It's important to the plot and there's hardly a lack of black actors.

Oh no you can not have white people playing the lead because it throws off the whole meaning of the story if you don't have Curtis or Deena as black

Thanks for the replies, everyone! You've confirmed what I was thinking...

Has anyone seen the movie Camp? Sorry, this whole discussion made me think of it.

There are numerous places in the script that mention that the characters are African American, so the script wouldn't make sense with white actors playing the roles, unless they have incredible make-up jobs that make them look black. I mean hey, they use incredible make-up jobs to make actors look like cats. But just having them be white characters, no, no, no....no.

Dreamgirls absolutely has to have a black cast, because if a white group of performers does the show, they're doing the exact same thing that that white group did to Jimmy Early.

Thank you, everyone. I appreciate the replies.

Actually, though, my college decided to do "High School Musical" instead, and I got cast as Kelsi Nielsen! I'm very excited, because she gets to do a lot more in the stage version than the movie. I'll get to sing, dance, act, and play the piano, which I love. So I'm happy.

a college doing High School Musical, that's soo random lol!BREAK A LEG!

GlindaGirl54, that was the most stupid,racist thing I have ever read. I can't believe that we are in the 21rst century and people still want to perform in blackface. Having white people playing these roles which were meant and should be play by black people was very stupid. They should be done the way they were written. High school musical was a smarter choice. Not better but smarter.

not only is that racist it's illegal to have an actor of one race portray a character of another and paint themselves as if they are that race, in this situation it is called black face and is only acceptable and legal if the show itself calls for it, dreamgirls does not. however i have seen a blind casted production of it b4 the movie came out. the girls were of all different races; white, black, latino, asian and it worked just fine i never once found myself thinking "wow this doesn't really work at all." it was fine but now that the movie has come out and every1 has seen it it'll be hard getting around the idea of a blind cast in what is not considered a racially specific show. not saying that it wasn't ever b4 but now even more so than ever. but high school musical? i was in that i played Ryan i loved doing that show... hate the movie but it was fun to be in it.

Try Hairspray...???

I think it might have more poignancy (and bite) if a white guy played Curtis. But maybe that's just me.

u have to think that this show took place in the 60's when segregation was a big deal.