Cluin says: "It wasn't a problem seeing members of the same family portrayed by actors from different nations and nationalities from around the globe. I pity anyone who has problems with that."

I have problems (as far as suspension of disbelief goes) with TV sitcoms and dramas that portray a family of characters and yet cast people with obviously different facial features or body types as members of that family, even though they are of the same race!   So, yes, I have big problems with what Cluin describes. I remember seeing a TV broadcast of the Ring cycle wherein Siegmund was portrayed by a Caucasian and Sieglinde by a woman of African descent, and it was a great distraction to me as I found myself wondering what machinations of sperm and egg resulted in their being fraternal twins.

Fine, go ahead, pity me. But as Uncle Dave O said above, the audience brings its own expectations based on the experiences of each audience member, and that includes their life experiences as well as the times they've seen a play before. If people aren't used to interacting with multiracial families, having one portrayed on stage is going to distract them from the story. Even if they are acquainted with multiracial families, the stage portrayal of a genetically impossible situation (two Caucasian parents with an African-American child) will be distracting at the very least, if not farcical. To me, watching a performance with a black Hamlet Jr., son of a white King Hamlet Sr. and Queen Gertrude, descendants of a royal bloodline in Denmark, would turn Shakespeare into theater of the absurd.

As for whiteface and blackface, I think it's repugnant IF the aim is to ridicule another race (as was done in the old blackface minstrel shows). Same goes for painting slanted eyes on Caucasians to make them appear oriental. But if it's done to give a serious portrayal of a theatrical character and make it more believable to the audience, then I think it falls into the category of make-up rather than making fun or making a political point. With respect to the production in question (Jean Genet's 'The Blacks'), it would appear that the producers are more interested in making a political point than in putting on a production.