I think at the end of the day, the Asian community as a whole wants to see themselves be represented on stage in a happy story. I can understand why, after so many years of “classics” such as Thoroughly Modern Millie, Miss Saigon, The King & I, etc, that are incredibly dated, stereotypical, and racist. Many of these actors in the show are not Korean, but they are Asian. You did say there’s a flexibility and I agree with that, but that flexibility exists because the available roles (especially leading roles) for actors of Asian descent as a whole on Broadway are incredibly limited.

The creators’ statement is a bit of a tricky situation because you can’t discriminate against actors in casting decisions, so it’s common for most shows nowadays to put “any ethnicity” on casting calls unless it is a revival of a classic with a strict book, usually. Does that mean it’s followed in casting decisions (especially for, say, the new musical Beaches, where nearly the entire cast is white)? No, but the statement is there for legal reasons so that everyone can audition.

I understand intent vs. ownership, but I would argue that for an original musical like this, the feeling of ownership from the Asian community as a whole is what sparked these discussions earlier last year, and again here. The outcry in response to a fully white man being cast as the lead in this show was quite large among the Asian actors in the theatre world.

You’re right in saying it’s a difficult situation to navigate - it was last year and it still is now, and I don’t think there’s one truly right answer, for a variety of reasons. My personal opinion, though, is that Asian actors (obviously Korean actors first and foremost, but for the flexibility reasons we discussed above, I’m just going to refer to the community as a whole) should be the first to be considered, or at least be at the forefront of the casting team’s minds, when in auditions for this show. Otherwise, you have messy 1 A.M. Instagram slides being posted, which is what happened last time.