What if Idris Elba played Macbeth?

He's a hell of an actor, so why not?

If Elba played Macbeth, would you make him look white?

Whiteface?

But is any such stage convention really necessary, though that sort of thing was the rule for many decades of the past?

Who does not know Macbeth is a Scottish noble with too much ambition and a too pushy wife?

If Idris Elba played him without any cosmetic effects, we could all just agree the excellent black actor on the stage, who looks like an excellent black actor on the stage, is all the same playing a white character.

And I guess that would be our new stage convention.

If a person of race X plays a character of race Y (and why not?) the audience just needs to be otherwise apprised of the fact than by cosmetic effects.

Damn few nonwhite characters in Shakespeare.

But lots of juicy roles that could open up for excellent nonwhite actors, if only we humans were adult enough to do it.

Lucy Liu as Lady Macbeth?

It makes me smile.

Lucy Liu as Macbeth might be too much of a stretch, without costume and cosmetic effects.

Still, not as hard as playing a Wookie or C3PO, I suppose.