Roles they DIDN'T get....- Page 9

[Wilmingtom]

Posted: 7/1/13 at 12:39pm

At almost 38, wouldn't LuPone have been a little long in the tooth for Cinderella?

[Younger Brother]

Posted: 10/5/13 at 9:39am

Bump! Any more stories?

[N2N Nate.]

Posted: 10/5/13 at 11:10am

Bonnie Schon was a finalist to play the original Eva in London but lost out to Elaine Paige. Rumor has it that Hal Prince promised her the Role on Broadway and after going through an exhausting audition, she found out that Patti Lupone would be given the part.

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 10/5/13 at 11:46am

Stark Sands was Clyde in Bonnie & Clyde during two of the three pre-Broadway tryouts before Jeremy Jordan took over. Stark took over for some other guy between the tryout and Broadway production of American Idiot.

[steven22]

Posted: 10/5/13 at 12:10pm

MaddieBB12, Matt Caplan played Sands' part Pre-Bway American Idiot

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 10/5/13 at 12:22pm

^I didn't know that! Thanks for the info.

[darquegk]

Posted: 10/5/13 at 1:12pm

In the wake of Team Starkid and "A Very Potter Musical" hitting pop culture, Darren Criss was offered two major options- originate the role of Will in "American Idiot," or do a two-episode guest role on Glee. Criss chose the TV guest appearance, and his character was so well-liked on the show that he was quickly retconned into a recurring guest, then a supporting cast member, and over time became ostensibly the show's second male lead.

[jemjeb2]

Posted: 10/5/13 at 1:45pm

A few other "declined the part: Cary Grant "A Star Is Born " (1954). Elvis Presley "A Star Is Born" (1976) Montgomery Clift "Sunset Boulevard". William Holden "Strangers on a Train" Cary Grant "The Music Man"
Replacements: Joan Crawford "From Here to Eternity (Deborah Kerr). Lana Turner "Anatomy of a Murder" (Lee Remick). James Dean "Somebody Up There Likes Me" (Paul Newman due to Dean's death)

in the final two for the part of Lois Lane in Christopher Reeve "Superman" Stockard Channing

Choice between Grace Kelly or Elizabeth Taylor in "Giant" was finally given by director George Stevens to Rock Hudson to make. Alan Ladd was original star considered for James Dean part till latter was very hot after "East of Eden"

[jemjeb2]

Posted: 10/5/13 at 1:55pm

One not mentioned - maybe too well known Bette Davis was a last minute replacement for cast and costumed Claudette Colbert as Eve Harrington in "All About Eve" due to an a temporary injury.
Sadly in the Broadway musical version "Applause" Rita Hayworth was in rehearsals to take over the lead when Lauren Bacall left the show, but had to drop out (it turned out that early stages of Altzheimers was the reason)

Louis Jourdan left "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever" during the Boston tryout allegedly because Barbara Harris was getting raves while his performance was viewed as perfunctory.John Cullum took the part.

[jemjeb2]

Posted: 10/5/13 at 2:00pm

Oops - correction - should have proofread - of course I meant Bette Davis as Margo Channing!

[jemjeb2]

Posted: 10/5/13 at 2:20pm

Sorry still one more (i'm hogging it here). Humphrey Bogart badly wanted to costar in the Judy Garland "A Star Is Born" but Warner Bros. and Producer Sid Luft, Garland's then husband couldn't see it, althought the Lufts were good friends of his. He was still so enthused about the movie that he does have a "part" It's Bogart's voice heard drunkenly requesting, "Sing 'Melancholy Baby' " during the epic "Born in a Trunk" number. James Mason was cast when they couldn't get Cary Grant to play it. Grant allegedly turned it down for two reasons: he thought the part might be damaging to his image and he was reticent to get Involved in a project opposite notoriously erratic Ms. Garland, who had already been unable to finish more than one movie - "Annie Get Your Gun" "Barkekeys of Boadway" "Royal Wedding". She also apparently struggled all through the shooting of "Summer Stock".

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 10/5/13 at 3:37pm

Billy Porter was Audrey 2 in Florida (same production as Ripley)
Alan Cumming was attached to play the Green Goblin in Spider-man

[binau]

Posted: 10/5/13 at 7:45pm

We should distinguish between not being successful and leaving. Alan Cumming DID get that role but left because of the fiasco starting performances. In interviews he seems to be happy with his decision.

[brettarnett]

Posted: 6/18/14 at 7:48pm

I just read on the other board that Sutton Foster turned down Gypsy in the Lupone revival to appear in Young Frankenstein. I would have been very curious to see her as Louise.

[showtuna]

Posted: 6/18/14 at 10:54pm

Not sure if this has been said yet, but Patti Lupone said in an interview that she was offered the Witch in Into the Woods and refused it because she wanted to be Cinderella and they wouldn't give it to her. I'll post the link if I can find it, it was actually quite a hysterical re-telling.

[pinoyidol2006]

Posted: 6/18/14 at 11:54pm

Betsy Wolfe was supposed to be in the upcoming Side Show revival, but she chose to do Bullets instead.

[valeposh]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 12:06am

Don't know if this has been listed yet, but Matt Morrison was supposed to be Rocky in the 2000 revival, turned it down to join the LMNT boyband, which he left after only a few months. He then rejoined Rocky Horror as a phantom in 2001.

[VanillaIceCream2]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 11:02am

I'm unsure if this has been said, but both Celia Keenan-Bolger and Vicki Clark were considered for the role of Nellie Forbush along with Kelli O'Hara.

[Brick]

Posted: 6/19/14 at 11:20am

And add to that short list, Scarlett Johansson and Reese Witherspoon. Both actresses auditioned and made the short list, but Sher said he didn't want stars in the parts, so the show was the star.

[DarlingElegantine]

Posted: 12/2/15 at 5:46pm

Bumping! 

Laura Osnes;

was in readings for Dames at sea

turned down Kate. Monster in avenue Q

wasin readings for Into the Woods 

 

Kate shindle has been very very close to Elphaba,but she's too tall

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 12/2/15 at 6:10pm

As mentioned at Annoying Actor Friend's show last summer, both Nic Rouleau and Erich Bergen got far enough in callbacks for the first Elder Price standby slot years ago, and got to see the show for free together. We know how that turned out!

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 12/2/15 at 6:38pm

Annaleigh Ashford was supposed to do Next to Normal after doing readings for Feeling Electric, but by the time it got the off-Broadway contract she had grown too old to play Natalie, and the producers cut her.

 

She was also attached to "Bring it On" as Campbell, "Catch Me If You Can" as Brenda, "Heathers" as Veronica, "Carrie" as Chris, and "The Addams Family" as Wednesday. Producers went in a different direction for all of them (obviously).

 

Another lesser known one is that she had been in the process of auditioning for "Spring Awakening" - I'd imagine as Wendla vs. Lea Michele - but didn't get past the second audition because she was too old. I believe she was around 22 at the time. But her not getting it resulted in her Broadway debut in "Legally Blonde".

Updated On: 12/2/15 at 06:38 PM

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 12/2/15 at 7:12pm

Can anyone elaborate on why Patti didn't get Dot? I know everyone says Sondhiem didn't want belting but I would call a lot of what  Bernadette does in the show was belting. Especially in We Do Not Belong Together

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 12/2/15 at 7:15pm

Judy Kaye auditioned for the Witch in into the woods but she didn't like the music so she was asked to replace Joanna as the baker's wife (Sondheim is a huge fan of her) but she had to decline. She was also supposed to play Evita in LA.

Imelda Staunton auditioned for Grizabella in London but didn't get the part.

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 12/2/15 at 7:22pm

Oh, and Betty Buckley was supposed to play Mrs Lovett in a regional production in 2005, Christine baranski was in the original workshop of Sunday in the park with George, Maria Friedman, Rosemary Ashe and Elaine Paige were supposed to play Rose in different UK productions of gypsy that never came to life.