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Wait, Catherine Zeta-Jones was supposed to star in Women on the Verge?

Wait, Catherine Zeta-Jones was supposed to star in Women on the Verge?

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Will42
#1Wait, Catherine Zeta-Jones was supposed to star in Women on the Verge?
Posted: 1/2/13 at 3:53pm

According to Michael Riedel, she'd accepted an offer, to star in Women on the Verge, but the producers decided she'd have to audition, and she passed. Soon Stephen Sondheim called her and persuaded her to do A Night Music instead, because they needed a big name since Angela Lansbury only agreed to join the production if another star would play Desiree. The rest is history.

Well, considering that A Little Night Music was a major success that won her a Tony Award, while Women on the Verge closed after only 69 performances, I guess it's safe to say that Zeta-Jones made the right choice. I do wonder what role she was supposed to play, she doesn't seems right for Pepa, so I guess it was Candela?

Here's the link to Riedel's article: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/item_B11atdDcJe69yPABUBZaeL;jsessionid=CA63D96712DE11EC51B8363DF57DB739

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bwayphreak234
#2Wait, Catherine Zeta-Jones was supposed to star in Women on the Verge?
Posted: 1/2/13 at 4:05pm

I remember reading about that somewhere. I would love to hear her sing Lovesick and Island.


"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
Updated On: 1/2/13 at 04:05 PM

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bwayphreak234
#2Wait, Catherine Zeta-Jones was supposed to star in Women on the Verge?
Posted: 1/2/13 at 4:05pm

I remember reading about that somewhere. I would love to hear her song Lovesick and Island.


"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "

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BrodyFosse123
#3Wait, Catherine Zeta-Jones was supposed to star in Women on the Verge?
Posted: 1/2/13 at 4:23pm

Well, considering that A Little Night Music was a major success that won her a Tony Award, while Women on the Verge closed after only 69 performances...

From the onset, WOMEN ON THE VERGE was a Limited Engagement. It just bumped-up its closing a few weeks but it was always intended as a limited run and not an open-ended run.


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AC126748
#4Wait, Catherine Zeta-Jones was supposed to star in Women on the Verge?
Posted: 1/2/13 at 4:32pm

CZJ was offered Pepa. Candela was always going to be Jessica Biel until she backed out and Benanti came in.


"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe." -John Guare, Landscape of the Body

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ljay889
#5Wait, Catherine Zeta-Jones was supposed to star in Women on the Verge?
Posted: 1/2/13 at 4:34pm

I love CZJ and VERGE, but she really lucked out big time.

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Mildred Plotka
#6Wait, Catherine Zeta-Jones was supposed to star in Women on the Verge?
Posted: 1/2/13 at 5:24pm

She was offered the role and then asked to audition. I believe she said she wouldn't have minded auditioning in the first place, but the audition after offer left a bad taste in her mouth (and I don't blame her).


"Broadway...I'll lick you yet!"

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GlindatheGood22
#7Wait, Catherine Zeta-Jones was supposed to star in Women on the Verge?
Posted: 1/2/13 at 5:26pm

Would it have made any difference in the show's life?


I know you. I know you. I know you.

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ljay889
#8Wait, Catherine Zeta-Jones was supposed to star in Women on the Verge?
Posted: 1/2/13 at 5:31pm

CZJ was a massive draw in Night Music. I'd imagine Verge would have at least played out its original run with CZJ.

AEA AGMA SM
#9Wait, Catherine Zeta-Jones was supposed to star in Women on the Verge?
Posted: 1/2/13 at 7:35pm

"From the onset, WOMEN ON THE VERGE was a Limited Engagement. It just bumped-up its closing a few weeks but it was always intended as a limited run and not an open-ended run."

To me that's even sadder, that Lincoln Center couldn't even get their subscriber base to keep it open to play out the entire limited run.

And I agree with ljay that it would probably have managed to make it through at least its entire limited run with Zeta-Jones on board.

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everythingtaboo
#10Wait, Catherine Zeta-Jones was supposed to star in Women on the Verge?
Posted: 1/2/13 at 8:48pm

Never thought I would say this, but thank you Jessica Biel.




"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008

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Brave Sir Robin2
#11Wait, Catherine Zeta-Jones was supposed to star in Women on the Verge?
Posted: 1/2/13 at 8:50pm

Jessica Biel would have made a cute Candela, but Laura Benanti was wonderful. Catherine as Pepa could have been sublime.


"I saw Pavarotti play Rodolfo on stage and with his girth I thought he was about to eat the whole table at the Cafe Momus." - Dollypop

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mikem
#12Wait, Catherine Zeta-Jones was supposed to star in Women on the Verge?
Posted: 1/2/13 at 10:59pm

Of course, it's all "what if..," but I think Women on the Verge would have been much better off with Zeta-Jones as Pepa. I think Sherie Rene Scott was really miscast. I'm not sure Zeta-Jones is a great fit either, but she would have brought in the audiences and may have done better in the part. I also think the show got bad buzz from its troublesome early previews, and if the run had been longer, I think the buzz might have changed a little (as happened with Audra's Porgy and Bess).

I can't see Jessica Biel being as daffy/zany as Benanti was. Benanti was perfect in the part.


"What was the name of that cheese that I like?" "you can't run away forever...but there's nothing wrong with getting a good head start" "well I hope and I pray, that maybe someday, you'll walk in the room with my heart"

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RippedMan
#13Wait, Catherine Zeta-Jones was supposed to star in Women on the Verge?
Posted: 1/2/13 at 11:30pm

Makes LCT look pretty bad.