Stanley and Samonsky lead Bridges tour

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 10:47am

Not bad. Not unknowns like someone predicted because it's seta.

Both seem fairly young, but so were Kelli and Steven.

Updated On: 7/23/15 at 10:47 AM

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 10:50am

Interesting casting. Not a huge fan of Samonsky (he was sort of bland in the South Pacific tour), but I like Elizabeth Stanley, although I don't know if I buy her as an Italian housewife.

With her going on tour, and no one announced to replaced her in On the Town, I'm thinking, like I said in another thread, On the Town will be end at the end of the summer.

Updated On: 7/23/15 at 10:50 AM

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 10:51am

Samonsky is ALWAYS bland. Very puzzled by this casting.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 10:53am

Just posted this in the other thread, but I'll repeat it here.  This casting to me is disappointing.  I don't really see Stanley in that part, but maybe she can make it work. But Samonsky is ALL WRONG for that part.  Not only bland, but I can't imagine his voice on those ballads either.

[Stew123]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 11:01am

Bottom line is no matter who was cast, nobody can compare to Kelli and Steven.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 11:07am

It doesn't get more Irish than Kelli O'Hara, but she managed to pull off being an Italian housewife. I assume Stanley will too.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 11:08am

As posted on the other thread, when the offered paycheck is less than 1/2 of the Broadway minimum salary, it severely reduces the level of name performers you can attract to a tour.

I'm sure Stanley and Samonsky will do their best, and I suppose we must champion them for taking on a low frills gig to further their name viability back home in NYC.

[eperkins]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 11:17am

As posted on the other thread, when the offered paycheck is less than 1/2 of the Broadway minimum salary, it severely reduces the level of name performers you can attract to a tour.

What makes you think the leads will get less than half of Broadway minimum?

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 11:18am

^ It's a SETA tour. The minimum salaries were on the audition notices. Common knowledge.

Updated On: 7/23/15 at 11:18 AM

[CatastrophicDay]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 11:21am

I got so excited when I saw that the leads of the Bridges tour were cast!

 

Now I'm pretty bummed. I don't know Elizabeth Stanley so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

However, I was not a fan of Andrew Samonsky in either South Pacific, or as Phoebus in Hunchback at Paper Mill. I thought he came across as too stiff and uninteresting in both.

I was planning a trip out to Ohio (oh gosh) to see this but now I'm not sure that I will. Is there any chance we'll get any clips of them singing soon?

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 11:48am

Quite surprised about the Samonsky negativity on this and other bww threads.  I thought he was excellent in South Pacific.  In fact I much preferred his Cable to Morrison's.
 

[mamaleh]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 11:51am

I seem to like Samonsky more than most.  His "It's Just You" was one of the very few bright, interesting spots in SCANDALOUS, and I thought he made a fine Lt. Cable.  True, his Phoebus at the Paper Mill was less than memorable, but appropriate in that so-so production. He's no Steven Pasquale, but I bet he'll make a fine Robert.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 11:57am

I, too, was less than impressed with his "South Pacific" performance, late in the run. And I just saw him in "Hunchback," where he made little impression (to be fair, the role isn't much).  Stanley is wonderful, but though the "Bridges" score is gorgeous, the show and (to my thinking) the busy, cluttered staging are just okay. I hated the moving fences and the abstract bridge, and Norman's book in act two collapses into annotations and footnotes, not real time storytelling, ending at least three times. It if didn't ignite with O'Hara and Pasquale, it's more of a challenge to imagine stars with less charisma.  Maybe the material will hold, maybe those beautiful songs are enough.  

Updated On: 7/23/15 at 11:57 AM

[eperkins]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 11:57am

"^ It's a SETA tour. The minimum salaries were on the audition notices. Common knowledge."

 And the lead salaries can be negotiated. SETA only defines the minimums.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 12:05pm

I also didn't mind Samonsky in SP. I think both of these leads will be fine. It's not like they picked up two random people off the street to play these wonderful roles. Both are established performers. A SETA tour was never going to attract bigger names then what we are getting.

Updated On: 7/23/15 at 12:05 PM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 12:08pm

The use of the word "bland" irritates me. It's similar to the specious complaints against Kelli. It's seeming inarguable, but it's actually just a dodge, just an expression of disappointment that the performer in question is someone other than Kristin Chenoweth or Matthew Morrison.

I saw Andrew Samonsky in South Pacific and he was not "bland."

[eperkins]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 12:17pm

I also saw Andrew in SP and thought he was better than MM - certainly he sang it better (IMHO). I didn't think he came off as well in the televised version as he did in person.

[Ranger Tom]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 12:25pm

It's always fun to read the arm chair casting directors after an announcement.  Stanley is solid and will do a great job with that beautiful music - it will be good for the cities of America to have the opportunity to see her.  Don't know Samonsky - wish him the best (especially if he sees this thread).     

[Wildcard]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 1:14pm

I've seen Samonsky in three shows - Little Miss Sunshine, South Pacific, and Hunchback of Notre Dame. Count me among those as not a fan. He fared best in Hunchback but if we're not supposed to use "bland" to describe his performances, I would then describe it as "lifeless." I passed on Somewhere in Time after he replaced Ryan Silverman in the world premiere. 

[CatastrophicDay]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 1:14pm

Now that the initial surprise has worn off...

I'll be seeing this regardless since I missed out when it was on Broadway.

ljay889 is right, they cast the best people they could for the roles, so I'm hopeful that I'll be pleasantly surprised. 

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 1:15pm

Lifeless is a good one, wildcard. PJ, I don't like Matthew Morrison either, so not sure where you're going with that. I find him boring, too.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 1:33pm

PJ, I agree with neon.  And I'm someone who always comes to Kelli's defense when people call her bland, which I find to be unwarranted.  I always try to distinguish between bland and subtle/understated.  I'm not wowed by celebrities or big names on stage. In fact, I did not care for Morrison in South Pacific, but I thought Samonsky was legitimately bland, as in I was so incredibly bored when he was on stage.  And the same is true for his performance in Scandalous and Drood (especially Drood actually).  Me calling him bland is not a dodge.  It is a legitimate assertion based on the fact that I find his acting stiff and monotone.  Not subtle.  Just wooden.  I actually find myself wondering why he's a stage actor at all.  His performances remind me of the movied actors who are inexperienced stage actors and try to give Broadway a go. Think Julia Roberts in Three Days of Rain.

Updated On: 7/23/15 at 01:33 PM

[Sunny11]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 1:42pm

Salmonsky is a Drama Desk Nominee and he wouldn't have had as long of a stage career  as he's had without talent or a support base from fans or industry pros. He should be fine.

[neonlightsxo]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 1:44pm

"Salmonsky is a Drama Desk Nominee and he wouldn't have had as long of a stage career as he's had without talent or a support base from fans or industry pros. He should be fine."

Oh, he's a DRAMA DESK NOMINEE? I take back everything I said.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 7/23/15 at 1:45pm

Don't even get me started on Queen of the Mist...