Profile for OlBlueEyes

In the last century it was much easier, I think, to cast a play The intent was for the production to be a hit, with long lines at the box office. Casting was a major way of attracting an audience. If Hepburn was available, you grabbed her. G. B. Shaw, as class conscious as anyone in England, did not offer the role of Eliza to a twenty one year old unknown, but selected two established stars, Mrs. Patrick Campbell and Wendy Hiller, to fill the roles on stage and screen.

Referring back t

Hogan, my problem with you as a poster is simple. Reading your posts here, they all consist of declarative sentences. The truth is handed down to you from Mount Olympus and you in turn enlighten all those beneath you. You have no doubts. Any disagreement is dismissed, with no attempt to soften the blow and often with a pejorative statement thrown in such as the person needs to get out more or the person is one of a surprisingly ignorant group. To others no compliments, no concession of a

HogansHero said: "@BlueEyes what you are evoking is what I mentioned earlier: the race fixation that is part and parcel of the U.S. pathology. Do you look at a production and find a lack of verisimilitude when a character has blond hair instead of brown? Of course you don't: that's not something on which we are fixated.

Regarding Downton, first of all it is apples and oranges. (It's a TVshow, not a play.) Secondly, I could do without the racist link which is ju

Carlos Alberto. You should have your opinion heard here more often. The worst they can do is call you names. You get used to it.

There are grave historical problems in casting Billy as a carnival barker in 1876 New England. Blacks would probably not be admitted to the amusement park. Certainly a black man could not have been working on a carousel talking and touching the white women.

Racial intermarriage, as Oscar taught us in Show Boat, was illegal in many states and n

It sounds like Tony's tapping is going to be of more than passing significance in the show.

And the show will be choreographed by Michelle Dorrance, among the nation’s most heralded contemporary tap dance artists, working in theater for the first time. (The libretto depicts Grant as having been an early career tap dancer; in real life, he had performed with a group of acrobats.)

I predict FLASHBACKS, w

OlBlueEyes, I trust none of us--let alone I--have made you feel that your posts are less valid because you don't have a degree in theater. I promise you I am not a snob in that regard.

Gaveston, you are so solicitous of my feelings that you only increase my admiration of you. I do have three degrees in other areas and at this point of my life would not boast of any of them. But I do believe that my opinion on a matter, after five or ten minutes of reflection, wil

I have no degree in theater; I will just make one observation and apply it only to myself.

The 2018 revival of Carousel, which ran for 180 performances and 40 previews, cast a black man in the role of Billy. Had I seen this production with no advance knowledge of Carousel, and noted the evident direct comparison between Billy and Mr. Snow, I would have taken it that the book author was, at least in part, telling us that black men in comparison to white were more shiftless, lazy, prone

Live From Lincoln Center ain’t what it used to be. The one night 2013 Carousel starring Kelli O’Hara, Nathan Gunn, Jesse Mueller, and Jason Daniele was not broadcast live, but was shown a number of months later, only twice each PBS channel. But then it was released on DVD and you can buy it.

The classic LCT revival of South Pacific, starring Kelli O’Hara, Paulo Szott and Danny Burstein was broadcast live during the last week of the run. PBS stations could only show it

tombomb31 said: "Question about seating at 54 Below... I’ve never been. It says VIP starts at $125. What does VIP include?"

All seating at 54 Below have the same cover charge and order from the same dinner menu. The difference is in location of tables.

Ringside includes about four tables right up against the stage and the next row of tables one table away from the stage and in front of the stage. VIP tables are mostly in front of the stage but with the t

Lot666 said: "OlBlueEyes said: "it doesn’t appear that producers are banging down [Sierra Boggess'] doors."

And I can't figure that out. Isawher three times in Love Never Dies, four times in Phantom of the Opera (including the London 25th at Royal Albert Hall), once in Master Class, and once in It Shoulda Been You. The lady has a voice of pure gold."

A first reaction is that ther

I have never seen Sierra Boggess live in a show, but I’ve attended her last two performances at 54 Below. Among the many talented young actresses, she is way up there in the hierarchy. Moved easily between light (leading a singalong of “Danced All Night&rdquo to the heavier(“Wishing” dedicated to Hal Prince). She tenderly sang “Feed the Birds” to create an awareness of that son

Stop me if you've heard this one. I went to the last performance of Lauren Ambrose in My Fair Lady. It was really on a whim. I was checking to see if the her last show was sold out, and I saw a prime vacant seat. Looked like a House seat that had been released for public sale. So I grabbed it. 

I found myself seated beside a pleasant woman who appeared to be in her 60s. We exchanged a few words, but the surprise occurred during the curtain call and ovation. I lea

If you can no longer enjoy timeless classics for fear of being called transphobic then maybe the problem is not with the timeless classics but with this brief flirtation with transphobia.

Twenty miles from Manhattan, not one in twenty could even tell you what the hell transphobia is.

It’s not pleasant at first being the victim of name-calling, especially when they gang up on you, but you soon realize that, as when you were all 12 year olds, you can call them names right ba

lesmizsaigon said: "Julian Marsh from 42nd Street? Or is he more of a featured role?

I think that it's fair to say that Julian was a lead. He had no solos. His biggest musical moment is "Lullaby of Broadway," when he is in full coercion mode of getting Peggy to go on. 

I saw the original production and I will always remember Julian singing there. We were seated in one of the first few roles, but quite far to the right. For that number Jerry O

Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls is an equal among a quartet of leads, yet he basically sings just the one duet near the end of the show. (I've always found it odd that they cast Frank Sinatra in the role in the movie and Marlon Brando in the "singer's part" of Sky Masterson. Anybody know how that happened?)

Gene Kelly was the original choice for Nathan but that was a no-go for MGM. Brando was chosen, well, for his charm. Plus it was a coup getti

dramamama611 said: "South Pacific was a much better production than MFL.

Most audience members dont think about the age of the actor v character. They dont care. They just want a good performance.

As to this particular instance, Jackman is 50 (and looks it - in a great way) just how young a woman should he be paired with?"

Young enough to pass as Harold's Harold's wife and Winthrop's brother?

I'm not going to agree with yo