Hellen Mirren Against Reading Shakespeare in Schools Dec 4
2020, 12:20:56 PM
It's been very interesting reading this thread. So many great points.
I have acted in a lot of Shakespeare's plays, and as a theater teacher, I have directed students several Shakespeare productions, as well as countless Shakespeare scenes. For what it's worth, here are my thoughts on this subject based on my experience:
English has changed so much since Elizabethan times, and SO many of the words Shakespeare uses have either changed meaning or are not used at a
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Sharon Scene in "Master Class" Dec 4
2020, 11:19:10 AM
I've seen the play only once (with Boggess and Tyne Daley), but from what I remember, Sharon is the third student to perform in the master class. She is really talented, and is singing an aria from one of Callas' former roles (I think Lady M in the opera of Macbeth?), and Callas is abusive towards her, causing Sharon to stand up to her and call her out on her sh*t. It's a big confrontation scene that leaves Callas rattled as the play ends.
That said, I am sure there ar
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NBC will present THE GRINCH musical this December starring Morrison Dec 4
2020, 11:14:47 AM
Matthew Morrison is extremely talented, but based on that clip, he is so completely wrong for this role and he looks so ridiculous in that makeup that this could turn out to be a real embarrassment. Why was he cast? Despite being known for Glee and a couple Broadway shows, he's not a big enough "star" to get people to tune in just to see him. You can't even tell that it's Matthew Morrison anyway. Why not hire someone more appropriate for the role?
BTW De
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Chad Kimball Dec 1
2020, 12:33:15 AM
It is odd that Laura Osnes hasn't done a show since Bandstand. Based on her About the Artists profile, she almost never does regional theatre. I know it is seen as "beneath" Broadway actors who have reached a certain level, but...work is work? Anyway, I'm sure she gets offers for things all the time, but turns them down with the hopes that a Broadway role will come her way instead.
In the meantime, according to her IMDB, since Bandstand closed she has done several fil
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Broadway Cast moral code? Oct 29
2020, 01:50:51 PM
I don't think it would be legal for Broadway producers to tell cast and crew members that they can't date each other - at least from a union standpoint. Actors' Equity would never allow such a crazy and totally unenforceable rule. I understand that in some businesses, they can make whatever rules they want, but no way would this ever fly with a theatre production. Showmances are practically an industry tradition, ha ha.
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New song in DEAR EVAN HANSEN film Oct 12
2020, 12:02:56 PM Yes, this is a joke.
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New song in DEAR EVAN HANSEN film Oct 11
2020, 10:41:20 PM
Just released! So exciting! Strange lyrics though. Probably not suitable for kids.
http://youtu.be/sDck-V2knyw
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Are there really NEW investors? Sep 16
2020, 12:30:44 AM Wow y’all real bored, huh?
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Michael Sheen To Star in Live Streamed FAITH HEALER This Month Sep 3
2020, 09:00:32 AM Haha my mom says so too!
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Michael Sheen To Star in Live Streamed FAITH HEALER This Month Sep 2
2020, 04:10:14 PM What? I applied for the streaming rights a couple months ago and was denied. Then again, I’m not Michael Sheen, so...
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Bobby Steggert, Actor Turned Therapist Q & A: Advice for Suffering Theater Artists Aug 20
2020, 12:18:31 AM
Great interview. I say this as an actor though with love for my fellow actors...98% of Actors' Equity members were unemployed at any given time BEFORE the pandemic. Actors typically will sometimes go a year or more without an acting gig, and will have to work another job during that time. Even highly successful actors often have a side hustle to actually pay their bills. I miss acting in plays too but this is just business as usual for most of us...
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White Noise: A Cautionary Musical Aug 12
2020, 01:34:57 AM
temms - thank you for this! Fascinating stuff. Glad you got out unscathed!
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When Superman Briefly Flew on Broadway Aug 12
2020, 01:31:18 AM
bk said: "This is a wonderful article? It is so riddled with errors that it's a joke - not a funny joke. I mean, one person has pointed out ONE error - how can no one on a theater chat board like this not know what the others are? Happily, in the comments on the article someone has pointed out each and every one of them."
bk, AKA someothertime, your knowledge of this musical and all related matters, as well as the amount of time you spent filling out the com
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When Superman Briefly Flew on Broadway Aug 11
2020, 11:53:17 PM
I saw the Dallas Theatre Center production. My father is a huge Superman fan (and saw the original Broadway production as a kid), and we flew there specifically to see it. I grew up with the cast recording, which I always thought had a few good songs, but was overall too cheesy. I also saw the TV movie version a long time ago. So basically, I came into the production being familiar with the show and already having some opinions about it. I thought the Dallas production was fun, but that
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do roles win tony's or do people win tony's (probably both) Aug 10
2020, 09:03:56 PM JBroadway answered those pretty perfectly, IMO.
That said, there are some roles that so perfectly and beautifully written, and so meaty, that whoever would have originated that role on Broadway was inevitably at least gonna get nominated unless they somehow screwed it up!
Non-musical examples include:
Christopher in Curious Incident Violet and Barbara in August: Osage County Mark Rothko and Ken in Red Catherine in Proof All four roles in Doubt Nora
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can broadway shows not renew actors contracts bc they shut down bc of the pandemic?? Aug 10
2020, 08:33:45 PM I’m not sure if the “unlimited renewals unless there’s cause to terminate” chorus contract (which resulted in aged-out and, reportedly, phoning-it-in bored actors who refused to leave in the original Les Miz) still exists. I’m guessing not after Cameron Mackintosh spent a small fortune buying most of the Broadway cast out of their contracts for the 10th anniversary. It’s a good question.
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White Noise: A Cautionary Musical Aug 10
2020, 08:25:14 PM I saw it in Chicago. The reviews were mixed to negative if I remember correctly, and that was my reaction as well. The cast was excellent but the material was problematic. It would require a lot of rewrites.
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Broadway Shows that End With Questions? Jul 27
2020, 11:28:37 PM
Jordan Levinson said: "Just wondering at the moment what other shows that have hit Broadway conclude with a question rather than a statement (final spoken words). Some examples fromrecent memory, off the top of my head:
"Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?"
"Does this mean I can do anything, Siobhan?" (not counting Epilogue)
"What if?"
"Could this be the something that will last?"
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Why Did Len Cariou and George Hearn Play Sweeney Todd with American Accents? Jul 15
2020, 04:04:34 PM For the record, I think Len Cariou is a perfectly decent singer. It’s just a very unique voice, and he was really more of a classical theatre guy who kinda fell into musical theatre. And obviously that served him well as Sweeney - I’d rather a great actor who can sing “well enough” in the role than someone like Bryn Terfel who sounded AMAZING but whose acting was almost cringe-worthy.
George Hearn is the best of both worlds. Sondheim himself is rumored to have preferred Hearn’s performa
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Greatest Theatrical Comedy Performances You Have Seen Jul 15
2020, 03:49:23 PM I’ll jump on the bandwagon and say that I was lucky enough to see Nathan Lane from the center orchestra during previews for The Producers and it remains the greatest musical comedy performance I’ve ever seen. Of course, he had good material!
In terms of turning straw into gold however, Mark Rylance was pure genius in Boeing-Boeing.
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