kade.ivy said: "My first thought was, “She’d be awesome, but maybe a bit too old.” Then I did some research and found out that Mary Martin was 46 when the show opened on Broadway. I guess Julie Andrews doing it at 30 put it in my (and several subsequent casting directors&rsquo minds that Maria was usually younger.
It should shock me how people are basically saying 'get over it.' But it doesn't. That's how we've created a culture where it's ok for Joan Rivers to make a career out of denigrating someone for their looks (be it herself or other women). It's not ok. It's awful. And things won't change if people to continue to pretend to laugh it off and say, 'Oh, that's just the business.' If you don't think this is part
My favorite assertion in this thread is that Liza Minnelli and Madeline Kahn are paragons of stability in the face of the pressures of this business and the horrible comments made about them in the press. I mean...
John Simon is a hateful critic. I was in a cast (there were only five of us) and he wrote 'It's a cast bereft of talent and looks.' So...not only were we bad, we were ugly. Nothing makes me happier than the fact that his career has gone th
I missed McDonald in both Ragtime and Master Class, but when seeing other women play these parts on Broadway, I thought, 'What in God's name did she do with these underwritten roles to win Tonys????"
Perhaps this piece by Steggert is speaking to me because I've made a conscious decision to step back from a pursuit of a career as a performer for a number of reasons. But, unless we become Gilead full stop, the business will always be here. I always tell my acting students, 'Go live a life. How can you portray one if you don't live one?'
I read nothing grand or self-congratulating in this. &nb
It was kind of a trippy experience seeing this last night. Like...all of a sudden I was 22 again. Lord, is that material firmly rooted in the 90s. But it was great to revisit the early work of the man who would go on to write PARADE, LAST 5 YEARS and BRIDGES. Totally nostalgic.
What I wouldn't give, though, to see this same performance in a small off-Broadway house. I did a show at the same theater where SONGS premiered (the WPA) about two years
SONG AND DANCE was proffered as the Art against DROOD's commercialism. Was it really ever on the rails?
The problem is, the theory doesn't hold up all that well. Some years, it seems that commercialism was highly valued over art (see: SPAMALOT). The last few years, it seems the opposite...with riskier fare being rewarded. It also doesn't really take into account that the award is for Best Production of a Musical. It also views some
I exaggerate my dislike of the show. I didn't much care for it, but could recognize it's artistic worth. But two nights after seeing it, I was at the Townhouse (stop judging) and ran into a co-worker and his friend that I was just meeting that night. They said they had just seen PIAZZA and I said, almost apologetically, 'I didn't really care for it.' The friend, to whom I was JUST introduced, slapped me across the face. So...Adam Guettel now h
BOOK OF MORMON is really tightly constructed and has something really interesting to say about religion v. faith. Sure...it's potty-mouthed...but it's smart and a well-made musical (I'd give most of that credit to Bobby Lopez).
LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA sure sounds pretty. But, Jesus, that show is like watching beige paint dry on a piece of sheet rock while listening to modern classical music. I mean...she gets kicked in the head by
SONG & DANCE is the ART in this equation? I need to start drinking at work.
The thing about both PHANTOM over WOODS and CRAZY FOR YOU over FALSETTOS is that the two Tony-winners were astounding productions. PHANTOM was and still is a worldwide phenomenon (I'd argue entirely due to Hal Price's unbelievable direction and storytelling abilities) and I wanted to absolutely hate CRAZY FOR YOU when I saw it because I loved FALSETTOS so, so very much. But CRAZY F
In general, I thought there was a lot of shouting in this production, which had a numbing effect on me. I do think, though, it's hard to compare larger stage characterizations to actors who get to use the close up to excellent effect. Didn't love Kirk in AIA, but I did love Wilson. But I'm one of the few that felt Lee Pace was really quite wonderful in this production. He found the wounded young man who acts out of his pain in ways that are cruel and unkind
FROZEN is doing something that will probably feature Young Anna and Elsa (or some portion of Do You Wanna Build a Snowman) based on at least one set piece being built for the broadcast
minds that Maria was usually younger.
