Norm Lewis and Tamyra Gray to Join the Cast of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND- Page 2

[10086sunset]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 1:45pm

behindthescenes2 said: "They actors in the show have all decided to leave - one more dancer has sliced his foot on the stage. all of the current dressers, what little they have, are moving to Frozen. Do Lewis and Gray know they will have to dress themselves? management is so cheap they are even trying to have the actors out on the wigs themselves and they actors are rebelling about the continuing up and down the stairs to make changes and the wigs are falling apart due to the sand and water and there are no replacements being ordered or costumes as well."

On a Ken Davenport produced show! Never!

[haterobics]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 1:53pm

Who will most Tony voters see in the roles then?

[Jarethan]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 1:56pm

JBroadway said: "Interesting that people assume this is solely a ticket sales move. I know Norm Lewis is a more recognizable name among the theatre community than Darrington, but he is far from a bankable box office name. If it were Taye Diggs or even Ben Vereen, sure I'd say they definitely asked Darrington to step out, much like the Comet situation. But seeing as it's Norm Lewis, I'm more inclined to take then at their word that Darringtonhas another contractual obligation, and Lewis is just stepping in to fill the gap."

I have to say that I agree with you, although I don't know why.  Maybe it is that he has never had the lead in a REAL Broadway musical on opening night, and gotten the extra visibility from that.  (I don't count Porgy and Bess...I continue to believe that it is an opera, not a musical, and that the majority of the business it did was because of Audra.  

At this point, Norm Lewis will sell seats to people like the ones on this board, but will not cause an influx of new sales 'from New Jersey'.  If he is being retained to improve the box office (vs. because he is an incredibly talented performer), the producers are in trouble.

[Elegance101]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 1:56pm

For what it's worth, Andy Mientus (Arden's husband) tweeted this, making me think this is for ticket sales:

https://twitter.com/andymientus/status/943183003467046912

[haterobics]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 2:00pm

JBroadway said: "If it were Taye Diggs or even Ben Vereen, sure I'd say they definitely asked Darrington to step out, much like the Comet situation."

Taye didn't seem to do Hedwig any favors.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 2:43pm

Elegance101 said: "For what it's worth, Andy Mientus (Arden's husband) tweeted this, making me think this is for ticket sales:

https://twitter.com/andymientus/status/943183003467046912"

 

Given that this was posted on the same day as the press release, it does seem to indicate that this was a desperate attempt to increase ticket sales...which makes no sense because Norm Lewis is not a household name, and even I, a Broadway fanatic, had to look up who Tamyra Gray is. Evidently she placed 4th on the first season of American Idol over a decade ago and then played Mimi in Rent?

Updated On: 12/19/17 at 02:43 PM

[j.garcia]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 2:50pm

Tamyra Gray starred as Ti Moune in a production of OOTI at Papermill a few years ago and was, to me, impressively memorable. Not sure how she'll handle Papa Ge but her vocals were a standout as Ti Moune which is the more challenging role.

Maybe the cast is all quitting so they can just see other Broadway shows and cheer on their fellow performers, that seemed to be well received at SpongeBob.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 2:51pm

The Distinctive Baritone said: "and even I, a Broadway fanatic, had to look up who Tamyra Gray is. Evidently she placed 4th on the first season of American Idol over a decade ago and then played Mimi in Rent?"

She was also in Bombay Dreams, although I don't blame you for not remembering that either.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 2:59pm

JBroadway said: "Interesting that people assume this is solely a ticket sales move. I know Norm Lewis is a more recognizable name among the theatre community than Darrington, but he is far from a bankable box office name. If it were Taye Diggs or even Ben Vereen, sure I'd say they definitely asked Darrington to step out, much like the Comet situation. But seeing as it's Norm Lewis, I'm more inclined to take then at their word that Darringtonhas another contractual obligation, and Lewis is just stepping in to fill the gap."

 

You're taking Ken Davenport ---- at his word??? 

 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 3:47pm

I don't believe they'd have hired TWO principals that both were going to "contractually" step out of the show at the same exact time  so close to the begining of the run. Makes little sense.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 3:56pm

If this is for ticket sales then they’re silly. Now they’d have to pay them out of their contracts, etc. and can replacements get Tony nods? No, right? It’s just who was in on opening night.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 4:03pm

They really think Tamyra Gray sells tickets??

[gleek4114]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 4:06pm

I saw Tamyra in the national tour of If/Then as Kate and thought she was wonderful. I hope I get to see her in this as well.

[SchuylWERKsister]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 4:13pm

j.garcia said: "Tamyra Gray starred as Ti Moune in a production of OOTI at Papermill a few years ago and was, to me, impressively memorable. Not sure how she'll handle Papa Ge but her vocals were a standout as Ti Moune which is the more challenging role.

Maybe the cast is all quitting so they can just see other Broadway shows and cheer on their fellow performers, that seemed to be well received at SpongeBob."

That was Syesha Mercado... different black woman.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 7:17pm

Merle Dandridge, at least, seems to think she’s returning. She posted on her Instagram that she’s taking “a leave,” and then Tamyra Gray commented she’s “got big shoes to fill for a few months.”

https://instagram.com/p/Bc5HZkwh0bA/

Of course, the reality may be somewhat different.

Has the Tony nominating committee seen the show yet? Given the strength of her reviews, I’d say she had a chance at a nomination.

 

ETA: no idea why I can’t make that link clickable from my phone 

Updated On: 12/19/17 at 07:17 PM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 7:23pm

^if you preview the post or go to edit it and repaste the link you should be able to make it clickable.

[Alessio2]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 8:21pm

Still don't understand why they pulled discount codes for this the day the reviews came out...are people flocking to this?

[bwaylyric]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 10:07pm

If they want to sell tickets, they should’ve cast Oak. 

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 10:09pm

Mandy Patinkin as Daniel would have brought in the $$$$$

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 10:12pm

Emmy Rossum HAS to play Ti Moune.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 10:21pm

haterobics said: "Who will most Tony voters see in the roles then?"

Well....the voters have proven it doesn't really matter if they actually SEE the performance when they awarded all 3 Billy Elliots without seeing them.l

[oh-bwayhereicome]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 11:02pm

If they expect to sell tickets, maybe don't double the prices to the show out of nowhere! The minimum price is now $119, not $59 like it was just a few weeks ago. A group of like 10+ friends and I were going to go, but are now opting for something more affordable like Spongebob or Kinky Boots. If they expect the Glee generation who know Alex Newell to come see this, make tickets somewhat affordable for teenagers and people in their early 20s!

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 12/19/17 at 11:16pm

oh-bwayhereicome said: "If they expect to sell tickets, maybe don't double the prices to the show out of nowhere! The minimum price is now $119, not $59 like it was just a few weeks ago. A group of like 10+ friends and I were going to go, but are now opting for something more affordable like Spongebob or Kinky Boots. If they expect the Glee generation who know Alex Newell to come see this, make tickets somewhat affordable for teenagers and people in their early 20s!"

Not sure what you are looking at but the lowest price right now is $89.50, Monday thru Thursday, $99.50 Friday - Sunday.  It might be $99.50 for all days during Xmas week but it sure isn't $119. And discounts are usually available at TKTS most nights, sometimes at 50% off. And group sales might even give you a better rate since you qualify with 10 or more. I found all that info in the time it took you to write your post.

Posted: 12/19/17 at 11:33pm

I agree with those who think that if this is supposed to be celebrity casting, it's definitely odd choices. I'm sure Tamyra Gray will be great, but one of the many things Home for the Holidays has showed us is that reality show contestants don't sell tickets. And Norm Lewis is wonderful, but he's not super well-known outside of the Broadway community. Also, Agwe's a pretty small role for him at this point, in my opinion.

Re: the show's longevity; does anyone think that cutting the large group of kids at the end was partially to save money? I also question the use of the animals on stage. They provide great atmosphere, but I'm sure it's expensive to have them be in the show, and they don't have anything to do with the actual plot!

[somechrysanthemumtea]

Posted: 12/20/17 at 12:29am

I think Mientus' tweet is being misconstrued by people on this board to fulfil a Comet-esque narrative. It can also (more probably!) be read as two cast members had contractual leaves, and the creative team now needs to work to rehearse/find replacements for an open run - where actors need to be replaced & other things I'm sure have to be done that require more time than a limited run.