Alex Brightman to Lead BEETLEJUICE in D.C.- Page 2

[singer234]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 11:44am

Lol this is SO SAD. God this is why Broadway actors think fans are so NUTS.

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 11:44am

You dont have to like him as a person, he’s not coming to your house, or making you go get a drink with him.

I’m a fan, can’t wait! 

 

Updated On: 8/16/18 at 11:44 AM

[Bwayfan292]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 11:45am

Mercades said: "Bwayfan292 said: "I would say Dewey Fin is a very physical demanding role, im glad he took shows off so he didnt injury his voice or body. "

But thank goodness elephaba’s are expected to fulfill 8 shows a week. Poor Dewey !"

You can’t even make that comparison they are such different roles. 

[singer234]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 11:47am

/Most Elphaba’s DON’T do 8 shows a week and almost every principal Elphaba has suffered vocal damage as a result of playing the role!

[Kad]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 11:49am

I've never heard a negative word about him from anyone in the industry.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 11:50am

Well, except for that Playbill twitter takeover. Ha!

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 11:51am

Maybe musical theatre writers should stop writing roles that are impossible to sing 8 times a week. Seems like most composers these days think that they won't be taken seriously if they don't include a ton of high belting. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/16/18 at 12:52pm

Exactly!^

[Owen22]

Posted: 8/17/18 at 8:47am

JSquared2 said: "Kad said: "...really? The antipathy is due to his School of Rock performance attendance?"

Well people here are still holding grudges against Bernadette Peters, Donna Murphyand Laura Benanti for missingshows 10-20 years ago --- why shouldn't Brightman's work ethic be held to the same standard?"

Oh please. Not only was Dewey an incredibly VOCALLY demanding role, physically it was WAY harder than any of those female lead roles. Did you see the amount of weight Alex lost during the run. By the end of his run he was actually a little less schlubby than the character really needed to be!

 

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 8/17/18 at 10:59am

Who knew “ schlubby “ was a word. You do learn something every day

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 8/17/18 at 11:26am

Kad said: "I assume they are waiting to announce Butler when the rest of the casting is finalized. It makes sense to announce the leading man and woman to drum up hype, and then have a second casting announcement to continue that."

 

Interesting, I never thought of the role of Lydia, as played in the movie, as being the leading lady. I always thought the two leads after the title character were the Maitlands. After all, it is their story.

Updated On: 8/17/18 at 11:26 AM

[CarmenDeBris]

Posted: 8/17/18 at 12:29pm

Interesting, I never thought of the role of Lydia, as played in the movie, as being the leading lady. I always thought the two leads after the title character werethe Maitlands. After all, it is their story."

They made it work in the animated series, but this was my first thought too. Adam and Barbara are definitely the leads in the film. 

 

 

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 8/17/18 at 1:33pm

Lydia is the more iconic character, so not surprised the role was included in the initial announcement

[Kad]

Posted: 8/17/18 at 1:43pm

While the Maitlands are the leads, in popular imagination, it's Beetlejuice (who, it should be remembered, doesn't even appear in his iconic black and white suit for more than a few minutes in the last third of the movie) and Lydia.

Of course, for my money, it's Catherine O'Hara who walks away with the film.

[raddersons]

Posted: 8/17/18 at 1:54pm

When I was little my only exposure to Beetlejuice was that awful cartoon. It was always on and I never enjoyed it. A few years ago I begrudgingly watched the movie... and was so surprised by how good it was, it's now one of my favorites. 

I guess what I'm trying to get at is, Beetlejuice adaptations can go very wrong if they decide to cater towards children instead of maintaining the (very) dark themes of the movie. Putting Lydia in the forefront makes me skeptical. Alex Brightman does initially seem like a good pick, but I am curious if he was chosen because School of Rock is a kid's show. 

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Posted: 8/17/18 at 2:21pm

Kad said: "it's Beetlejuice (who, it should be remembered, doesn't even appear in his iconic black and white suit for more thana few minutes in the last third of the movie)."

Not to mention that he’s only in the film for less than 20 minutes, IIRC. Michael Keaton’s performance is so great that you don’t realize it (same for Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz)!

[suzycat]

Posted: 8/17/18 at 2:36pm

I'm thrilled with this announcement. Alex will be perfect! I was lucky enough to see Sophia in The Secret Life of Bees workshop - her voice is stunning. 

[darquegk]

Posted: 8/17/18 at 3:36pm

Well, the promo art for the show featured a "PARENTAL ADVISORY, REALLY FUKKIN EXPLICIT" warning, so I don't think this is gonna be a kids show. (Although the movie is an eighties style Hard PG, so that's a bit of an unusual direction to take it...)

[Kad]

Posted: 8/22/18 at 10:11am

The apparent full cast for DC. Conspicuously absent is the Sylvia Sidney role, that had been performed by Carole Shelley in the workshops.

Leslie Kritzer is the casting I am most excited about.

BEETLEJUICE- Complete Cast Announced!

[CarmenDeBris]

Posted: 8/22/18 at 10:15am

I hadn't realized Juno was in the workshop. That's disappointing, but I can understand why they would cut her. Do we know if she had a number? 

[Kad]

Posted: 8/22/18 at 10:16am

Not sure- Shelley was playing a character named Mrs. Shogoth. I am assuming it was an expanded/re-imagined version of Juno, considering the Lovecraftian name and Carole Shelley's taking it on.

Updated On: 8/22/18 at 10:16 AM

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 8/22/18 at 11:10am

Rob McClure!!! THRILLED!

[darquegk]

Posted: 8/22/18 at 11:10am

Kad, did you get to see the workshop-era script?

As far as the character not being there, I couldn't help but notice that Maxie and Maxine Dean (characters who only appear in the film's finale) are listed here as supporting leads. While this could mean those roles have been beefed up, it could also imply that those two actors are playing multiple roles (of which Juno/Mrs. Shoggoth could be one), with those being the most immediately prominent. Beryl and the perky realtor are not listed either, although those would SEEM, based on the movie, to be notable roles as well.)

Updated On: 8/22/18 at 11:10 AM

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 8/22/18 at 11:36am

Leslie Kritzer playing Catherine O'Hara's role and my ticket is BOOKED.

[Kad]

Posted: 8/22/18 at 11:44am

darquegk said: "Kad, did you get to see the workshop-era script?

As far as the character not being there, I couldn't help but notice that Maxie and Maxine Dean (characters who only appear in the film's finale) are listed here as supporting leads. While this could mean those roles have been beefed up, it could also imply that those two actors are playing multiple roles (of which Juno/Mrs. Shoggoth could be one), with those being the most immediately prominent. Beryl and the perky realtor are not listed either, although those would SEEM, based on the movie, to be notable roles as well.)"

I have not read or attended the workshop incarnations- I am just privy to casting information.

The Deans, in those workshops, were also ensemble tracks- essentially just featured ensemble parts and not principals. It is possible that now the Juno/Shoggoth role has been folded into a similar ensemble track.