This Year's NBC Musical...- Page 6

[justincharacter]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 12:16am

Mary J. Blige as The Fairygod Mother would have been incredible. It's unfortunate that they couldn't work it out. I wonder who they had their eye on for Cinderella. I hope they can get her on board for next year.

[bobs3]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 12:27am

It never ceases to amaze me. SO many people on this board think they are going to cast Broadway musical ensemble members as the leads in this production. MARK MY WORDS: They will get STARS to play both Peter and Captain Hook.

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 12:28am

I think Bieber has too much "swag" to even consider prancing around like this.

Really? I'm sure he's dying to show his prancing skills.

[A Director]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 12:45am

I did some research about the original play and the 1954/55 musical.

Yes, there was an English law that did not allow children to perform onstage after a certain hour. This is one of the reasons Peter Pan was played by a woman. In fact, Michael and the Lost Boys were also played by women. The original production was a successful and was revived several times. The play toured the country for a decade. In the original production, Tinker Bell was created by light and an off-stage mirror.

The Mary Martin version originated in California and was produced by Edwin Lester. He obtained the rights to the play. There were only a few songs. The production was not a success. When Jerome Robbins joined the production, more songs were add and the production was turned into a full musical. When the show came to Broadway, NBC helped produce it and in return, the show was done on TV.

Looking on IBDB, no book writer is listed. The credit reads, "Based on the play by James M. Barrie." Perhaps, a writer, not Douglas Carter Beane, will be hired to create a new book for the production and some of the songs could be kept and others dropped.

A new version of the story is currently running at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon. It's called Wendy and Peter Pan. Peter is played by a male actor. Here's a link. http://www.rsc.org.uk/whats-on/wendy-and-peter-pan/

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 1:19am

I just hope the attention doesn't turn completely towards the "racist" number.

Will they cut Ugg-a-Wugg?

Updated On: 1/20/14 at 01:19 AM

[beensince1987]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 1:25am

Maybe Jonah Verdon who is playing Ben/Lisa twin in Disaster! can play Peter. I know he can sing and play male/female

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 1:34am

Nobody was out picketing the last half a dozen Cathy Rigby tours which used Ugg a Wugg.

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 1:43am

Nobody was out picketing the last half a dozen Cathy Rigby tours which used Ugg a Wugg.

Only this time they will have...20 million more people watching?

I still think it won't make it to the live airing.

[bobs3]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 1:48am

Some people might say they should have cut the entire revival but I believe they cut the song "I'm an Indian, Too" from the Bernadette Peters ANNIE GET YOUR GUN.

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 1:52am

I just don't see NBC risking a controversy for one musical number. SOM didn't transfer intact either.

[JohnyBroadway]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 2:07am

If they present it in such an authentic way as the Rigby production, I am sure it will be fine. But if they go all out peace pipe and all, there could be problems. Either way I still think it shows a close bond between the two groups. I'm interested to see if they'll keep the outdated lyrics in the Indian dance. Hee has and all.

[DigificWriter]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 2:18am

If they're serious about casting a male performer as Peter, I think any one of the following would be perfect: Daniel Radcliffe; Nick Jonas; or Jeremy Jordan.

All 3 have genuine talent, and Jonas and Jordan have worked with NBC and Zadan and Meron before.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 2:20am

I highly doubt that "Ugg-A-Wugg" will be in the broadcast, to be honest.

Also, while people might not be familiar with this version, people are certainly familiar with the story of Peter Pan. And I can't speak for everyone, but I'm 23 and I grew up with the Mary Martin version. We had a VHS copy (yes, a VHS copy! shocking!) all through my childhood, and even though the DVD is quite difficult to find, I believe the whole thing is available on Youtube.

Depending on who they cast as Peter and Hook, this could be really wonderful and I'm excited to see the outcome.

[DigificWriter]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 2:25am

My top 3 choices for Hook/Mr. Darling would be Hugh Jackman, Christian Borle, and Neal Patrick Harris.

[JohnyBroadway]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 2:59am

Now that How I met your Mother is over, Neil Patrick Harris doesn't seem far fetched. Christian Borle would do wonder as Hook, but for this type of project I am thinking Smee. Give laura a reprise of Tender Shepard and you have a wonderful Mrs. Darling. Is Audra to old to play Liza?

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 3:07am

"Is Audra to old to play Liza?"

In the productions I've seen Liza is supposed to be a girl not much older than Wendy, so, yes, she's probably too old to play that part.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 5:13am

Wow. So much misinformation in this thread from so many people who consider themselves Barrie / Pan scholars and genuinely have no clue about the creation, evolution and how some of the traditions where adopted for this show.
Wow.

As far as Liza's age, Liza does not have a specific age range. Barrie describes Liza only as being so small in stature that you'd not believe her to be much more than Wendy's age. I'd have to look up the exact quote, but it is to the effect of "such a midget she looked" and looked "scarcely more than ten"..
The reason Liza has been depicted younger on stage is because people refer to the original production, where Martin's daughter, Heller Halliday, was cast as Liza and understudied Wendy.

[Tink2]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 6:35am

I think Kelsey Grammer would be a great Captain Hook. However I can see them casting someone like Blake Shelton in that role. I think Peter could be one of the members of the group New Direction.

[promisespromises2]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 8:25am

What about Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Pan?

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 8:30am

This story is about a BOY who won't grow up. You can't cast a young man in his 20s. He's grown already. I would say 13 max. This is for TV, remember, not stage.

[justincharacter]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 9:07am

^Do you not remember how old Rolf looked...

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 9:17am

Yeah, and everybody pointed it out, too. It was mentioned in all the reviews and quite a lot in social media. (He was also supposed to be 17 going on 18, not 12.)

I suppose they could just not care. But I wonder how much people will tune in, and how long they will stay with the show, if they hate everything from the first scene on.

Personally, I don't think this is going to draw the big numbers like The Sound of Music. It's almost too much of a kiddie show, instead of having universal appeal, like The Sound of Music.

The only way they'll get the big numbers is with big names as Pan and Hook. And I mean really big names that everybody knows and loves.

EDIT: There is a difference between involving the kids in the choice for a musical and catering to them. The Sound of Music is not a kiddie show, and it didn't cater to them. It just worked for them. That's a very big difference. Peter Pan is most definitely a children's show (certainly the way it's performed today). I think they're going to have to work hard to hold an adult's attention.

Updated On: 1/20/14 at 09:17 AM

[justincharacter]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 9:27am

"Personally, I don't think this is going to draw the big numbers like The Sound of Music. It's almost too much of a kiddie show, instead of having universal appeal, like The Sound of Music. "

I agree. I think R&H Cinderella would have been a better choice, especially with Blige in the picture. Phantom or Wizard of Oz would have been too.

[CukorLover]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 9:39am

Chris Colfer as Pan.

[DigificWriter]

Posted: 1/20/14 at 9:43am

Even if they deviate from the musical's tradition of having a female play Peter, the role is not going to go to a child or young adult.

For both safety and marketability reasons, we're likely looking at an adult - regardless of gender - in the title role, and it's not going to be an unknown that nobody's heard of.