Crwford will NOT return to Woman in White in London

[leeinlondon]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 7:55am

I hate to say I told you so.. from what I had heard in the past from very good sources I didn't think Michael Crawford would ever return to the show in London and that the "illness" was a cover up for a fall out.

It has been leaked to newspapers here that Anthony Andrews will be taking over on 2nd May from Michael Ball as Count Fosco, despite the Box Office still saying that Crawford will return. The Daily Mail ran the story today, hopefully I get to post a link soon.

By the way Brian Conley turned the role down and mentioned in interviews that he decided to do Chitty instead, so it then became public knowledge they were searching for a more permanent replacement to take over from early May.

They are starting to discount tickets occasionally through the Woman in white website, 30% off some performances.

[rockfenris2005]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 7:57am

So who did Crawford fall out with?

[leeinlondon]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 8:06am

ALW about the size of his role in the finished production.

[jgph]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 8:07am

maria friedman- they just hate each other, and alw over the size of fosco's part. yet again the crawford ego strikes.

[sharon1]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 9:20am

So does that mean Maria Friedman and Michael Ball in Chicago and Broadway. I certainly hope so.

[Lori]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 9:20am

I'm sure the fact that Michael Ball has received such critical acclaim for his very different take on Count Fosco only compounded the situation. Though it's rumored that MB will be returning to the role in the West End in the fall, here's hoping this turns out to be his ticket back to Broadway (via Chicago).

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 9:23am

Why bother with the spin though? Why not just say at the start he's left the production through "creative differences"?

[leeinlondon]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 9:34am

Perhaps after Dance of the Vampires Crawford would not want another PR disaster on his hands and the illness story would allow ALW to use Crawford's name to market the show for a few more months... This part is total conjecture on my part but would seem feasible at least.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 9:57am

Comparisons to DANCE OF THE VAMPIRES are unwarranted. THE WOMAN IN WHITE is nothing of the disaster VAMPIRES was, and Michael Crawford, despite the size of his role, received some of the best reviews of his career.

He would be a fool to let his ego keep him from returning to the show, at least in NYC, where he would be able to finally redeam himself from the VAMPIRES nightmare, and probably win a second Tony Award.

[Lori]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 10:13am

He might be a fool to turn down the opportunity, but if it's true that he's had a falling out both with ALW and with Maria (who's sister is the Producer of the show) couldn't it be possible that the choice is no longer his to make? After all, it does seem almost a certainty that Maria will be transferring.

[leeinlondon]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 10:33am

I wasn't making a comparison with Dance of the Vampires.. I was saying that after Vampires he would not want another disaster which pulling out of the show three months into the run because of personal differences would obviously be.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 10:45am

It's interesting that he fell out with the composer of the show and with the star of the show (who happens to be the sister of the producer of the show) and yet none of them come out and say what really went on. If he was so egotistical and they all grew so tired of him, why allow him this graceful exit?

[jo]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 10:58am

I have just seen the show in London and was very impressed with it. I eagerly anticipate a transfer ultimately to Broadway, with Maria Friedman and Michael Ball ( assuming Michael Crawford is out of the picture). Michael B and Maria have great chemistry onstage and are wonderful singers - Michael with his baritonal tenor range and Maria with her gorgeous voice. The acting performances were likewise very noteworthy!

[Lori]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 11:21am

Don't know the answer to that question Popcultureboy, but one thing is evident as Jo just pointed out, Maria and Michael Ball have tremendous chemistry and their voices compliment each other beautifully. They also appear to get along well off stage as well. They were both relaxed and joking with each other at the stage door the night we were there.

Jo, glad you enjoyed the show so much. I'm with you...I loved it and can't wait to see it on Broadway (and I'm also with you on your casting choices)

[ca_muzikgurl]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 12:15pm

I seriously doubt that Michael Ball's performance as Fosco had anything to do with Crawford not returning to the show.
He was probably let go, so to speak, for various reasons, one of them being that he simply wasn't showing up to work consistantly and the producers were tired of it. They probably knew when they hired Ball originally that Crawford was not going to return.
After seeing Crawford in Dance of the Vampires and being thoroughly unimpressed with his performance on The Woman In White cast recording, Anthony Andrews will be a breath of fresh air in the role. No doubt he will build his characterization of Fosco off of Michael Ball's performance rather than Crawford, as Ball seems to have made the Count believable rather than simply a comical character.

[Lori]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 12:44pm

ca - I really didn't mean to imply that MB's performance had anything to do with Crawford's not returning to the role per say. But for some of the reasons you stated it would have been more difficult for Crawford to return with his original interpretation of the role.

Incidently someone just posted on another board that Ruthie Henshall will be taking over the role of Marian when Maria leaves in July. Not sure if there is any truth to it or not.

[sharon1]

Posted: 4/8/05 at 2:36pm

Yup it is true

[rockfenris2005]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 2:25am

You know what? Purely on the basis of being a Steinfan, I say Good riddance! He ruined his chance (Jim Steinman) for Broadway, when it was a dream he'd wanted for thirty years. He took tghat gorgeous beautiful rock opera and turned it into a mess. And it was all because of his stupid ego! ThanK God ALW finally came to his senses. I'm so sorry he cou;dn't see the forest for thre trees. I hope he never works with him again. And I hope all the Broadway producers realize what Crawford does, and accept Steinman back on Broadway

[jim]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 9:10am

Interesting. We went to London and I guess we saw what may have been Crawford's last performance (12/27/04) in the show.

[lensman55]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 10:56am

We have no indication (except for the gripes from some children) that "Michael's ego" played any role in his leaving the production or in his not returning.

[lensman55]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 11:03am

There were a lot of things wrong with DotV, it got NO promotion until after the critical drubbing, the direction was lackluster (due, I'm certain to a degree to the director having to deal with personal tragedy, I'm sympathetic, but the direction was still lackluster) No show should ever OPEN on Broadway without a full tryout out of town, the critics had it in for Michael from the get-go due to his Vegas stint AND quite frankly, it doesn't seem like vampire musicals are all the rage in New York (I don't think "Dracula-The Musical" lasted as long as DotV did! I'm wondering what's going to happen with "Lestat.") Finally, yes, Michael's decision to play the Count as a comedic character was in error, but the producer's knew what they were getting when they brought him in. He'd done "Phantom," he made it clear he didn't want to redo Erik and that was the end of it. If they were bothered by that they should have cut him loose from the beginning.

[riv]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 11:44am

Judging by the film version of The Woman In White with Sidney Greenstreet as Count Fosco, I don't see how Michael Crawford can say playing the role straight would be like re-doing Eric from Phantom.

Good riddance to him if he's stupid enough to think it's the same part.

[Sally]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 12:40pm

<< Judging by the film version of The Woman In White with Sidney Greenstreet as Count Fosco, I don't see how Michael Crawford can say playing the role straight would be like re-doing Eric from Phantom.
Good riddance to him if he's stupid enough to think it's the same part.>>




riv, it's Count Krolock, not Count Fosco that MC didn't want to be like the Phantom.

Fosco was written as comic, in part, and both Crawford and Ball have played him that way. I haven't seen Ball (did see Crawford and an understudy), but from everything I've read, Ball also plays him as written---but with a bit more of the sinister, which many people like.

The Fosco of the musical is different from the Fosco of the book (and the Sidney Greenstreet film), no matter who plays him.

Leeinlondon and a couple of others have their theory as to why MC is not returning. The alternative explanation that, I believe, most people accept is that Crawford has an illness serious enough to keep him from performing. I don't know what the real story is, but I will be dubious about the "falling out with (whoever)" unless I can get more confirmation than the word of someone who has made it clear in other posts on this and other boards that he doesn't care for Crawford.

[MikeH]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 12:52pm

Good god it's not one person's fault that DOTV failed on Broadway. There were others including Steinman that had a hand in it. As for WIW, I hope to hear more about this situation...

[diana rigg]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 1:13pm

Such a cover-up doesn't make sense. If Michael Crawford is on the sh** list of everyone in this production--ALW, Maria Friedman and her sister, Sonia--why would they want to protect him from public opinion? And why would Crawford want to screw up his career again after the debacle of DOTV? In his statements when he signed for this show, he talked about what a different experience it would be for him playing the second lead instead of being the star but he was comfortable with it. It turned out to be a great part for him and he was delighted with the good reviews and audience response he was getting. It would be professional suicide to pull a diva act like you claim. Crawford obssesses over details when he's creating a character, but he's a team player in wanting the overall production to be a success. I don't buy the story that this is all over creative differences. I'll need to see much more documentation than just your unnamed sources before I believe that.