Broadway Bee Cast Replaced?

[Sondheim_Geek]

From Broadway.com:

Daily Show Alum Mo Rocca to Join Spelling Bee 4/17
by Broadway.com Staff

Mo Rocca, special correspondent to The Tonight Show and alum of The Daily Show, will join the cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee as Vice Principal Douglas Panch for a limited engagement beginning April 17 at Broadway's Circle in the Square Theatre.
The hit musical will also welcome spellers from the San Francisco/Boston company to the cast, beginning the same night: Aaron J. Albano as Chip Tolentino, Stanley Bahorek as Leaf Coneybear, Jenni Barber as Olive Ostrovsky, Sara Inbar as Logainne Schwartzandgrubiennaire and Greta Lee as Marcy Park. Jared Gertner, the sixth speller from the San Francisco/Boston company, joined the Broadway cast on January 30. Also new to the Broadway Bee will be Jennifer Simard (Forbidden Broadway, The Thing About Men) as Rona Lisa Perretti, a role she performed on the national tour, and James Monroe Iglehart as comfort counselor Mitch Mahoney, also from the San Francisco/Boston company.
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Does this mean the whole Broadway cast is basically getting the axe, or is this just a limited time thing as well.

[CapnHook]

The current actor playing Mitch will be joining the cast of LITTLE MERMAID.

It seems as if the entire cast is being replaced.

[LizzieCurry]

Oh, that is BRILLIANT. I love Mo Rocca on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.

[jg4892]

Or is the entire cast just leaving and the casting directors just decided to put in san francisco and tour people?

[liotte]

Ah, the news is finally out. Was wondering when that would happen.

[alliez92092]

One of the worst kept secrets.

[jg4892]

Liotte, did they get fired?

[NathanLaneStalker]

Even though, I have no doubt that this new cast will be good, I think it's wrong to replace people who haven't even been there that long (Barret Foa for one) are they deciding to leave?

[Sondheim_Geek]

This is possibly the saddest news I've heard...ever.

[alliez92092]

They're all leaving. They announced their dates.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Oh my god, that sounds fantastic.

[LizzieCurry]

This is possibly the saddest news I've heard...ever.

Not for MEEEEEEEEE!! :)

[liotte]

Can you post a link to the broadway.com story?

[Yankeefan007]

They've been doing it for what, 2 years?

They'd be fired NOW.

Note the saracasm.

[RentBoy86]

Well that's random. I hope some of the tour men don't get on Broadway. I don't think they do the show justice.

[Yankeefan007]

Link please?

[ILoveMyDictionary]

*sigh* I knew they'd all have to leave eventually, but I expected them to trickle out one by one. Not all just go at once.

Now I'm off to beg my father to somehow let me see their last show.


Edit:// Apparently I never learned the difference of There/Their/They're.

[Sondheim_Geek]

Link:
http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=545520

[Sondheim_Geek]

liotte-
Was it a cast decision to all leave on the same day, or were contracts up for originals left (Sarah, Lisa, Jose, Derrick, Deborah) and they all just decided to leave with them?

Was anyone forced out?

[C is for Company]

Wow that is upsetting, but great for them to all go together! Just will be such a different show with them gone....

[Chrissy*J]

Wow, this was definitely NOT what I wanted to hear.
Although I am excited to see Jenni Barber as Olive.

[LizzieCurry]

It is really odd that they're all leaving at once.

[liotte]

I'm not answering a question like that. That is between the actors and producers and people involved with the show, not our business and info for a message board.

I find it interesting that this is the way it was first presented that they are all leaving. I think they deserve more than a passing word in an article about one person coming in for a limited time. Hopefully the official announcement will give them all the credit they deserve for such a long and amazing run. And generate some buzz for their next project.

[Trekkie2]

Barret has had the date of his last show on his site for, like, a month.

[liotte]

Also- Jose is leaving on Thurs, April 12th. The rest are on the 15th.