Theater Criticism from Overheard In New York

[ceebeegee]

Woman: Yeah, but just because you can play a dying crackwhore in Rent, that doesn't mean that you can play a dying crackwhore in Les Miz--they're two different kinds of whores!

--Broadhurst Theatre

Comments

♪ I'm Fantine, but I'm old for my age... ♪

[king-duncan.livejournal.com]

I hear she's being replaced soon by Lea Salonga.

Re: ♪ I'm Fantine, but I'm old for my age... ♪

[defy-gravity99.livejournal.com]

Is that true, cause that would ROCK

Re: ♪ I'm Fantine, but I'm old for my age... ♪

[king-duncan.livejournal.com]

Heard it last night at Marie's Crisis, but can't seem to find anything but rumors online. It sure would kick ass, though.

(and found another unsubstantiated rumor that Lea was going to take over Elphaba in Wicked, but she was pregnant at the time, so she might be doing the role in a production somewhere in Asia).

Re: ♪ I'm Fantine, but I'm old for my age... ♪

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

ATC says that as well.

Re: ♪ I'm Fantine, but I'm old for my age... ♪

[defy-gravity99.livejournal.com]

Her voice is WAY too frail for Elphaba. I've heard her sing Defying Gravity, and unfortunately, it was not great.

[alexlady.livejournal.com]

it's so true.

[defy-gravity99.livejournal.com]

When I saw it, she was wretched. I mean, WRETCHED. After we left, we were three blocks from the theater talking about how bad she was, and a couple turned around and said, 'Are you guys talking about Daphne Rubin-Vega?"

[dry-2olives.livejournal.com]

I liked her a lot as Fantine. Her singing was in child-like tones as though she were a woman who never had a chance to grow emotionally. She's defeated, unable to make sense of her past and too weak to fight for her future. I found it very moving. When she came back in act two she was regal and confident, like she finally found a happy place to be.

[dry-2olives.livejournal.com]

A BroadwayWorld reader posted, "Hey, give Daphne a break. She is the only actress ever to try and actually act the part with some credibility, rather than run around in a fright wig and belt out her death song like she was in Yankee Stadium!"

[alexlady.livejournal.com]

HA! i always hated that wig!!

[wonderpanther.livejournal.com]

Everything I hear about Lea Salonga is unfortunately tainted by the fact that I have heard that she is an enormous beyotch. I think that Marion met her a bunch of times, nose totally in the air.

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

Oh no...I love Lea Salonga...that's disappointing...

[carlycouture.livejournal.com]

That is hilarious.

-Semi-off subject question for you. Have you seen the ads for a new reality show to find the lead characters for a Broadway production of Grease? I'm not a theater person at all and it really bothers me that they are finding an 'Average Joe' for such huge roles. I can imagine that some people are pretty upset over this. Any thoughts?

[dry-2olives.livejournal.com]

I just think it's hilarious that the name of the TV show uses a song that was written for the movie, but isn't in the stage show.

[ceebeegee.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm not crazy about it on the one hand, because it trivializes how difficult it is to act/sing/dance on Broadway. People who go onto reality shows anyway always come out saying "I want to act" when what they really mean is--I want to be a celebrity. If you want to act, work your ass off, take a lot of classes, and learn the craft. Don't go on a reality show and then say vaguely "yeah, I wanna be an actor..." as though you have no idea what that actually means besides making red carpet appearances.

On the other hand, there's a pragmatic view--even if one or two "Average Joes" gets cast, there will still be a lot of real actors cast, so it provides work for them (and the other assorted artists/stagehands/musicians, etc.). Also, if these people are bad, either the show will fail, or (more likely, since Grease is a sure thing) their contract will expire and the roles wil be recast with actual performers.

But really, what they're going to get are a lot of undiscovered actors--that is, not "average Joes," just actors who see this as another type of audition, which is really what it is, no different from the highly publicized "Annie" searches, except that the whole thing is filmed.