| re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... | |
| Posted by: | Teacher64 08:50 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
| In reply to: | Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... - MockingbirdGirl 07:28 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
|
| |
| Stupid me. I assumed that Walken would be playing Mr. Darling since that is the way it has been done in almost every production of PETER PAN since...well, since 1904. But who cares about tradition? | |
| reply to this message | | |
| re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 01:07 am EDT 08/07/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... - Teacher64 08:50 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
|
| |
| Well, in the 1950 production that starred Jean Arthur and Boris Karloff, with music by Leonard Bernstein, they had separate understudies for Mr. Darling and Hook. The understudy for Hook was William Marshall, a classically trained actor whose most famous role (later in his career) was probably Blacula. It may have been the first time in Broadway history that a black actor understudied a white actor. I guess they thought audiences in 1950 would accept him as Captain Hook if he had to go on, but would not buy him as a Victorian or Edwardian paterfamilias with a white wife and children. | |
| reply to this message | | |
| re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... | |
| Posted by: | Alcindoro 10:19 am EDT 08/07/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... - AlanScott 01:07 am EDT 08/07/14 |
|
| |
| Faskinatin'! I saw Marshall as Othello with Pamela Payton-Wright as Desdemona at the Old Globe in San Diego in 1976. All these many years later I can still see his 6'5" frame towering over her and hear that subterranean basso profundo rumbling, "Ohhhh Desdemooona!" | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... | |
| Posted by: | larry13 09:52 am EDT 08/07/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... - AlanScott 01:07 am EDT 08/07/14 |
|
| |
| Thanks--as always--Alan for another very interesting bit of info. Your analysis of why Marshall didn't understudy Mr. Darling is probably correct. What I find fascinating is that they must have wanted him enough to understudy Hook instead of having the other understudy--or someone else--cover both parts. Bringing this back to the latest PP, namely the TV version coming up, it makes me wonder why they want Walken so much for Hook when he's not--for whatever reason--also playing Mr. Darling(and Borle would be typecast perfect for Hook). Is Walken really that big a name--or that great an actor(and singer)? | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... | |
| Posted by: | davei2000 10:04 am EDT 08/07/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... - larry13 09:52 am EDT 08/07/14 |
|
| |
| Maybe it was Walken who wanted to play Hook, but decided he wasn't the best fit as the father of a young family He's 71... I was not enamored of Walken's singing in The Dead, but I don't question his chops for Hook or that NBC is happy to have him. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 08:57 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... - Teacher64 08:50 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
|
| |
| Screw tradition if it means getting someone better suited for Mr. Darling. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... | |
| Posted by: | perfectlyfrank 12:24 pm EDT 08/08/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... - MikeR 08:57 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
|
| |
| Now I can only hope that Walken backs out and Borle can play Hook too! Can't say this production has me excited. Allison Williams is a pretty young thing with a pleasant voice but not my idea of Peter. She could be a fine Wendy. And Walken is well, Walken and I daresay we won't get the traditional English fop-Hook that a Borle or a Jonathan Freeman could bring to the show. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... | |
| Posted by: | larry13 10:34 pm EDT 08/08/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... - perfectlyfrank 12:24 pm EDT 08/08/14 |
|
| |
| Thank God Cyril Ritchard and Mary Martin are able to still be seen and heard in their incomparable performances. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 10:52 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... - MikeR 08:57 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
|
| |
| I've always understood the Freudian symbolism behind the same actor playing Mr. Darling and Captain Hook, but tradition or not, I suppose there's no earth-shattering reason why the roles can't be played by different men. BUT - again, it's easy to see the reasoning behind Mr. Darling and Hook being doubled. I see no reason at all why Mr. Darling would "become" Smee instead. I'd rather see Borle play one role or the other (he'd be a funny Smee, except I'd rather see an older actor), and have no doubling at all. If you lose the connection between Darling and Hook, the guy playing Darling might as well play the 3rd Indian from the left for all it's worth. There's no point. However, if they ARE going to make changes to the traditional musical, I do think Liza should stay home the way she does in the original. There's absolutely no reason for her to be in Neverland at all - save for the fact that originally of course she was Mary Martin's daughter, lol. Her little Act II ballet is totally superfluous, and the "Crow" reprise at the end is just crossover filler. (As is the ballet, for that matter.) | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... | |
| Posted by: | Thom915 (Thom915@aol.com) 10:36 am EDT 08/07/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... - Chromolume 10:52 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
|
| |
| If they are filler then it is important for what purpose. Filler for set changes are probably not needed, for costume or other changes probably are still needed in a live broadcast. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... | |
| Posted by: | MockingbirdGirl 10:45 am EDT 08/07/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... - Thom915 10:36 am EDT 08/07/14 |
|
| |
| If there are commercial breaks, you won't need filler for costume changes, either. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 10:46 am EDT 08/07/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... - MockingbirdGirl 10:45 am EDT 08/07/14 |
|
| |
| Very true. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 10:44 am EDT 08/07/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... - Thom915 10:36 am EDT 08/07/14 |
|
| |
| The Liza "ballet" is just to cover a set change, to the "path in the woods" scene. The "Crow" reprise (which of course also includes the victory procession in after Hook's death and Peter leading everyone through a chorus of "Crow" before the eventual duet with Liza) cavers the set change back to the Darling house, though in a traditional production it also helps cover the costume change from Hook to Mr. Darling. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| Liza is in this too? | |
| Posted by: | Alcindoro 10:14 am EDT 08/07/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... - Chromolume 10:52 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
|
| |
| As the crocodile, maybe? | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Liza is in this too? | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 10:28 am EDT 08/07/14 |
| In reply to: | Liza is in this too? - Alcindoro 10:14 am EDT 08/07/14 |
|
| |
| Liza always has been - in the musical version. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Liza is in this too? | |
| Posted by: | Teacher64 02:14 pm EDT 08/07/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Liza is in this too? - Chromolume 10:28 am EDT 08/07/14 |
|
| |
| There has always been a Liza but not necessarily a dancing Liza who goes to Neverland. That was exclusively for the Mary Martin version. Liza did not go to Neverland with Sandy Duncan or with Cathy Rigby. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Liza is in this too? | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 03:41 pm EDT 08/07/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Liza is in this too? - Teacher64 02:14 pm EDT 08/07/14 |
|
| |
| Yes - I had forgotten that (having only done the licenced Martin version a number of times, lol). Though the Crow duet was still in the Rigby version (with Michael instead of Liza). | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Liza is in this too? | |
| Posted by: | Teacher64 06:47 pm EDT 08/07/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Liza is in this too? - Chromolume 03:41 pm EDT 08/07/14 |
|
| |
| Same as in the Duncan version; she did the "Crow" reprise with Michael Darling. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| Um, I think Alcindoro was joking... | |
| Posted by: | Cleveland 04:17 pm EDT 08/07/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Liza is in this too? - Chromolume 03:41 pm EDT 08/07/14 |
|
| |
| ...referring to Ms. Minnelli. Though the ensuing discussion was interesting. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Um, I think Alcindoro was joking... | |
| Posted by: | Chromolume 05:06 pm EDT 08/07/14 |
| In reply to: | Um, I think Alcindoro was joking... - Cleveland 04:17 pm EDT 08/07/14 |
|
| |
| lol...yup, the possible reference to Ms. Minelli went straight over my head. Ah, well...;-) | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| I was wondering ... | |
| Posted by: | Alcindoro 11:08 pm EDT 08/07/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Um, I think Alcindoro was joking... - Chromolume 05:06 pm EDT 08/07/14 |
|
| |
| ... just how long it would take SOMEONE to figure this one out. You guys are really getting slow. | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... | |
| Posted by: | lordofspeech 11:09 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... - Chromolume 10:52 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
|
| |
| I don't like it. Mr. Darling should be Hook. The mythic underpinnings of this story are not to be messed with! If I ruled the world.... | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
| ...."every day would be the first day of Spring" !! | |
| Posted by: | bwaynut 11:16 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
| In reply to: | re: Christian Borle cast in NBC's PETER PAN as Mr. Darling and... - lordofspeech 11:09 pm EDT 08/06/14 |
|
| |
| Oh, sorry, that's Harry Secombe. Wrong show -- silly me !! | |
| reply to this message | reply to first message | |
All That Chat is intended for the discussion of
theatre news and opinion
subject to the terms and conditions of the Terms of Service. (Please take all off-topic discussion to private email.)
Please direct technical questions/comments to webmaster@talkinbroadway.com and policy questions to TBAdmin@talkinbroadway.com.
[ Home | On the Rialto | The Siegel Column | Cabaret | Tony Awards | Book Reviews | Great White Wayback Machine ]
[ Broadway Reviews | Barbara and Scott: The Two of Clubs | Sound Advice | Restaurant Revue | Off Broadway | Funding Talkin' Broadway ]
[ Broadway 101 | Spotlight On | Talkin' Broadway | On the Boards | Regional | Talk to Us! | Search Talkin' Broadway ]
Terms of Service
[ © 1997 - 2014 www.TalkinBroadway.com, Inc. ]
Time to render: 0.214914 seconds.