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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.


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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!"


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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)?


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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.


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