I saw it with both the original and replacement casts. This new group has lost a couple of the old laughs in favor of finding a couple of new ones, but it still delivers, and I had a blast each time. The big difference is that the replacement crew members, plus one character within the play, are black now, and that creates some distinctly different laughs, especially from the two who play the stage crew. Those crew members are now decidedly American crew members working on a show with British actors, rather than the British crew that came with the original cast.
Also, kudos to the casting directors for being open to casting non-white performers when the original cast had been all-white. I look forward to a time when that's standard practice and not a move that an audience member near me said "took guts." |
