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| re: Another Billy in the Hytner CAROUSEL | |
| Posted by: Ronsdivas 11:16 pm EDT 04/05/18 | |
| In reply to: re: CAROUSEL Tonight - lowwriter 11:09 pm EDT 04/05/18 | |
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| I also saw Marcus Lovett as Billy when they yanked him out of Phantom to learn Billy in 2 days. He was a superb actor and singer and brought the house down with his "Soliloquy"!! | |
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| re: Another Billy in the Hytner CAROUSEL | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 10:41 am EDT 04/07/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Another Billy in the Hytner CAROUSEL - Ronsdivas 11:16 pm EDT 04/05/18 | |
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| Just wanted to say that I agree with lowwriter about James Barbour in ''Carousel''; one of the best Billys I've ever seen or heard. I missed Lovett in ''Carousel,'' but he got a front-page story in the N.Y. Times for his heroic, last-minute effort to save the show. However, I caught Lovett's lovely cabaret act at Eighty Eight's. Happy to see his name (and act) recently resurface at 54 Below. |
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| Brian d'Arcy James | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 02:46 pm EDT 04/06/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Another Billy in the Hytner CAROUSEL - Ronsdivas 11:16 pm EDT 04/05/18 | |
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| As I believe I have posted before, Brian d'Arcy James's first Broadway credit was as a member of the ensemble in the Lincoln Center/Hytner CAROUSEL. Even if his singing voice then wasn't as fully developed, gorgeous, and powerful as it became by the time of TITANIC, I think it goes without saying that he would have sung the role of Billy in CAROUSEL far better than Michael Hayden, and would have acted it at least as well. I'd like to think that if Hayden hadn't come over with the production from London, Brian might have gotten the part; but on the other hand, according to ibdb.com, he is listed as an understudy for the roles of Jigger and Mr. Bascombe but NOT for Billy. So, go figure! | |
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| re: Brian d'Arcy James | |
| Last Edit: AlanScott 11:11 pm EDT 04/06/18 | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 11:11 pm EDT 04/06/18 | |
| In reply to: Brian d'Arcy James - Michael_Portantiere 02:46 pm EDT 04/06/18 | |
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| While I imagine James would have sung the role well, I don't see him as being very right for Billy. Perhaps more of a Mr. Snow but also probably a good choice for Jigger. Obviously not remotely a Mr. Bascombe at the time, but that just shows the insanity of these things sometimes. The understudy for Billy was Duane Boutté, who usually played Enoch Snow, Jr., and Orin Peesley. Odd to have Enoch Snow, Jr. understudy Billy. As you may recall, four performances were canceled when Hayden (according to the Times) "damaged his vocal cords by singing while suffering from a viral infection, and Duane Boutté, Mr. Hayden's understudy, developed a bronchial infection. With neither man able to go on, the Wednesday matinee and evening shows were canceled. The next day, the Thursday and Friday performances were canceled." The problems had actually started a couple of weeks earlier. Rumor at the time said that part of the problem was that Boutté was simply miscast, although it seems he was also genuinely unwell. He did get through one performance, but barely, and it was reported that 25 people asked for a refund after the performance. So, as mentioned above (and as you probably already knew), Marcus Lovett was brought in on two days' rehearsal to take over the role as necessary. Was James considered as a possible emergency replacement? I guess not, or it was decided that he wasn't really right for it. |
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| re: Brian d'Arcy James | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 08:38 pm EDT 04/07/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Brian d'Arcy James - AlanScott 11:11 pm EDT 04/06/18 | |
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| Yes, thanks, I remembered most of that. But I guess you and I disagree as to whether or not Brian would have been right for Billy. Of course we will never know, not having seen him play the role, but it seems to me he would have been almost perfect for it at that time. Can I ask in what way you think he wouldn't have been right for the part? | |
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| re: Brian d'Arcy James | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 10:40 pm EDT 04/07/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Brian d'Arcy James - Michael_Portantiere 08:38 pm EDT 04/07/18 | |
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| I'm tempted to plead the fifth, but that perhaps sounds worse. I just never saw him as having had looks that would make the local ladies swoon. And he doesn't seem physically intimidating in any way. I'm not saying he couldn't make up for these things. Hayden made up for the latter to some degree, as I presume Burgess Meredith did when he won high praise for playing Liliom and as Charles Boyer certainly does in the Lang film of Liliom. But perhaps the text of the musical ups the need for an actor who is both very good looking and has a physicality that looks like people would be a bit afraid (or a lot afraid) to get on his bad side. Anyway, I do think that James could have made up for the latter but not so much for the former. I'm not saying he's unattractive, but I also don't see him as having the exceptional good looks that Billy should have. If he had played the role, perhaps I would have felt that he pulled it off. But he hardly seems ideal or a natural for it to me. |
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| re: Brian d'Arcy James | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 11:47 pm EDT 04/07/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Brian d'Arcy James - AlanScott 10:40 pm EDT 04/07/18 | |
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| Thanks. I guess we disagree that he didn't have the looks for it, but of course that's tremendously subjective :-) And yes, as for being physically imposing in terms of brawn, I would say Hayden was pretty much the same in that regard, although maybe a bit taller? All I know is that a few years after CAROUSEL, when Brian was coming into his own as a performer (in TITANIC) and I realized that he had been in the ensemble of CAROUSEL, I thought it was unfortunate that he hadn't been tapped to play Billy. | |
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