Threaded Order Chronological Order
| Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| For regular theater goers we have gotten to see a number of actors at the beginning of their careers. How often do we look up the work of a now famous celebrity actor and get to say....gosh, I got to see him as spear carrier number three in that play at the public. I’m curious as to some people’s memories, particularly if you recall that person as someone you thought at the time was going places. I got a front row center orchestra ticket for A Matter of Gravity. I needed to be as close to Katherine Hepburn as possible to see her work her craft. (Hey, I was young. I wanted to see a celebrity close up.). I definitely remember a very tall, very handsome young man in a small role. To this day I remember him....for his looks anyway. A few years later Christopher Reeves donned his cape and saved the world as Superman. Quite a few of my friends saw Bette Midler make her Broadway debut in Fiddler. I always ask...did you see that special something in her at the time? To the ones that claim that they just knew great things were on the horizon for her I usually point out that...this was not really a good thing. She was playing a role...a small one at that...she should have fit in...not stood out. I’d like to hear responses from people who remember the future stars and those who only know by some reference in a playbill. |
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| Educating Rita | |
| Last Edit: Hair 05:38 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
| Posted by: Hair 05:36 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| At a tiny theater off broadway in the 80s, I saw Educating Rita with a (already known) Austin Pendleton and an actress who gave the best performance I'd even seen in person. Laurie Metcalfe. I had a weird experience in the theater I haven't experienced before or since -- I felt a completely empathetic connection to Rita. I felt her emotions as she was feeling them. I got where she was emotionally on a visceral level. I can't quite explain it, but I figure Metcalfe was responsible. Or maybe witchcraft. |
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| Late in the long off-Broadway run... | |
| Posted by: Charlie_Baker 05:22 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| ...of Vanities, the standout in the cast of three was Kathy Bates. | |
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| The Original company of Tommy | |
| Posted by: andPeggy 12:25 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| I wonder if other original company members of a Broadway musical had as many future stars (or at least consistently employed actors) as Tommy. Company members and future Tony Nominees/Winners: Christian Hoff Norm Lewis Alice Ripley Sherie (Rene) Scott Broadway stalwarts: Michael Arnold Tracy Nicole Chapman Michael McElroy Replacements: Kevin Cahoon Jessica Molaskey Clarke Thorel |
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| re: The Original company of Tommy | |
| Posted by: Charlie_Baker 05:23 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: The Original company of Tommy - andPeggy 12:25 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
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| And Michael Cerveris. | |
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| re: The Original company of Tommy | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 03:58 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: The Original company of Tommy - andPeggy 12:25 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
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| Chorus of 2000 Bway Revival of JCS included Christian Borle, Max Von Essen, Lisa Brescia, Lana Gordon, and me. | |
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| re: The Original company of Tommy | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 04:43 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: re: The Original company of Tommy - KingSpeed 03:58 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
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| That's pretty cool, KingSpeed. I really enjoyed that production of JCS, more than any other I've seen. The sound mix was perfect and I understood every lyric, something that is sadly rare, except in the few quiet moments like "I Don't Know How to Love Him." Usually, the band completely overwhelms the singers, no matter how loudly they try to scream out the words. With this production, I literally heard things I'd never heard before. It's a shame it was stuck in the Ford/Hilton/Foxwoods/Lyric, where it never stood a chance of making a dime. |
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| re: HAIRSPRAY | |
| Posted by: SidL 05:34 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: re: The Original company of Tommy - JereNYC 04:43 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
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| Keala Settle was a standby for the "Tracy Turnblad" role in the first national tour of HAIRSPRAY Future Tony and "reality" show winner Marissa Jaret Winokur was in the ensemble of a GREASE tour |
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| Two favorites: Billy Crudup and Timothée Chalamet | |
| Posted by: schauspieler 07:21 am EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| in ARCADIA and PRODIGAL SON. I remember thinking both had major careers ahead of them. | |
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| THE ROTHSCHILDS | |
| Posted by: TheHarveyBoy 07:12 am EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| Robby Benson Jill Clayburgh Chris Sarandon |
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| A slew | |
| Posted by: aleck 07:07 am EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| Off the top of my head without referencing any old programs, I can list: Bernadette Peters as Dainty June in Gypsy Josh Hamilton and Brooke Shields in a terrible play called Eden Cinema. Josh Hamilton again with Mark Ruffalo in This Is Our Youth Josh Hamilton yet again in a play at the New Group with Paul Dano, Peter Dinklage, and Zoe Kazan. And speaking of the New Group, I saw the first play that Scott Elliott ever directed. It was called Andrew After Dark. I knew I was watching something from a very talented director. Despite some missteps, Elliott has a certain touch with certain types of plays that no one can match. (Anna Shapiro has that touch as well but in a different way.) I saw Calista Flockhart magnetize a staged reading of a poor adaptation of Le Ronde by Warren Leight. Flockhart walked onto the stage and I knew I was watching a star. I remember seeing Robert Sean Leonard holding grip on the audience in Speed Of Darkness, but I fear he hasn't lived up, for me at least, to that early promise. Jude Law in Indiscretions -- with full frontal nudity. Hard to forget that entrance. The recent death of Katherine Helmond reminded me of seeing her in Great God Brown, which was one of the most thrilling theatrical experiences ever. I ran into John McMartin, who was also brilliant in that production, on the street shortly before his death and stopped him to express my admiration for his work in that production. I think he was truly touched and moved that someone remembered. Then, there's Paul Rudd in Last Night of Ballyhoo. Which sparks a memory of the ORIGINAL Paul Rudd in Streamers and Henry V in the park along with Meryl Streep, who I also saw in Secret Service. There were some stinkers, too. I saw the woefully miscast and charmless performances of Penny Fuller and Tony Roberts as replacements in the original Barefoot in the Park. Happily, Mildred Natwick was on hand and when she came on stage she lighted the mood and showed everyone how it's done. Perhaps my most obscure claim for an early star sighting was Donna McKechnie in the Broadway tryout tour of A Joyful Noise. She got replaced by Susan Watson, but I remember a spectacular dance she did with a pair of men's pants. These pants were from the male character lead (a too-old John Raitt) and expressed her desire for him. I remember it as a exuberant and sensual number, with McKechnie performing with an abandon that I had never seen before and rarely since then. I think the part ultimately was not a dance part. But I'd say that that dance was more thrilling than the dance she did 10 years later in Chorus Line. (Michael Bennett did the Joyful Noise choreography) Compared to the spontaneous-seeming truthfulness of the Joyful Noise dance, the Chorus Line number always seemed to me to be too self-consciously "show biz." By the way, that original Joyful Noise cast included Tommy Tune and the recently deceased talent machine JoJo Smith in the chorus. Leland Palmer, James Rado and Swen Swenson had featured roles. I remember the music as being great and the choreography even greater. Had never seen anything like it before. Along with the performers who went on to great success, there is also a flip side to this. Great performances of actors who you never heard of again. I remember most vividly the electrifying original New York production of Killer Joe headed by what I thought would be a star-making performance by David Mogentale. I also knew that the playwright (Tracy Letts) would be going somewhere. I saw that production four times. I wanted to see if they could do it again. The later off-Broadway production with Scott Glenn paled in comparison. That production, however, featured a young Michael Shannon. But whatever happened to David Mogentale? And so many others? Did they all give up and move back to Dayton to work in their father's used car dealership? So many, many more. How about seeing Adam Driver in a play at Rattlestick? He was literally too large for the stage, but you could tell he had a special quality despite the unusual looks. |
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| re: A slew | |
| Posted by: TheOtherOne 07:28 am EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: A slew - aleck 07:07 am EST 03/04/19 | |
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| Great list, aleck. Sorry to read what you say about Penny Fuller and Tony Roberts, who, come to think of it, don't seem like good replacements for Elizabeth Ashley and Robert Redford at that. I saw Josh Hamilton star in the stage adaptation of The Cider House Rules in Los Angeles in the late 90s. The cast also featured Patrick Wilson, who I had earlier seen as Billy in the touring version of Lincoln Center's Carousel. They were both excellent, as was the rest of the cast in this adaptation which I wish had gone on to New York. |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: TheOtherOne 06:11 am EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| I saw Andrew Rannells go on as Link in Hairspray in 2005. He was gifted, audacious and loaded with star quality. Andre Braugher as Antonio in the star-studded but otherwise disappointing Twelfth Night at the Delacorte in 1989. He shone like a diamond. |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: TheatreGuy 06:43 am EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - TheOtherOne 06:11 am EST 03/04/19 | |
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| I remember Seeing Andrew In Grease at the Westchester Broadway Dinner Theatre. It might have been one of his first shows in NY. | |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 03:59 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - TheatreGuy 06:43 am EST 03/04/19 | |
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| What part did he play? Danny or Doody? Or Kenicke? | |
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| Tom Hanks | |
| Posted by: maryd186 11:08 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| In THE CHERRY ORCHARD at the Sacramento Theatre Company, the 1976-77 season. He played Yasha. I don't recall him, but he was in it. After he was famous, he must have given an interview that referenced the production - I went to look at my programme (I save them all), and sure enough, there he was. | |
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| Ariana Grande | |
| Last Edit: KingSpeed 10:13 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 10:10 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| Saw her in “13” (she wasn’t a spear carrier but she wasn’t a principal) and met her and her mother at a party following the first preview. Saw the two of them a couple years later at The Grove in LA. She was in a show on Nickelodeon and invited me to a taping. I never made it to one and then her career skyrocketed. Also- went to party with Lea Michele at Marc Cherry’s house right before she auditioned for “Glee.” The last time I saw her, she was naked in his pool inviting me to get in with her. |
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| re: Ariana Grande | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 04:42 pm EST 03/05/19 | |
| In reply to: Ariana Grande - KingSpeed 10:10 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
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| And...did you? :) | |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: Gustave 08:45 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| "The Shadow Box" (1977). I didn't realize then what an illustrious cast it was. Laurence Luckinbill, Patricia Elliott, Rose Gregorio, and Geraldine Fitzgerald. But the cast member playing the young gay lover particularly stood out. He had an intensity about him that was hard to ignore. The next time I saw him was in "Evita." Mandy Patinkin. Gustave. | |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: TheatreGuy 08:26 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| I remember living in Chicago in the late 80s and being overwhelmed by a college student playing Claude in a production of Hair downtown. It was clear he was extremely talented and would go places. His name? Brian D’arcy James. | |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: wmorrow 08:16 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| The night I went to see the original B'way production of HURLYBURLY most of the stars (William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Cynthia Nixon) were in it, but to my disappointment Harvey Keitel was out. A standby took his place, and was quite good. He even looked sort like a younger version of Keitel. Turned out to be Kevin Spacey. | |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: den 07:08 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| Kathleen Turner in ‘Gemini.’ I thought she had lots of promise. | |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: kristyb 04:16 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| In the early 90's I was a theater obsessed college student who would see all of the shows that came through Detroit (or further afield in MI, if necessary.) The Dickon in the touring cast of The Secret Garden stood out as absolutely amazing to me....I thoroughly enjoyed the whole show, but came away thinking he was destined for big things. My best friend and I almost never did the stage door thing, but thought about it just to meet him. A year or two later, the tour of Tommy came through. I didn't love the show, but was completely struck by Cousin Kevin's performance. It wasn't until I got home that I realized it was the same performer catching my eye both times. The next I heard of him, Roger Bart was playing Snoopy and nominated for a Tony. |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: NW 11:54 am EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| I saw the 1982 OTHELLO (James Earl Jones, Christopher Plummer, Dianne Wiest/Cecilia Hart?), but don't recall noticing Kelsey Grammer as Cassio. | |
| Link | https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/othello-4160 |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: SidL 05:46 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - NW 11:54 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| Karen Dotrice was Desdemona in that production at the Wilbur in Boston before it went to Broadway. ....and it was Barry & Fran's first Broadway producing credit |
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| Two By Two | |
| Posted by: TheHarveyBoy 10:42 am EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| Madeline Kahn played Goldie, one of the Noah's daughters-in-law in TWO BY TWO. Not much of a part, but she made the most of it and stood out! A few years later she was the lead in David Rabe's BOOM BOOM ROOM at the Beaumont and was terrific. | |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: PurpleMoney 09:44 am EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - winters 08:10 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| Okay, I'll share a memory. It was November 2001 and we were in London to see The Royal Family with Dame Judi Dench. At the stage door I was stunned that Judi was so talkative and taking every moment to talk with me and my friend. Maybe it was because we're Americans and she wanted to know more about how New Yorkers are "holding up" after 9/11. She stop for just a moment to introduce us to young actress in the cast, hurriedly leaving the theatre, to tell us that she has an enormous career ahead. Emily Blunt was very shy, smiled, and got on a motorcycle and took off. | |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: tmdonahue (tmdonahue@yahoo.com) 11:29 am EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - PurpleMoney 09:44 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| Let's see if dementia has set in yet. I remember Audra McDonald in the original Broadway "Master Class" and looking up her bio at intermission. She was impressive in a small part. I remember "True West" downtown brought from Steppenwolf with those unknowns as the leads, Gary Sinise and John Malkovich. I remember Bobby Steggart in a small role in the revival of "110 in the Shade." He made an impact. I remember seeing Joan Allen in Steppenwolf's "Reckless" in Chicago when it was performing in some basement. Also Boyd Gaines. (Although by that time, I may have already been impressed by him in "The Heidi Chronicles.") I remember Celia Keenan-Bolger, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Josh Gad in the "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." (Gad was a replacement in the role.) So many actors from "History Boys": James Cordon, Dominic Cooper, and Russell Tovey. And this probably doesn't count because she already had a TV series role by that time (in "Six Feet Under"), but I really remember Lauren Ambrose as Juliet in the Central Park production. She had many qualities of character that she brought to Eliza Doolittle much later. |
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| Link | Link to my latest book "Playing for Prizes" |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: CatrionaK 09:24 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - tmdonahue 11:29 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| And Oscar Isaac playing Romeo opposite Ambrose. | |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: writerkev 12:44 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - tmdonahue 11:29 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| Audra and Boyd were already Tony Award winners by the time you were noticing them “before they were somebodies” : ) | |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: tmdonahue (tmdonahue@yahoo.com) 03:04 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - writerkev 12:44 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
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| I better see a neurologist. | |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: Pokernight 10:45 am EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - PurpleMoney 09:44 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| My favorite memory is seeing Julie Harris in "Little Moon of Alban", but being mesmerized by the actor who played her brother. His time on stage was brief and he was killed off in the first act. His name is/was Robert Redford. | |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 12:37 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - Pokernight 10:45 am EST 03/03/19 | |
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| Mid 1980's, a Boston sit-down production of Little Shop Of Horrors, at the Charles Playhouse (in the good old days when their upstairs mainstage was still used for plays and musicals, touring and local - before it became the permanent home of Blue Man Group). I was just out of college at the time. The fantastic young actress playing Audrey...a yet-unknown Carolee Carmello. And although I remember the whole production being very solid and wonderful (I must have seen it 6 or 7 times lol), Carolee was most definitely a star to be. |
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| re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies | |
| Posted by: EveryLittleChore 12:59 am EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - Chromolume 12:37 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
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| 1968: Sandy Duncan in Your Own Thing at the Orpheum downtown. Nothing could hide her star quality. | |
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| Sandy Duncan in commercial | |
| Posted by: counterweight 10:40 am EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - EveryLittleChore 12:59 am EST 03/04/19 | |
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| I remember seeing her in this bank commercial in the mid 60'sor so and she really stood out in my mind even back then. (Same deal with Bernadette Peters in a Playtex commercial, but that is another story, also found in the depths of the YoutTube vault.) | |
| Link | Sandy Duncan in UCB Commercial |
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| re: Sandy Duncan in commercial | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 04:01 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: Sandy Duncan in commercial - counterweight 10:40 am EST 03/04/19 | |
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| Nice!!! | |
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| Nathan Lane | |
| Posted by: Whistler 04:56 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
| In reply to: re: Actors Before They Were Somebodies - Chromolume 12:37 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
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| Nathan Lane in the George C. Scott-led production of Coward's "Present Laughter." Scott was terrific and gave a level of performance to the lead that I never saw other actors do. But Lane caught our attention. | |
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| re: Nathan Lane | |
| Posted by: PurpleMoney 08:52 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: Nathan Lane - Whistler 04:56 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
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| I saw Nathan twice in Merlin. January and February 1983. The second time I brought some college friend to witness the brilliant Nathan Lane. He was good the second time but his show stopping song on the row boat was cut. Damn you Doug! I'm just assuming Doug had something to do with it. Or maybe it was Chita? | |
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| Over Here | |
| Posted by: Andie 01:10 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
| In reply to: Nathan Lane - Whistler 04:56 pm EST 03/03/19 | |
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| When I was very young, my mother took me to "Over Here" and I was enthralled with a cute young boy in the cast - John Travolta. | |
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| In London | |
| Posted by: BigM 02:49 pm EST 03/06/19 | |
| In reply to: Over Here - Andie 01:10 pm EST 03/04/19 | |
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| I'm not very good at this; when I've seen unknown actors and predicted they would someday be stars, they all sank like stones. But when I was in London in the late 70's, I saw an actress at the Royal Shakespeare Company, a short, stumpy woman who looked like she could transform herself into anything. The right wig, and she became a grande dame in The Comedy of Errors and The Way of The World. Dressed in black with a black scarf in her hair, she became an extraordinary Lady Macbeth. Her name was completely new to me, and she was unknown over here: Judi Dench. | |
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