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| re: Wow, actual theatre NEWS: Dustin Hoffman in Our Town on Broadway | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 08:42 pm EDT 06/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Wow, actual theatre NEWS: Dustin Hoffman in Our Town on Broadway - kess0078 08:21 pm EDT 06/30/20 | |
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| It is a bit disappointing that this play, which lend itself so beautifully to cross gender, racial, and age casting, will have yet another middle aged-to-elderly white guy in the lead. Has there ever been a major production in New York that didn't cast an old white guy as the Stage Manager? Maybe the rest of the casting will be a bit more adventurous. |
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| I don't disagree, but I do wonder if... | |
| Last Edit: MockingbirdGirl 09:53 am EDT 07/01/20 | |
| Posted by: MockingbirdGirl 09:49 am EDT 07/01/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Wow, actual theatre NEWS: Dustin Hoffman in Our Town on Broadway - JereNYC 08:42 pm EDT 06/30/20 | |
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| ... rather than choosing the play and then rather "traditionally" casting Mr. Hoffman, this might be a case of Dustin Hoffman calling up his agent or Rudin or whomever and saying, "I want to return to Broadway; find me a vehicle." I also wonder if this might not be a reflection of something else that has been discussed here during quarantine: producers looking for the theatrical equivalent of "comfort food" to entice audiences back next year. Because who's been crying out for a new Our Town? |
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| I saw the "Our Town" with Paul Newman some years ago | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 11:25 am EDT 07/01/20 | |
| In reply to: I don't disagree, but I do wonder if... - MockingbirdGirl 09:49 am EDT 07/01/20 | |
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| It was nice seeing him as he hadn't done Broadway for many years and was a rarity; he was professional and all, but I don't remember too much about the production. I guess it didn't make that much of an impression on me, nor on many others, since no one else has brought it up. There was also one with Don Ameche, which I didn't see, but apparently he was having difficulty with his lines and had to be replaced, though I don't recall by whom. | |
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| re: I saw the "Our Town" with Paul Newman some years ago | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 01:00 pm EDT 07/01/20 | |
| In reply to: I saw the "Our Town" with Paul Newman some years ago - PlayWiz 11:25 am EDT 07/01/20 | |
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| The production with Newman was a very mixed bag. But it was the first time I'd seen Our Town onstage, although I had first read it when I was 10 or so and had always loved it. Anyway, even though it was a hot ticket and it was sold out, somehow there was an empty seat next to me, even though I had lucked into a fourth- or fifth-row center seat when a friend had an extra ticket for the performance he was attending. I was glad that the seat to my left was empty because I cried so much during the last act that I was afraid I would have disturbed anyone sitting to my left. I was really having to restrain myself from sobbing to a degree that might have been audible to others beyond the friend on my right. I think I succeeded but it was tough. | |
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| re: I saw the "Our Town" with Paul Newman some years ago | |
| Posted by: andPeggy 12:42 pm EDT 07/01/20 | |
| In reply to: I saw the "Our Town" with Paul Newman some years ago - PlayWiz 11:25 am EDT 07/01/20 | |
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| Don Ameche replaced Spalding Gray in the Lincoln Center production in the 88-89 season. I've never heard he struggled with lines, although he was 81. According to IBDB he replaced on March 21 and the show closed April 2 | |
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| re: I saw the "Our Town" with Paul Newman some years ago | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 12:55 pm EDT 07/01/20 | |
| In reply to: re: I saw the "Our Town" with Paul Newman some years ago - andPeggy 12:42 pm EDT 07/01/20 | |
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| At least two critics reviewed Ameche in the Times and both said that he was struggling with the lines. Howard Kissel saw his first performance, and Mel Gussow saw him at the Saturday matinee that week. Gussow seemed more bothered by Ameche's struggle with the lines than Kissel, suggesting that perhaps he did not get better (or possibly even got worse) during the week. Also, I have a friend who has long worked at Lincoln Center. He was working there even back then, and I believe he told me that Ameche just could not learn the lines with any degree of security, and that the problem wasn't really getting better. | |
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| The Transport Group’s 2002 production definitely had non-traditional casting. | |
| Posted by: kieran 03:58 am EDT 07/01/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Wow, actual theatre NEWS: Dustin Hoffman in Our Town on Broadway - JereNYC 08:42 pm EDT 06/30/20 | |
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| nm | |
| Link | NY Times |
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| re: The Transport Group’s 2002 production definitely had non-traditional casting. | |
| Posted by: Hair 01:55 pm EDT 07/01/20 | |
| In reply to: The Transport Group’s 2002 production definitely had non-traditional casting. - kieran 03:58 am EDT 07/01/20 | |
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| It was grating. Maybe if the young actress was charismatic or a good actress it might of worked...but it came off as a an annoying gimmick. And I have a vague memory of the ensemble sitting in a circle and snapping their fingers to indicate....rain? The whole vibe of that production was look, we don't like this play but we're doing it anyway. It was so long ago but just writing about stokes the anger I experienced watching it. |
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| re: The Transport Group’s 2002 production definitely had non-traditional casting. | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 09:47 am EDT 07/01/20 | |
| In reply to: The Transport Group’s 2002 production definitely had non-traditional casting. - kieran 03:58 am EDT 07/01/20 | |
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| Thanks, kieran, for posting about this. I didn't see that production, but I read about it at the time. I couldn't remember which company had produced it. it sounded like something I should see. Maybe it just didn't run long enough for me to get around to it. | |
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| re: Wow, actual theatre NEWS: Dustin Hoffman in Our Town on Broadway | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 11:51 pm EDT 06/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Wow, actual theatre NEWS: Dustin Hoffman in Our Town on Broadway - JereNYC 08:42 pm EDT 06/30/20 | |
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| In David Cromer's production, Helen Hunt, then 47, was a replacement Stage Manager. Middle-aged but not a guy. I'm not sure what you consider middle-aged. Michael Shannon, then 35, was another replacement. Jason Butler Harner, then 38, and Stephen Kunken, also probably 38, were other replacements. I can't find a date of birth for Scott Parkinson, another replacement, but I'm guessing he was under 40. The other Stage Managers were over 40. In José Quintero's production at Circle in the Square in 1959, Richard Dysart, then 30, replaced John Beal as the Stage Manager. |
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| re: Wow, actual theatre NEWS: Dustin Hoffman in Our Town on Broadway | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 07:31 am EDT 07/01/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Wow, actual theatre NEWS: Dustin Hoffman in Our Town on Broadway - AlanScott 11:51 pm EDT 06/30/20 | |
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| But Hoffman isn't middle aged anyway. He's 82! | |
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| re: Wow, actual theatre NEWS: Dustin Hoffman in Our Town on Broadway | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 08:31 am EDT 07/01/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Wow, actual theatre NEWS: Dustin Hoffman in Our Town on Broadway - KingSpeed 07:31 am EDT 07/01/20 | |
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| Although that's funny, JereNYC did write, "It is a bit disappointing that this play, which lend itself so beautifully to cross gender, racial, and age casting, will have yet another middle aged-to-elderly white guy in the lead. Has there ever been a major production in New York that didn't cast an old white guy as the Stage Manager?" There have also been middle-aged Stage Managers, such as Cromer and Spalding Gray. in major New York productions. It's true that there haven't been any people of color in the role in major New York productions. |
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| re: Wow, actual theatre NEWS: Dustin Hoffman in Our Town on Broadway | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 09:08 pm EDT 06/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Wow, actual theatre NEWS: Dustin Hoffman in Our Town on Broadway - JereNYC 08:42 pm EDT 06/30/20 | |
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| Perhaps he's not playing the Stage Manager. Maybe he's taking a clue from Ian McKellen and he's playing George? ;-) | |
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