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| I'd imagine Hearn was actually near top of the list... | |
| Posted by: ShowGoer 11:00 am EDT 03/15/21 | |
| In reply to: Laurence Guittard ??? n/m - FleetStreetBarber 10:40 am EDT 03/15/21 | |
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| He'd been around for almost 2 decades and was in his late 40's when he replaced Cariou... but aside from long stints in the road companies of Camelot and 1776, he'd had half a dozen Broadway credits by then, with his most recent being originating 2 leading roles in 2 short-lived shows in the 9 previous months – playing Papa opposite Liv Ullman's Mama in the Richard Rodgers "I Remember Mama" musical, and then, less than 2 months before joining "Sweeney", playing the family patriarch in a brief revival of "Watch on the Rhine", for which as far as I can tell he received the best reviews in the cast. Cariou and Lansbury did the show for more than a year before they left in March 1980, so producers probably realized it only had a little longer in it after they left (and in fact it did close just 3 months later, in June of that year). Also bear in mind that Cariou had had well-known, if not well-publicized, vocal issues during that year-long run. With recent Tony-winner Dorothy Loudon on board to replace Lansbury in her scene-stealing Tony-winning role, and with Cariou never having been a huge box-office draw in the first place, producers probably figured they had some nominal star power with Loudon, and wanted to make sure they replaced Cariou with someone who wouldn't have any trouble singing the role and sustaining it. (with an eye, presumably, to someone who would also be willing to tour with the show when it went out on the road). All the names below are good ones and I bet many did come up in conversations... but I'm sure Hearn seemed like not only a safe choice, but someone they could in fact feel highly confident about. How right they were. |
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| re: I'd imagine Hearn was actually near top of the list... | |
| Posted by: FleetStreetBarber 03:12 pm EDT 03/15/21 | |
| In reply to: I'd imagine Hearn was actually near top of the list... - ShowGoer 11:00 am EDT 03/15/21 | |
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| "Cariou and Lansbury did the show for more than a year before they left in March 1980, so producers probably realized it only had a little longer in it after they left (and in fact it did close just 3 months later, in June of that year)." One thing the producers did not count on was a NYC transit strike that began on April 1, 1980 and lasted for 11 days. That was back in the day when a greater percentage of locals filled the theaters than do today (or did until a year ago). The strike pretty much took the wind out of the sails of any momentum that might have been generated by the recasting. |
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| re: I'd imagine Hearn was actually near top of the list... | |
| Posted by: portenopete 11:48 am EDT 03/15/21 | |
| In reply to: I'd imagine Hearn was actually near top of the list... - ShowGoer 11:00 am EDT 03/15/21 | |
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| "All the names below are good ones and I bet many did come up in conversations... but I'm sure Hearn seemed like not only a safe choice, but someone they could in fact feel highly confident about. How right they were." The miracle is that arguably was singing it even better thirty years later! When he replaced Bryn Terfel I was knocked out how great he sounded! |
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| re: I'd imagine Hearn was actually near top of the list... | |
| Posted by: BHandshy 09:44 pm EDT 03/15/21 | |
| In reply to: re: I'd imagine Hearn was actually near top of the list... - portenopete 11:48 am EDT 03/15/21 | |
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| Wasn't it more like 20 years later? But, yeah. I was stunned by how much better he was (both acting and singing) in the role all those years later. | |
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| re: I'd imagine Hearn was actually near top of the list... | |
| Posted by: portenopete 10:30 pm EDT 03/15/21 | |
| In reply to: re: I'd imagine Hearn was actually near top of the list... - BHandshy 09:44 pm EDT 03/15/21 | |
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| You're right! I can't believe that concert was 20 years ago! I was thinking "Maybe a decade ago.....". | |
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| Who did Hearn replace in Whodunit? | |
| Posted by: bobby2 12:09 am EDT 03/16/21 | |
| In reply to: re: I'd imagine Hearn was actually near top of the list... - portenopete 10:30 pm EDT 03/15/21 | |
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| I vaguely remember from childhood he took over for someone who quit. Posters around the city had his name pasted over the original star. | |
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| Jack Weston | |
| Posted by: ShowGoer 07:06 am EDT 03/16/21 | |
| In reply to: Who did Hearn replace in Whodunit? - bobby2 12:09 am EDT 03/16/21 | |
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| (see below) Wish I’d been around to see this one – big Anthony Shaffer fan, and I’d just started to go to the theater in time to see shows like Corpse, Accomplice, and Solitary Confinement... all enjoyable, but I missed the heyday of the Broadway comedy-thriller - Sleuth, Deathtrap, Whodunnit, and of course, Moose Murders! |
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| Link | https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/15/theater/whodunnit-is-postponed.html |
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| re: Jack Weston | |
| Posted by: bobby2 03:30 pm EDT 03/16/21 | |
| In reply to: Jack Weston - ShowGoer 07:06 am EDT 03/16/21 | |
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| I saw Deathtrap on a school field trip. I remember my teacher saying it was the only time she'd ever been to a play that was actually scary. It was. It was like going to a slasher film. People were screaming in shock and freight at times. It was interesting for me because I had seen a summer stock production with George Grizzard (odd that it was able to be done while it was still on Broadway.) Then we went on the field trip and saw Farely Granger but I knew where all the scares were coming. I miss the stage thriller. I wish they'd come back. |
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