Risch is a fine performer, excellent dancer, and very good looking. He had a small role in Legally Blonde on Broadway as Carlos. He was hilarious and knocked his portion of "There! Right There!" out of the park.
Christian Hoff had been cast as Joey, but suffered some sort of injury in previews. He either dropped out or was forced out -- there were conflicting stories. I had been looking forward to seeing Hoff as Joey and was probably a little disappointed. Anyway, Risch has had a very extensive career on TV (Modern Family, Looking, many other roles) and even a noticeable little bit in the second Sex and the City film.
The role of Joey is a tough one to fill since he is an outright heel, but also charismatic and sort of likeable. The original Broadway production made Gene Kelly a star. He often played a variation of the role pretty much throughout his movie career. |
