I don't think it's that strange that Brooks had to audition in some fashion, although it obviously wasn't a cattle-call kind of thing. Fantasia being cast instead of Erivo indicates that the producers weren't feeling wedded to the casting of the recent revival. And it's possible as you say that the director and/or the moneymen never saw Brooks on stage.
The Little Shop overhaul is weird. It reminds me of when American producers took the French musical of the Biblical story of Moses and ditched the songs and had a new team of songwriters. Because they wanted to get the rights to the story of Moses?!?!
The Alice Ripley N2N audition is even weirder. The director and the Broadway lead producer were already involved at Second Stage, I believe. So what was it they were looking for in an audition with their lead actress, who had already gotten great acclaim for her portrayal? |
