Threaded Order Chronological Order
| re: Watching Music Man on TCM, inspired checking out the original data | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 09:58 pm EST 02/13/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Watching Music Man on TCM, inspired checking out the original data - Roman 09:08 pm EST 02/13/22 | |
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| I'm still sad that Dick Van Dyke turned out to be such a bad fit for the role. In my mind, he would/should have been great - and clearly others saw that possibility too. But it wasn't to be. | |
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| Some Harolds I wish I had seen | |
| Posted by: aleck 12:02 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Watching Music Man on TCM, inspired checking out the original data - Chromolume 09:58 pm EST 02/13/22 | |
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| Jeff Goldbaum (who did it in Pittsburgh, I think) Robert Sean Leonard (who closed the last revival, I think) Two off-beat castings that could have been interesting. |
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| How was Eric McCormack? n/m | |
| Posted by: Charlie_Baker 01:17 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
| In reply to: Some Harolds I wish I had seen - aleck 12:02 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
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| I didn't like Eric McCormack, but I loved Mary Illes. (Plus, a few words about James Walton's Harold Hill) | |
| Posted by: DanielVincent 07:16 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
| In reply to: How was Eric McCormack? n/m - Charlie_Baker 01:17 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
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| I believe Illes did a sizable chunk of McCormack's run--enough of a run that she was billed as Marian in the Playbill and not as an understudy, even though Luker's leave was always temporary. McCormack clearly was a confident stage performer with significant charisma, but I never really got a sense of who his Harold Hill was. He had no strong take or POV on the role, and instead just seemed to coast from moment-to-moment. He got laughs and had sexual chemistry with Illes, but the individual parts somehow still didn't come together to form a satisfying whole. Worst of all, he had a tight, strained singing voice that sounded so much like Kermit the Frog, my sister had to suppress the church giggles whenever he sang. Illes was in glorious voice and, like Luker, conveyed such a strong bond with Winthrop, her end of act one decision to hide what she's learned about Hill actually brought tears to my eyes. (It was what I think the Stroman production got rightest in its take on Marian.) She had a regal etherealness about her that you could understand people in the town envying and navigated the character's romantic arc with the utmost sincerity. Her performance was quite beautiful, and I wish I'd seen her opposite Bierko whom I loved. As much as he channeled Preston--and he did--Bierko brought a crackling sexuality to Hill that I never saw in the role's originator. I also saw James Walton go on for Bierko. Despite being an incredible talent, he was the wrong standby for the role. I left wishing I'd exchanged my ticket, which I probably wouldn't say about any other understudy I've ever seen in a lead performance on Broadway. |
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| Robert Preston's Crackling Sexuality | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 08:37 am EST 02/15/22 | |
| In reply to: I didn't like Eric McCormack, but I loved Mary Illes. (Plus, a few words about James Walton's Harold Hill) - DanielVincent 07:16 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
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| Just to set the record straight, Robert Preston's film career ran from '38 to '84. He displayed considerable crackling sexuality opposite leading ladies like Susan Hayward, Paulette Goddard, Joan Bennett, Dorothy Lamour, and others (in his early films) and, after his stage success in Music Man, opposite Dorothy McGuire, Shirley Jones, and even Malcolm Jamieson. So Bierko was imitating Preston in that department as well as in everything else. | |
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| re: Robert Preston's Crackling Sexuality | |
| Posted by: MockingbirdGirl 04:35 pm EST 02/15/22 | |
| In reply to: Robert Preston's Crackling Sexuality - BroadwayTonyJ 08:37 am EST 02/15/22 | |
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| Indeed, he made his early reputation playing the second romanic leads in Cecil B. DeMille pictures. I'm personally fond of Union Pacific, opposite Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea, in which he's particularly dashing: | |
| Link | Stanwyck & Preston in Union Pacific |
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| Just to set the record straight... | |
| Posted by: DanielVincent 01:44 pm EST 02/15/22 | |
| In reply to: Robert Preston's Crackling Sexuality - BroadwayTonyJ 08:37 am EST 02/15/22 | |
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| ...no, you cannot tell me whom I do or do not find sexy. | |
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| re: Just to set the record straight... | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 02:33 pm EST 02/15/22 | |
| In reply to: Just to set the record straight... - DanielVincent 01:44 pm EST 02/15/22 | |
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| I'm not telling you how to feel or challenging your right to express an opinion. I'm just stating that Preston for decades prior to Music Man and for years afterward displayed his crackling sexuality with some of the movies' most beautiful women, many of whom (including Shirley Jones) stated openly that they found Preston highly sexual and attractive. I just wanted to put forward an alternative viewpoint. Of course, your opinion is perfectly valid. |
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| re: Robert Preston's Crackling Sexuality | |
| Last Edit: PlayWiz 11:06 am EST 02/15/22 | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 11:05 am EST 02/15/22 | |
| In reply to: Robert Preston's Crackling Sexuality - BroadwayTonyJ 08:37 am EST 02/15/22 | |
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| Preston is also wonderful in "The Last Starfighter", which is an under-rated fun film which plays kind of like Professor Harold Hill in space. It was musicalized by the team who included the wonderful lyricist who used to post here by the handle BklynBoy. | |
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| re: Robert Preston's Crackling Sexuality | |
| Posted by: larry13 11:44 am EST 02/15/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Robert Preston's Crackling Sexuality - PlayWiz 11:05 am EST 02/15/22 | |
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| I saw a workshop of the musical version(with the wonderful Joseph Kolinski in Preston's role)and enjoyed it so much that I later bought the CD. | |
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| 'The Last Starfighter' has another Broadway tie-in, too! | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 12:28 pm EST 02/15/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Robert Preston's Crackling Sexuality - larry13 11:44 am EST 02/15/22 | |
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| In the 1984 movie, Preston mentored the film's young hero, Alex, played by Lance Guest. And Guest would go on to do more TV and film. But in 2010, Guest made his Broadway debut playing Johnny Cash in the Tony-nominated musical ''Million Dollar Quartet'' at the Nederlander. |
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| Link | 'Million Dollar Quartet' on 'Late Show With David Letterman': (That's Guest starting off the number.) |
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| re: How was Eric McCormack? n/m | |
| Last Edit: PlayWiz 02:47 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 02:46 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
| In reply to: How was Eric McCormack? n/m - Charlie_Baker 01:17 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
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| Eric McCormack was very good, though "Trouble" and "Seventy-Six Trombones" could have used a bit more "oomph" and razzle dazzle energy, but were otherwise fine. With those reservations, otherwise his acting and presence was really quite good and sang the rest of the role very well. Rebecca Luker was out that day, but her understudy Mary Iles was quite good. Every Marian I've ever seen, when with a well-trained soprano voice, has done well with the role. | |
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| re: How was Eric McCormack? n/m | |
| Posted by: claploudly 02:02 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
| In reply to: How was Eric McCormack? n/m - Charlie_Baker 01:17 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
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| I saw him twice. He was suberb! | |
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| re: really liked RSL | |
| Posted by: steven_carter 12:25 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
| In reply to: Some Harolds I wish I had seen - aleck 12:02 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
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| I really liked what Robert Sean Leonard did with the part in the 2000-01 revival. He did NOT try to replicate Robert Preston, which I thought really weakened Craig Bierko's performance. Bierko seemed to be doing almost like an impersonator show of Preston, down to exact line readings. Some have posted they liked that, but I hated it. Robert Sean Leonard, on the other hand, used his excellent acting chops to interpret the part in his own way. And yet, he had enough musical comedy joy and pizzaz to honor the classic canon musical he was appearing in. RSL did start out in musicals, working with James Lapine on workshop of "Into the Woods", so he "knows the territory!" | |
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| re: really liked RSL | |
| Posted by: claploudly 02:04 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
| In reply to: re: really liked RSL - steven_carter 12:25 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
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| I agree, he was wonderful. And Craig unfortunately had the talent to create his own interpretation. Was he possibly directed by Stroman not to???? | |
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| re: really liked RSL | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 12:53 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
| In reply to: re: really liked RSL - steven_carter 12:25 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
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| I couldn't stand Craig Bierko's imitation of Preston. It was like hearing fingernails on a chalk board. He should have made the part his own like he did with characters in other musicals in which he performed. I was fine with Robert Sean Leonard. He acted the role in his own unique style. He had excellent chemistry with Rebecca Luker. |
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| Tony Randall/Brian Cox as HH | |
| Posted by: tmwctd 02:13 pm EST 02/15/22 | |
| In reply to: re: really liked RSL - BroadwayTonyJ 12:53 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
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| Has anyone seen and can remember Tony Randall as Harold Hill? I would imagine him as being a little bit stilted... One Harold Hill I have seen in London (Open Air Theatre at Regent`s Park): Brian Cox ("Succession"). Let´s say it was not an extremely well-sung HH... |
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| No | |
| Posted by: Ann 12:08 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
| In reply to: Some Harolds I wish I had seen - aleck 12:02 pm EST 02/14/22 | |
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| You do not wish you had seen Goldblum. I still have nightmares. | |
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