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| Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? | |
| Posted by: FinalPerformance 12:31 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| Recent show that cost millions and leads that are just serviceable. Am I the only one noticing this ? This is just my sitting through all the new musicals this season. |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? | |
| Posted by: AnObserver 08:37 am EDT 04/11/23 | |
| In reply to: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? - FinalPerformance 12:31 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| Personality is no longer encouraged in entertainment and the arts. Why? Partly because of television and the internet. But also $$$. Rudolf Bing: "The problem with Mme. Callas is that she is smart." And the reasons go on... | |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? | |
| Posted by: Likeitlots 12:47 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? - FinalPerformance 12:31 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| I totally agree and was having this conversation yesterday. There is a shocking lack of individuality in many of this season's leading players. There are also (it seems to me) a bigger than ever number of leads who haven't exactly "paid their dues." I put that in quotes because I don't mean it to sound as if they have a debt to pay, but I think, for example of Karen Olivo and how she went from understudy to featured player to leading lady and along the way she learned and grew. Many of this season's leads don't seem to be quite ready. There is a blandness or, as you say, a serviceability. Is it just that younger, fresher actors are cheaper? Seems like (again, as you say) in productions costing millions, your leads isn't where you skimp. | |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? | |
| Posted by: IvyLeagueDropout 01:26 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? - Likeitlots 12:47 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| I think one real problem (not referring to any specific performer or show) is that the extensive training many actors receive bleeds them if their originality, their uniqueness. I am not criticizing actors being trained, just pointing out finding work for younger actors comes from looking/sounding/acting like everyone else. So many young people out of a conservatory sound exactly like everyone else out of a conservatory. So many great talents of the past would have trouble finding work today. I think it is also a product of long running shows, which generally treat actors like interchangeable parts. | |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 10:28 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? - IvyLeagueDropout 01:26 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| Exactly. Sometimes actors are cast to play a track, not a role. | |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? | |
| Posted by: Likeitlots 01:35 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? - IvyLeagueDropout 01:26 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| I have thought about what you are saying and I largely agree. But forgetting the great talents of the past, you can look at the casts of shows like Hadestown, Kinky Boots, The Band's Visit, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Company, The Prom, Carousel, Great Comet, (I am really just rattling titles off the top of my head) and those shows are full of actors who are... individuals. Of course the writing helps. I am not sure that Sugar, as written in Some Like it Hot, gives Adriana Hicks as much to work with as perhaps it should, but I can also imagine an actor with some quirks giving that role a bit more, sorry that I keep coming back to the same word, individuality. So why are directors deciding that singing to the rafters is enough to make a lead today? | |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? | |
| Posted by: student_rush 02:43 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? - Likeitlots 01:35 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| This has been a tremendous issue in the post-COVID landscape, as MANY performances these last two years do not bear any sort of "professional" or "top-tier" standard. BFA and MFA programs regularly beat the individuality out of their students. I'm glad you brought up Adriana Hicks, because there are absolutely 1000 other women in New York City (and several in the ensemble of this musical) that could bring something -- ANYTHING -- more unique or inherently interesting than the performance she is currently delivering. (Notably, this is in stark opposition to the other leads of SLIH, who are unique powerhouses in their own regard.) This tends to hold double true for standbys and understudies ... it is a notable surprise when they are merely capable in the role (spare me the "they are the real heroes," as I would now choose to refund/cancel at least half of the performances where an understudy goes on, most recently with the BAD CINDERELLA standby. I understand the real issue here is associate direction/choreography rehearsals, but I have little patience for Broadway weaknesses to slip so glaringly past all gatekeepers and out unto the unsuspecting audiences. It's a sad day when you start realizing that "tastemakers" lack taste and that the gatekeepers often fuck up a production before it starts with failures of casting (THANKSGIVING PLAY), direction (THANKSGIVING PLAY), or even writing ... why slot a lesser production of a pre-existing play (THANKSGIVING PLAY) into your season only for it to lead to an excruciating ninety minutes of theatre? |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? | |
| Posted by: Ordoc 04:50 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? - student_rush 02:43 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| I warms my heart when I read old theatergoers longing for the good old days. They moan, "Female impersonators are being put out of business because there are no longer STARS on Broadway. Sigh!" I laugh out loud when someone proclaims, "...there are absolutely 1000 other women in New York City..." Really? Why 1000? How can anyone keep track or even remember so-called talent pool that large? Back in the last century, did anyone go to see Merman play a different character? No, they went to see Merman. I have the perfect solution to this "so-called" crisis. All the musical comedy queens/maven should create a casting agency that sends out two or three agents to every casting session to give their approval for a production. Needless to say, they would have the "absolutely 1000 other women in New York City on speed dial to rush in nd save the show. |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? | |
| Posted by: student_rush 05:25 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? - Ordoc 04:50 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| ... old? I'm like in my early thirties lol And sorry I'm tired of paying to see completely generic and (at best) adequate performances by leads on a Broadway stage. |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 10:34 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? - student_rush 05:25 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| Maybe that's why people flocked to CHICAGO to see Jinkx Monsoon. | |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? | |
| Last Edit: FinalPerformance 01:24 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| Posted by: FinalPerformance 01:22 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking srar power ? - Likeitlots 12:47 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| Thanks for agreeing with me. Last week at a show people were sitting behind me talking about seeing some new musicals and only Will Swenson stood above all the other current leading actors in musicals this season. I have to comment, A Beautiful Noise does deliver that perfect star performance. | |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? | |
| Posted by: Ordoc 04:52 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? - FinalPerformance 01:22 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| Final, why didn't you turn around and school those people? | |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? | |
| Posted by: FinalPerformance 05:54 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? - Ordoc 04:52 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| It's just some of these leading performers in musicals have no charisma what soever. I'm not going to name names but I am impressed by the supporting cast that at times out shine them. | |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? | |
| Posted by: Likeitlots 01:26 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? - FinalPerformance 01:22 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| As does, in my opinion, the cast of Kimberly Akimbo and the cast of Parade. Yes, I agree about Swenson, and I hear good things about the Camelot leads. | |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? | |
| Posted by: downtownlw 08:21 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? - Likeitlots 01:26 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| Josh Groban may not be the standard Broadway star but he definitely has star power. I felt that Victoria Clark, Anna Uzele, Colton Ryan and Alex Newell gave star performances. Casey Likes will be a star after Back to the Future. I did not see A Beautiful Noise, K Pop or Bad Cinderella but I feel that the other new musicals were cast appropriately. I really can’t think of any “star” I’d rather see in any of the leading roles. | |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? | |
| Posted by: huskyital (huskyital@yahoo.com) 08:35 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? - downtownlw 08:21 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| Years ago producers looked to star singers who had a unique personality together with charisma. So we had unforgettable actresses like Ethel Merman Carol Channing and even Patti LuPone. Producers unfortunately only look to find a cookie cutter type to fill a role instead of looking outside the box for that great original talent that screams star. A great voice does not necessarily produce a great star | |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? | |
| Posted by: mikem 08:24 am EDT 04/11/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? - huskyital 08:35 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| I don't know how much validity there is to this, but someone told me that today's commercially-aimed new musical is aimed towards a long horizon, including replacements and tours, and the show is the star, not any individual performer. If someone is uniquely quirky or uniquely talented, and the show is tailored too much around that, it could cause problems down the line. I'm not sure how much the creative team would take that into account, though, even if a producer wanted them to. I'm wondering if people can expand on two things mentioned earlier: that too much training is potentially harmful, and that the pandemic has made the situation worse. I'm not sure I understand how training gets rid of quirks, unless the teachers have the wrong priorities. And I would have thought the pandemic's uncertainty would have meant fewer actors had commitments, so the pool of available actors would be larger. |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 02:17 pm EDT 04/12/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? - mikem 08:24 am EDT 04/11/23 | |
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| It really makes you appreciate the creators of golden age shows like HELLO, DOLLY!, which could be created around a quirky star, but also accomodate the hundreds, if not thousands, of actresses who followed her in the role over the last 50+ years. | |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? | |
| Posted by: singleticket 11:06 am EDT 04/12/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? - mikem 08:24 am EDT 04/11/23 | |
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| Agreed, this seems to me to be the clearest reason for the posters’ perceived sense of uniformity in Broadway performers, not arts training programs or the pandemic. | |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? | |
| Posted by: Likeitlots 11:33 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? - huskyital 08:35 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| I am not pining for the days of Merman and Channing and Stritch, but I would like to see Bad Cinderella and New York New York and & Julliet and Almost Famous feature leading players as interesting as some of TODAY'S Broadway talent like Jenn Collella or Brandon Uranawitz or Tammy Blanchard or Bonnie Milligan or Joaquina Kalukango. I look at Shucked, which may not be the greatest show of the season, but that is a cast of individuals. Ditto Kimberly Akimbo. And Into the Woods. And Parade. | |
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| re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 10:25 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Are Broadway Musicals lacking star power ? - huskyital 08:35 pm EDT 04/10/23 | |
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| I agree. | |
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