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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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