Threaded Order Chronological Order
| re: Mary Tyler Moore | |
| Posted by: larry13 11:32 am EDT 05/24/23 | |
| In reply to: Mary Tyler Moore - chrismpls 10:46 am EDT 05/24/23 | |
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| Not Broadway but otherwise correct. | |
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| re: Mary Tyler Moore | |
| Last Edit: PlayWiz 12:49 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 12:48 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Mary Tyler Moore - larry13 11:32 am EDT 05/24/23 | |
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| Lainie Kazan was also fired from being Barbra Streisand's understudy in "Funny Girl". That fact Kazan at least twice put the press corps on alert ready to review her during Barbra's absence and that she was really good in the role spooked Barbra. Louis Jourdan was fired apparently because Fritz Loewe wanted someone with an excellent singing voice to sing his beautiful melodies, especially the title song in "On a Clear Day". Jourdan, who spoke-sang in the Rex Harrison tradition, supposedly otherwise had great chemistry with Barbara Harris, and he had a good contract where he was paid for possibly the entire run of "On a Clear Day" without having to perform. This was understudy John Cullum's big break, giving him star billing over the title with Barbara Harris. Carolyn Mignini was fired and replaced by Josie de Guzman as Sarah Brown in the early 1990s revival of "Guys and Dolls". Apparently Mignini's chemistry (yes, chemistry!) with Peter Gallagher was found lacking. |
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| Lainie Kazan and Funny Girl | |
| Last Edit: AlanScott 04:47 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 04:46 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Mary Tyler Moore - PlayWiz 12:48 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
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| I think it's almost definitely a myth — one that will probably never die as I think it's in a book or two — that Lainie Kazan was fired as Streisand's understudy. She was in the job for at least a year. She did have a good rep who was getting her lots of publicity as the understudy who had never gone on. Then she got more publicity when she did go on. I think it's a myth that anyone reviewed her. I find no evidence of anyone reviewing her. (The same myth is out there about Jane Romano, Merman's standby in Gypsy.) By the time she finally did get to go on for Streisand, Kazan had gotten enough attention that she was soon playing nightclubs. I think it's quite possible that they didn't renew her contract, but I think it's also possible that she didn't want to renew her contract. In any case, I think it's unlikely she was actually fired. |
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| re: Lainie Kazan and Funny Girl | |
| Last Edit: PlayWiz 05:01 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 04:53 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| In reply to: Lainie Kazan and Funny Girl - AlanScott 04:46 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
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| "Funny Girl" opened March 26, 1964 and yet Lainie Kazan is on a Bell Telephone Hour special supposedly recreating her audition for FG which was televised November 24th of that year. That's eight months into Streisand's run -- rather remarkable how an understudy got such a prestigious gig at that time period though unless some of the infamous story was true. I almost always trust your research and knowledge, but that telecast existing is kind of bizarre. Robert Young's intro does mention that the "understudy might one day wind up playing the lead", so I guess she was still in the show. She really had a great PR person and must have had cooperation from someone with power at FG for the right to use those songs on tv! | |
| Link | Lainie Kazan on "Bell Telephone Hour" |
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| re: Lainie Kazan and Funny Girl | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 05:13 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Lainie Kazan and Funny Girl - PlayWiz 04:53 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
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| Thanks for the link. Never saw that before. Interesting, though, that she sings only one song from Funny Girl — one of the two big ones — and then sings from other then-current shows. | |
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| re: Lainie Kazan and Funny Girl | |
| Posted by: larry13 05:08 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Lainie Kazan and Funny Girl - PlayWiz 04:53 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
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| It MAY be remarkable how an understudy got that prestigious gig BUT since she didn't go on as Fanny until a year into the run, then she did NOT benefit from either the publicity for those performances NOR being(supposedly)fired. She could not have been "fired" in 1964. | |
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| re: Mary Tyler Moore | |
| Posted by: simbo 01:51 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Mary Tyler Moore - PlayWiz 12:48 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
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| Fritz Loewe did not write "On a Clear Day", that was Burton Lane (while Loewe was temporarily retired after the turmoil of the production of "Camelot" - he'd be un-retired in the early 70s for "The Little Prince" movie and the stage version of "Gigi") | |
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| OMG, how did I do that!? - you're right , of course | |
| Last Edit: PlayWiz 04:38 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 04:35 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Mary Tyler Moore - simbo 01:51 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
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| hitting myself with a wet noodle! Thanks. It was Burton Lane who wanted a better singer as the male lead. I must have had Lerner (who did the lyrics and book) in my mind while I wrote before. | |
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| re: Mary Tyler Moore | |
| Posted by: champagnesalesman 01:09 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Mary Tyler Moore - PlayWiz 12:48 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
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| Lainie was fired from Seesaw and The Women in the same season Christian Hoff left Pal Joey during previews and his understudy, many decades younger than Stockard Channing, took over Eleanor Parker also left Pal Joey(earlier revival) What is it with Pal Joey? |
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| re: Mary Tyler Moore | |
| Posted by: larry13 02:04 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Mary Tyler Moore - champagnesalesman 01:09 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
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| Edward Villella left Pal Joey the day before Parker did! But again, these were not instances of firing. | |
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| re: Mary Tyler Moore | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 01:23 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Mary Tyler Moore - champagnesalesman 01:09 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
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| But Christian Hoff was injured in early previews, right? Am I remembering that correctly? That's not exactly being fired, at least not in the way this thread is talking about. Same thing happened to James Carpinello in XANADU. Early preview injury and replaced, in that case, by Cheyenne Jackson. |
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| Hoff, then Risch in PAL JOEY | |
| Last Edit: BroadwayTonyJ 02:55 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 02:54 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Mary Tyler Moore - JereNYC 01:23 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
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| Hoff was injured in early previews, but apparently recovered. Nevertheless, he was replaced. I recall him dancing on some nationally televised TV special to show audiences that he was perfectly fine and should not have been replaced. I think Channing had better chemistry with Matthew Risch than she did with Hoff so there's probably more to the story than what was disclosed at the time. | |
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| On that note, Ron Orbach | |
| Last Edit: KingSpeed 03:56 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 03:54 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| In reply to: Hoff, then Risch in PAL JOEY - BroadwayTonyJ 02:54 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
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| Ron got hurt during (before?) the Chicago tryout of The Producers. Swing Brad Oscar took over but Ron was back in time for the critics. He got a rave in Variety in fact but by that time, everyone wanted Brad back. Bummer for Ron. He did nothing wrong. | |
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| re: On that note, Ron Orbach | |
| Posted by: Jnf663 05:37 am EDT 05/25/23 | |
| In reply to: On that note, Ron Orbach - KingSpeed 03:54 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
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| What’s interesting to me about that one is that the video of The Producers that has circulated among collectors for years has Ron Orbach in the show instead of Brad Oscar. So at least for people like me who watched that video countless times growing up, Orbach’s performance has lived on. | |
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| re: Hoff, then Risch in PAL JOEY | |
| Posted by: EvFoDr 03:45 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
| In reply to: Hoff, then Risch in PAL JOEY - BroadwayTonyJ 02:54 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
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| Risch was (still is?) also the lover of the director which some speculated played into it. Not that Risch isn't talented enough to deserve the role, because I think he is. Also interesting to note that people like Hoff, and Matt Cavenaugh, and maybe others in this thread I don't feel like researching, never worked again in a Broadway show after exit from said show. |
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| re: Hoff, then Risch in PAL JOEY | |
| Posted by: dannyr416 11:12 am EDT 05/25/23 | |
| In reply to: re: Hoff, then Risch in PAL JOEY - EvFoDr 03:45 pm EDT 05/24/23 | |
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| I don't think Risch and Mantello are still together. A few years later though, Risch was Thomas Sadoski's understudy in Other Desert Cities, which Mantello also directed. I saw him go on. I think he was playing the role for an extended period, and he was very solid. Also one again opposite Stockard Channing. He also popped up in that unfortunate Tales of the City reboot on Netflix a few years back, so he's clearly still working. | |
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