Theatre Talk: In Our Own Little Corner

[aradia22]

Quote

So long as they keep "Anthem" and "One Night in Bangkok".  And I'd love Josh Groban in it.

As long as he doesn't bring Idina along. ;) I seriously questioned her singing ability when I heard/saw that concert. Seriously though, when people perform one or two songs at concerts it seems great but all together, I don't know how much the story makes sense or if the score works. It doesn't feel like a cohesive whole and the songs come across as dated... not like the classic musicals (Cole Porter, R&H) but more like Falsettos or Marvin Hamlisch. Except I'm not sure if the dated-ness serves the show by establishing a sense of the time period. 

[bosawks]

No Judy Kuhn and no the late, great David Carroll!  They could rework it to Shakespearean levels and I'd still reach for my Broadway cast recording.

 

Those two were magic.

[Rinaldo]

So... there must be no more productions of it, ever? 

[bosawks]

10 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

So... there must be no more productions of it, ever? 

Not for me.  Visceral responses are what they are.......

[Silver Raven]

The National Theatre in London is putting on Angels in America with Andrew Garfield, Nathan Lane, James McArdle, Russell Tovey, and Denise Gough.  It will be appearing live in movie theaters.

 

http://www.playbill.com/article/watch-the-emotional-trailer-for-the-national-theatres-live-broadcast-of-angels-in-america

[ebk57]

3 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

The National Theatre in London is putting on Angels in America with Andrew Garfield, Nathan Lane, James McArdle, Russell Tovey, and Denise Gough.  It will be appearing live in movie theaters.

 

http://www.playbill.com/article/watch-the-emotional-trailer-for-the-national-theatres-live-broadcast-of-angels-in-america

Thanks for this.  I'm happy there will be encore showings since I'll be out of town for the Part One.

[Rinaldo]

3 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

The National Theatre in London is putting on Angels in America with Andrew Garfield, Nathan Lane, James McArdle, Russell Tovey, and Denise Gough. 

My international circle of theater-loving email friends has been looking forward to this for a year at least. The movie showings are less than a month away now!

[aradia22]

So I know I said I wasn't planning to see it but I got the chance yesterday to see Come From Away so I took it. I enjoyed it. I think it's a good effort from a relatively new/unknown composer/lyricist team. I do still think that there's too much narration (too much telling instead of showing) and while it's not hard to follow the gist of the plot at all, you do have to work hard to remember everything. Unlike Great Comet which I think is repetitive enough and focused enough for you to follow it, because there are so many characters, I feel like my brain was working in overdrive to keep all the details in until I could decide what was relevant. I get why they keep using Welcome to the Rock. It's a great song to start off the show and welcome you and it has a really strong driving force with that beat that almost feels like a chant but just having everyone blurt out what they were doing that day is a bit overwhelming. I was able to remember most of the details about Annette, Bonnie, Beulah, the cop, the mayor, Ali, the Kevins, etc. but I'm not sure every audience member would be. I think there are just stronger ensemble pieces that rely more on connecting with the characters. I didn't find the accent too difficult. The actors seemed to sit in a range from Midwestern to Irish. I did think that a handful of times when the entire ensemble was singing, the lyrics got a little garbled. I still 100% don't think Christopher Ashley deserved that Tony for direction. It was no more competently directed than any other Broadway show and certainly not more so than its competition. 

OK, now for the good stuff. Kind of like Bella, I'm not sure it really earned or built up to its emotional beats, but they hit me when they were supposed to. The two storylines that got to me were the mother whose son was a firefighter/first responder in NY and Jen Collela's pilot character. They both had me from the start and I get why she was nominated for that Tony. That song brought me close to tearing up. I don't know if it was so much the song as much as the way she performed it. I don't think it's a coincidence either that the two characters I connected to the most strongly were the two who had the closest connection to 9/11 (her son, a fellow pilot). I wasn't offended and it wasn't distasteful but for some of the show I was kind of feeling like we were asked to sympathize with these people who had escaped the horror in the wake of a horrific tragedy. And I absolutely understand what they were going for in expressing how a terrorist attack like that makes waves and affects everyone... I mean, that's the intended impact, to do more than just affect the victims but to send a message and spread fear to everyone. But even though there were some moments when that came to the forefront I think it was somewhat mishandled to the degree that I was thinking that for stretches of the show. While enjoyable, for an hour 48 minutes (possibly we started late) I did feel like the show felt long. I think because it seemed to be meandering a bit without direction. I wasn't getting bored, I just... I don't know. A show like Great Comet is 3 hours and it flies by. Or Fun Home which is also no intermission and around 90 minutes. I felt the time here. 

I'm sure all the performers are great, but aside from those two characters, I don't think the singing was all that remarkable. This is not a show to go to for incredible singing. It's more naturalistic. I think they held back a little. It did make them seem more like real people. I have no idea how this got nominated for choreography. I guess maybe the movement of the chairs counts as choreography? Because anything that was actually dancing... meh. We were in the level of miming and box steps. I did appreciate the body type and age diversity. It's rare to see outside of plays. 

I do think the show rose above the level of stereotypes. Of course with so many characters, no one gets that developed. You know a few things about each person. But I think there were written more as people than jokes. The Newfoundlanders weren't too cloying and cute. The plane people weren't just representatives of different demographics. I did think Ali's (the Egyptian master chef) plot was handled a bit awkwardly. Like we talked about it but we didn't really get into unpacking it. Personally, the Kevins didn't bother me but I can't speak for how people would feel about seeing the gay couple represented that way. I think the benefit of having so many characters is you will find someone to connect to. I thought the woman from Texas and the man from England were sweet. There isn't enough time for someone to annoy you too much either. I feel Bonnie (SPCA) could have worked my last nerve if we'd had to spend a whole show with her. Back to the jokes part, I do think a lot of the humor wasn't for me. I don't mean it was lazy the way Something Rotten was lazy. Just that they went for a lot of easy jokes and that's not the kind of thing that makes me laugh. I laughed 6 times. It was mostly things that surprised me. Like the moose in the road was the first joke that got me. 

I would recommend it. It's certainly not a bad night at the theater. It balances storytelling with entertainment. I've seen better shows but aside from feeling a bit long and maybe needing some finesse and less narration, it's a good effort. Borrowing from other shows, it takes all the ensemble movement and the character switching and the stripped down chairs as set aesthetic and puts it to good use telling what could be a complicated story in a fairly straightforward way.

[ebk57]

Mr ebk in his place of business (and my former place of business).  It won't be the same without all those bags and ropes.

http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2017/06/23/bye-bye-hemp-and-sand-national-theatre-prepares.html

[aradia22]

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BroadwayHD and Thirteen/WNET have just announced they will record tonight's performance of Present Laughter, starring Academy Award and two-time Tony Award winner Kevin Kline in his triumphant return to Broadway, for on-demand viewing on BroadwayHD.com later this year.

Starting this fall, BroadwayHD subscribers can stream Present Laughter on BroadwayHD.com, Chromecast and BroadwayHD's Roku, Apple TV, iPad, iPhone and Android mobile apps.

http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/BroadwayHD-Will-Record-Broadways-PRESENT-LAUGHTER-Starring-Kevin-Kline-Tonight-20170623

[Rinaldo]

Somehow I had an inkling that a taping of Present Laughter might be in the works. Just the way it's been pushed online and in emails from BroadwayHD. I'm often wrong about these things, but this time I was right. I'm glad it's happening. I'd like to see it. I've seen Kevin Kline in a number of productions over the years, going back to our undergraduate days in the Indiana University School of Music. (He was a year ahead of me. And he soon transitioned from music to theater.)

[DisneyBoy]

I just don't think Chess can work. I like parts of the score and I can understand why there's a lot of love for the project, but having seen a professionally staged production of it, I really feel it needs to be ripped apart completely and Frankensteined into something else, keeping only the songs that work within the new story being told. And as much fun as One Night in Bangkok is, it has absolutely no purpose in the story.

This is a bit of a random question but has there ever been any talk of adapting Yentl for the stage? I thought the movie was okay and I'm surprised given its pedigree that no one ever thought of bringing it to audiences. Or does Fiddler on the Roof basically cover that whole genre?

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, DisneyBoy said:

has there ever been any talk of adapting Yentl for the stage? I thought the movie was okay and I'm surprised given its pedigree that no one ever thought of bringing it to audiences. Or does Fiddler on the Roof basically cover that whole genre?

I've never heard any such talk, which doesn't necessarily mean anything. And it's not really the same story as Fiddler, is it? No, I think the problem is that, as a musical score it's terribly unbalanced: every song is an interior monologue for the leading lady. Little variety, no musical interaction with others. New songs could be added, of course, but it's hard to see what other characters have to sing about.  So I think it's just a bad prospect for stage adaptation. (I didn't care for it as a movie either, but I know others did.)

[Charlie Baker]

There was a non-musical adaptation of the Singer story which played Broadway in the 70s.  I would agree that the Streisand version wouldn't be a smooth transition to the stage, and I liked it quite a bit.

Yentl on Broadway

[DisneyBoy]

Never knew it was a play...interesting.

 

I need some help: I now have Christine Ebersole singing Pink in a loop over and over in my mind. And I don't even know the lyrics well enough yet so I'm kind of making my own verses up in my head...!

 

Pink...

Like bacon still not crispy yet....

Pink....

Like eyes after a losing bet...

[Silver Raven]

Here's a video of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1Nzk8QY4Uw
 

I saw Beauty and the Beast today.  They told us that the costumes were the same ones they had used productions in London, Rome, Paris, and Moscow, and they had cost $2 million.  They were absolutely fantastic.

A fun time, though I didn't go into it expecting much (let alone having to deal with the ten year old sitting next to me who didn't stop moving the entire play).

The stars were:

James Snyder as The Beast (he has a fantastic voice)

Jessica Grove' as Belle (a very nice soprano)

Jared Gertner as Le Feu (who I thought went way overboard with the homoeroticism)

Peter Saide as Gaston (with a beautiful voice, and damn, he's tall)

Gordon Goodman as Maurice

David Hibbard as Cogsworth

Michael Paternostro as Lumiere (who, to me, was the star of the production)

Shannon Warne as Mrs. Potts

Jackie Piro Donovan as Madame de la Grande Bouche (damn, her voice is gold)

I always wondered how they changed the beast into the handsome prince live on stage, and now I know.  :)

[Rinaldo]

I know 3 of those names. Jared Gertner had a principal role for one season on the best of all web series, Submissions Only (if you've never seen it and you love theater, look it up -- it's marvelous). Jessica Grové has been doing good work for quite a while, but I first encountered her in her teens, about 15 years ago, as a superb Kim in the Encores! production of Bye Bye Birdie. And Jacquelyn Piro has been a mainstay of DC theater for some time but obviously works elsewhere too -- I saw her as the soubrette in Kern's Sweet Adeline, way back in Encores! season 4. And then as the female lead in the national tour of the musical Big. And I saw her as Lizzie in the Signature Theatre production of 110 in the Shade. And she's done a ton of other stuff too that I read about in regional roundups. Very nice casting there.

Edited to add: Responding to comment below: Yes, I meant to add that Gertner succeeded Josh Gad in Book of Mormon on Broadway, and then on tour.

Edited June 26, 2017 by Rinaldo

[Silver Raven]

Jackie Piro was in Hello, Dolly here in Sacramento last year as Irene Molloy.  She has a lovely voice.

I think Jared Gertner was Elder Cunningham on Broadway, and yes, I've seen Submissions Only, and love it.

The program said James Snyder was in the Broadway productions of In Transit and If/Then. He was also Jason opposite Matt Doyle in the concept album of Bare

[aradia22]

@Silver Raven I've seen Snyder in If/Then, Ever After, and In Transit. He's great. I know Terrence Mann played the Beast but I would have thought the songs were a little low for Snyder. But I'm not the greatest at hearing the difference in male ranges. 

OH MY GOD, I had to look it up to remember. Of course I know Peter Saide. He was the Prince in the production of Cinderella I saw in the Philippines with Lea Salonga.

Edited June 26, 2017 by aradia22

[methodwriter85]

I saw the National Live Theater production of Peter Pan a few weeks back. It was pretty cool- it was a little old seeing Peter Pan being played by a middle-aged man, but damn if he didn't win me over by the end. I love that they didn't go with typical casting in this- Tinkerbell was played by a guy, and they had a male playing Nanny the Dog. It was pretty cool how they didn't try to hide the harnesses and suspension cables they used to create the flight.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

20 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

I saw Beauty and the Beast today.  They told us that the costumes were the same ones they had used productions in London, Rome, Paris, and Moscow, and they had cost $2 million.  They were absolutely fantastic.

I saw the first or second national tour back in the mid to late 90s and I didn't expect much either (despite the fact that I liked the Disney movie) but I ended up really enjoying it. I didn't get tickets for recent productions because I didn't love it enough to see it again. Now I wish I had seen the new costumes!

[aradia22]

Quote

BroadwayWorld has exclusively learned that Elena Shaddow (The Bridges of Madison County), Lesli Margherita (Olivier Award Winner), Lenny Wolpe (The Drowsy Chaperone), Darius de Haas (Shuffle Along), and Ruth Gottschall (Mary Poppins) will take to the stage in Buck County Playhouse's GUYS AND DOLLS.

Executive Producer Robyn Goodman, Producing Director Alexander Fraser and Producers Stephen Kocis and Josh Fiedler announced details on the upcoming production of the classic Broadway musical "Guys and Dolls," which will run at Bucks County Playhouse beginning Friday, July 21 concluding August 12. The official opening night is Saturday, July 22. The 2017 Bucks County Playhouse Season is sponsored by Bank of America.

http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Exclusive-Lesli-Margherita-Elena-Shaddow-Ruth-Gottschall-and-More-Set-For-Bucks-County-Playhouse-GUYS-AND-DOLLS-20170626

Anyone planning to see this one? And as a side note, how do you feel about regional productions that cast actors who fit the characters and can sing the parts but are perhaps older than the characters as written or as the parts would be cast on Broadway? Does it bother you or do you appreciate seeing being able to see these actors working past when (by Broadway standards) they might be deemed to have aged out of those parts?

[Rinaldo]

I hope to see it, I've been to Bucks County Playhouse recently for a very good production of Company starring Justin Guarini directed by Hunter Foster (who's also directing this). But I have no answer to your other question because I can't see how it applies here. None of these people is in any way unusual for their role. 

Edited June 28, 2017 by Rinaldo

[aradia22]

Sorry @Rinaldo It wasn't specific to this production. I was just going off on a digression in my head because I was thinking about things like how Elena did the workshop for Anastasia but she joked she was getting a little old for the part. And then they brought it to Broadway with Christy. I don't know their respective ages but the internet says Christy is 31 and I assume Elena is at least in her mid to late 30's. It's been bubbling in my head because I keep seeing all these interesting casts (people I'm a fan of, I mean) being announced for regional productions (like, I don't know if Julia Murney would have gotten to play Princess Fiona on Broadway) and there's been chatter about older actresses being inappropriate for My Fair Lady. 

Still curious on anyone's thoughts in general...

Edited June 27, 2017 by aradia22

[Jac]

On 2017-6-22 at 8:25 AM, Silver Raven said:

The National Theatre in London is putting on Angels in America with Andrew Garfield, Nathan Lane, James McArdle, Russell Tovey, and Denise Gough.  It will be appearing live in movie theaters.

 

http://www.playbill.com/article/watch-the-emotional-trailer-for-the-national-theatres-live-broadcast-of-angels-in-america

I am so excited about this. I have to wait until September though because we only get encore screenings here in Australia.

[Silver Raven]

Quote

And as a side note, how do you feel about regional productions that cast actors who fit the characters and can sing the parts but are perhaps older than the characters as written or as the parts would be cast on Broadway? Does it bother you or do you appreciate seeing being able to see these actors working past when (by Broadway standards) they might be deemed to have aged out of those parts?

 

It bothered me a couple of years ago when Sacramento Music Circus did My Fair Lady with an actress who was not right for the role age-wise.  I can't remember who she was, though.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Has anyone seen An American in Paris? The national tour is coming through SF soon and I'm deciding whether to see it. I wasn't a huge fan of the movie but I love dance. The only person I know in real life who has already seen the show was involved with the Broadway production so I know I won't get an unbiased opinion from her!

[Rinaldo]

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Has anyone seen An American in Paris? 

I saw it on Broadway, about a year into its run, with the alternate male lead. I don't know what to tell you... it has those great Gershwin songs (many more than in the movie, of course), it had an engaging cast (yours'll be different of course), all technical departments did their job very well. But though I'm glad I saw it, it didn't really stick with me. The plot has famously been preconceived to feature more characters and have more story going on, but still seemed oddly inconclusive and unconnected. And it's very balletic. Even the dancing for the jazzy songs is full of pliés and arabesques. (Because of course, the two romantic leads are cast with real ballet soloists, and the choreographer comes from that world.) The final "American in Paris" ballet is completely different from the one in the movie -- it uses Gershwin's whole tone poem in the proper order, it doesn't imitate paintings, and it shares no staging with what's seen in the movie.

I'm not a bit of help, am I? Sorry!

Edited June 30, 2017 by Rinaldo

[aradia22]

Quote

Has anyone seen An American in Paris? The national tour is coming through SF soon and I'm deciding whether to see it. I wasn't a huge fan of the movie but I love dance. The only person I know in real life who has already seen the show was involved with the Broadway production so I know I won't get an unbiased opinion from her!

Yes, I saw it on Broadway with Gavin instead of Robbie and Leanne's alternate farther into the run. The other principals were still in it. I can't remember when I review things but if you dig back you might be able to find my thoughts. I enjoy the movie in parts but I also find Gene Kelly's character very stalkery and pushy and I think the final dance sequence is him starting to get indulgent. The musical adaptation fixes some things from the movie but also adds unnecessary complications. The Broadway casting took away the big age difference between the older woman serving as Gene Kelly's patron. I can't remember how her plot gets resolved. They also do away with the creepy age difference between Gene Kelly's romantic rival and the Leslie Carron character. Instead of being a father figure he's more of a brother and his parents (or at least his mom) helped support her financially and raise her. He's also gay. Then there's a pianist character for comedic effect. I remember a similar character in the movie but here he serves to bring in more of the WWII plot and give the show more dramatic weight that didn't really work for me. It felt clumsy and forced. The sets are alright. They aren't disappear into a different world kind of sets. It's more similar to the end of the movie where you're conscious of people moving around static scenery and backdrops. The dancing is very ballet heavy though I remember 2 or 3 tap sequences. I liked the dancing and didn't find it to be too much. I would say it's the real selling point of the show other than hearing Gershwin tunes.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

@Rinaldo that was actually very helpful so don't sell yourself short! And thanks to @aradia22 for the additional info (especially the changes that were made). I had some issues with the movie too, but it's been so long since the last time I saw it that I don't remember much except for my general impression that it was okay instead of AMAZING (which is what I'd hoped it would be). I'm fine with going to see a show full of dancing and good music (and as blasphemous as it sounds, I didn't love some of the choreography in the original movie). I didn't get a season subscription so I think I'm going to wait and see how much individual tickets are for this show and decide if it's worth it to see a show that I'm not jumping up and down to see. SHN's smaller shows (aka the non-Hamilton productions) are usually about $100 and I don't think I want to see this show THAT badly.

[Rinaldo]

Just to add a sentence more as to where I'm coming from with the movie -- among the big MGM musicals it's not a favorite of mine. Leslie Caron is not a satisfying partner for Gene Kelly (I don't have a problem with age differences in relationships as long as both are adults, it's just that they don't seem to "go" together), not the way Judy Garland or Rita Hayworth or Cyd Charisse were in their different ways. And his balletic ambitions/pretensions, which went over the line in his pet project Invitation to the Dance, are in evidence here. But he's at his most loose and likable in his "I Got Rhythm" with the kids -- it's my favorite of all his solos on film. My biggest beef with the movie is that I think his patron, the Nina Foch character, gets treated abominably; just for being dominant in the partnership and supposedly older (in fact, in real life 12 years younger) she gets vilified and villainized. I'm willing to sign on for a certain amount of sexism in the movie musicals of that period, but this subplot really crosses the line for me, makes the movie hard to enjoy.

Anyway, except for the ballet aspirations, all those points are changed in the stage adaptation.

[Milburn Stone]

1 hour ago, Rinaldo said:

My biggest beef with the movie is that I think his patron, the Nina Foch character, gets treated abominably; just for being dominant in the partnership and supposedly older (in fact, in real life 12 years younger) she gets vilified and villainized. I'm willing to sign on for a certain amount of sexism in the movie musicals of that period, but this subplot really crosses the line for me...

Yeah, the contrast is interesting to the relationship between Guétary and Caron--which is also one of "patron with benefits." Though the opportunities for exploitation are rife in both "kept" relationships, the movie portrays Guétary as a likable chump when he loses Caron, while Foch is a bitch getting what she deserves.

Incidentally, this subject prompted me to look up Guétary when I realized I knew nothing about him except what I see in this movie. He was Greek! Born Lambros Vorloou. On his death, The Independent attributed his magnetism to a "mischievous innocence combined with an erotic mystery inherent in his ancestry."

[Rinaldo]

52 minutes ago, Milburn Stone said:

Incidentally, this subject prompted me to look up Guétary when I realized I knew nothing about him except what I see in this movie.

I think it's fair to say that this is virtually his only film credit known in the US. (All his other movies seem to be originally in French or German.) He was cast when Maurice Chevalier, for whom the role was conceived, turned it down. As with Foch, though the plot establishes his character as older than Kelly's, the actor was younger.

[Silver Raven]

An American in Paris is coming here to Sacramento for the fall/winter season.  I allegedly have a ticket, though they haven't come yet.  I have no idea who's in it.

[Milburn Stone]

If the Lincoln Center Theater production of The King and I, directed by Bartlett Sher, comes to your town in its national tour (as it has to Chicago--closing Sunday), see it.

I know Chicago isn't its first stop. So possibly it's already been to your town. But if it has yet to arrive, don't let it slip away from you.

[ebk57]

2 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

If the Lincoln Center Theater production of The King and I, directed by Bartlett Sher, comes to your town in its national tour (as it has to Chicago--closing Sunday), see it.

I know Chicago isn't its first stop. So possibly it's already been to your town. But if it has yet to arrive, don't let it slip away from you.

It's headed here sometime in the next 2 months.  I'll see if I can score a slightly discounted ticket.  Thanks for the recommendation. I just never know how the tour casts hold up.

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, ebk57 said:

I just never know how the tour casts hold up.

When this tour played Philadelphia, the stars were Laura Michelle Kelly (Mary Poppins when the stage adaptation premiered in London) and Jose Llana (Lun Tha in the 1996 revival of The King and I, and a replacement King at Lincoln Center, as well as many other significant roles). This seems like first-rate casting to me.

[Silver Raven]

The Skivvies will be performing in Sacramento this week, and several cast members of the Beauty and the Beast cast will be performing with them.

[Milburn Stone]

2 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

When this tour played Philadelphia, the stars were Laura Michelle Kelly (Mary Poppins when the stage adaptation premiered in London) and Jose Llana (Lun Tha in the 1996 revival of The King and I, and a replacement King at Lincoln Center, as well as many other significant roles). This seems like first-rate casting to me.

Those were (are, for two more days) the leads in Chicago--and they're wonderful.

And far from the only great things about the production.

Joan Almedilla as Lady Thiang blew me away.

[aradia22]

Quote

The Skivvies will be performing in Sacramento this week, and several cast members of the Beauty and the Beast cast will be performing with them.

I loved her as Johanna in Sweeney Todd but I can't get into the Skivvies. Some of the videos with performers I like are fun but for two people with musical backgrounds they have terrible arrangements. More often than not, it sounds like something is off... like they're singing flat or playing discordant notes. 

[aradia22]

Btw, going to be gone for a few days but if you haven't been checking out #Ham4All (mostly on twitter) get on that because it's amazing. You're welcome.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

They were trickling in for the first few days but now the #Ham4All videos are pouring in. I posted a bunch last night in the various tv show threads for the corresponding actors, but I'm guessing everyone in this thread is more interested in the theater people who are doing the challenge.

Spoiler

Jonathan Groff with Lin-Manuel Miranda:

Phillipa Soo:

Steven Pasquale:

James M. Iglehart, Jevon McFerrin, and Nik Walker (Hamilton):

Taran Killam (Hamilton):

Mandy Gonzalez & Lexi Lawson (Hamilton):

Chris Lee (Hamilton):

Mandy Gonzalez (Hamilton, In the Heights):

Mike Jibson (Hamilton):

Kristen Bell:

Brittain Ashford (Sonya in The Great Comet)

 

Alfred Molina:

Mark Bautista (Here Lies Love)

Rachelle Ann Go (Miss Saigon/Hamilton):

Come From Away cast:

Karen Olivo (In the Heights/West Side Story):

Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple):

 

 

 

And the non-Broadway celebrities:

Spoiler

Steph and Ayesha Curry with Lin-Manuel Miranda:

Ed Helms (The Office/The Hangover):

Sean Maguire (Once Upon a Time):

Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin):

Justin Baldoni (Jane the Virgin):

Jaime Camil (Jane the Virgin - and he did a short run in Chicago last year):

Yael Groblas (Jane the Virgin):

Bridget Regan (Jane the Virgin/Agent Carter):

Azie Tesfai (Jane the Virgin):

Diane Guerrero (Jane the Virgin/Orange Is the New Black):

Raul Castillo (Looking):

Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend):

Gabrielle Union (Being Mary Jane):

Olivia Munn (The Newsroom):

Weird Al:

Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives/Devious Maids):

America Ferrera (Ugly Betty):

Bobby Cannavale (Nurse Jackie):

Joe Lo Truglio (Brooklyn Nine-Nine):

Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine):

Melissa Fumero (Brooklyn Nine-Nine):

Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black):

Beth Dover (Orange Is the New Black):

Lauren Ash (Superstore):

 

Ben Schwartz (Parks & Rec/House of Lies):

Shonda Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy/Scandal):

Jason George (Grey's Anatomy):

Kelly McCreary (Grey's Anatomy) with Brandon Victor Dixon (Hamilton, Shuffle Along):

Sarah Drew (Grey's Anatomy):

Aja Naomi King (How to Get Away with Murder):

Yvette Nicole Brown (Parks & Rec/Cosplay Melee):

Katie Lowes (Scandal):

Conrad Ricamora (How to Get Away with Murder):

Matt McGorry (Orange Is the New Black):

Hudson Yang (Fresh Off the Boat):

Ian Chen (Fresh Off the Boat):

Cedric Yarbrough (Reno 911):

Thomas Lennon (Reno 911):

Minnie Driver (Speechless/About a Boy):

Rainn Wilson (The Office/Backstrom):

Madeleine Mantock (Tomorrow People/Into the Badlands):

Ben Stiller (and his daughter Ella):

Ben Barnes (Westworld):

Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld):

 

[aradia22]

I find myself oddly fascinated by the difference between the professional singers (generally the theater people but also the ones who have clearly studied and have technique) and the regular folks. I find Alfred Molina's voice very pleasant but even though he did Fiddler, he doesn't sing in this video like a singer. There's something in the subtleties of breath control and vibrato. I can't explain it but even if I didn't know who these people were, at least in the videos with singing (instead of rapping) I can immediately tell who has training. But mainly I'm enjoying seeing all these beautiful theater nerds.

[Silver Raven]

15 hours ago, aradia22 said:

Btw, going to be gone for a few days but if you haven't been checking out #Ham4All (mostly on twitter) get on that because it's amazing. You're welcome.

I loved the Jonathan Groff/Lin Manuel Miranda one.

"You strike me as a Groff who has never been satisfied."  Love Lin's hair, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlIZF9Pjvho
 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

22 hours ago, ebk57 said:

It's headed here sometime in the next 2 months.  I'll see if I can score a slightly discounted ticket.  Thanks for the recommendation. I just never know how the tour casts hold up.

When it's the first national tour (as The King and I currently is - the tour started a month after the Broadway show closed), the cast is usually pretty good. For example, the Hamilton tour got Rory O'Malley as King George III after he played the role on Broadway and several of the cast members with the tour and the Chicago show were in the original Broadway cast at one point or another. I have to admit that as the years go on, the touring casts can get questionable. I saw a production of Rent maybe 10 years ago that was pretty bad.

11 hours ago, aradia22 said:

I find myself oddly fascinated by the difference between the professional singers (generally the theater people but also the ones who have clearly studied and have technique) and the regular folks. I find Alfred Molina's voice very pleasant but even though he did Fiddler, he doesn't sing in this video like a singer. There's something in the subtleties of breath control and vibrato. I can't explain it but even if I didn't know who these people were, at least in the videos with singing (instead of rapping) I can immediately tell who has training. But mainly I'm enjoying seeing all these beautiful theater nerds.

I'm loving all the Hamiltrash happily posting their videos. It's clear that everyone doing the challenge LOVES the show (as opposed to reading the words off the screen so they can be in on the trend). It's really cute to see how enthusiastic people are. I love that Ben Schwartz mashed up Hamilton with In the Heights.

A few more #Ham4All videos under the cut:

Spoiler

Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Spelling Bee/Modern Family):

The two Tams from Miss Saigon:

J. Quinton Johnson (Hamilton):

The cast of The Beguiled (mostly the three young girls) lip sync The Schuyler Sisters - they obviously shot this before the challenge was issued and I don't really count it because they're not actually singing, but you can tell they had fun making it:

 

This girl did a musical mashup of about ten different musicals for the challenge - really fun!

 

Edited July 1, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

In other news, Newsies is returning to movie theaters in August and George Takei is bringing Allegiance to Los Angeles in 2018 (he will reprise his role but no word on the rest of the cast yet).

More #Ham4All!

Spoiler

OAK!! (ahem, Hamilton):

Telly Leung (Aladdin/Allegiance/Glee):

Donna Lynne Champlin (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend/Sweeney Todd):

Erin Quill (Avenue Q/Flower Drum Song/The King and I):

 

Edited July 2, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Actors' Equity released its first diversity report - no surprise that the conclusion is that there isn't a lot of diversity. The study covers Broadway shows, national tours, and off Broadway productions during 2013-2015. 

Of note while looking at the data for minority roles is that during this period, Allegiance, The King and I, On Your Feet, Motown the Musical, and After Midnight opened. All of these shows included non-white actors for obvious reasons. All of these shows have since closed so the minority numbers have probably decreased accordingly (although there may have been a slight boost due to Shuffle Along and Miss Saigon). It would be nice if we didn't need plays specifically about minorities in order to get more minority representation on the stage. Hopefully we will get more color blind casting like Hamilton in the future. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Derek DelGaudio & Frank Oz discuss "In & of Itself" on Build:

 

Lucie Pohl discusses "Hi, Hitler" on Build:

Edited July 3, 2017 by ElectricBoogaloo

[methodwriter85]

On 7/2/2017 at 6:54 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

In other news, Newsies is returning to movie theaters in August and George Takei is bringing Allegiance to Los Angeles in 2018 (he will reprise his role but no word on the rest of the cast yet).

More #Ham4All!

  Reveal hidden contents

OAK!! (ahem, Hamilton):

Telly Leung (Aladdin/Allegiance/Glee):

Donna Lynne Champlin (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend/Sweeney Todd):

Erin Quill (Avenue Q/Flower Drum Song/The King and I):

 

I went to two showings...both were pretty packed. Not too surprised they're bringing it back again.

I thank god they were able to do this and film it when it didn't look too out there for Jeremy Jordan to be a 17-year old boy. (The hat helps.) Aaron Tveit is about the same age but god there was nothing teenaged about him in Grease Live.

Edited July 4, 2017 by methodwriter85

[aradia22]

Quote

Hopefully we will get more color blind casting like Hamilton in the future. 

And Great Comet! ;)