Profile for BeingAlive44Ever

MezzoDiva47 said: "The title of this post alone sounds like someones phd dissertation that ppl sent to hell would be forced to read"You are quite right and that is rather funny

Dreamboy3 said: "Did you see Yellow Face? That is what the play is all about."I have heard of it but I have yet to watch it. I may well go to see it if there is a production but I didn't catch it recently on Broadway sadly.

TotallyEffed said: "Just trying to prepare you for how off the rails this thread might go…"Oh I understand. I am sure that all of these random people on the internet have very sound and civil opinions about the subject of race, I am not worried at all :D...You might say I am naive to the ways of the world

Kad said: "Casting by appearance is inelegant and imperfect- it often comes at the expense of people of mixed heritage, denies the experience of people whose backgrounds don't fit into preconceptions, or flattens an entire group of very different backgrounds into one (ie - "Asian"). But I think it's also the least worst solution to a fraught issue, because the alternatives are ignoring race entirely, resorting to blackface or its equivalents, or having performers somehow prove their heritage....

Owen22 said: "This question comes up again and again in various forms. Should a gay character only be played by an IRL gay person? Should a character of Jewish heritage be only played by a Jew? The argument against this is: actors should be able to play anyone. That is acting (I happen to agree with this).This is different than "Colorblind Casting". Where it's usually a black person who, because of the dearth of writing for their race, play roles traditionally played by white folk. It's about...

sinister teashop said: "All theatre and film is performed so at the end point it is always about the appearance of race, gender, ethnicity, etc. rather than some kind of essential truth about identity even if there has been a casting mandate to cast specific identities in the roles."Thank you for your valuable perspective. If not already apparent, I have a lot of conflicting thoughts on the matter but I think that ultimately aligns with what personally benefits me and therefore I have little ...

TotallyEffed said: "Go outside and take a nice long walk and breathe the fresh air."I am not entirely sure what you are getting at but that does sound quite nice, yes

The other day, I was watching Bohemian Rhapsody and just marveling at the remarkable performance of Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury. Then, something occurred to me. Rami Malek does not sound like an especially Indian name. And I discovered that Rami is actually of Egyptian descent. Now, Egypt and India are fairly near each other, but, from fairly surface level research, I could not deduce much actual ancestral connection between Parsi Indians and Northern Egyptians. Now, Freddie is perhaps an i...

Kad said: "Roles like Grizabella or Marge in Promises, Promises or Jan in Woman of the Year may be small- sometimes quite small- but they're written as showcases for whoever is playing them to really show off and shine. I wouldn't say they were written to win awards, but they're kind of award bait. (Another example would be the Pippin revival's take on Berthe, which took it and very much turned into a full-blown showcase showstopper for Andrea Martin and her replacements)."This is true! A bit...

The8re phan said: "How about Grizabella???I think she's only on stage for about 18 - 22 minutes max"Oh true! Probably the smallest role out of all of the cats! But, then again, dramatically, she is very much at the core of the show. Kind of reminds me of a Featured version of the Phantom (who really isn't in that much of the show)

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "BeingAlive44Ever said: "Doesn't something somehow feel wrong about calling Harvey a "Featured" actor, though? Even though it's strictly accurate?"To be clear, I don't reallycare about category placement. It's more on producing strategy or agent politics than content. Same with conversations about who gets the last bow in a musical."I'm just saying something that kind of ties into the "no small parts" thing, but kind of in reverse. In Harvey's case it's almost li...

quizking101 said: "I mean - “there are no small parts, only small actors” really says it all. A good performer can make a feast of a comparatively small amount of material.Jennifer Simard is truly a master at this, with both of her Tony nominations (“Disaster” and “Company”) coming from roles that, while distinctly part of an ensemble, were made into standout moments of comic relief."Jennifer Simard is one of my favorite examples of an excellent Featured Actress. I cannot believe I neglected ...

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Lines vs stage time vs impact is always hard to quantify. Roger Bart was on stage a great deal in The Producers, he was sometimes more like set dressing. As for Harvey, that's classic "category fraud" (more common with the Oscars) but if Harvey had been in Featured then Dick Latessa wouldn't have won."It's true, Roger Bart was on stage frequently. But he had a very limited amount of material. Harvey wasn't on stage much, but any scene he was in he basically stol...

I was just watching Gary Beach's Tony Acceptance Speech the other day and realized Roger Bart was also nominated that year for a role that really is rather small. That got me to thinking about Harvey Fierstein's win for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for a role that appears and sings a good deal less than some of the featured roles (albeit Edna has the second most lines in the show after Tracy, but it's a huge gap between the two.) And then, naturally, the connection between Harvey Fierstein...

So, if you haven't heard, Merrily We Roll Along's current Broadway revival has been recorded by RadicalMedia, the same company that did the excellent Hamilton Proshot. I wonder-- when will this release and what platforms will it release on? I'm all but certain somebody on here has heard something. I'm also certain there's no definitive answer because it's only been like a week or two since it was even recorded, so they likely aren't even done editing yet.

Hey everybody, I've decided to dabble in hypocrisy. I'm a huge purist when I sing, I go "If I'm singing Sweeney for a recital, it's in the original key, and also same thing if I'm singing Calaf from Turandot." But, luckily, Broadway music directors and actors seem to be much smarter and less stubborn than me. I was just listening to the incredible New Broadway Cast Album of Merrily We Roll Along, a show I know very well, and this show has a history of a bunch of songs having their keys shuffl...

Thoughts:The opening number was really bad and I was extremely disappointed. Remember eleven years ago when Neil Patrick Harris blew all of our minds with a huge, classic Broadway showtune full of clever lyrics and references to all of the shows that season that even had a bit of a rap section near the end to appeal to people who enjoy contemporary music who are for some reason watching the Tony Awards? Gone are those days. I think that not having Neil Patrick just makes the Tony openings som...

You guys hear me outI know he's the same age as some people I've called "almost too old"BuuuuutTim Minchin as Hedwig? I mean, it'd take a whole lot to convince him but I think his comedic sense, his voice, and his stage presence would be absolutely perfect for the role. I mean, in particular, I can imagine him giving a killer rendition of Sugar Daddy and Tear Me Down. Also, Hedwig canonically plays the piano and is suggested to play the guitar (or at least be familiar with the chords enough t...

seaweedjstubbs said: "The real dance show that John Waters based The Corny Collins Showon, The Buddy Deane Show, also attempted to integrate, but instead the powers that be just shut down the show all together. If people want Hairspray to reflect more of reality, it wouldn’t be Hairspray anymore. It’s not a history lesson, it’s not a true story, it’s a fable.If people want a deep and complex musical about racism, Hairspray isn’t it. But it was never really trying to be."I agree completely. I ...

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Does the script need to be doctored? Was it doctored at all prior to the recent London or tour productions?HAIRSPRAY is one of those shows where the roles are pretty easy to play well. It's been done a lot, and the audience always has a great time, and a lot more people have seen itwithoutthe original cast thanwiththe original cast.It also may be a show that can survive, at least for 6-12 months on bway,without a major star and just a really talented, energetic ...