Does being in a show a long time help or hurt a career?- Page 2

[Dollypop]

Posted: 9/1/13 at 11:03pm

Carol Channing played over 5,000 performances in HELLO, DOLLY!

Yul Brynner played about the same amount of performances in THE KING AND I.

Both of their careers were ruined after that.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 9/2/13 at 8:04pm

IMO, Yul Brynner was a very limited performer and everything he ever did seemed like another version of the King. As long as he was playing the same part in every show, I figured I'd already seen him in THE KING AND I.

Carol Channing is a different story and (as I'm sure you know, Dollypop) she did plays and a revival of GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (renamed "LORELEI") in between tours of DOLLY. Of course, she never had the same degree of success, but DOLLY was the longest running Broadway show in its day--what other show could possibly compete?

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 9/2/13 at 8:06pm

But one sees the same thing in television, where those who play iconic characters seem to have trouble finding series work for a number of years after their famous show closes. See the casts of FRIENDS and WILL AND GRACE (with the arguable exception of Debra Messing) for examples.

Only in the last few years has the cast of FRIENDS been finding success in other roles.

[Jonwo]

Posted: 9/2/13 at 8:20pm

I think when you're in a hit show like Friends, casting directors seems to typecast them. The best thing to do is something that isn't what you've done before like a drama. They're all still working although David Schwimmer seems to have concentrated on directing as he's not done much acting.