Lahti, Potts, Smits and Stott to Bicker as Broadway's New GOD OF CARNAGE Leads 11/17- Page 3

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/15/09 at 7:35pm

My nana says she loved watching Designing Women when she was a little girl.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 10/15/09 at 7:36pm

Your nana was a little girl in the 80's?

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 10/15/09 at 7:44pm

Trust me. the queens will be at the stage door in full force with Designing Women DVDs and sharpies frothing at the mouth. They can say on here they hate the cast, but they will be there.

It's a really entertaining and talented cast and probably a lot cheaper for the producers. I think it is fine cast-not sure why everyone is so upset. Hope Davis and Jeff Daniels are pretty C-list themselves and without her Oscar Marcia would be a nobody, actually she still kind of is. She does all indie films that no one sees. People were there for Gandolfini and the projectile vomit, and the cat fights.

I would see it again for Potts and Lahti. Lahti is a stellar actress and I just think Annie is fun.

[Drunk Chita Rivera]

Posted: 10/15/09 at 8:49pm

"You aren't God of Carnage's target audience. "

I know that... Did I ever say that in my comment? No.

I was saying that I knew who the current cast was, proving to Mildred Plotka that I was not a idiot that they think I am.

"You're not the standard for the "average opinion" hon. And the only thing I have against you is your wide generalizations as fact. "

Exactly what "Wide Generalizations" have I made that made you not like me?

[yeomansden]

Posted: 10/15/09 at 9:19pm

Updated On: 10/15/09 at 09:19 PM

[saveusmike]

Posted: 10/15/09 at 9:24pm

I am excited about the cast change. A chance to see the roles performed in a diffrent way (Not saying I did not enjoy the 4 previous leads, but would like something fresh).

I dont really care about the lack of "major" star power. A play shouldnt depends solely on who is cast in it. If the performance given and story are good, that is what should count.

[Kad]

Posted: 10/15/09 at 11:38pm

Bail Organa AND Leia Organa on Broadway at the same time? Craziness.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 10/16/09 at 12:15am

The flaw in this age argument is that, while true that older people are more like to know Smits and Potts, not ALL older people will know them. In fact, I would bet that half of adults over 40 wouldn't know Smits. Gandolfini and Harden have both done VERY commercial work, with both of them winning handfuls of awards for various things. Smits and Potts have both done solid TV work, but for networks that not everybody gets. And yes Smits performed on The West Wing, but a lot of people stopped watching after Aaron Sorkin left anyway. So yes, adults are more likely to know this new cast than kids are, but MORE adults will know Harden and Gandolfini than will know Potts, Smits, and Lahti. Heck, I'm only 22 and I know who 3 of the 4 are, but I guarantee you my mother would only know one of them (Potts).

[Eris0303]

Posted: 10/16/09 at 12:47am

My mom would know Smits and Potts. I'm not sure about Lahti

[Hrududu]

Posted: 10/16/09 at 5:39am

Ken Stott would be the real draw for me. He's incredible.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 10/16/09 at 7:07am

I think Jimmy Smits, Christine Lahti, and Annie Potts will be the real draws. Trust me on this. I tend to have the popular culture pulse on stuff and they are certainly on it. At least on TV.

ETA: Or where Tv's considered. DESDIGNING WOMEN, NYPD BLUE, and WEST WING are big draws in circulation.

Updated On: 10/16/09 at 07:07 AM

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 10/16/09 at 9:51am

Ouch about Marcia Gay Harden on this thread. She is 50, not 40 as was stated. Also, she was on the TV show Damages this past season and she was terrific, so she's around.

Christine Lahti is also terrific, see the film Swing Shift if you haven't. My concern is that she is old for the part. Make up can do just so much.

Jeff Daniels is a very big star. Can't forget him as the cad in Terms of Endearment. For you kiddies, he was in the Squid and The Whale, an offbeat comedy you might like.

Jimmy Smits has been a major star since LA Law. Maybe not A list but definitely B+. LA Law is constantly being shown on some cable channel, look for it.

Annie Potts was too shrill for me on Designing Women. Never a favorite.

Agree, the replacement cast on its face is disappointing. But these actors do have the creds to do it.

[Calvin]

Posted: 10/16/09 at 9:53am

Namo, my nana loved it too, until they moved out of the city and to California and kept having fancy guest stars like John Wayne on all the time.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 10/16/09 at 11:42am

"Smits and Potts have both done solid TV work, but for networks that not everybody gets."

What the hell are you talking about?

You can make the EXACT same argument for James Gandolfini. The Sopranos aired on HBO, which is a premium cable channel that only a small segment of the population receive. That's really his only claim to fame (he's done other stuff, but this is why he's famous). And I'll bet if you say his name to ten random strangers on the street very few will be able to identify who he is unless you say he plays Tony Soprano (and only a few of them will have actually seen The Sopranos). But I will agree that he is the only reason the play has run as long as it has.

Smits was on LA Law, NYPD Blue and the West Wing...all huge hits...and all on network tv...which EVERYONE gets for free. Annie Potts did quite a few movies, and Designing Women was on CBS...a network EVERYONE gets for free. So by your logic above the new cast is the more appropriately cast.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 10/16/09 at 2:06pm

^ Yes, Fosse, that's true about Gandolfini. But what you forget is that he won 3 Emmys for that ONE role and that The Sopranos, though on HBO, was incredibly high profile. People who didn't have HBO watched the show either on DVD or with friends. But when a show wins as many awards as The Sopranos does, people seek it out.

As for Smits on The West Wing, again, he was on the show during the final years, after the show's writing began to plummet and ratings started to drop. He wasn't even the main character, whereas Gandolfini was, making him mainstream in the public eye (along with his Emmy wins). People will know Smits from NYPD Blue (where he only appeared 5 of the 12 seasons) and LA Law where, again, he only appeared for 5 of the 8 seasons. I'm not saying he's not known by SOME people, but he will hardly be known by everyone. And yes, not everyone knows James Gandolfini, but everyone DOES know Tony Soprano. NOT everyone knows Bobby Simone and Victor Sifuentes.

The problem with your argument, Fosse, is that while it is true everyone gets those network channels for free, that doesn't automatically mean people watched those shows. Just because people on BWW liked Designing Women doesn't mean everyone else watched it.

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 10/16/09 at 2:26pm

My husband would rather have had a hot knife thrust into his eye than watch Designing Women, but he remembers the show and the cast. It was one of those things at the time that everyone knew and talked about even if they didn't like it. Part of pop culture as was Smits in LA Law.

What does this have to do with anything anyway? James Gandolfini is the most popular and well known actor in the show. The new cast is not as well known, but is still recognizable. The bottomline is the show probably would not be around were it not for Gandolfini's star power, so the clock is ticking.

Virgina Woolf, this ain't.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 10/16/09 at 2:57pm

Personally, Gandolfini is an Annie Potts or a Jimmy Smits. In 15 years, people will be like who is he???? Potts and Smits were on huge hit television shows on major networks that won awards.

Plus, it's a New Yorker thing. New Yorkers love The Sopranos and Gandolfini sold that show-none of the other cast sold seats. Sorry, but Harden or Daniels do not sell out theatres. Gandolfini, the positive reviews, and the word of mouth about vomiting and cat fights kept asses in the seats.