^ I would just post a new thread. People won't come here to loo for the Phantom casting. Also couple of questions. Any word on who's playing Huey or Felicia yet? Also is the tour really closing in June? If anyone knows or has an idea that would be great because I would like to book tickets but if it's coming closer than I guess I'll wait.
I haven't heard these people sing but this seems like very good casting. These people seem to be excited to be a part of it and that always works for Memphis. People who are excited to be in Memphis are always great, and with any show usually. They always give great heartfelt performance in Memphis, at least from when I've seen it.
The cast has been announced! Joey Elrose will play Huey and Jasmin Richardson will play Felicia! The cast is not on the website yet but I added Jerrial Young as a friend a couple weeks ago and he posted the cast list. Very excited!
Joey Elrose - Huey Jasmin Richardson - Felicia RaMond Thomas - Delray D. Scott Withers - Mr. Simmons Avionce Hoyles - Gator Jerrial Young - Bobby Pat Sibley - Mama Kenny Francoeur - Male Ensemble (Huey u/s) Jonathan Ragsdale - Male Ensemble (Huey u/s) Jonas Shumpert - Male Ensemble Eddie Urish - Male Ensemble (Mr. Collins) JT McKenzie - Male Ensemble Kyshawn K. Lane - Male Ensemble Daniel Hines - Male Ensemble Sidney DuPont - Male Ensemble Keely Beirne - Female Ensemble (Felicia u/s) Oyoyo Joi Bonner - Female Ensemble (Felicia u/s) Taylor Broadard - Female Ensemble Kaitlin Niewoehner - Female Ensemble Laurie E. Gardner - Female Ensemble Jose Gonzalez - Male Swing Erika Conaway - Female Swing
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
I hope that they maintained most of the set from the First National Tour. The whole production I saw on tour was one of the most well kept and good looking tours I have seen in a while. Not cheap looking at all.
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
I got to catch the show while it was in Mass. a couple weeks ago! It was so great to see this show again. The set is a little different. It's definetly smaller but that makes sense because they're going to multiple cities a week, and during Radio instead of Huey raising up on the walkway he just walks up the stairs. Nothing major but the set is still beautiful! A few things are staged differently too. I'm being a little too specific probably but I just noticed that people are standing in different places for songs and stuff. Just something I noticed. The cast did a really great job. Jasmine has a great voice for Felicia except hitting the high notes is a struggle for her but she does a terrific job. Joey Elrose wasn't as good as Bryan Fenkart (who was perfection in my opinion) but he did fine. Sometimes I felt he was a little over the top with the acting. Huey is an over the top character but it just didn't feel natural. He did a great job singing and Memphis Lives in Me was definitely the highlight of the show. One of my fav songs ever! Overall I had an amazing time and it was great to see the show again! If you guys have any questions about the tour feel free to ask me! Go see Memphis!
Oh, also Jerrial Young and Avionce Hoyles were terrific! Jerrial's Big Love was awesome. He's a great dancer. I saw in the teaser videos on the website that he did a backflip at the end of Big Love but he didn't at the show I saw. I won't complain though. Avionce has a great voice as well!
Mike, You are comparing it to the Broadway production. The first national tour was significantly different than the Broadway production. The current tour is only nominally different. Huey has never risen up on a walkway during the tour. The tour set has always featured a static, solid catwalk, no elevators, etc.. It really parred the show down well and improved the flow and featured a notably smaller cast than the Broadway staging, hence what you noticed. As far as differences between the first national tour and the current tour, they DID cut the automated show deck and rely on manual scene changed. The two traveling / rotating pillars have been completely designed to allow for a more flexible load in and stage space. I actually like these better from what I know and have scene. The set for "Radio" is now different.. I would wager better than it was before, but it seems to be notably close to the first national tour. I hope to see it at some point. There are a few fantastic people in this cast that I know of from other shows they've done - Joey Elrose, D. Scott Withers, Keeley Beirne and Daniel Hines are all fantastic and I want to see what they bring to this. My only concern is Pat Sibley as Mama/Gladys, who is NETworks' go to character woman of a certain age and HAS been since their tour of the Nunn / Stroman Oklahoma. i can not tell you a single show where I have found her even passingly appealing.
Having seen the live filming and the tour, I really think the set works so much better on the tour. The set at the Shubert was so congested, and the constant moving up and down of the upstage second level did not really do anything. The tour set is much more versatile, and more aesthetically pleasing. They got rid of that weird fake scaffolded top proscenium piece that created sightline issues, and they had a new curtain.
"There’s nothing quite like the power and the passion of Broadway music. "
The tour, as a whole, was a notable improvement. Not just a streamlined physical production that did not overpower the show, but a truly strong cast from top to bottom that breathed life into the show in a way that the leads on Broadway just *never* could.