Best Stunt Casting

[Alex M]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 4:59pm

What is some of the best stunt casting you've seen?

[JennH]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 5:14pm

Best as in good or best as in bad? 

 

Good-Josh in "Comet" in one of the better ones as of late. I'm not sure if it could be considered stunt casting, but Meryl in ITW. Everyone knew she could act the **** out of it, that was never in question, it was her singing. I still like to hear a pleasant voice for Sondheim even if he is more for the actor who sings. I was pleasantly surprised, she had def improved on that since Mamma Mia.

 

Worst-Honestly the 'worst' are the reason why the term stunt casting exists....almost. The term has become associated with those who were cast merely to make money, not for any "skill" they had that could do the roel at hand. The ones who actually had skill and could do the role, I hesitate to call stunt casting for this reason. Moving on. There's too many of these to even mention. But the ones that I'll never forgive? Jonas, Crowe, and Seyfried in their respective Les Mis's, Carly in Cinderella, almost the entire principal cast of the POTO film (I still can't believe I own it, but it was all I had at the time, until the 25th Anniversary DVD was released and all was well in my world again), among some other that aren't coming to mind. Others, like Emma and Dan, I find forgivable to a degree for certain reasons. But others... I'l never forgive.

[Alex M]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 5:27pm

Best as in good!

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 5:54pm

Brooke Shields in Wonderful Town. One of the most famous cases of stunt casting leading to critical raves. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 6:07pm

Corbin Bleu in In the Heights.

Tony Orlando in Barnum. (  I'm old.)I

[jbird5]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 6:12pm

Corbin Bleu was also fantastic in Holiday Inn though he may have graduated from stunt to legitimate.

Emma I'm guessing is Emma Stone, but who is Dan? Daniel Radcliffe?

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 6:24pm

I will have to agree with Brooke, Corbin and Carly...there are many more I can't think of. But Vanessa Williams also sold out Kiss of the Spider Woman when she replaced Chita and had to extend twice.

[Mark_E]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 6:36pm

Not Broadway, but Rebel Wilson as Miss Adelaide in the recent West End revival of Guys and Dolls. She was absolutely fantastic

Here's a picture:

 

[BroadwayMan5]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 6:40pm

Reba McEntire in Annie Get Your Gun & Whoopi in Forum...

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 7:00pm

Daniel Radcliffe in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 7:15pm

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "Daniel Radcliffe in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."

Wouldn't that be star casting more than stunt casting? The Weisslers are the masters of stunt casting. 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 7:16pm

JennH said: "Best as in good or best as in bad?"

I think if Alex was talking bad stunt casting, he'd be asking for the worst.

"Worst-Honestly the 'worst' are the reason why the term stunt casting exists....almost. The term has become associated with those who were cast merely to make money, not for any "skill" they had that could do the role at hand. The ones who actually had skill and could do the role, I hesitate to call stunt casting for this reason. Moving on. There's too many of these to even mention. But the ones that I'll never forgive? Jonas, Crowe, and Seyfried in their respective Les Mis's, Carly in Cinderella, almost the entire principal cast of the POTO film (I still can't believe I own it, but it was all I had at the time, until the 25th Anniversary DVD was released and all was well in my world again), among some other that aren't coming to mind."

First of all, I strongly disagree with the criticisms Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried both received for Les Miserables. Second of all, if you actually do your research, Crowe at the time hadn't been in a hit film since 2001's A Beautiful Mind. Seyfried on the other hand, I wouldn't necessarily call a 'big star'. Third of all, when the film version of Phantom came out in 2004, Gerard Butler wasn't as well known as he is now while Emmy Rossum's two other big movies prior were supporting roles in Mystic River and The Day After Tomorrow.

[pupscotch]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 7:31pm

Jake Gyllenhaal in Sunday in the Park with George.

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 7:52pm

pupscotch said: "Jake Gyllenhaal in Sunday in the Park with George."

 

That is not stunt casting. Look at the Weisslers and their shows: Brook Shields, Melanie Griffith, Susan Lucci,  Scary Spice, Wendy Williams etc, that's stunt casting. 

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 3/28/17 at 8:13pm

Reba in AGYG and Liza in C.

I hate abbreviating titles, but I'm at a dinner...

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 2:50pm

JennH said: "...the ones that I'll never forgive? ...almost the entire principal cast of the POTO film (I still can't believe I own it, but it was all I had at the time, until the 25th Anniversary DVD was released and all was well in my world again)"

YES! It's pretty to look at, but that's about it. It was indeed something to tide us over until a "real" cast was filmed at the Royal Albert Hall.

[Lot666]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 2:56pm

Alex M said: "Best as in good!"

In my experience, stunt casting usually alludes to casting a non-Broadway celebrity (i.e., a model, film/TV star, pop singer, etc.) in hopes of ensuring box office success. The best non-Broadway star (at least at the time) performance I've ever seen in a Broadway show was Daniel Radcliffe in Equus.

I also really liked Ricky Martin as Che in Evita.

Updated On: 3/31/17 at 02:56 PM

[bdn223]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 4:07pm

I think we need to define the 3 catagories of stunt/star casting.

STAR CASTING:

A Star in an originating a role in an new musical such that the role is built around an actor and hos or her strengths. Examples include Josh Groban in NPATGC1812, Hugh Jackman in The Boy from Oz.

A star vehicle revival, where a revival is built around a specific star in a lead role. Basically this encompasses 80% of play revivals. In terms of musicals examples include Bette Middler in Hello Dolly, Jake Gyllenhal Sunday in the Park with George, Every rivival of Gypsy, Neil Patrick Harris in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

STUNT CASTING

A transfer production of a revival that is reliant on casting a star to secure both financial backing and ticket sales. Examples include A Little Night Music with Catherine Zeta Jone and Angela Lansbury, Evita with Ricky Martin, and Jennifer Hudson in The Color Purple.

Then there is traditional stunt casting, where a long running production brings in a "star/celebrity" for a limitsd time in hopes of boosting slowing sales.  Examples include basically at least One Member of the cast of Chicago at any given time, Reba McIntire in Annie Get Your Gun, Jane Lynch in Annie, Wayne Brady and Toddrick Hall in Kinky Boots, and Fran Dresher, Nene Leaks, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Kekee Palmer in Cinderella.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 5:21pm

bdn223 said: "I think we need to define the 3 catagories of stunt/star casting.

STAR CASTING:

A Star in an originating a role in an new musical such that the role is built around an actor and hos or her strengths. Examples include Josh Groban in NPATGC1812, Hugh Jackman in The Boy from Oz.

A star vehicle revival, where a revival is built around a specific star in a lead role. Basically this encompasses 80% of play revivals. In terms of musicals examples include Bette Middler in Hello Dolly, Jake Gyllenhal Sunday in the Park with George, Every rivival of Gypsy, Neil Patrick Harris in Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

STUNT CASTING

A transfer production of a revival that is reliant on casting a star to secure both financial backing and ticket sales. Examples include A Little Night Music with Catherine Zeta Jone and Angela Lansbury, Evita with Ricky Martin, and Jennifer Hudson in The Color Purple.

Then there is traditional stunt casting, where a long running production brings in a "star/celebrity" for a limitsd time in hopes of boosting slowing sales.  Examples include basically at least One Member of the cast of Chicago at any given time, Reba McIntire in Annie Get Your Gun, Jane Lynch in Annie, Wayne Brady and Toddrick Hall in Kinky Boots, and Fran Dresher, Nene Leaks, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Kekee Palmer in Cinderella.

 

i strongly disagree with your first paragraph defining stunt casting.  That is just wrong.  Per your second paragraph, stunt casting is what the Weisslers do, what was done in Cinderella, bringing on Liza for Chicago.  Zsa Zsa and Lana Turner in 40 Carats (did Lana just do it on the road -- I seem to remember that she was on Broadway, but may be hallucinating?) was stunt casting. 

Liza in particular was a godsend.  She did Chicago more good than most people think / recall.  Because the show opened around the Chicago juggernaut, it got a little lost, and was not doing great for so early in its run.  Liza gave it enormous publicity, sold out the houses, and the show was helped on an ongoing basis.  While it only ran 900 or so performances at the time, I doubt it would have run more than 300, if she hadn't come along.  That was stunt casting.

 

 

 

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 5:27pm

Daniel Dae Kim had no theater experience prior to TKAI but he was absolutely wonderful. 

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 5:29pm

Probably Daniel Radcliffe in Equus.

Aside: One of my favorite "so-bad-it's-good" performances was David Hasselhoff in Jekyll and Hyde. He is trying his absolute best, and I love it so much.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 3/30/17 at 5:34pm

Ana gastayer and Nicole Parker in wicked