Forest Whitaker (Big Daddy), Phylicia Rashad (Big Momma), Audra McDonald (Maggie), Anthony Mackie (Brick), and Kenny Leon (Director) have officially pulled out of the all-black revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, citing problems with the producers.
Apparently, Whitaker wasn't as good as Danny Glover and McDonald is a "regional theater actress."
Leon, meanwhile, was fuming that the producers were second-guessing his casting. They called McDonald a "regional theater actress" (her four Tony Awards notwithstanding) and were trying to replace her with either Whitney Houston or Beyoncé.
Oh my Lord. I'm actually glad that this isn't happening now, as much as I would like to see it.
Theatre is a safe place to do the unsafe things that need to be done.
-John Patrick Shanley
I thought the Title of the thread was mispelled.....I thought it said meant "Cats" revival....my Heart just about stopped....thank God that's not what it is lol.
He called Audra a "regional theater actress"? And he's a Broadway director? WTF??? Does he know Lincoln Center isn't considered regional just because it's not in the theater district?
Have I ever shown you my Shattered Dreams box? It's in my Disappointment Closet. - Marge Simpson
I'm starting to get the feeling this may never actually happen. Which honestly is a good thing. Although I'd be upset on missing out on this very very obvious train wreck.
I got rid of my teeth at a young age because... I'm straight. Teeth are for gay people. That's why fairies come and get them
As there are racial undertones in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, I really can't see how an all-black production would work. Please remember, Big Daddy is a plantation owner.
First, Forest Whitaker as Big Daddy? Isn't he a little young for it? I mean he could still almost get away with playing Brick.
Second, I think that the ghost of Tennessee Williams has put a curse on any producer who tries to mount an all-black production of CAT. Not sure how many of you remember, but sometime back in the late 90s, there was an announcement made with great fanfare that James Earl Jones (Big Daddy), Laurence Fishburne (Brick) and Angela Bassett (Maggie) were signed and slated to star in a Broadway revival of CAT. About a month or two later, it was announced that it was off, due to what Jones called "producer incompetence." The details were sketchy, but either the producer hadn't secured the necessary funding (which seemed ludicrous with the starry cast they had assembled) or there was a problem with the Williams estate, but whatever the reason, the production was cancelled and Jones and the rest of the cast were fuming.
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
[http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/]
"The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
AUDRA A REGIONAL THEATRE ACTRESS!!!????!!! THE HELL!!! Yea, they just hand out 4 Tony Awards and Emmy Noms to any hack off the street!!
So now some "hey I have too much cash and time on my hands, so why don't I try to produce a Broadway show even though I wouldnt know talent even if Antoinette Perry, Ethel Merman, and Sarah Bernhardt themselves shoved a Tony Award up my ass" hedge-fund managers fancy themselves authorities on producing?! Insane is the best way to describe them!
Beyonce could BARELY act in Dreamgirls (lets not even mention the disasters before!) and Whitney, though I love her when she's clean, aint the best actress on film, so I don't even wanna see her on stage, unless she's strictly singing.
That would've been a production I woulda sold my kidneys to see, if just to see many of my fav actors on one stage, BUT NOW! I wouldn't give a three day old moldy piece of toast to see this.
Whitney is definitely wrong for Maggie and I won't even comment on Beyonce.
IMO, the perfect Maggie would be Robin Givens. I really didn't care much for her in the past, but after seeing her in "Chicago", she won me over. My second choice would be Jasmine Guy, who also did "Chicago" (yes, I'm "Chicago" fan!)
Unfortunately Ms Guy isn't exactly "Whitley Gilbert" anymore...she's lookin a little more like a Mama. She'd have to really get herself back into shape...
I think at this point, they need to call it day. The producers are clearly looking for people whose names alone will bring in an audience. Maybe they've been chit chatting with the Color Purple producers...
CAT had a good thing going...that cast was worth the ticket price alone - good solid actors. Maybe that was just too much for audiences...ugh.
**And Dollypop - believe it or not,there were blacks that owned slaves and plantations as well.. And if they wanted to go in a different direction, when things changed, there were blacks who took over the plantations after the master had died. It could work - given an educated and familiar director..which I'm not so sure Allen actually is. (My guess is the producers figure putting Debbie in, might win Phylicia back...)
At 42, Givens is kinda pushing it at this point age-wise to play Maggie. And I doubt we'll be seeing Jasmine Guy (who's 43) on a NY stage again after her little "painkiller" incident that led to her being fired from THE VIOLET HOUR.
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
[http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/]
"The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney