Anyone else disappointed in choice of DAMN YANKEES for Encores?

[PrettyBoy]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 3:49pm

Like the fact that we pretty much could care less who's in this proves it's the wrong choice. Wasn't their mission something like "stars in roles they were born to play"?

I was hoping for something like Funny Girl, Mame or Dolly...

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 4:24pm

I LOVE Damn Yankees! Although, I have no idea who I'd want to see in the role of Joe Hardy...hmmm...

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 4:26pm

Yes, I am disappointed in this choice.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 4:30pm

True. Once again they failed with their casting of Applegate, Joe Hardy and most importantly, Lola.

Oh, well. Too late now.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 4:30pm

Damn Yankees is a great choice. Lots of great parts and a wonderful score.

Funny Girl is impossible to cast. Period. Nobody can touch Streisand. Mame is an expensive show to take on (most productions lately are using the Baranski set) and Dolly is more likely to have a Broadway revival soon.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 5:26pm

I was very disappointed. I thought they would do a great star vehicle a la FUNNY GIRL (it's not a Broadway revival so I do feel that an Encores! production would be neat), MACK & MABEL, PASSION, etc. The only reason I'm mildly excited about DAMN YANKEES is that one of my all time favorite Broadway gals is being heavily rumored to play Lola.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 5:34pm

Leslie Kritzer is the only living performer who could make Fanny watchable.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 5:35pm

And that's exactly who I want to see if Encores! ever has the balls to attempt the show.

[bwayguy22089]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 6:04pm

It's weird that they put up a casting call notice on playbill.com for the parts. I thought they would know already who they wanted.

[Kelly2]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 6:18pm

*cough*Evita*cough*Orfeh....

[Mythus]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 6:19pm

I'm not disappointed at all. I love Damn Yankees. Of course, the only version I've seen is the altered version that NSMT got permission to do a while back (they changed it to Yankees versus Red Sox). But I'm sure the unaltered show really isn't that much different.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 6:27pm

Caroline O'Connor would be the perfect choice for Funny Girl, her Don't Rain On My Parade is the closet i have seen anyone match Streisand.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 6:53pm

Isn't Orfeh a tad old for Evita at this point. She has too much of a break in her voice to make Eva bearable. Besides, Evita has been done left and right. City Centers is likely to keep it classic with their choices.

And I agree abut Funny Girl at Encores. A revival would be too expensive and would likely fail. The only chance I've had to see it on stage was in the Debbie Gibson tour (which I wisely skipped).

[scaryclowns223]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 6:56pm

Have they announced an Applegate yet?

Because I think its about time that Jonathan Pryce came back to the stage...

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 7:04pm

Sean Hayes and Christopher Guest are the rumors right now. Not sure if either is true.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 7:17pm

Hell, yeah. Though I like Damn Yankees, this is more because there is no part in this show I could possibly audition for. It would have been the ideal summer job...

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 7:23pm

Why in the name of God are they doing a show every high school does? What's so special about that?

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 7:26pm

I think the only way we'll likely to see FUNNY GIRLS in any kind of professional NY run is at Encores! (and no Shoshana Bean you would NOT make a good Fanny Brice). Leslie Kritzer should reprise her well-acclaimed turn from the Papermill revival.
And Rosscoe, I too think Caroline O'Connor is fabulous but she is way way too old for Fanny Brice.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 7:29pm

Actually, I'd buy Sutton Foster as Fanny. She was great in the concert singnig "I'm the Greatest Star". She can be awkward and glamorous.

Bean is living on a cloud with her Funny Girl request. Did she think producers were going to fight to put her in it? I'd rather see Idina Menzel, who Bean has copied her entire career from, butcher the role.

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 8:26pm

Well, allofmylife, high schools do a lot of shows all the time. That doesn't mean they do them well....trust me.

[jake6970]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 8:29pm

Although I've only seen her in Wicked, I don't really get the Shoshana hate. Acting abilities aside, she would handle the role brilliantly vocally. When she sings legit, it's GORGEOUS. And she has an amazing belt that she uses without riffing from time to time.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 8:33pm

I think it's going to be entertaining!

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 8:37pm

I saw Debbie Gravitte do a concert version of FUNNY GIRL and she was fabulous!

[TheBlonde]

Posted: 4/7/08 at 9:20pm

Isn't Orfeh a tad old for Evita at this point.

No.

She has too much of a break in her voice to make Eva bearable.

Excuse me? You must be thinking of the wrong person.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 4/8/08 at 2:24am

Theatrekid105, I simply meant the show has been done to death (and yes many amateur groups murder it) and it's been done on Broadway twelve years ago. There are just so many other shows to do.