Boy Tarzan Banned From New Musical By Equity- Page 3

[Phantom2]

Posted: 10/14/05 at 6:09pm

That's how the cookie crumbles.

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 10/14/05 at 6:13pm

Aw, shoot. How sad...

[jimmirae]

Posted: 10/14/05 at 6:39pm

This is one of those scenes where Equity Blows. Make that into a big fundraiser.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 10/14/05 at 7:27pm

"[quote]His age is not an issue in this discussion. [/quote]

But in the first post someone implied that this was bad because the actor is a child."

The discussion has gone quite a bit beyond that.

[Magdalene]

Posted: 10/14/05 at 8:13pm

Now, I don't know much about the show, granted, but are they planning to age the character? If so, it would make much more sense to hire a British child than an American child since Tarzan is actually Lord Greystoke (British). I would expect an adult actor to do the accent day in and day out for the show, but I'm not sure if a child is capable of that. Or am I wrong???

[ElphabaRose]

Posted: 10/14/05 at 8:18pm

"I would expect an adult actor to do the accent day in and day out for the show, but I'm not sure if a child is capable of that."

Don't the Chitty kids do it? They were great when I saw the show.

[Magdalene]

Posted: 10/14/05 at 8:22pm

I haven't seen Chitty, so I don't know. I just wondered if that might have been the reason they wanted to go with a British child. Could be wrong (that has happened more times than I'd care to admit!)

[jo]

Posted: 10/14/05 at 8:52pm

I am not trying to make a political issue of it -- but I think a lot of notions have gone out of the window about protectionism, with the trend of globalization. It's the best talent and the most cost-effective ( in the sense that he brings in the most revenues) who gets hired! Otherwise, why are you finding so many expatriates working in all parts of the globe.

The entertainment industry cannot all be shielded from it. Hollywood has long foregone any rules on hiring non-Americans for American films.

I'm all for getting the best talent! Sorry, but I am paying for the ticket and I want the best value for my money.

[jimmirae]

Posted: 10/14/05 at 9:29pm

I'd keep the ALW stance on this one, Which was, If you don't recall, No Sarah, No "Phantom". Equity sang a different tune then!

[wickedwitchofthechest]

Posted: 10/14/05 at 9:36pm

This thread title makes me giggle. I get a very odd mental picture mafia-like Equity Men physically barring a little boy in leopard skin from the theater.

[rKrispyt]

Posted: 10/14/05 at 11:44pm

I'm not surprised by this. Although I think it sucks, I know that in one of my college classes my roommate started looking into a career path that could lead to her working as a professional Stage Manager but in England cause she wants to go abroad for a bit, and discovered that unless she can prove that she can do the job better than anyone in that country, she can't be hired.

I guess I see the reasoning behind it, but...I dunno, I think there should be more of a compromise - something less rash than "you have to be a huge star" adn "prove you're better than anyone else in the country to do the job" - like if you're seen along with craploads of other people from that country and the casting team still thinks you're best for it, shouldn't THAT right there prove you're the best person for it?

And I'd kinda think Equity would make it hte other way around - to protect the jobs of american actors, wouldn't it make more sense to say "even though you're a big name from another country, you can't just walk in and do a job that many american struggling actors could do better" y'know?

I hope this all works out for him though, poor kid

[lna]

Posted: 10/15/05 at 2:18pm

The Playbill article does not mention any credits for the kid, only his training. So that sounds a bit odd. I would think he'd have some credits worth listing before heading to Broadway (even at age ten). That might have made a difference.

As for the accent, Tarzan didn't need to have a particular accent. Actually, in the book, I don't think he spoke English at all until he was an adult. (He learned to read English from some books he found, then a Frenchman found him and confused the heck out of him by teaching him French, not English. I decided that Tarzan was supposed to be absolutely brilliant, learning to read on his own and pretty quickly mastering French and then English as an adult. I don't think he ever went through the "Me Tarzan, You Jane" stage.)

Oh, and as for Hugh Jackman and Josefina Gabrielle, I think someone suggested (maybe Brantley?) that she was much better with him, but the right chemistry wasn't there with Patrick Wilson. Jackman was committed to X-Men, and I think that's the movie that would have interfered with the revival (which was here in 2002, I think). Funny, because the first time I became aware of him was when they announced that Curly from Oklahoma! had been cast as Wolverine.

[brdwaybaby17]

Posted: 10/15/05 at 3:41pm

Ok, is anyone going to explain why this doesn't pertain to Canadian actors? Do we have some sort of agreement with them or something?
And if we do, why is it so much more difficult for American actors to work in Stratford?