Broadway Bee Cast Replaced?- Page 4

[liotte]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 10:40am

Thanks Moony.

It will be a very sad day when they all leave.

I do find it in bad taste that some people on this thread are contributing to false rumors (such as they were fired- NOT true) about why they are all leaving.
Updated On: 3/21/07 at 10:40 AM

[ElphabaRose]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 11:08am

Stanley's Leaf was definetly fun and loveable, at least the two time I saw him. Maybe you caught him on a bad night. **shrug**

That was what I hoped the first time. But three bad nights, in a two or three month period, I doubt it.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 11:12am

Liotte, maybe you can help me out with this question. The playbill.com article says that the entire cast with the exception of Jared is changing. BUT...the BWW article has no mention of Jennifer Simard, and it even says that the entire new cast will be joining Jared as Barfee and Lisa Howard as Rona Lisa. So is Lisa Howard staying or not?
-BJH

[Fosse76]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 11:52am

" do find it in bad taste that some people on this thread are contributing to false rumors (such as they were fired- NOT true)"

Well, from what I hear, the producers didn't renew their contracts, but did offer them LA. So, essentially, they were fired.

[HumATune]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 12:04pm

Okay here's my thing: Why didn't they just offer Los Angeles to the San Francisco/Boston cast?

[liotte]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 12:08pm

Lisa Howard is leaving on April 15th. Jen Simard will be Rona Lisa on Broadway.

[Benzy92]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 12:17pm

The cast is leaving to open the new L.A. production of Spelling Bee.

[HOUFlip04]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 12:38pm

"BUT...the BWW article has no mention of Jennifer Simard, and it even says that the entire new cast will be joining Jared as Barfee and Lisa Howard as Rona Lisa. So is Lisa Howard staying or not?"

Maybe you need to read the article again -

[bjh2114]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 12:48pm

They just updated the article after I posted. That's not what it said before. Thanks though, love, for letting me know they fixed it.
-BJH

[TabooWickedFan]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 2:28pm

So just to clear this up

Jose leaves on April 12th and everyone else except Jared leave on April 15th?

[MyLife]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 3:21pm

I have to agree with ElphabaRose... I thought Stanley was awful, all four times I saw it. I highly doubt he was having 4 bad nights, and if he was anyone who has that many "off-nights" in the two month period in which I saw the show is not of Broadway caliber. Even during the adult show, I found that Stanley lacked enthusiasm and charisma. I think people often confuse themselves when deciding whether they love a certain actor as a character or just love the character. I think many people say they "love" Stanley when they really just love Leaf. Stanley does not bring anything new to the role of Leaf. He does not interpret Leaf for himself and, instead, he portrays Leaf as a two dimensional boring person. Think of all the Leaf's who you have ever seen. I've seen Jesse, Todd, Maurice, Stanley, and Barrett. They all portray Leaf as endearing. They are supposed to because that is who Leaf is. However, every other actor I have seen as Leaf brought something new to him. Whether it be Barrett's paddling in Pandemonium, Jesse's "I know" when Panche dings the bell in the I'm not that smart reprise,Todd's slow pace walk to the microphone, or Maurice putting his whole mouth around the microphone when spelling a word. I have never heard a poor review on Leaf. Everyone loves the character because that is what he is there for. However, analyzing the actors who play characters is different, and I know many of you will still disagree with me and ElphabaRose but Stanley does not come close to the bar tat previous Leaf's have set, and it's a shame that he will be around for at least 6 months.

Greta is a whole other problem. Marcy is a character that needs more development for audience members to adopt a liking for her. She is colder on the outside and is often overshadowed by the othe characters, especially since her moment to shine is toward the end of the show. Therefore, you need an actor who can draw attention to MArcy and make you like her. I did not realize this until seeing Greta's Marcy. Before seeing Greta, I had only seen Deborah and Lisa. Both actresses bring a certain shyness to Marcy below her shell that makes one feel sympathetic. After only seeing Deborah and Lisa, I thought that these characteristics were part of Marcy. Then Greta came. After the first time seeing the Boston cast, I had no opinion on Greta because I honestly did not pay attention to her because she, unlike Jenni, Sara, or Jared, she did not demand my attention. I went back to the Boston Bee and, realizing I forgot about Greta, tried to pay attention to her. After the show, it was obvious why I didn't remember her the first time. It was because she was plain boring. There is nothing else to say. Her jokes got lost, her voice was less-than-ideal, and her chemistry with the rest of the cast was absent. I wonder if the only reason they casted her as Marcy was because she could do a split, twirl a baton, do some ballet, play the piano, and break a piece of pre-cut would with a kick.

The rest of the cast grew on me because they all took takes on their characters that differed from the OBC but fit. As actors, they brought individuality to the kids and adults and enjoyed themselves in doing so. They will be the assets of this new cast!

[yellibean2]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 4:10pm

I understand that it's all a matter of opinion and to each their own but I just can't see how you could say Stanley is "boring" and "unenthusiastic". He is an absolutely brilliant actor and in the thirteen times I saw him not once did he give the same performance twice; and even as my standards were placed higher and higher each time I came back, he never failed to exceed them (and personally I believe there's no such thing as an off night when it comes to him). He is nothing but utterly unique and pure talent, and one of the most lovable guys I know, both on stage and off. Not to mention the fact that he's a fantastic singer, especially if you've heard him outside of the show - he is incredibly well trained and has a HUGE range.

And don't get me started on how modest and sweet he is.
Updated On: 3/21/07 at 04:10 PM

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 6:53pm

Benzy- Where did you hear that?

[MyLife]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 7:29pm

Each to his own is right because I cannot begin to think of how Stanley can be considered "brilliant" in this role. I am not doubting his singing abilities, his range, or his personality off stage, all I am saying is that he is not even within the reach of the other Leaf's I've seen. Not to doubt the 15 times you saw the show,yellibean, but can you please explain to me what he did in a few of those shows to make his portrayal unique and not the same twice? Because the 4 times I saw him, with the exception of the adult show for obvious reasons, he was the same boring thing. Except one time, when he cracked up laughing because some girl spelled Mexican wrong (but that doesn't count).

Again, it's your own opinion and your entitled to it; however, in total I saw the Boston Bee with 5 other people who has seen the Broadway cast multiple times (and myself over 20) and after the show we all had the same thoughts on Stanley.

Don't let Stanley's "wonderful" personality outside the hsow affect your opinion of his portrayal of the role. Let's just say when I go and see the Bee I will be hoping for Todd's name to be on the understudy board (as well as Catherine's for Marcy)

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 7:40pm

Don't let Stanley's "wonderful" personality outside the hsow affect your opinion of his portrayal of the role.

FWIW, I loved Stanley's Leaf well before I ever met him.

[CyCoSpAz2]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 7:59pm

I just bought TDF tickets for April 3 and had no idea about this.

[sidneybruhl]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 8:37pm

I saw most of the OBC last summer and loved them. Sad to see those fine performers leave, but nothing lasts forever. I saw Jennifer Simard when the tour stopped in Louisville, KY and thought she was wonderful. I just hope the show continues to run in NYC. I love it!

[Sondheim_Geek]

Posted: 3/28/07 at 6:51pm

Does anyone know if the current NY u/s are staying or if they are being replaced by the u/s of the other cast?

[MrBundles]

Posted: 3/28/07 at 7:20pm

I love Todd Buonopane.

that is all.

[Sondheim_Geek]

Posted: 3/28/07 at 7:31pm

ditto, which is why I want to know.

I am DYING to see him cover VP Panch.

[liotte]

Posted: 3/28/07 at 9:40pm

Todd is staying with the show. He will be the only OBC left.

[friedrichVT]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 2:18am

WHat made Stanley brilliant? The fact that he didn't rely on "cuteness" for the role, the fact that he wasn't "enthusiastic". He played the role simply, unaffectedly and ultimately hysterically...you can also add heartbreaking to it as well. Entusiasm is not necessarily a great thing unless you're in high school. The kid's incredible.

[friedrichVT]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 2:20am

double post
Updated On: 3/29/07 at 02:20 AM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 3/29/07 at 2:45am

YES