Burgess & Testa Join GUYS & DOLLS Revival

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:04pm

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/124328.html

[Shannon Bo Dannon]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:07pm

I can't imagine Titus Burgess as Nicely Nicely at all, I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[blaxx]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:07pm

It seemed to me they cast this by drawing random names from a hat!

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:10pm

What a waste of Testa's talents.

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:10pm

I agree, blaxx... there's very little cohesion here in terms of talent and name recognition.

Regardless, I'm loving the addition of Testa, and I anticipate an incredible "Sit Down..." from Burgess, a la Billy Porter's wild "Beauty School Dropout" from the '94 revival of Grease.
Updated On: 12/15/08 at 06:10 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:12pm

I love Mary Testa and the idea that she'll back on Broadway, but this is definitely a waste of her talent.

[blaxx]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:14pm

Waste of her talent and TIME. She's in like what, 10 minutes of the show?

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:16pm

Are they making Cartwright's role bigger? Regardless, Mary is pretty kick ass.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:16pm

Titus Burgess (The Little Mermaid) as Nicely Nicely Johnson, Glenn Fleshler (Spring Awakening) as Big Jule, Adam Lefevre (Our Country's Good) as Lt. Brannigan, Jim Ortlieb (Farnsworth Invention) as Arvide, Steve Rosen (Spamalot) as Benny Southstreet and Mary Testa (Xanadu) as General Cartwright.

The ensemble comprises Nick Adams, Andrea Chamberlain, Raymond Del Barrio, Melissa Fagan, Kearran Giovanni, James Harkness, Lorin Latarro, Benjamin Magnuson, Joseph Medeiros, Spencer Moses, Rhea Patterson, Graham Rowat, William Ryall, Jessica Rush, Marcos Santana, Jennifer Savelli, John Selya, Brian Shepard, Ron Todorowski, Jim Walton and Brooke Wendle.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:16pm

Maybe they'll add her to "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat". One can only hope...

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:18pm

She's in that one.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:19pm

She doesn't have a solo though, right?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:19pm

I hope they'll add more for Testa to work with..

[Kad]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:21pm

That role is extremely small and just adds some vocalization to the end of "Sit Down...". That, I believe, is the extent of her character's singing part.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:22pm

What could they add? It's not like any member of the original creative team is still alive to rework it (a la Laurents and WEST SIDE STORY).

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:22pm

General Cartwright is onstage for "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat". And Ruth Williamson (as Cartwright) nearly managed to steal that number in the 1992 revival.

Testa can be very funny in cameo roles. She was a riot as Madame Dilly in the Public's On the Town, another part with limited stage time...

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:24pm

Burgess is going to add plenty of riffs. I'm sure he and Testa could have a riff-off.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:29pm

Testa is smart for not passing up the steady work she is getting lately.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:30pm

I don't blame her. Still, it'd be nice to see her in bigger roles. I have a dream of her in a Call Me Madam revival.

[bwayguy22089]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:43pm

I'm sure she and Titus will be great in "Sit Down". I'm sure they'll give her a solo in it.

[Ole Chum]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:45pm

is it possible she's also u/s the role of Adelaide?

If the shows a hit, and Lauren Graham has to leave after six months to do her tv show...

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:47pm

OHhh, I saw a production, and Cartwright WAS the show. She totally pwned. I have a feeling Mary Testa can pull something similar.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:49pm

Ole Chum, I'm sure Graham is committing to at least a year. She is above the title, after all.

[TimeSquare3]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:53pm

I'm sure she will add some improv.

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 12/15/08 at 6:58pm

I'm likin' Steve Rosen as Benny...

I think Tituss Burgess will be an interesting Nicely-Nicely. I really liked him in "The Little Mermaid," and I'd love to see him playing a human. He is absolutely nothing like what I had in mind for the role, but I think he can pull it off.

And like the other bajillion posters, I hope Mary Testa steals the show! And I really hope Arvide's good. That's the role I played (well, they called me Arvetta, for obvious reasons), and I've noticed that every Arvide I've heard is a really ancient guy who can barely squeak out a note. "More I Cannot Wish You" is such a pretty song.

Updated On: 12/15/08 at 06:58 PM