CAROUSEL Broadway Revival Officially Set for Spring 2018- Page 10

[JVJ93]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 12:53am

somethingwicked said: "That is a blindingly white principal cast for a production with an African-American actor playing Billy Bigelow.

What a disappointment."

Cynthia Erivo has entered the building 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 12:54am

somethingwicked said: "That is a blindingly white principal cast for a production with an African-American actor playing Billy Bigelow.

What a disappointment."

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 12:58am

kade.ivy said: "I've always thought of Julie as a subtle, less standoutish role, but if anyone can make it award worthy, it's Jessie stinkin Mueller!Leading actress seems really competitive already with Jessie, Katrina Lenk, Caissie, Patti, Erika H, Taylor Louderman (unless she's petitioned for featured), and whomever our Eliza turns out to be all in the running! I did think that Lenk was the preseason favorite, though?"

I really enjoyed The Band's Visit but unless they give her character more material than she had off-Broadway, I don't see Katrina Lenk being very competitive for lead actress. She's certainly not bad, but I don't think the role is meaty enough. 

[mikew3]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 10:49am

somethingwicked said: "That is a blindingly white principal cast for a production with an African-American actor playing Billy Bigelow.

What a disappointment."

I mean, to be honest, I kinda have to take this person's side here. I'm not saying this is intentional or that it's gonna ruin the production, but it does feel a little tone deaf to cast the ONLY African American man in your otherwise all white principal cast as the most notorious abuser in the musical theatre canon. 

 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 10:56am

With the 6 week preview period, maybe they're working the show to not make Billy as bad as he is??? But. If Joshua Henry doesn't have a problem with it, I don't. I'm just here for the score and casting anyway.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 11:02am

Lenk's performance in The Band's Visit is entrancing. No matter how much I love Jessie Mueller, I think Katrina Lenk's already award-winning performance is a tough one to beat. She has strong buzz and was snubbed for her wonderful performance in Indecent this past season.

With Henry as the only person of color in the principal cast, it does seem like this production will certainly be about race. They have to tread carefully because of the subject matter. It might be very uncomfortable if not done right.

[Valentina3]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 11:28am

Call_me_jorge said: "With the 6 week preview period, maybe they're working the show to not make Billy as bad as he is??? But. If Joshua Henry doesn't have a problem with it, I don't. I'm just here for the score and casting anyway."

This show & character are very complicated. It's very difficult for Billy to get 2017 audience's favor after the first 10-15 minutes of the show has happened. I doubt they'd be going for "likable" because that's very much against the fabric of today's society. Take for instance Earl's character in Waitress. That character could (and IMO should) have been significantly more complicated, but the book took the easy route and didn't give him any likeability or, in Earl's case, any relatability. Billy is different because he is the protagonist. Joshua Henry's very much capable of at least being able to show Billy's human side, even with all the evils he has done.

I agree with earlier poster that preview period is likely to get ahead of tech issues this show will likely face. O'Brien is a seasoned director; and previews are not meant to make sweeping characterization changes, especially not with revivals. Those decisions are made well ahead of time, typically before rehearsals begin and fine-tuned from that point onwards.

[mikew3]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 12:02pm

Call_me_jorge said: "With the 6 week preview period, maybe they're working the show to not make Billy as bad as he is??? But. If Joshua Henry doesn't have a problem with it, I don't. I'm just here for the score and casting anyway."

Yeah, if they were doing any rewrites, they definitely would have announced that by now. And even if they were, there's only so much you can do to that character cause, I mean, the whole point of the show is that he's a bad guy. We'll see though. As skeptical as I am about pretty much every aspect of this production so far, I'm still holding out hope it'll end up being something really new and interesting.

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 9/5/17 at 12:38pm

According to his Instagram post - Nicholas Belton will be covering Billy: https://www.instagram.com/p/BYqopvIBL7_/

[binau]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 12:01am

I genuinely wonder how in 2018 audiences are going to react to "Soliloquy".

It's only a matter of time before people are boycotting and/or protesting the show claiming it's 'problematic', transphobic and reinforcing sexist stereotypes. Is the show going to create a safe space for audience members that find the song an aggressive attack from the patriarchy? 

https://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/carousel/soliloquy.htm

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 1:21am

How is Carousel transphobic? Oh, wait. I see. You're just being an A-hole.

The show is set around the turn of the century. Things were different. Anyone who sees the show will be able to understand that. All that being said, the show can become extremely "problematic" if not directed properly. The movie is an example of this where it almost seems to be pro-abuse.

Q, your bashing of what you seem to consider to be "liberal PC culture" is tiring. Maybe people want to be treated with respect. Is that such a ridiculous thing? What kind of fishbowl do you live in that you can't even be respectful of those who are different? Also what's up with your constant attack of trans people? What did they ever do to you other than just exist?

[binau]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 1:32am

Are you talking to me? I don't believe I have ever mentioned trans people on this forum except in four instances 1. how awfully they are treated by religious people and this is one reason we need to continue to criticise religion (i.e., expressing my genuinely liberal viewpoint as opposed to the hypocritical conservative viewpoints here),  2. To parody the controversy surrounding casting a white woman as a historically white woman in Evita ("I won't settle for an Eva who is anything less than a transgendered African American Muslim.", 3. How (in a completely different note/context) it's interesting that some people will accept someone's personal/subjective identity to be 'true' in the context of gender but not religion, and 4. I would have thought OOTI would appeal to the "PC types" given the diversity in cross-gender casting (gender blind casting and transgender casting, which I might add were among my favourite casting decisions made in the show) and racially diverse casting - yet of course someone finds something to complain about. To say I am "constantly attacking" trans people is an absurd statement and completely false. I don't believe I have once. I am now glad we have had this discussion because the claims you make expose the kind of absurdity we see in these times. 

But yes, I do think we need to continue to criticise the way PC culture is taking over the theatre. I hope I am wrong when it comes to the reaction towards this show. But nothing surprises me anymore. Of course, I do genuinely think the song was written in another time and warrants some criticism - this is why I think it might happen. I just hope the criticism is not overblown. 

The other thing to keep in mind is, like many of my posts here - I am obviously joking/making fun here of the emerging ultra PC types we are starting to see more and more. No need to take my post (or most of my posts for that matter) so seriously. 

Now, all this being said. If a PC-type wants to partner with me and petition to make it legally mandated for all Broadway musicals to star a woman aged between 45-99 (the most talented yet underrepresented group on the Broadway stage) I certainly would have no objections. 

Updated On: 2/14/18 at 01:32 AM

[AlfredDrakeII]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 8:42am

Nice, so the Progressive Racists are already dooming the show with their nonsense? I hope the show succeeds and runs and runs and runs if that's the case.