Casting What Could Have Beens — Page 3

sbflyfan said: "Didn't one of the actors playing the father in "August: Osage County" do something similar? He didn't appear in the curtain call for "August" because he would leave the theater after his scene every night and go perform in another show? Perhaps I'm remembering it incorrectly."

John Cullum, and at age 79 no less! But it was only for 7 weeks out of his 7-month run in AUGUST.

sbflyfan said: "Patti supposedly receiving an offer to play Fosca in "Passion" just as she was leaving for "Sunset Blvd" in London."

It would have been neat to see Patti to do Passion on Broadway, and she could have avoided the Sunset Boulevard fiasco all together if the offer had come sooner, but ultimately Donna Murphy was magnificent and Patti did get a pool and eventually got to play Fosca in concert so it all worked out.

Re: John Column and Cynthia Nixon:

West End late 90's.

Ruthie Henshall* was playing Ellen in Miss Saigon and for a couple of nights during flu season had to emergency cover Fantine in Les Mis at the same time. So after her Death as Fantine she rushed from the Palace to Royal Drury Lane and after curtain call rush back to the Palace and do the Finale of Les Mis.



*might also have been Gunilla Backman, not 100% sure.

Updated On: 7/31/19 at 03:29 AM

Followspot2 said: "Re: John Column and Cynthia Nixon:

West Endlate 90's.

Ruthie Henshall*was playing Ellen in Miss Saigon and for a couple of nights during flu season had to emergency cover Fantine in Les Mis at the same time. So after her Death as Fantine she rushed from the Palace to Royal Drury Lane and after curtain call rush back to the Palace and do the Finale of Les Mis.


But isn't Ellen onstage at the end of Miss Saigon? I guess Les Miz is longer so it would work out. Fascinating if it's true!

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "With the "could have been" conversation, it's important to differentiate between who was justOFFEREDa role (or were considered/auditioned/did a reading), vs. people who were committed do doing it and dropped out late in the negotiation process.



Announced but never happened: Jake Gyllenhaal inBurn This, Josh Radnor inShe Loves Me,Cate Blanchett in All About Ivo,Stephen McKinley Henderson in a cut role inTo Kill A Mockingbird,Rosemary Harris instead of Holland Taylor inThe Front Page,Bartlett Sher'sFunny Girlrevival (Lauren Ambrose, Bobby Cannavale, Randy Graff), Roundabout'sLips Together Teeth Apart(Mullally, Patton Oswalt), Cloris Leachman as a replacement inYoung Frankenstein(it closed before she could join the cast).

Christine Baranski inHay Feverat Roundabout last year.

Audra in a Sam Gold/Scott Rudin production ofStreetcar(opposite Adam Driver) and inAmerican Son.

Roger Bart was in rehearsal to take over for Brooks Ashmanskas inShuffle Along(because Brooks had an out to doThe Promin Atlanta) when the show announced its abrupt closing. Bart was also fired from the producer/Hookrole inFinding Neverlandout-of-town; Michael McGrath took over, and then they replaced himwith Kelsey Grammer.

Norbert Leo Butz as King George in Hamiltonafter Brian D'Arcy James left to doSomething Rotten.

Manoel Felciano didn't move to Broadway with Anastasia(as Gleb),theRagtimerevival (as Tateh), andMothers and Sonsafter doing the pre-Broadway regional run of all 3.

MartinMoran did the first Public production ofFun Home(the Cerveris role) and the Alliance production ofThe Prom(as Mr. Hawkins) but didn't continue with either.

Faye Dunaway inTea At Five(eyyyyyy)"

Audra was attached to that Streetcar? Since when? Very good casting. My dream is for Michelle Williams go to be Blanche opposite Driver.

What a great topic to discuss!

My choices focus on one of my favorite musicals : SUNSET BOULEVARD.

ALW had always said he saw Angela Lansbury in the role, from when he first started on the musical, and offered her the role before the musical was finished. She wasn't interested in a Broadway musical - if only it worked out for Lansbury!

Then there was talk he was negotiating with Shirley MacLaine to star on Broadway, before the show was staged in Syndmonton. MacLaine wasn't interested, either. Would have loved to see MacLaine!

Before he offered the role in LA to Dunaway to replace Close, he was negotiating a deal with Diana Ross - but she only wanted to do the weekend shows, so that fell apart. (Would have been thrilled to see Ross in the role).

And of course, there was the negotiations with Cher to star in the musical when Buckley left (Fall, 1996) but as Cher later explained why it fell through, "He couldn't afford me."

David10086 said: "What a great topic to discuss!

My choices focus on one of my favorite musicals : SUNSET BOULEVARD.

ALW had always said he saw Angela Lansbury in the role, from when he first started on the musical, and offered her the role before the musical was finished. She wasn't interested in a Broadway musical- if only it worked out for Lansbury!

"



I thought Angela was the thought when Sondheim was trying to adapt the movie... interesting to hear she was in ALW's head as well

Someone mentioned Betsy Wolfe in CAROUSEL - didn't we all but confirm she was dropped from the production due to WAITRESS conflicts? Rudin was holding the month-long workshop at the same time that the WAITRESS producers wanted Wolfe to rehearse with Jason Mraz.

wiggum2 said: "David10086 said: "What a great topic to discuss!

My choices focus on one of my favorite musicals : SUNSET BOULEVARD.

ALW had always said he saw Angela Lansbury in the role, from when he first started on the musical, and offered her the role before the musical was finished. She wasn't interested in a Broadway musical- if only it worked out for Lansbury!

"



I thought Angela was the thought when Sondheim was trying to adapt the movie... interesting to hear she was in ALW's head as well

"

From what I recall, he wanted her from as early as 1990-91 (I still remember reading an interview with him when 'Aspects' opened on Bway, and he said he was working on SB and wanted Lansbury to star in the musical). For different reasons, he couldn't get Lansbury - though she said she wasn't interested, there was speculation that she didn't want to leave her hit television show 'Murder She Wrote' which then ran until 1996.

After Lansbury said 'no', that's when he turned his attention to Shirley MacLaine.



As for the movie, way back in the mid 90s he said he always wanted Streisand to star.

alex814 said: "Haven Burton had supposedly participated in an early workshop or reading of Spring Awakening as Wendla.

Phylicia Rashād was Sheryl Lee Ralph’s understudy in Dreamgirls. When Ralph left the show, the producers brought in Linda Leilani Brown instead of promoting Rashād. This decision reportedly created some tension between Rashād and Michael Bennett. Rashād [quit/was fired from?] Dreamgirls and went on to star in The Cosby Show.

Does anyone know the story of why Mitzi Hamilton didn’t end up originating Val in A Chorus Line? I believe she was the first or second replacement."

You're right about Haven. I'm curious what happened.

g.d.e.l.g.i. said: "And exactly one line of that interview gets at what really happened..."

"Sex drugs and rock'n roll"?