Casting that never was

I started thinking about this because of something Seth Rudetsky said a few months ago on the radio

He was talking to J Harrison Ghee about his role in Some Like it Hot and saying how he was happy for him but also so sad because, had the show been done a decade or so prior, it would've been perfect for Billy Porter, and Billy will never get the opportunity

Seth also cited Betty Buckley being born too soon to play Elphaba, which I do think she would've been amazing

I think somebody like Roger Bart would've been so good in Book of Mormon if he were younger

My big one is Harvey Fierstein as Mendel in Falsettos

Like that would be amazing

Of course he was kind of gone from Broadway at the time that he could've played the role, and I doubt anybody other than me would even consider that

Are there any people you think would've been amazing in roles but will never be able to play them now because of age?

BeingAlive44Ever said: "Roger Bart would've been so good in Book of Mormon if he were younger"

I've never seen Book Of Mormon, but from the few clips I've watched, I can imagine that. However, if I was going to cast my favourite theatre guy (in his younger years) in one of my favourite shows, I would choose Brad in Rocky Horror. Roger has played plenty of nerds in his time and can switch on the camp like no one's business. Yeah, that's something I would have liked to have seen. If he was to do the show now, I think he'd be a fantastic Narrator.

Bernadette in Sweeney Todd. It’s a role for a very long time that people have suggested her to play. I’m not sure if she is desperate to play it though - when asked circa 2009/2010 if she wants to play Lovett her response was that she really wanted to play Sally in Follies. However, she did say she learned ‘worst pies in London’ and was screen tested for the film version. However, everyone including Sondheim himself allegedly thought HBC was more appropriate to the film.


I started a thread here approx. 14 years ago asking if it will ever happen, and through every major production in London and New York it hasn’t happened yet. However, I’m not giving up hope that someone somewhere will feel that getting Mandy and Bernadette back to do Sweeney to close the revival after Tveit/Foster is a good idea. As much as everyone rolls their eyes at the thought of it given their ages, I think we know that every single person here will be buying tickets to see it. I think all they need to do is just slow down the tempos a little for ‘worst pies’ and maybe some small changes in staging to make it easier to do 7 times. But I think they can do it.


Bernadette is doing ‘old friends’ 8 times a week now (I’m sitting in the audience at intermission now lol). Her voice strangely has got stronger throughout the run, as a few others on the west end board have also noted. And it’s a high energy performance. I think the physical and vocal exercise is keeping Bernadette at her best. She could slowly learn the role over the spring.


PLEASE LET IT HAPPEN. Every single Sondheim dream I’ve ever had has practically come true except this.

I always thought that Josh Gad would have eventually done a limited run in Frozen

Judy Garland as Norma Desmond.