Did they change Pippin's sweater for Kyle? The knit pattern looks different.
It must have been pretty traumatic if it happened just at a quick stage dooring (is that a verb)
Chorus Member Joined: 4/3/14
I am totally in favor of gay guys playing straight characters. I had no trouble with ZQ in Glass Menagerie or vis-à-vis Fredrick Weller playing a gay guy in Mothers & Sons. They both, and many others, do it with credibility. With all of the sexual blurred lines, ass grabbing & semi orgy scene in Pippin, I just got the feeling KDM was enjoying it too much. I mean, I know if it was me, Orion could do whatever he wanted to me!!! MJT just made it work in a way that KDM just can't. Make sense?
Updated On: 4/3/14 at 11:36 PM
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/30/09
"I had to look up what college she went to, I figured it would be Carnegie Mellon but I was pleasantly surprised to find out it was Baldwin Wallace. Just goes to show that even the brightest stars don't always go to the "top" schools."
Baldwin Wallace is definitely one of the "top" schools for musical theatre. They might not be as top-tier as Carnegie, Michigan, or CCM, but they have a great reputation. They are certainly one of the more selective programs, and many of their graduates end up on Broadway. That's not to say I don't agree with what you said--Kyle Dean Massey, for example, went to Missouri State University, which most people wouldn't think of on the same level as those other programs.
I think it could be more than easily argued that, while maybe not gay, Tom in Glass Menagerie is in no way straight as written in the play.
Flipping the age thing around - Isn;t Ciara too YOUNG to play Leading PLayer - I always saw LP as someone a little world-wise (and maybe world-worn) who is a guide for Pippin. Patina is 30.
As far as Kyle being 'too gay" - if you remember there were a lot of questions on this board when he joing N2N whether he WAS gay. I don't see where it matters.
And as a straight person-I find it offensive that someone can feel they are allowed to say that ebcause they are gay. You don't get a pass to be predudiced just because you are in the group you are judging.
Too old, too young, too gay, too straight . . . . how were their performances?
^ Don't be silly... why would anyone talk about their actual performances?
Stand-by Joined: 12/31/13
Forget about Kyle, how was Ciara!?
Apparently too young . . . .
Here's audio of Ciara R singing Glory, and I think it erases any doubt of her talent or her fit in this part.
http://mariuseponines.tumblr.com/post/81547624235/glory-pippin-4-2-14-matinee-performance
And here's KDM singing Corner of the Sky
http://mariuseponines.tumblr.com/post/81526873658/corner-of-the-sky-pippin-4-2-14-matinee
I know it's not the same as seeing them, but seriously, they both sound amazing. Especially Ciara. And, while Baldwin wallace is often discounted, it is starting to breach that top tier of schools as the students that come out of there are not only talented, but they get jobs, and quickly. Definitely my dream school.
Nobody has said either of the them wouldn't be able to handle the score. Handling the score and being right for the part are two different things. Anyone that has "concerns" admits they are judging on appearances...which since they've only had a few performances under their belt, is all they've got. It's called a reaction. Those people that return to see it, will still give an honest opinion.
I THINK he'll appear too old - which is wrong for Pippin. I don't worry about HER age, the Player's age has nothing to do with the purpose of the the Player. It DOES for Pippin.
Most people on these boards keep an open mind (except if it concerns Wildhorn!) when actually seeing a show. People hated (with a heated passion) when Corbin Bleu and Phylicia Rashad were announced replacements for In the Heights and August, respectively. However, MOST posters reported back after having actually seen the performances to good things to say.
People are allowed to have opinions based on announcements. That doesn't mean it blinds them.
Leading Actor Joined: 4/2/14
I agree with dramamama. People said the same negative things about Nick Jonas when he was going into "How to Succeed" (have to admit, I was one of them), but when he actually started performances most considered him to be the best Finch the revival had.
Dramamamma. So it's ok to be too gay? I just don't get colorblind casting but concerns on about sexual orientation are ok
I don't actually think KDM sounds very gay at all in that clip :-/. This wasn't ever an issue I recall anyone discussing during N2N either.
What does 'too' gay even mean? If your thoughts about his sexualty got in the way of you seeing the character/story completely, I guess that for you, yes.
I've never thought he's come off in any stereotypical "gay way", either. I've known straignt men that seemed gay, and gay men that had no outward appearance of being so.
I'm risking coming across as a total hater on this thread. I thought Kyle sounded bland, weak and nasal in that recording.
There are better performers out there. Hundreds are moving into NYC every year and it would have been awesome to get some fresh faced college grad with a lot of passion to take on this role. Pippin - more than any other role I can think of in musical theater - should be played by an unknown young man.
Still, I feel bad for being so critical of this guy. This is one of my favorite shows out there right now and I have a lot of opinions about it :)
I actually agree with you- granted he is soo new in the show, but the last notes sound forced and not good. The last note is a tricky one to do the way Matthew does it.
How are Ciara and Kyle's acrobatic skills?
Dramamama, I usually agree with you but "The player's age has nothing to do with the purpose of the part" First I don't understand the sentence and second I think I totally disagree. How can a 20 yr old teach anyone about all the ways of the world. A worldliness and sense of knowledge are Very important to the part. I've haven't seen these new performers so this is more a general statement than criticism of these Actors.
I guess that's a difference of interpretation then. I've never felt the Player wanted to do anything but to get Pippin to kill himself, to make him feel bad about the choices there ARE in life, to do the grand finale. That just makes him/her manipulative and evil. I also believe that the Player has suffered herself, and just wants to keep others from finding joy -- which has eluded the player. I don't think there's an age requirement on that.
That being said, I see your point as well in the context you provide.
Ciara is out of the show tonight as written on her twitter page.
@CiaraRenee8
I'm sorry to anyone coming to see me tonight at Pippin. I'm not feeling well and have to call out. Thanks for all the love and support!
She just went in and she's calling out sick? That's what they get for hiring a 23 year old to cover a "veterans" role.
A person can't completely control when he or she gets sick. This could happen to anybody. I remember Da'vine Joy Randolph being in the first preview performance of Ghost and then out the second. And I don't think Patina has been around enough to be considered a Veteran yet.
If i'm not mistaken, Patina was out a few times during her first month, no?
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