City Center's 24-25 Season: Ragtime, Urinetown, LaChiusa's Wild Party, Love Life — Page 7

No Joaquina in this ad –– which could have been approved for printing prior to her being signed, OR it could align with a certain sweaty person who claims she's no longer doing it and has been replaced by Nichelle "The Wiz" Lewis.

Nichele Lewis is now Sarah. Great voice. But spends way to much time doing vocal acrobatics and certainly not an acting upgrade based on what I saw from The Wiz. Hoping that's just that Schele Williams sucks and Lear can get a better performance out of her. 

Ensemble1698878795 said: "jkcohen626 said: "Nichele Lewis is now Sarah. Great voice.But spends way to much time doing vocal acrobatics and certainly not an acting upgradebased on what I saw from The Wiz. Hoping that's just that Schele Williams sucks and Lear can get a better performance out of her."

The manner in which you all talk about performers on this board is quite appalling. Give the girl a chance,and remember she didn't cast herself."

Appalling? Oh, Mary.

jkcohen626 said: "Nichele Lewis is now Sarah. Great voice.But spends way to much time doing vocal acrobatics and certainly not an acting upgradebased on what I saw from The Wiz. Hoping that's just that Schele Williams sucks and Lear can get a better performance out of her."

Joaquina is also reads too old on stage to play Sarah and her scream singing does not suit the score 

I’m hearing they want to make this a quick transfer, so they’re recasting to make sure they have as many of their principals in place as possible. Joaquina is likely booked shortly after the City Center run.

This recasting is a bummer. We go from Joy (who has proven herself over and over) to Tony Winner Jaoquina (who has been proving herself since Wild Party at NYCC) to Nichelle who became TikTok famous and then was terrible in The Wiz. Maybe she’ll prove me wrong, but nothing about her performances so far makes me think she had the acting ability for Ragtime.  Yes she has a technically impressive voice, but if there’s no acting behind the eyes or acting motivating the vocals it results in a boring performance. No matter how high you sing or how much you riff…

EDSOSLO858 said: "Who are the lead commercial producers attached? Seaview? ATG?"

I'm gonna assume at least one of the lead producers is Tom Kirdahy, Terrence McNally's widower & estate executor, who has been the only commercial producer of his work the past decade and also has a longstanding relationship with Ahrens & Flaherty.

I really don't know how this would do on Broadway. The last revival shuttered very quickly, this a huge show (39 in the cast, 28 in the orchestra), the show itself obviously has no name value to the general public, and nobody in this cast is a comparable selling point to Ben Platt or Sara Bareilles or even Sutton Foster.

I love the show and wish them well but it feels like a money-loser waiting to happen. (If it actually transfers.)

Updated On: 10/10/24 at 01:04 PM

Fwiw, the transfer is only in the cards if this concert is well-received. It’s not a done deal.

Also, if it ends up being true that Wild Party may be cancelled, I’ll riot. That and Urinetown have been the only two shows I’ve wanted to see Encores present, and with the underwhelming Urinetown casting, I just don’t think my spirit can take it.

Nichelle may be able to do the Soprano notes, but Sarah needs power behind her voice, not just vulnerability. Nichelle was definitely more Diana Ross and less Stephanie Mills in the Wiz and either the mix was bad or she didn’t have the power, but the night I saw her, she was lost in the group numbers in the Wiz aside from being a very green actress, Sarah also needs to paint with many colors of her voice and tell her story because as someone mentioned earlier, she has very little dialogue. I’m not one of those higher, louder, riff off people either, I just don’t think Nichelle has the vocal power necessary nor is she a brilliant actress as Joaquina or Joy. I’m willing to be proven wrong, and I hope I am, to me Joaquina is one of the most thrilling actresses to watch work and coincidentally the last Wild Party at Encores was when I discovered her when she replaced Ciara Renee. 

ChairinMain said: "That Wild party rumor is a MASSIVE bummer if that's true."

 

Care to elaborate?   I, too, will be crushed!

 

I cannot see this (Ragtime) having a trajectory to Broadway - it makes no financial sense given the show's track record.  (And I adore this show.)

 

“Scheduling conflicts” … yeah sure babes.

ColorTheHours048 said: "I’m hearing they want to make this a quick transfer, so they’re recasting to make sure they have as many of their principals in place as possible. Joaquina is likely booked shortly after the City Center run."

It was obvious from the start this would be hoping to transfer (two other Lear shows did, after all). Why wouldn't they have cast someone available after from the start (or rather, after Joy).

Kad said: "Kalukango may have had something arise in the meantime that conflicted."

A standby perhaps ? 

Updated On: 10/12/24 at 11:47 AM