morosco said: "I did not care for Linda Leilani Brown at all. She certainly looked the part but she couldn't sing to save her life.
No she could not sing. And she never really seemed to bond with anyone else on stage. It was if she was performing the show alone. I always wondered if she had somekind of casting advantage simply because she looked eerily similar to Diana Ross.
Sheryl Lee Ralph was, of course, the original Deena. Phylicia Rashad wasRalph's understudy. When Ralph left the show Rashad hoped to get the role of Deena but Michael Bennet decided to castLinda Leilani Brown. Disappointed, Rashadleft the show.I wonder how shewould have been as Deena? Had she ever gone on for the role?"
I believe Rashad did go on during Ralph’s vacation, but as you said, when Ralph left the show for good Bennett opted to give the role to Brown as he never seriously considered Rashad as a permanent replacement.
As great as that original production was, there were some really shady things going on behind the scenes. Ralph suffered mistreatment from Bennett, so much so that it caused a great deal of stress and she lost a good amount of weight because of it. By the time she left the show she was resentful of what she was put through.
Updated On: 6/13/21 at 10:58 PM