Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:23pm
broadwayboy223 said: "My response to the cast announcement: LOL"
Great! That’s one more seat for someone who actually wants to see the production.
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:23pm
There should really be a tony award for best artwork! Some of these designs don’t get enough credit!
Updated On: 10/5/17 at 04:23 PM
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:23pm
I guess there weren't any little known (qualified, capable, talented) American actors who could have played Higgins. Sad that they just had to go with yet another Brit.
Oh, wait. He was on DOWNTON ABBEY. That explains everything -- that vile program's infection continues to spread...
Updated On: 10/5/17 at 04:23 PM
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:25pm
Yeah....uh....well...
I think Norbert's got a good shot at another Tony...
...but yeah. Congrats to Carousel on winning Best Revival of a Musical. Unless Michael Arden pulls off a miracle with OOTI, I can't see Carousel losing this.
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:26pm
We get it Jeffery, you love Bart and Danny. I had know who the Higgins is so that was very disappointing when names like Robert Downey Jr and Colin Firth had been tossed around for months. This isn’t on my must see list, but OBC it starts, I’m sure I’ll be interested.
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:29pm
willrolandsframes said: "Yeah....uh....well...
I think Norbert's got a good shot at another Tony...
...but yeah. Congrats toCarouselon winning Best Revival of a Musical. Unless Michael Arden pulls off a miracle with OOTI, I can't see Carousel losing this."
It’s physically painful for me to agree with that, but I do.
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:30pm
GeorgeandDot said: "Jerry Zaks hadn't had a big hit in years either before he did Dolly, which was lead by nearly the same team that will guide Carousel."
Yes, but at least Zaks had proven to be successful with revival musical comedies before with Anything Goes, Guys & Dolls, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Jack O'Brien has tried his hand at so many different projects over the years from comedy (Getting Away with Murder, Dead Accounts, It's Only a Play, The Front Page) to drama (Henry IV, The Coast of Utopia, The Nance, Macbeth) to new musicals (The Full Monty, Hairspray, Love Never Dies, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory) to revivals (Porgy & Bess, The Most Happy Fella, Damn Yankees). What would you say he's been more successful at?
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:30pm
willrolandsframes said: "Yeah....uh....well...
I think Norbert's got a good shot at another Tony...
...but yeah. Congrats toCarouselon winning Best Revival of a Musical. Unless Michael Arden pulls off a miracle with OOTI, I can't see Carousel losing this."
Except nobody has seen any of these productions to jump to this conclusion.
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:31pm
I agree with those perplexed by the disappointment. Ambrose is excellent, Butz is consistently dynamic, and Hadden-Paton is 1. completely charming and wonderul on The Crown and 2. will be introduced to us on the NY stage in a wonderul, cherished role. And add Rigg to it all! I trust Sher's track record to stage and cast with taste without having to resort to star casting, just for the sake of it. I'm glad to have this classic musical back in NY and super excited to see what's shaping up to be a first-class production.
Updated On: 10/5/17 at 04:31 PM
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:32pm
This is what an exciting cast looks like. A brilliant actress who somehow still has to prove herself despite earning raves in pretty much all of her stage outings landing the role of a lifetime. An age-appropriate prestigious British stage actor unfamiliar to most American audiences making his debut, recalling Paulo Szot’s splashy Broadway debut. A two-time Tony winner known as one of the great clowns of the contemporary American musical playing a loveable rascal. And one of the great dames coming to Broadway after gaining a new fanbase for her out-of-the-world genius performance in the most popular TV drama today. Sign me up. This is going to be the definitive MY FAIR LADY revival many of us were hoping to get. I can’t get over Sher’s ability to look past the obvious choices and give us an Eliza who will make the role her own. I can’t wait who he chooses for Freddy.
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:33pm
It is a bit strange to see a production of "My Fair Lady" where the biggest name is the actor playing Mrs. Higgins.
Lauren Ambrose is supposed to be a magnificent performer, so I look forward to her blowing my socks off. I don't particularly remember Higgins from Downton, but I think both Pygmalion and My Fair Lady work better when Higgins is cast younger. So I'm good with that. And Diana Rigg is a queen.
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:34pm
little_sally said: "willrolandsframes said: "Yeah....uh....well...
I think Norbert's got a good shot at another Tony...
...but yeah. Congrats toCarouselon winning Best Revival of a Musical. Unless Michael Arden pulls off a miracle with OOTI, I can't see Carousel losing this."
Except nobody has seen any of these productions to jump to this conclusion."
Yeah, how could anyone come to that conclusion, sight unseen?
There are very few sure bets this early in a season. Pedigreed productions flop almost as much as they land. Casting surprises can cut both ways- dud performances from stars and star turns from unexpected casting.
Updated On: 10/5/17 at 04:34 PM
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:35pm
Kad said: "little_sally said: "willrolandsframes said: "Yeah....uh....well...
I think Norbert's got a good shot at another Tony...
...but yeah. Congrats toCarouselon winning Best Revival of a Musical. Unless Michael Arden pulls off a miracle with OOTI, I can't see Carousel losing this."
Except nobody has seen any of these productions to jump to this conclusion."
Yeah, how could anyone come to that conclusion, sight unseen?
There are very few sure bets this early in a season. Pedigreed productions totally flop. Casting surprises can cut both ways- dud performances from stars and star turns from unexpected casting.
If the pedigree of the cast translated to award wins, Women on the Verge... would've swept the Tonys.
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:37pm
I like how so many moan about stunt casting and then we get a cast like this where the biggest name is Mrs. Higgins, and people are disappointed about the lack of star names.
I find this casting to be a lot more intriguing than the same old tired Broadway mainstays that get fantasized about every time a new production is announced of a revival or a known source material that requires a soprano. I mean yes, Benanti, O'Hara, Osnes, Borgess, etc. are fantastic (especially the first two) but do fans have to cast them in everything? How about something a bit out of the box from outside the same talent circle?
Also, I find the prospect of a less known English actor like Harry Hadon-Paton to be far more interesting and almost unpredictable than Colin Firth and Hugh Laurie, whose Higgins I could have already imagined without seeing any clips of them in the role.
Updated On: 10/5/17 at 04:37 PM
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:39pm
Jeffrey Karasarides said: "What would you say he's been more successful at?"
Directing.
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:44pm
People on Twitter are so negative and rude about this casting. Though, that's no surprise to anyone
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:54pm
I think The Interval may or may not have just thrown shade at this casting on Twitter and Laura Benanti may or may not have acknowledged it. I'm not totally sure if I'm reading into this too much, but I could go for some drama. I'll bring snacks.
Posted: 10/5/17 at 4:56pm
I admit that I'm not the most Twitter savvy person, but I just did a #myfairlady search and I only saw one negative comment from a Laura Benanti stan.
Posted: 10/5/17 at 5:00pm
GeorgeandDot said: "I think The Interval may or may not have just thrown shade at this casting on Twitter and Laura Benanti may or may not have acknowledged it. I'm not totally sure if I'm reading into this too much, but I could go for some drama. I'll bring snacks."
Sorry for being dense, is it because The Interval tweeted an interview of both Kelli O'Hara and Benanti from 2015 in the past hour? If so, then I find that this need to cast the same actors over and over again in leading roles is troubling in a few ways, and shows a real lack of imagination.
Updated On: 10/5/17 at 05:00 PM
Posted: 10/5/17 at 5:00pm
GeorgeandDot said: "I think The Interval may or may not have just thrown shade at this casting on Twitter and Laura Benanti may or may not have acknowledged it. I'm not totally sure if I'm reading into this too much, but I could go for some drama. I'll bring snacks."
Oh, I just checked their twitter. They are definitely throwing some shade, which is crappy coming from a site that is supposed to celebrate woman in theater.
Posted: 10/5/17 at 5:02pm
Y’all. It’s Bart Sher and Lincoln Center. It’s completely unbeatable. This casting doesn’t change anything.
Posted: 10/5/17 at 5:03pm
The more I think about the cast and adjust to it, the more excited I get. Aside from the actor cast as Higgins, who I had never heard of before today, I was already a fan of everyone they announced. I was just surprised to see them all in the same production of My Fair Lady because of their compared ages. But the prospect of seeing actors of this caliber take on these roles in this beautifully crafted musical in a production that is sure to be lavishly designed is too exciting to get hung up on their ages.
I'm also just so relieved the Higgins isn't old enough to be Eliza's father. Ick!
Posted: 10/5/17 at 5:05pm
Yeah, I'm surprised to see that from the Interval. I would have loved to see Benanti in the role, but throwing shade at Ambrose is not a good look.
Posted: 10/5/17 at 5:08pm
NOWaWarning said: "The more I think about the cast and adjust to it, the more excited I get. Aside from the actor cast as Higgins, who I had never heard of before today, I wasalready a fan of everyone they announced. I was just surprised to see them all in the same production of My Fair Lady becauseof their compared ages. But the prospect of seeing actors of this caliber take on these roles in this beautifullycrafted musical in a production that is sure to be lavishly designed is too exciting to get hung up on their ages.
I'm also just so relieved the Higgins isn't old enough to be Eliza's father. Ick!"
Agreed. I think this casting, especially of Ambrose and the new age dynamics, will make this revival something more than a garden-variety revival of My Fair Lady. I think the fact that we haven't really seen Ambrose show off her stuff on stage and just her personality and what I've seen her on television will actually bring new and exciting to Eliza that the stage veterans could not bring since I feel so familiar with them and could pretty much predict what they would have brought to the role.
Posted: 10/5/17 at 5:08pm
little_sally said: "GeorgeandDot said: "I think The Interval may or may not have just thrown shade at this casting on Twitter and Laura Benanti may or may not have acknowledged it. I'm not totally sure if I'm reading into this too much, but I could go for some drama. I'll bring snacks."
Oh, I just checked their twitter. They are definitely throwing some shade, which is crappy coming from a site that is supposed to celebrate woman in theater."
Yeah, I agree, but also it sucks to see a role go to a TV actress when there are so many theatre actresses that could have filled the part and been phenomenal.
Also, for those of you saying that you wish to see new actresses lead Broadway shows, I would like to remind you that in her entire career, Benanti has only lead one Broadway musical, which is a real shame. It's not like Kelli (who I looove) where she's been in a million lead roles on Broadway. Honestly, I kind of feel like Benanti is underused.
Ambrose and the rest of the cast will be great under Sher's brilliant direction, but I kind of wish the roles had gone with more seasoned stage performers.
