Esparza in Night Music?- Page 2

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 11:29am

Dear God!!!

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 11:36am

I want them to announce the cast just to stop all these ridiculous speculation threads.

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 11:38am

^ Exactly! Ugh.

[madbrian]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 11:54am

"I want them to announce the cast just to stop all these ridiculous speculation threads."

I completely agree. It's shocking that people on BWW speculate about casting, and it's a tragedy that all readers are forced to read every post on every thread.

Having said that, how about Michael Cerveris?

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 11:56am

Cerveris is staring in that new play with Benanti this Fall.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 11:56am

Michael Cerveris is doing Sarah Ruhl's new play this fall.

(ETA: ljay beat me.)

Updated On: 8/28/09 at 11:56 AM

[TheBoyDownstairs]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 11:59am

I dislike the thought of Esparza as Fredrik...I just cant see him playing it effectively. That would be quite the letdown considering the rest of the cast will be so good.

[Broadwayboy2631]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 12:04pm

Wow, now that he mentioned it, I really love the Idea of Paulo Szot in the role. For some reason, I think that he and Catherine would be really sexy together.

[sparrman]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 12:09pm

Even more important than Frederick having a "good voice", he needs to be musically solid. Frederick's music is challenging. I think many an "I can carry a tune" actor would be catastrophic in the role.

I like Esparza, but there's not a role for him in Night Music. Kline or Garber seem just about ideal. Spacey too, perhaps.
Updated On: 8/28/09 at 12:09 PM

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 12:10pm

The idea of Szot in the part is rather interesting. I didn't see him in SOUTH PACIFIC, so I'm not sure what his acting is like.

If Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Desiree I don't think they "need" a name as Fredrick in terms of BO, but they do need someone that is able to truly match the star power of Zeta-Jones. Just like when they did THREE DAYS OF RAIN, they cast Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd (who is mainly a film guy but had previous stage experience before RAIN, including Broadway), even if they were guaranteed to be a hit just with Julia Roberts.

EDIT: If Victor Garber played Fredrick, I'd probably pee my pants since I'm really sad I missed him when he played the part in LA. Still, he's doing a Noel Coward play on Broadway this season, so he's out of the running.

Updated On: 8/28/09 at 12:10 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 12:12pm

I really love the Idea of Paulo Szot in the role. For some reason, I think that he and Catherine would be really sexy together.

Me too! I hadn't thought of it, but I definitely agree.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 12:21pm

When every actor/role has their own speculation thread, it clogs up the whole board, even if you don't want to read the posts. What was wrong with the first [two] Night Music casting thread[s]? There's nothing in this thread that wasn't already suggested in multiple other threads. Maybe if the topic was contained, there wouldn't be so many repeats.

[Mother's Younger Brother]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 12:22pm

Too. Young.

I've always prefered my Fredriks and Desirees to be at least in their 50s -- visibly. I just think it makes their love story (finally settling with each other after all those years) far more touching and meaningful.
Updated On: 8/28/09 at 12:22 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 12:24pm

Wasn't it mentioned somewhere that they have till Labor Day.

I want a good singer in this role, he has some beautiful stuff to sing.

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 12:38pm

Paolo Szot isn't available - he's doing a Shostakovich opera at the Met in March. I suppose it's conceivable they could let him out of ALNM for the three weeks he'd be doing the opera, but there's also rehearsal time, and I don't know how that would affect a voice, to rehearse an opera all day and sing Sondheim every night.

[Taryn]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 1:22pm

I LOVE Raul Esparza. LOVE to a ridiculous degree. But I just can't see him in this role.

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 1:36pm

RE: My initial comment about Esparza. Maybe I said it wrong, but I said that Riedel "speculated" that "Raul" may do ALNM. I wasn't implying that he was going to be involved. I guess I should have clarified further that Riedel was listing some of the suggestions that had been made to him. Sorry to have shaken up anybody's tailfeathers. Thirty lashes and a wet noodle for me.

[little_sally]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 1:47pm

God, I hope it's not Esparza.

And am I the only who finds Boyd Gaines boring?

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 1:52pm

Gaines absolutely blew me away in GYPSY, but I have little interest in seeing him as Frederik.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 2:26pm

It's true that Esparza, as talented as he is, is simply not right for the role, and for this production Gaines, Kline, and Spacey are all too old. I think whoever is cast as Frederik is going to be an out-of-left-field surprise.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 2:30pm

Both Boyd Gaines and Kevin Kline would have been splendid Fredricks once upon a time. They are far too old for the role now.

The idea of Kevin Spacey infecting any production of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC with his vile presence is too horrific to be thought about. On the other hand, it would provide a handy explanation for Anne's persistent virginity.

I'd see Esparza in the role. I'd see Esparza in just about anything. He might be a bit young, but better a bit too young than simply too old.

Updated On: 8/28/09 at 02:30 PM

[little_sally]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 2:40pm

After A Moon For the Misbegotten, I never want to see Spacey in anything ever again.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 3:15pm

The idea of Kevin Spacey infecting any production of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC with his vile presence is too horrific to be thought about. On the other hand, it would provide a handy explanation for Anne's persistent virginity.

I thought Spacey was excellent in THE ICEMAN COMETH and terrible in A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN (and his film roles of late have been crap), but I'm curious why the use of the word "vile"? I've heard about the gay rumors and some bizarre late night behavior in London ("mugged" in a park known for cruising at 2am? really now?), but has he done anything really that bad?

Updated On: 8/28/09 at 03:15 PM

[Roscoe]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 3:24pm

"...has he done anything really that bad?"

Only his dreadful sleepwalking interchangeable peformances in SEVEN, AMERICAN BEAUTY, GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, BEYOND THE SEA, K-PAX, etc.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 8/28/09 at 3:32pm

Ah, I thought maybe I missed some juicy bit of crazy gossip. I'd actually say four of the films you mentioned were some of the best of the 1990s (the other two are mawkish crap.) He had his peak in the late '90s and had been going downhill ever since. While he can sing, I don't think he'd be right for this role.