Fantasia to Announce Color Purple Stint on Idol Tonight

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 9:46am

According to Access Hollywood, Fantasia's "big announcement" tonight is that she's joining the cast of Color Purple.

Duh.

[InTheKnow2]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 10:04am

Just an attempt to boost ratings/sales for both Idol and Purple.
Weather or not she'll ba able to sing the role will be the real surprise, lol.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 10:05am

How about "acting" it?

[InTheKnow2]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 10:33am

They'll prob. market the similarities btw Fantasia and Celie (abuse, incest, etc) in their advertising to make up for her poor performance.

[jv92]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 11:27am

I hate her. I dislike the show. I hope it fails miserably, although it won't. But it would be nice if Michael Riedel could write one more wonderful column about how badly the show is doing at the box office. Just one more Michael. Please.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 11:29am

Some lovely negative energy in this thread.

[jv92]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 11:30am

SHE SOUNDS LIKE A DUCK WHEN SHE SINGS! How could one possibly be possitive?

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 11:46am

Kristin Chenoweth sounds like a duck when she sings and nobody seems to mind. There have been a lot of very well loved ducks in show business.

And the poor girl has yet to even enter a rehearsal hall. Criticism of a performance that hasn't happened yet is counter productive. It will give you pimples.

[Vespertine1228]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 11:47am

I think Fantasia is a great singer, but she's totally wrong for this part, and I seriously doubt she'll be able to do the 8 shows a week if LaChanze can't do them. Maybe she'll just do evenings?

Regardless, Fantasia has a more straight R&B voice. It's not clear or particularly pleasant to listen to for long periods of time. I just don't know.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 11:51am

La Chanze couldn't do eight shows a week of COMPANY. She's had vocal issues for a decade.

And Celie is probably a role that should have a matinee alternate. I see nothing wrong with Fantasia splitting performances.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 11:58am

I don't think she missed many perfs of COMPANY.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 12:02pm

Nothing compared to Boyd Gaines, but she missed a lot for a limited run. She also famously almost didn't do the cast recording.

[sidjones09]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 12:24pm

"Kristin Chenoweth sounds like a duck when she sings and nobody seems to mind. There have been a lot of very well loved ducks in show business."

LOL. I am with you Michael. I haven't said a bad word about Kristen on this board. I respect her talent, but I agree that she sounds like a duck, and I've never really cared for her voice. Whew, there I said it. But I've always wished her well in her career.

I admit, I also got on the premature criticism train of Fantasia's casting in a previous thread. But I am willing to give her a chance, and I'm actually very curious now about how her Celie will be.

[InTheKnow2]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 12:34pm

My apologies for contributing to the negativity on this thread but this is nothing but a cheap "stunt-casting" marketing ploy. The show is in serious need of help and considering LaChanze gave it the only industry recognition it was yearning for, I am incredibly surprised they would substitute her with a pop "idol".

Winfrey has already attracted the mass audience that is keeping the show afloat. What it needed was someone who would bring the theatre folk who have resisted it from the get-go. Fantasia will not do that regardless of how good or bad her preformance may be.

I wish them well

[sidjones09]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 12:41pm

I have to disagree with you InTheKnow. Yes, Oprah brought in a mass audience, but Oprah's mass audience is not necessarily Fantasia's audience, and she does have a fairly large one. Fantasia will definitely boost ticket sales for a little while. But the theatre audience you talk of, I don't think want to see The Color Purple regardless of who's playing Celie. Unless you cast Audra McDonald, in which case it will run at least until she decides to leave. (Disclaimer, in NO way do I think this is a good idea)

Updated On: 2/22/07 at 12:41 PM

[InTheKnow2]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 12:59pm

No need to worry sidjones09...

The producers don't like Audra so she won't be joining the cast any time soon. Besides, they almost enjoy the fact that the theatre community doesn't like their show even though it cost them at the Tonys. It puts them in a position of power for they feel this is in part due to racism. (Disclamer, I do not at all feel this is the case)

As for Fantasia, she may have a solid fan base but I don't think it is one partial to Broadway.

[MovieGuy1031]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 12:59pm

I BROKE MY SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-OOOE!

And eww. Fantasia. Icky.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 1:47pm

Michael Bennett, are you saying LaChanze didn't do the "Company" cast revival recording? I was almost sure that was her singing "Another Hundred People"...

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 2:37pm

I'll get a cobbler's hammer.
He said "almost".

[otis33]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 2:49pm

I love Fantasia. Next to Kelly Clarkson, she is probably my favorite of the American Idols. I did put myself through her horrible life story on Lifetime. She was not good. That doesn't take away from the fact that I think she's a fantastic singer.

I'm sure he'll answer before I get this posted, but MB was saying she ALMOST didn't do the cast recording.

[Kev]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 2:54pm

I'm not an avid fan of Fantasia (or her music...or that cheeseball Lifetime movie), but I'm here to give the girl come credit. It's not as if she's going in to play Mary in Mary Poppins; Celie seems like a suitable role, and one that she can sink her teeth into. I also think it is fairly obvious that Fantasia has always been fantastic with conveying raw and gutty emotion. So there...I may not be a current fan of the girl, but I'm looking forward to a promising venture with TCP.

[Julian2]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 3:01pm

I'm fine with "Idol" casting just as long as they can pull it off. So I'll wait until reveiws come.

[hilltop]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 3:46pm

Fantasia is scheduled to sing the latest single off her cd tonight. It's one of the blandest songs on the cd, so I wouldn't expect anything spectacular.

Next Wednesday she'll be on Oprah to sing I'm Here. She taped the show yesterday and reportedly brought the audience and Oprah to tears. So for the 5 percent of the board who hasn't written her off, at least wait until Oprah to make a decision on whether she can sing Celie's big number.

There are far bigger stars that Color Purple could have brought in to generate sales. But having seen the show, I think there are few singers more suited to Celie than Fantasia. Some may call her polarizing, but critics have always loved her, including her last cd.

[Colle]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 3:57pm

The only time I really got into Fantasia's singing on AI was when she sang "Summertime" from "Porggy and Bess." Wherever she will do well in "The Color Purple" remains to be seen.

[lawyerman]

Posted: 2/22/07 at 5:43pm

i just give the girl credit for taking on a role that is so enormous. ill reserve judgement for when the reviews come out, or if i ever actually bother to see this show.