Full Casting Announced For THE MUSIC MAN

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/28/21 at 4:41pm

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Complete-Cast-Announced-for-THE-MUSIC-MAN-Broadway-Revival-20211028

OH MY GOD THIS CAST!!!!!

[jo]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 6:54am

Check out their Twitter announcement -- photos of each cast member!

https://twitter.com/MusicManBway/status/1453866533818703877?s=20

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 7:24am

Jordan - this has been included in the other Music Man thread - lots of conversation there if you want to catch up!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 10:07am

A shame if Max Clayton never gets to go on for Harold Hill. I’d love to see him in the role.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 10:18am

CATSNYrevival said: "A shame if Max Clayton never gets to go on for Harold Hill. I’d love to see him in the role."

Yeah I'm seeing another Kevin Spirtas situation brewing. But if he does go on, I'm so there! 

[jo]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 12:08pm

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 12:20pm

We should expect Jackman to have sterling attendance unless he gets injured or sick...Max Clayton should stock up on some good books :)

If Jackman has any scheduled vacation weeks, I wonder if they'll hire a "Broadway star" to step in.

[jo]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 12:21pm

Above photo from first day of rehearsals courtesy of O&M ( via BroadwayNews)

Huge cast!

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 1:12pm

The new focus on mental health and it being okay if you are feeling off call out might give more Max more time as leading man as many suspect. Also, Hugh hasn't been in a full out Broadway musical in 18 years so he might be calling out more for rest. I'm surprised they don't have an alternate but I guess he doesn't want to disappoint anyone. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 1:45pm

The focus on mental health is a little different when you're Hugh Jackman and probably earning the biggest payday of any actor on Broadway this season. Audiences are paying to see him specifically and will be entitled to a refund if he is out. That's not saying Hugh's health doesn't matter, but it's different than someone like Adrienne Warren or Sean Alan Krill calling out. We'll see what happens.

By the way, for those wondering, the website lists some of the understudies. It only includes 3 swings (one man, one woman, one child) so we can assume 2-4 more will be added to the company. Kathy Voytko is the Marian understudy; Sean Montgomery is the Harold understudy in addition to Max Clayton as the standby. Perhaps Clayton will also be a swing.

And for folks keeping track of diversity, a non-scientific look at Google and headshots indicates there appear to be 13 people of color onstage (about 28% of the announced cast); Rashad Chambers is also listed on IBDB as the Associate Producer.

Updated On: 10/29/21 at 01:45 PM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 2:23pm

Right, I would not be surprised *IF* Hugh even calls out they’ll just flat out cancel the performance. They don’t want another Linda Mugleston situation on their hands.

Updated On: 10/29/21 at 02:23 PM

[sondheim94]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 2:31pm

Call_me_jorge said: "Right, I would not be surprised if Hugh even calls out they’ll just flat out cancel the performance. They don’t want another Linda Mugleston situation on their hands."

What's the Linda Mugleston situation?

[JSquared2]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 2:32pm

Sutton Ross said: "The new focus on mental health and it being okay if you are feeling off call out might give more Max more time as leading man as many suspect. Also, Hugh hasn't been in a full out Broadway musical in 18 years so he might be calling out more for rest.

Nope, sorry,wrong.  But thanks for playing!  Lolz

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 4:12pm

wsondheim94 said: "What's the Linda Mugleston situation?"

I don't know what the "situation" is, but Linda was the understudy for Bette Midler in DOLLY and went on a total of one time (at a matinee performance) when Bette had to call out at the last minute. Many ticketbuyers cancelled tickets that day –– and I don't blame them. If you pay $200 (or even more) to see Bette Midler, or Hugh Jackman, or Daniel Craig, or whoever...you want to see them!

[jo]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 9:12pm

Sutton Ross said: "The new focus on mental health and it being okay if you are feeling off call out might give more Max more time as leading man as many suspect. Also, Hugh hasn't been in a full out Broadway musical in 18 years so he might be calling out more for rest. I'm surprised they don't have an alternate but I guess he doesn't want to disappoint anyone."

But what a very busy and active time for Hugh after he ended his TheBoyFromOz run --

*Hugh is very athletic (school athlete in track/swim/rugby)  and is known to ski(snow), play tennis, golf, a lot of watersports ( his last Instagram story when he announced that rehearsals will start on Oct 28 showed him coming out of the water by his Hampton seaside home even when the weather was bad).

*He has a very strong sense of discipline ( he was performing with a foot stress fracture in the last few months of BoyFromOz - icing his foot before and after every performance) & never missed a show. Baz Luhrmann once said that he is the most disciplined and hardest working actor he has worked with.

*If you are not familiar with his film career -- since 18 years from TheBoyfromOz -- he has done so many films, in many cases with very difficult action scenes ( he once fainted while running up the mountain and "slashing" his enemies in Logan because the air got thinner - -but he actually prepared for it by doing dawn running up hilly places... in his last movie Reminiscence, he said he has never done such a  long underwater action scene). He would also multi-task ( while filming Logan, he would spend weekends screen-testing leading ladies choices for GreatestShowman - a movie which was his passion project which involved him helping develop the songs in a series of workshop and act as uncredited producer. There was one year - 2006 - where 6 of his movies were released, meaning he worked very hard right after BoyFromOz closed. His other movies were mostly intense drama(Prisoners/Prestige/Fountain), action films (lots of XMen), dark comedy ( Bad Education) and even in lighthearted ones, he does some action scenes (Real Steel/Chappie/EddieEagle). He also found time to host the 2009 Oscars (which opening number won an Emmy) and the 2005/2014 Tonys.

He was in a film adaptation of a sung-through stage musical - Les Miserables for which he earned his Oscar nod. That was a relatively short shoot...and involved some overnight filming and takes-after-takes scenes. He won a Grammy for being principal soloist for The Greatest Showman ( a project that took almost 8 years to finally see the screen).

*His 90-show music tour before the pandemic involved performances across Europe, USA, Australia and shows in Canada, Mexico & New Zealand. Full houses at the London O2, Madison Square Garden, Hollywood Bowl among others. The show was autobiographical and theatre-oriented,  involving production numbers from his film/stage musicals as well music from his personal soundtrack. Right after the tour, he immediately went into filming a movie before the pandemic struck.

I understand why regular Broadway fans may also want to see an upcoming performer get a crack at stardom... but that would probably only happen for Max at very long odds.  But the training he will undergo will not only be good for his biodata but also for further building up his triple-threat skills! So, not a wasted opportunity for being a standby to Hugh Jackman!

It is not good to wish that an actor in the theatre will miss one of his performances!

Besides, if Hugh cannot perform for a show, for some reason or another -- it is very likely that people (especially for those who paid premium seats presumably to see Jackman perform) will request refunds.  Even more true for those who are flying in from other parts of the world to see him.

 

 

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 9:24pm

Thrilled for Max Clayton. I’ve always loved watching him dance but this is a great part for him. Hoping he gets to go on - maybe a planned vacation or press for Hugh?

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 9:43pm

Yeah, your novels sure are funny. I'll never read it except one paragraph stood out and it's the only one I'll acknowledge:

"It is not good to wish that an actor in the theatre will miss one of his performances"

I never said anything like that. At all. Not even close. So, read more carefully next time and don't ever put words in my mouth again. Ever.

Rabid Hugh fans are some of the worst fans I've ever encountered. Gross.

Updated On: 10/29/21 at 09:43 PM

[jo]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 9:48pm

I did not say that you had wished him to miss a performance.  That was the general impression that was coming out of this thread (and the other related thread).  But since you hinted that Hugh may not have the physical and mental strength to do the 8-shows a week regimen, it was hard to argue about that without having to cite examples.

Not a "rapid" Jackman fan - LOL!

More like someone who has followed the career of an actor whose work profile and discipline has been praised by so many.

Cheers!

Updated On: 10/29/21 at 09:48 PM

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 9:59pm

jo said: "*His 90-show music tour before the pandemic involved performances across Europe, USA, Australia and shows in Canada, Mexico & New Zealand. Full houses at the London O2, Madison Square Garden, Hollywood Bowl among others. The show was autobiographical and theatre-oriented, involving production numbers from his film/stage musicals as well music from his personal soundtrack."

And a full house here in San Diego, as well.  His energy level was crazy !!  

 

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 10:01pm

I said rabid.

K, Jo.

[jo]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 10:06pm

Sorry, I saw your original post - and just thought I would lighten up our exchange by referring to that 

We are all Broadway fans here - let us enjoy the fact that Broadway is back...and that The Music Man will be part of that! 

[Highland Guy]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 10:25pm

And, of course, there was this !

JESUS  CHRIST  !!!!!!!!

 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 10:32pm

Highland Guy said: "And, of course, there was this !

JESUS CHRIST !!!!!!!!

 

"

Don’t remind me.

[jo]

Posted: 10/29/21 at 10:44pm

Lol - I also got tired watching that 2014 Opening number.

But what  a foreboding that show offered --

*Hugh doing a rap version with rap artists of the Rockland Opening Number from The Music Man

*Hugh dancing with Sutton Foster briefly.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/30/21 at 12:31am

Hugh and Sutton had great chemistry. Im seeing this show because I love the musical and I love Sutton, I can take or leave Hugh, won't matter to me if he's in or not. 

We are all Broadway fans here - let us enjoy the fact that Broadway is back...and that The Music Man will be part of that! 

True story Jo. Let's!