Harriell to Succeed Olivo in IN THE HEIGHTS 11/18

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 12:05pm

"Marcy Harriell will join the 2008 Tony Award-winning Best Musical In the Heights on Nov. 18, taking over the role of Vanessa, which was created by Karen Olivo, who is soon headed into the new production of West Side Story.

Harriell has starred on Broadway in Rent and Lennon, and appeared in the Encores! production of Kismet. Her film work includes Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof." Other theatre credits include Lucky Duck (Old Globe); Little Fish and Sorrows and Rejoicings (Second Stage); and Company (Kennedy Center). Her TV credits include "Queens Supreme," "N.C.I.S." and "Ed."

Olivo will play Anita in the new Broadway production of West Side Story in early 2009. It will tryout in Washington, DC. She exited In the Heights on Nov. 2 and the role is being played by understudies until Harriell's first show..."

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/123085.html

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 12:12pm

She was my favorite Mimi in ReNT ever.

[PiraguaGuy2]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 12:14pm

I'm sure she'll be great.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 12:14pm

Very good choice. She has a wonderful voice.

[Sondheim_Geek]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 12:38pm

Good, safe, reliable replacement.

Marcy is a fine choice!

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 1:44pm

She'll be fantastic in the role. Wonderful talent.

[Ole Chum]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 2:02pm

I cant PICTURE this, but i can definitely *hear* it and it sounds awesome.

Ironic- Karen Olivo's Broadway debut was as Marcy's understudy in RENT.

[thejcm]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 3:38pm

I am so glad to see Marcy back on Broadway. That girl is insanely talented. Go to the tube and look for her version of "Another Hundred People" at the Kennedy Center (maybe?), it's amazing.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 3:53pm

Marcy was the worst thing about the Encores! production of KISMET.

The girl has a terrific voice, but there's a definite speech impediment of some sort and she looked terribly awkward in the costumes she wor in that show.

Maybe she'll fare better in something more contemporary.

[Ole Chum]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 5:04pm

funny, she got great reviews in that Encores! production, from what I can remember.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 5:55pm

I think she was competing for the worse performance with Danny Gurwin (although it was rumored that she had a cold). But, yes, I tend to like her more with less "operetta-like" music.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 6:01pm

That's great. Now I'm not as annoyed I missed Karen (twice- but who's counting). I loved her in Rent.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 6:15pm

Danny Glover DID have a cold. I met him backstage after the show.

[singtopher]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 6:24pm

Her "Another Hundred People" is incredible.

[broadwayfan7]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 6:25pm

I'm so glad for her!

[esparza 333]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 7:52pm

i am sure she will give a strong performance. I guess i will be seeing her in May. My choir in middle school is taking a field trip to see it.

[dg22894]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 9:32pm

I wanted Krysta to take over. I saw her on for Karen once and LOVED her she should have taken over.

[sundaymorning6am]

Posted: 11/6/08 at 11:39pm

also my favorite "mimi," and a long-time favorite actress of mine... i'm totally there.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 10:15am

She has a great voice...her ANOTHER HUNDRED PEOPLE on that site is gorgeous.

I'll be seeing her in two weekends!

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 11/7/08 at 10:26am

Her big song from "Lennon" is also on that site.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 11/8/08 at 9:12am

"I wanted Krysta to take over. I saw her on for Karen once and LOVED her she should have taken over."

I also was hoping that Krysta would take over. But then I was hoping the same thing for Drew Sarich when Aaron Lazar left Les Miserables. All I can say is:

Ain't this a bitch!

[sundaymorning6am]

Posted: 11/19/08 at 10:35am

Was anyone there last night?

How was she???

[Parks]

Posted: 11/19/08 at 10:54am

Supposedly she went on early--back on Saturday, I think.

[dshnookie]

Posted: 11/19/08 at 10:58am

I went to last night's show (though her first show was really Saturday) and thought she did an acceptable job. Shaun was on for Lin-Manuel so it was interesting to see two different leads in one evening. I felt she played the role with a little bit more sass and attitude than Karen which I liked, but I think I prefer Karen's Vanessa. I think they're pretty comparable singing wise, although Karen has a big note at the end of "It Wont Be Long Know" that changes in tone seamlessly, and Marcy's did not - I'm probably not explaining it properly, but if you listen to the OBCR and at the every end Karen sings "..I'm gonna flyyyyy" .. Marcy didnt sing it as well. I felt Marcy is a much stronger dancer than Karen, but I felt like neither Marcy or Shaun (who was almost phoning it in) have the stage presence of Karen and Lin Manuel. There was a scene where Daniela pulls out Vanessa's lease, and even as I sat in the front row ORCH right, directly in front of the actors in this scene I thought to myself "what is that?" and completely forgot Marcy was standing next to Daniela..and I've seen this show 3x prior, so I knew that was coming but I felt Marcy kind of got lost in the shuffle. Again, it's tough to critique when she has just started.

[NityaC]

Posted: 11/19/08 at 12:07pm

^ well that's depressing D:

Okay, well I haven't seen the show, and know very little about Marcy Harriell, so I won't judge yet.

But I definitely fall under the category of those who are heartbroken over Karen Olivo leaving.

Karen Olivo is...Vanessa. I can't seem to shake the idea out of my head. I'm just so used to her voice and interaction and presence on stage that I'd probably be sitting there when I watch the show wondering who that woman is who's standing in for Vanessa.

I rather liked the not-too-sassy portrayal of Vanessa's character that Karen had: she was more frustrated, more yearning, even childish on occasions. It felt real. Making Vanessa a sort of typical "sassy character" seems a bit blah to me.

But like I said, I'm only judging from clips. I'm really hoping I'm proven wrong, and that I'll enjoy Marcy as Vanessa just as much as I love Karen.

Oh, and I also loved the chemistry between Karen's Vanessa and Lin's Usnavi. For anyone who's seen the show lately, how does that relationship translate with Marcy and Lin?


I think I fail as a musical-watching audience because I tend to get attached to characters too easily. After I saw Kristen Chenoweth's jaw-dropping angelic role of Glinda, Megan Hilty's more down-to-earth approach just changed the show entirely for me.


Oh, I can't wait, but I'm still nervous about watching In the Heights... :P