Hoff is PAL JOEY with Channing and Plimpton- Page 3

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 2:48pm

I remember those City Center revivals well. They usually ran two weeks and some of the interesting casts included: Elaine Stritch in Wonderful Town; Kaye Ballard in Wonderful Town; Sally Ann Howes in Finian's Rainbow (the only one to transfer to Broadway); Barbara Cook and Farley Granger in The King and I; Barbara Cook in Carousel (one time as Carrie, the other as Julie); Kitty Carlisle in Kiss Me, Kate; and others. Non-musicals included Helen Hayes in The Glass Menagerie and, the one I'd give my eye teeth to have seen, Tallulah Bankhead in A Streetcar Name Desire.

[AC126748]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 3:27pm

Sian Phillips makes a wonderful Vera on the 1980 London cast recording, and she is by no means a strong singer. She imbued Vera's numbers with a combination of sultriness and world-weariness which more than made up for her vocal shortcomings. I have a feeling that Stockard Channing's interpretation of the role will be similar to that.

[StockardFan]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 5:01pm

DefyingGravity, I hate to say it but I thought it was about The Hoff as well. I was like "huh?"

[StockardFan]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 5:10pm

Oh, and in response to the Stockard comments, I do realize she is not as great a singer as Patti, etc. But I think she is a good enough actress and a smart enough actress that she will pull it off. I mean I'm obviously biased because I really like her. Just my humble opinion.

[MungoGypsy8232]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 5:29pm

I'm really excited to see the rest of the casting!

[allofmylife]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 9:08pm

Have you not been reading this thread?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 11:24pm

Why should I wanna see an actor-who-can't-dance play Joey and an actress-who-can't-sing play Vera?

I don't wanna! I DON'T WANNA!

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 6/20/08 at 11:31pm

Plimpton is great casting.

Posted: 6/21/08 at 12:07am

I want to see it for pure interest sake but I can't pretend to know who would be good for what casting.

Looks interesting though. I'm sad it wasn't Matt

[singerunlimited]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 12:07am

can plimpton sing though?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 12:21am

can plimpton sing though?

God, THAT hasn't been brought up before...

[BdwyOpal]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 12:46am

I don't think anyone should say Christian Hoff can't dance if they're only basing their statement on seeing him in Jersey Boys. He only did what the part called for and there was a lot more movement in their performances that the real Four Seasons ever did. If you really watched him during the choreographed moves while the four of them were singing, it was obvious that he could handle a lot more than what was handed to him. Obviously someone else thought so too. We'll soon find out and I can't wait!!

[allofmylife]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 1:00am

BdwyOpal, if you had a talent like Gene Kelly or Greggory Hines, do you really want us to believe you would never ever have used it?

We're pretty knowledgeable on this site. We do our research. Some of the people blogging here have decades of experience working in the theater. If we say he's never danced in a show professionally before, he probably hasn't. So what was he doing with that world-class talent all these years, storing it in the closet until the right show came along?

This show was written for a superb dancing talent, not a guy who can sing and has moved nicely onstage in the two - count em - two shows he's done on Broadway.

He's being cast because he was in Jersey Boys. That's the plain, simple truth. They hope toi cash in on Jersey Boys success.

Maybe he can act the book (which is only about 40 pages without the lyrics) but he can't dance the numbers so what's going to be up there is a watered down version - probably the only version that's going to be on Broadway in 20 years - of one of the greatest, most groundbreaking shows of all time.

They could have done better, but they took the cheap and easy way out.

They could have had some balls and imported Adam Cooper, or found the next Gene Kelly or maybe had huge cajonnes and hired Savion Glover and done a black version.

Instead they got a guy whose only claim to fame is he doesn't play Frankie Vallie in "Jersey Boys."

It sucks and they better not believe in karma because the ghost of John O'Hara will haunt them forever and he was no ray of sunshine.

[johndebkowski]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 1:17am

i say just wait and see what happens, no need to get all huffy about it. When the reviews come out and the show opens, then argue about whether hoff can dance or not and whether channing and plimbton can sing. some people are taking this to a level of crazy... it's just a musical!

[allofmylife]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 1:53am

If they screw it up, it'll be ages before it gets another Broadway run.

And that's sad.

[BdwyOpal]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 1:55am

Allofmylife, without "decades of experience" I know he didn't dance in a show professionally yet. It's a limited run, so let's give him a chance to prove the bloggers wrong. He's probably taking lessons as we speak. I know some people who have seen Jersey Boys but would have no clue as to who he was by seeing his name. John Lloyd Young is another story. His name is recognizable to the masses who have seen the show. But, forget about him, he can't dance! Oh, let's not go there, we'll be starting Round 2.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 1:57am

I had no idea Christian Hoff had such Claymate-sounding fans.

[A Director]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 3:50am

allmylife - Are you elderly enough to have seen Gene Kelly and/or Harold Lang play Joey? If not what you are basing your views of what is required in terms of dancing in the show?

Yes, you did you research at IBDM.com; did you do any research at Christian Hoff's website? His bio states, "His first break on screen was dancing a pas de deux with Shirley MacLaine in her television special EVERY LITTLE MOVEMENT." He was also in the LA cast of Hal Prince's production of EVITA.

Under credits, Mr. Hoff lists: Frank-N-Futter in The Rocky Horror Show, Sonny in Grease, George in George M, and Dick in Dames at Sea. Perhaps you know that George and Dick both TAP DANCE!

Sorry, but no one consulted you on who to cast. The production hasn't begun rehearsals and already you are condemning it.

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 9:07am

PAL JOEY has such a great score and libretto that it is a shame that more attention is not being given to the overall production, starting with the cast. The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization has so much control over productions of its musicals. One does not hear about the current SOUTH PACIFIC--one hears about RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN'S SOUTH PACIFIC. Why is there not a similar control over Rodgers and Hart musicals, whose scores are arguably as good or even greater than the scores of Rodgers and Hammerstein shows? At the very least, daughter Mary Rodgers(I forget her married name) should have been consulted about the Roundabout production, and maybe she was. One can only hope. Also, I can't understand why or how the libretto should be changed.

[joneswright08]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 10:04am

Hey "A Director", just want to make it clear that when Hoff was in EVITA, he was 11 or 12...

[allofmylife]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 10:41am

"A Director" if he's a dancer, I'm a direct.... oh, wait a minute, I used to be a director.

I will repeat my assertion that he's not primarily a dancer. I don't care if he "learned" to dance for a role, it's far from the same thing as being Gene Kelly or Bob Fossee. Unless, you've unilaterally rejigged the requirements for what we decide is "a world famous dancer."

And I didn't just read about the show in IBDB, which I rarely use BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE TO. After 40 years in the business of show, after 35 years of voraciously reading every book on Broadway, after 50 years of seeing Broadway shows, I think I'm pretty much an expert.

And Christian Hoff has never wowed me with his dancing on Broadway. And certainly never like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsvDiqzSUBQ

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 12:37pm

Frank-N-Futter in The Rocky Horror Show

What was that, the new, off-brand, slightly differently named production?

[A Director]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 2:31pm

I will repeat my assertion that he's not primarily a dancer. I don't care if he "learned" to dance for a role, it's far from the same thing as being Gene Kelly or Bob Fossee. Unless, you've unilaterally rejigged the requirements for what we decide is "a world famous dancer."

allmylife - In 1940, Gene Kelly was NOT "a world famous dancer." Are you using a royal "we?"

[JB Fan]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 2:38pm

What's wrong with The Rocky Horror Show? The role should be spelled Frank-n-Furter not Frank-n-Futter, but other than that...the title of the stage musical is The Rocky Horror Show. The film is called The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/21/08 at 2:49pm

"They could have done better, but they took the cheap and easy way out."

That's the Roundabout way of doing things.