How About No Stunt Casting? — Page 3

Emcee, Joey has quite a theatre background (so I was told) and I doubt he was able to pull in the crowds from the NKOTB days. I'm not sure if that really qualifies him as stunt casting.

And George Hearn is NOT stunt casting, excuse me.

QM

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"Deborah did this thing where she pointed all the time."

Example...

"You *points to Radames* forget that I *points to herself* am her *points off stage* property now, not yours *points to Radames again*.

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ROTFLMAO. YES! I think that was one of the very few times I actually stopped sobbing that day. Brilliantly bad acting.

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Why is it I always end up putting my foot in my mouth? Why don't I think before I hit "submit"? And why do I have to be so young and stupid? *sigh*

It depends on what constitutes "stunt casting". I mean, how is it defined, really? A celebrity in a show? Or just a celebrity who got the part b/c they're famous? And how can we ever know for sure exactly what role fame played in them being hired?

First of all, I KNOW that it was Vanessa WILLIAMS and not Carlton who was in Into the Woods. It was a typo, a misprint, me being really tired and not thinking. When I wrote it, I was definately NOT thinking of the person who sang that song about the thousand miles and time passing us by. And, I haven't heard good things about her run. Maybe you liked her, I've heard from many people who didn't, each to their own.

And I don't care how many shows Christy Carlson Romano was in before she was famous, that doesn't mean she should have been in BATB. From what I heard, her performance in that was really, really bad. Same thing for Joey Fatone- that man should not be cast as Mark in Rent, and he doesn't strike me as much of a Seymour either.

As for the cast of Spamalot, they are the best men to do the job. They deserved to be cast. Yes, absolutely, they are AMAZING. I wish them all the best, I wish Spamalot all the best, etc. But don't tell me that fame didn't help at least a LITTLE bit. Maybe it isn't a blatant example of stunt casting- however, their names help, and it'll be interesting to see how ticket sales go once they're gone (though, at this point, I can't imagine ticket sales dropping drastically... the nature of the show and the nature of the roles should be able to keep the show doing very well even after they're gone).

This is a pretty stupid issue, honestly. People should earn the parts they're cast in! *bangs keyboard in frusteration*

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I do apologize if this was already said, I didn't read the entire thread - only skimmed it.

I don't think it can be considered stunt casting if they originate the roles. These men are clearly the people they wanted for the role, and I think it is superb casting.

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Well, if I'm only basing my comments on stunt casting I've seen, then stunt casting sucks.

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You also have celebrities who started out in the theatre before they became "famous" and choose to return to it. Sarah Jessica Parker was a replacement Annie (and eventually a replacement Rosemary) long before Sex and the City propelled her to A list stardom. And those who started out famous before they chose to go into theatre (and work to prove themselves), like Joey McIntyre, need not apologize for their fame.

No STUNT CASTING???? You must be kidding or you've never looked at what it costs to mount a Broadway show. If you want things to change, try to get Equity to picket the New York Times every day. The Times does more to require stunt casting (and the obvious casting aside of wonderfully talented, trained actors who'd either like to have leads in shows or a first chance to be made a star by being cast as an unknown). If you could sit in on virtually any planning meeting with any successful, and I underline successful producing group you'd hear them say things like..."but is he an approved director?" (or actor, or writer) etc. And by that they mean they need to check to see if the New York Times approves the person. This is the only way they'll consider bringing a new show to Broadway (or off). But then this is the prevailing wisdom at most of the nonprofits. They must be critic proof to succeed. The New York Times is the biggest cause of this. There are many examples....but I'm sure producers learned a lot when they decided to bring The Graduate to Broadway. Great title, Great star...buck nekkid on Broadway. Who could ask for more? Well these guys did, and insisted that instead of making two stars, they'd cast two young stars in the roles of Elaine and Benjamin. And on the day they opened to lousy reviews they set a box office record for ticket sales.

Sorry....stunt casting isn't even an option any more.

Adam

I'm a little confused over why people think Spamalot has stunt casting...it almost implies that "hollywood" celebrities don't have the right to be on broadway...in some cases (like Spamalot) there are reasons why these actors are considered A-list...they're amazing!

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