How'd they get that part?

In your opinion, who are the casting choices that make you think WTF? I wonder if at some point during the development of a show, does anyone ever sit back and say..."Maybe we picked the wrong person.." I have many in mind but there is one person who comes on my Broadway channel who just makes me cringe, Elena Roger. What were they thinking.

Who are your WTF casting opinions?

Updated On: 7/8/14 at 01:37 PM

oops, thanks

I hear her audition involved peanut butter and a straw.

Just because a performance doesn't work for you, doesn't mean it doesn't work for others, including the director and the lead producers.

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That's exactly RIGHT dramamama, that's why they are called opinions.

No, I was lucky enough to see her live as well...

I'm not sure it's a mystery how Carly Rae got Cinderella...

She was the only weak spot for me in Evita. She worked physically for the part, which is probably why got it. She sounded like a shrill Nazi captain when hitting the high notes.

Promises, in what way does Courtney not work in the part?

Reed just doesn't have a beautiful, effortless Disney princess voice like we're use to hearing, so that was a bit of a let down. It's super nasal and forced.

The only one I can think of would be the Pippin u/s I saw. He was just so off the entire show. Off key, etc. I just wasn't into it.

I don't know if it's because everyone else had SO much more energy than Reed on stage, or if it was her voice that really bothered me, but she just felt very misplaced to me. I don't have the cast recording so I can't base it off of that, I can only base it off of when I saw it in NYC. I'm not a big fan of Disney to begin with, though, so that might be part of it too!

I'll expand the universe a little and include some guys.
Jerry Springer in Chicago as Billy Flynn (London-couldn't sing on key)
Paul Stanley as the Phantom (Toronto)

OK, I know it's all about putting butts in seats, but really...

I wasn't impressed by Elena Roger in Evita but on the night I saw her she wasn't horrible. Carly Rae did a serviceable job as Cinderella. I found her performance more what I would have expected from community theatre than Broadway. Fran Drescher, however was just cringe worthy.

And I found both Cheryl Ladd and Reba McEntire better in Annie Get your Gun so put me in the unimpressed by Bernadette Peters camp. One of the reasons I didn't see her in Gypsy. I haven't cared for her since I saw her do a Cabaret show in Toronto in the 80s. I know she's well respected and talented, but I just don't appreciate it.

Elena's voice was not suited to the score- she screeched. But they thought that because she was from Argentina, that she was authentic. She had little stage presence (she is tiny and seemed to be the only person in Buenos Aires under 6 feet tall and she was eaten up by the huge sets) and I never believed that millions of descamisados loved her because of her charisma and beauty. She had no fire and brimstone. But an excellent dancer. I didn't see her but read that Kelly Osborne played Mama Morton in Chicago in London. GOOD GRIEF!