My goodness, some of you do enjoy beating a dead horse. If clubbing equine corpses ever becomes an Olympic event, BWW will have more than its share of gold medalists.
I knew this thread would go this way and I refrained from commenting earlier becaue I didn't want a migraine at work.
But I have a couple of comments.
First of all, it's 2007. The SF run of Lestat ended over a year ago. The Broadway production ended about ten months ago. Even for those of us who did like some things about it (how shocking), who reminisce once in a while about its brief run, and who would still like to have a cast recording it's still water under the bridge.
Hugh took a big risk in leaving Phantom for Lestat. He knew it was a gamble and it was, sadly for Hugh and others involved, one that did not pay off. There were many, many problems with the show that went far beyond the flaws on stage. I do know that a lot of the things that were mocked here...his accent, body language...were, in large part, part of the director's take on the character and were dropped by the time it came to NYC. But most of what I know comes from off-the-record conversations and I would prefer to leave it that way.
Hugh has moved on. He did "Company" in Seattle. Both he and the production itself deserved the good reviews they got. He's done several concerts...Broadway Romance in Oregon, a very touching cabaret benefit for amFAR performed under the worst circumstances (including spider-bite induced fever and chronic problems with the sound system), and taken part in several concerts back in NYC, including BWW's own holiday show at Joe's Pub and last week's Leading Men II benefit.
And, while there are still fans who miss Lestat, who wish they could've seen it, who discovered and love Hugh because of it, most of his fans have also moved on and are looking forward to other projects from him...the Broadway Musicals of 1938 concert next month, the solo album he is currently focusing on, etc.
But to read this thread, you'd think that Lestat was the only role that Hugh has every played in the now thirty years he has been working in theatre. Like anyone in the business, his career has had its ups and downs and, unfortunately, Lestat happened to be a down.
But it's just one chapter. Those of us who know and admire him look forward to the rest of the story.
~ Paula
PS No pun intended, but the Panera bread jokes got "stale" at least two years ago.
http://www.hugh-panaro.net
