It's Official! Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch to Star in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC Starting 7/13 — Page 3

Sorry but this is stunt casting plain and simple.

Desiree is supposed to have a European sophistication, not a Queens accent like Bernie has. It should be a Sophia Loren type not a Shirley Temple type.

And you have to believe that Madame Armfeldt was once a desirable lady, not the crass, loud foghorn of Stritch. It should be a Rosemary Harris type not a Shelley Winters type.

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I thought Shelly Winters was considered foxy back in the day.

Until November 7th.

Come on, they will no doubt be given plenty of room to make the show their own. The whole thing becomes deeper and more moving with a Desiree who really might have an age-related crisis. That alone puts a brand new, er, traditional stamp on this production. The whole concept of the 40ish Desiree seemed at odds with her eleven o'clock spot -- one of the most exquisite and emotionally satisfying numbers ever written for a woman d'un age certain, at least partially squandered, in terms of emotional depth and dramatic stakes, when delivered by a woman decidedly in her prime, no matter what century. I'm betting on Peters to restore some of the original luster.

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As long as that glorious score is being performed by 3 people, and as long as Ramona Mallory plays Anne as a frigid little bitch with a voice that can etch glass, this production will suck. As long as Fredrik's big scene with Desiree makes no sense because no man in his right mind would choose Ramona Mallory's idiotic spoiled brat schoolgirl over Bernadette Peters' Desiree, this production will be a catastrophe.

As long as it has Trevor Nunn associated with it, it will suck.

Two great actresses will do their best, no doubt, but even they can't save this disastrous production.

I may be wrong. Maybe they'll get Bartlett Sher to doctor the show. Please God In Heaven, let that be the case.

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It looks like they're signed throught Nov. 7, but the playbill article says tickets are on sale through Jan. 9 2011.

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Awful, awful casting.

Team Finneran!

I don't think you can argue stunt casting when two people who made their names in a composer's musicals are then cast in a production of his biggest hit. It's EVENT casting, sure. But I think what makes something "stunt" casting is that there's an element of danger involved. If it gets pulled off, it'll be amazing. Otherwise, it will be a disaster. Putting a pop star or a talk show host in a musical...stunt casting. Putting two huge musical theater actresses in a musical (even as replacements)...event casting. Totally fair if you want to argue that it's bad casting (though I personally think it's AMAZING). But I still don't think it counts as a stunt. Semantic argument to end now. :)

Agreed. Calling this "stunt casting" is pretty idiotic.

Stunt casting has nothing to do with casting respectable actors in challenging roles on Broadway.

Stunt casting would be grabbing the latest reality show "winner" and throwing them in a wheelchair to give that wooden ring speech.

When Mary Martin toured in Hello, Dolly! and Annie Get Your Gun, was that stunt casting? When Patricia Morison replaced Gertrude Lawrence in "The King and I," was that stunt casting?

When Paris Hilton plays Desiree on Broadway, THAT's stunt casting.

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I hope the "something else" Peters mentions talking to Sondheim about was the Kennedy Center production of FOLLIES set for next summer.

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When Paris Hilton plays Desiree on Broadway, THAT's stunt casting.

And Fredrik left her because she gave him scabies?

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