I thought he was one of the bigger problems with the promising but ultimately mediocre Cry Baby. The talented leads were miscast. Snyder had no danger and was overpowered by Stanley, whose voice and essence were ill-suited for much of her material. Great choreography though.
Snyder's "Soliloquy" was phenomenal. It was by far my favorite scene in that production. If anybody is planning on seeing Carousel, you should go! Snyder and Wicks were amazing!
I've had a lot of respect for Snyder since I saw him in a dog of a musical called Dangerous Beauty a couple of years ago in Pasadena. The show was awful but he was terrific, great voice, great presence.
I hope James Snyder is able to make it back to Broadway eventually. I thought he was horribly miscast in Cry-Baby but I absolutely loved him in Fanny at Encores! a couple years ago...he has a really lovely voice and presence.
Another enjoyable interview, Dollypop. You know I always enjoy reading your articles. Jenn Gambatese is a friend of mine and I know the entire cast is having a fabulous time in Conn. this summer. The video clips I have seen look great. Thanks again for another enjoyable read. I feel that you always put your interviewee at ease.
While I can't see it wiping away any of my memories of the Hytner production on tour, I have to say, the brief clip posted here really made me wanna see this production, and I like Snyder's take on the character.
Somewhere, I can't find the comment now (it must be another thread) about whether it's too soon for a new Carousel on Broadway, I think if done right, it absolutely isn't. Didn't they have a production that ran in London for a year or so a while back, and was a minor success (though it didn't sound anywhere near as interesting as Hytner's and I remember hearing it had Woman in White style projected sets which seemed wrong for the show). So if it worked there in a so/so production, and London had Hytner's production just a bit before NYC...
The most recent London revival was a mess. Cheap looking sets and cartoony projections, the majority of the acting was very amateur and really took the material at face value making the entire show seem stupid (something Carousel definitely isn't). The only shining features were the Julie and the Louise.
"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.
