Laura Benanti in "The Wedding Singer"

I don't know what anybody else thought but I personally really liked her in the role. What interview was it?

I remember seeing the show and feeling like she just didn't fit in; there was something about her performance that didn't seem to gel with the show. But I also remember liking her song the best out of all the songs in the show ("Someday when it's me...".

I saw the show 3 times (it's my #1 guilty pleasure show) and I could see how she would think herself to have been miscast and I could agree. I mean it was not such a big miscast that it brought down the show or made her look bad. I think the issue was not so much the score but Benanti being sort of limited in what she could do with the role. Bentani has a big strong personality on stage and that's not really the role of Julia who is a very sweet, quiet, demure, and I would even say meek character. You could see Bentani really wanting to go bigger and further with the stuff she was given but being very limited to how far she could push it. Forced to hold back and making it seem sort of awkward. I would have loved to see her taking on the role of Holly or Linda who are both I think more Benanti's cup of tea when it comes to being big and fun. She would kill the sassy comedy of the role of Holly.

Maybe I'm remembering incorrectly, but didn't she take leave due to a knee injury related to the show?

I never got got to see her myself - I saw Tina Maddigan, who covered for Laura during her leave and I greatly enjoyed - and it's been quite a while since I've listened to the recording, but I did always love her voice.

Laura's leave of absence was due to continued complications from her accident during Into The Woods. There's a lot more to it that I'm not sure whether she ever went public about, but her accident in ITW and the surgery that followed wreaked a lot of havoc on her body and life for quite a while.

iluvtheatertrash said: "Laura's leave of absence was due to continued complications from her accident during Into The Woods. There's a lot more to it that I'm not sure whether she ever went public about, but her accident in ITW and the surgery that followed wreaked a lot of havoc on her body and life for quite a while. "

She eventually did go public with everything, as she had started to gain a reputation, both within the industry and amongst the public, as someone who calls out a lot and was unreliable. As I recall, a big part of the problem is that the injury was misdiagnosed as to its severity and thus not properly treated at the time.

In regards to her casting in the show, I agree with many others that she was wrong for the part. They cast a rising young soprano and tried to force her into this weird pop-mix that didn't showcase her best talents. The role truly called for the sweet girl-next-door type, which is not what I think of when I think of Laura Benanti.

She's a wonderful singer, but I could see why she wasn't suited. She probably just didn't get enough to do. Love Some Day though!! I can connect with it so much!!

Never mind..

Updated On: 8/30/15 at 01:41 PM

Was she miscast? I thought so. Played too old and mature for the young, bubbly "Julia", and wasn't charismatic enough because of it. I remember sitting behind a woman who was clearly connected to the production, and at intermission she was on the phone discussing how the things they were trying to do to make her play "younger" seemed to be working (she mentioned adding a headband in particular). It's like she was giving intermission notes to someone. I didn't think it was working. Bottom line for me was she just came off as old, poised, and mature - not anything like the character should be.

As someone noted, she wasn't miscast enough to ruin the show by any means, but it didn't have the appeal I wanted it to have because of it. She apparently knew it too. Not every fiercely talented person is right for every role

She sounds great on the recording and she sounded great live. Laura is an excellent singer, but as an actress she wasn't believable as the girl next door. Tina played the role much better, the role didn't require a soprano to sing it. Tina has a great pop voice. I really enjoy both of their performances. Laura's just felt a bit awkward, I blame that terrible wig! haha.

There was awhile where everyone wanted to be in the Laura Benanti business, despite the health issues during ITH. She was the It Girl at the time, so I don't blame her or the producers for wanting to legitimize this musical adaptation, with someone of her caliber. It just wasn't the right timing or the right role.