Les Mis Houston TUTS cast

[Neverandy]

Posted: 2/26/09 at 2:04pm

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/126354.html

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/26/09 at 3:59pm

It's sad to see TUTS still rarely casts locals in any leading roles. It's the Equity Catch-22. Actors work their asses off to get an Equity card so they can be compensated fairly and be eligible for benefits, but are competing for spots in a handful of theatres and even then are lucky to be considered for a featured role at best.

[Neverandy]

Posted: 2/26/09 at 4:56pm

There are Local Equity actors in this production. They might not be featured but they are in it. TUTS is one of the highest paying and most respected regional theaters in the country.Any NY actor would love to work there. It's not like it's the local small town summerstock.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/26/09 at 5:19pm

Oh, I grew up in Houston and know TUTS inside and out. I'm just saying with the abundance of talent in Houston, it's a shame they cast leads outside the local talent pool. I agree that NY actors would love to work there, but other than the odd celebrity to generate ticket sales, there is no reason why TUTS shouldn't be giving leading roles to Houston actors. I've known several actors to give up their Equity cards in frustration due to the lack of faith in their own actors, many of which TUTS trained.

[philly03]

Posted: 2/26/09 at 5:48pm

Yay a little bit of a Jekyll & HYDE reunion for Rob Evan & Andrea Rivette (I'm baffled why the article doesn't even mention that the two starred in that?)! Good cast...really!!!

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 2/26/09 at 5:53pm

I saw Rivette as Fantine at Sacramento Music Circus. She was generic, but good.

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 2/26/09 at 9:50pm

Happy to see some of my friends working! I especially enjoyed Hunt's Javert.

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

Posted: 2/26/09 at 10:09pm

Oh, wow, I LOVED Rob Hunt as Javert. His "Stars" was the best I've heard. And he worked well with Rob Evan's Valjean, so it's great to see them together in the show again.

Actually, there are a LOT of cast members who were also in the show when I saw it at Wolf Trap. Anderson Davis as Marius and Ed Watts as Enjolras were both in the show (and very good!) and I recognize at least three of the ensemble members.

Good luck in the show, Neverandy!

[barbl lyons]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 12:10am

Generic but good? What does that even mean?
I saw her and thought she was great. A show that has run that long attaches certain expectations for how a character should be played.
I wouldn't say it was generic necessarily. I thought she fulfilled what Fantine was supposed to be and probably the best I have heard the role SUNG, EVER. I understand what you mean but how does one REALLY make a role like Fantine their "own"? Daphne Rubin Vega tried that and it didn't go over too well! People have certain expectations when it comes to these kinds of roles and Rivette surpassed my expectations for sure. I saw it in Sacramento too and wasn't crazy about the whole in the round thing. I saw a LOT of people's backs for too long. Rivette included. THAT certainly wasn't her fault.
But whatever. That's what these boards are for, expressing opinions. I have been a reader of this board for years and just decided to join. I'm also a long time fan of Andrea's from when she was in Miss Saigon as Ellen, so your post caught my eye and I wanted to reply.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 12:19am

Hi, Andrew.

[HOUFlip04]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 12:34am

I know most of the Houston Equity members, especially the regulars at TUTS and none of those names on the cast list rings a bell.

[BrianS]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 1:16am

"there is no reason why TUTS shouldn't be giving leading roles to Houston actors."

Since TUTS wouldn't have to pay to house Houston actors, it would be cheaper to hire them... which is exactly what TUTS would do if they truly were on par with the NY talent getting hired. Your heart is in the right place, but your logic is flawed. Every theater company is dollar conscious and they wouldn't be spending the extra money to fly in and house out-of-state actors unless they were the best actors for the roles.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 12:28pm

Since TUTS wouldn't have to pay to house Houston actors, it would be cheaper to hire them... which is exactly what TUTS would do if they truly were on par with the NY talent getting hired.

That would make sense if there were no successful or gifted Houston actors over the last...40 years or so? But this sort of casting practice is what drives the best talents in Houston to leave. It's not that the actors aren't talented enough, it is that TUTS is still stuck in the past and has little faith in its own community.

Every theater company is dollar conscious and they wouldn't be spending the extra money to fly in and house out-of-state actors unless they were the best actors for the roles.

Sure they would. I'm VERY familiar TUTS and the Houston theatre scene. TUTS is very old-school and have continued their same casting methods and marketing ideologies for decades. Houston actors are only considered for leads if they leave Houston, work in New York for a while, and then possibly return with some marketable credits that will look good in a Playbill bio, ad or news story. It can be the same talent, same actor, but the idea that New York somehow makes everyone better is so hopelessly dated, especially if TUTS has been employing the same actors in featured, minor, and ensemble roles for over ten years.

[Neverandy]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 2:13pm

hello Lizzie.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 3:09pm

Andy and Lizzie sittin' in a tree...

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 3:15pm

<3 Andrea Rivette!

[Neverandy]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 3:37pm

ha ha! While I'm sure it's now obvious who I am, I have no idea who Lizzie is!

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 6:56pm

Yawn. It's TUTS, who cares? Presenting bland and safe productions for the past number of years. The best thing about going to a TUTS production is going to The Hobby Center.

Thank you but I'll go to: The Alley, Stages Rep, Main Street, DiverseWorks, Ensemble Theatre, UH Theatre, Rice Theatre, etc... before I go to a TUTS show.

Updated On: 2/27/09 at 06:56 PM

[doubleentendre]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 10:10pm

I'd go to TUTS (after a truly boring experience there once) just to see a couple (okay one) of those cast members sing his face off. Mmmmmm.

[bwayboi4life42]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 11:16pm

Agreed, Caroline. TUTS has produced an exciting piece of theatre since at least 2002 (that's as far back as I remember off the top of my head).

The tour of Les Mis was just in Houston about three years ago. Rent was just here last year, and it's coming back for another weekend this season.

I have no reason to pay the money to see a TUTS show. The tours are usually okay quality, but they're never exciting pieces of theatre (this year Color Purple, Legally Blonde, Rent), and the TUTS produced shows are underwhelming and disappointing. The cast members they bring in from New York are usually miscast (the one notable exception being Max von Essen as Tony in West Side Story, but even he couldn't save that show).

Other Houston companies are producing good-quality shows for less, like Masquerade (Parade, Chess, Lucky Stiff, Jane Eyre), Stages (Grey Gardens, Baby, Spitfire Grill), and Main Street (Light in the Piazza and Caroline or Change). Theatre Lab has of late been doing new, less well-known musicals (Bright Lights Big City and Nursery School Musical).

My grandmother loves TUTS. She likes to go see musicals there and she loves them, no matter what. She loves all the flashy sets and costumes and high-energy dance numbers. I took her to see Parade at Masquerade- she said it was boring because there wasn't any "dancing or shiny costumes or high-kicking showgirls." She thought Legally Blonde was a lot of fun.

TUTS has its audience; I choose not to be part of it.

[barbl lyons]

Posted: 2/27/09 at 11:52pm

There is no reason they can't bring in more people from Houston to be in the show. Most regional theaters don't use local talents even for the chorus so at least this is a step in the direction you guys are talking about.
I think there is something to be said for bring in a New York cast. People with Broadway credits, etcetera. That doesn't mean the Houston actors aren't as good or better but this is how most regional theaters operate. As it is, I believe some people who were in the Atlanta TUTS cast were not asked back because they were told that the theater wanted to hire more local actors.
Like I said, that says SOMETHING. No?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 12:40am

ha ha! While I'm sure it's now obvious who I am, I have no idea who Lizzie is!

It's ok, when I said Andrew I didn't mean you, but I like you anyway.

[Calvin]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 11:34am

Does Frank Young still kick off every TUTS show with a 15-minute sales pitch? Smart guy, but those always drove me nuts (except for when he did it before "Hair" and all cast members were climbing all over him during the duration).

[Neverandy]

Posted: 2/28/09 at 12:29pm

Obviously I'm heavily biased :) but since TUTS brings in Large National Tours all year, doesn't it make sense that they populate their self-produced shows with Broadway/New York people as well? Right or wrong ,the subscription buyers certainly take those things into consideration.

Updated On: 2/28/09 at 12:29 PM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/4/09 at 5:00pm

Caroline-Q - Please tell me you used to attend shows at The Little Room Downstairs?

Calvin - Oh God, that dreadful curtain speech! "And next season, we'll be bringing back a Houston favorite, Little Mary Sunshine!...starring...(dramatic pause, rolling of the eyes, knowing wink)...JULIET PROWSE!!!" Then he'll go on about Fiddler, Kismet and Brigadoon featuring "Broadway stars", which would be anyone who played in a Broadway ensemble at any point in their lives but are more importantly, not members of the TUTS ensemble.

CHEERS AND APPLAUSE!!

The TUTS marketing strategy for the last 30 years: If it ain't broke...

I do remember a period in the late 80s/early 90s when TUTS was producing some really nice work including Evita, Kopit and Yeston's Phantom, Jesus Christ Superstar, Chess and The Most Happy Fella. And their contribution to the Miller Outdoor Festival was always a blessing (not to mention a return to their roots). But I do think they owe their home-grown dedicated talent a little more than simply a pat on the head and a sympathetic smile.

but since TUTS brings in Large National Tours all year, doesn't it make sense that they populate their self-produced shows with Broadway/New York people as well?

Not really. I guarantee the majority demographic of subscribers has never heard of a single performer announced for Les Miserables. They see the word "Broadway" and trust that it is synonymous with "best" simply because TUTS trusts that they don't know any better. If they cast locals and simply ran the bios of the NY actors in the Playbill, the audience would never know the difference.