Les Miz cast changes -- POST THEM HERE!- Page 5

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 3:13pm

Same here, Scrappy. Nothing personal, all in the spirit of engaging debate. I enjoy passionate discussions and I appreciate all viewpoints, including yours, which is from an insider's perspective. I guess my point is, and maybe this is just the pragmatist/pessimist in me, that nothing is guaranteed in the theatre (or in life for that matter) signed contract be damned. It sucks when I see a good performer lose a job or a show close because of, among many possible reasons, a producer's arbitrary and capricious nature or just because of plain old economics.

As for answering your question with a question, what can I tell ya
Updated On: 6/21/07 at 03:13 PM

[Little-Lotte]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 3:45pm

somethingwicked:

My good friend is the one who posted that information about Megan. We get our information from a cast member in the production so it is all accurate info, straight from his mouth. Apparently the whole thing was very much Cam just going in and firing people left and right, including the casting director. Max von Essen is sweating bullets now because he wasn't one of the newbies who was let go so he's trying to keep a low profile until things settle down.

Also Victor Hawks (who will have his final show this weekend) will be staying on for a few more weeks as an emergency swing for Valjean since it's going to take some time for Ben Crawford to learn the role and since Ben and Drew will have to alternate Javert until Robert comes in.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 3:46pm

He fired Tara Rubin???

[Little-Lotte]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 3:55pm

Whoever works for Tara Rubin that was responsible for casting Ben, Mandy, etc. has been sacked.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 3:56pm

Ah, gotcha. Thanks.

[Johnnytoc]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 4:17pm

Little-Lotte, is Ann staying as well as Max?

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 4:21pm

I don't understand Mackintosh firing the casting person. Though they brought the people in, didn't he have final approval on them getting hired for their respective roles?

With the way he's acting, you'd think he never saw these people perform before.

[Shawk]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 4:35pm

Well, maybe he's possessed. Now all we need is someone with amnesia and a long-lost twin and we'll have a soap opera.

What the hell is going on here?

[Little-Lotte]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 4:44pm

As of now both Max and Ann are staying until their contracts expire. Obviously this could change. Right now the only people that are leaving are the ones that Lea Salgona posted on her blog.

Cam didn't see these new people when they auditioned or since they started. I believe his first viewing of them was last Saturday when all this drama started and obviously he didn't like what he saw.

I just think his sudden dismissal of actors is ridiculous, considering someone like poor Ben Davis has been in the tour and Broadway companies off and on for years!

IMHO, if Cam wants this "new and improved" Les Miz to be how he wants it, then perhaps he should sit in on the auditions. Otherwise he should have no room to complain unless said people aren't doing their respective jobs.

[MerMaggieGalinda]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 4:50pm

I agree. I think all of the actors being considered for the major roles should audition right in front of him so this doesn't have to happen again.

[friedrichVT]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 5:29pm

Cameron doesn't see the show that often and probably had NOT seen these performers in the show or at their call backs. That's why they have a resident Director who oversees castng. Les Miz is also one of those shows directed by committee, Be it John Caird,Trevor Nunn, Cameron who shows every now and again and their resident director who's name I don't know. Seems to be backfiring these days.

[massofmen]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 5:34pm

This is unreal.
Somethingwicked: you say that Cameron and everyone else liked your friend better than ms. mcginnis but only offered her the cover..does this make. any..sense...at. all?
If EVERYONE liked her better than they would have offered her the role. if the SOLE producer of the show. The man with ALL the power liked your friend better than ms. mcginnis then they would have offered her the role. Why would Cameron Mackintosh hire ms. mcginnis instead of your friend if he didn't think she could do the job better? They would just have swings and u/s do the role until they could find someone who can, ITS EPONINE! NOT HAMLET! gimme a break.
This is insane. and the person who said that the info came from a person in the show and thats how they know all about ms. mcginnis's fate of being hired for the role, than not, then given it again? Thats the biggest load of crap. Do you think the General management of a show would tell everyone what they are doing with the casting? I bet most of those people had no idea that mr. davis and ms. bruno were leaving until the day of. And if ms mcginnins was hired an fired and rehired (which makes NO sense) would she tell all these people about it? Probably not.
So i think in retrospect instead of listening to 4th hand sources and message boards that no one really reads, why not just wait for the official press releases. Or is patience and truth not virtues anymore. God I feel like this Board is turning into US Magazine.

"I hear one of the swings in Les Mis is marrying cameron so she can become the new Epoinine..I heard it from a friend who knows the dog trainer of the second asst to the head of Wigs at Les Mis"

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 5:34pm

friedrichVT, isn't Evan Ensign involved, too?

[musicaltheater1]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 5:35pm

Little-Lotte - "Apparently the whole thing was very much Cam just going in and firing people left and right, including the casting director."

Reply: I was going to say that Cam should have fired the casting director first. Recent decisions made by certain individuals have left a lingering question within the community on some selections in Les Miserables cast starting with Daphne. With due respect to Daphne, she was an amazing actress but her vocal style just didn't fit the play. Some of the newbies are also not up to par with the talents of the other leads. With this recent reorg, I truly wish the production will now be at the level that the fans expect it to be.

Updated On: 6/20/07 at 05:35 PM

[friedrichVT]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 5:41pm

Evan Ensign and Jason Moore are not associated with the revival.They have a new resident director. To address the issue of firing a casting director. A casting director is responsible for gathering the talent to present to the director(s) of a show. Ultimately they are not responsible for their getting cast,nor do they have ANY approval in casting. They are solely responsible for gathering the talent and finding people they feel are appropriate for the roles. The resident director(s)/producers have casting approval. Cameron may have fired the resident director (which I don't know if he did) but I hardly think they fired the casting associate as all they did was get the actors in front of the casting powers that be.
Updated On: 6/20/07 at 05:41 PM

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 5:45pm

"Somethingwicked: you say that Cameron and everyone else liked your friend better than ms. mcginnis but only offered her the cover..does this make. any..sense...at. all?"

Read back the posts. Rath said that, not me.

Updated On: 6/20/07 at 05:45 PM

[massofmen]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 6:12pm

i apologize

[friedrichVT]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 6:26pm

a casting director was not responsible for Daphne's casting. Kevin Stites, the musical director/supervisor, approved her vocals and even if he hadn't, trevor nunn or john caird could over ride his decision.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 6:31pm

Read my post again. I never said they liked her MORE than McGinnis - how could she possibly know that?

[p.s.]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 7:11pm

a casting director was not responsible for Daphne's casting. Kevin Stites, the musical director/supervisor, approved her vocals and even if he hadn't, trevor nunn or john caird could over ride his decision.

So -- even if he hadn't ? Did he or didn't he?
And if Kevin Stites, at that time, did approve her vocals, does that make him responsible for Daphne's casting, and retention for four months.

The musicians, from the time of the previews, recognized DRV's performance as a serious weakness. The powers that be, aside from the musical director, could have / should have recognized the same.


p.s. At Daphne's last performance, there was cheering in the pit when it was announced to the musicians that the switch would be made 'back' to E flat major.
[Daphne's IDAD was in D flat major.]

[Little-Lotte]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 7:42pm

massofmen - "They would just have swings and u/s do the role until they could find someone who can, ITS EPONINE! NOT HAMLET! gimme a break.
This is insane. and the person who said that the info came from a person in the show and thats how they know all about ms. mcginnis's fate of being hired for the role, than not, then given it again? Thats the biggest load of crap. Do you think the General management of a show would tell everyone what they are doing with the casting? I bet most of those people had no idea that mr. davis and ms. bruno were leaving until the day of. And if ms mcginnins was hired an fired and rehired (which makes NO sense) would she tell all these people about it? Probably not.
So i think in retrospect instead of listening to 4th hand sources and message boards that no one really reads, why not just wait for the official press releases. Or is patience and truth not virtues anymore. God I feel like this Board is turning into US Magazine."

That is the situation going on with Megan McGinnis at the moment. She is the understudy, so in absence of Mandy Bruno, she would be going on as Eponine until they could find someone else for the role permanently. When the press release stated she had gotten the role "full time" it was because she was given it full time and they would only need to look for another ensemble member to replace her instead of a new Eponine. I believe (I'm not saying this thinking is entirely true but based on what's going on it seems plausible) is that the press announcement was released rather prematurely and that Megan did not get the role full time at all but she's doing it full time until they find an Eponine that makes Cam happy.

And the cast were obviously made aware of what was going on as this was happening! It's not like these people work in offices and only speak to eachother at a lunch break. Many of them are very close friends with eachother so if someone is fired and/or promoted, they're gonna know the day it happens and if something doesn't go as planned, they're gonna be upset and tell everyone else in frustration/happiness/etc.

I give kudos to this cast for all the crap they've had to put up with (and not just with the last two weeks, there's been issues going on with this show for months) and yet they are still able to put on a great show.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 8:50pm

What about Caissie Levy for Eponine?

[COOOOLkid]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 8:59pm

Oh gosh...

When was the last time that multiple actors were sacked during the show's run?

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 9:01pm

1996 -- and if you'd read more of the thread, you'd have known that already.

[Livewire413]

Posted: 6/20/07 at 9:06pm

Massofmen- Im not sure that the cast is privvy to every detail concerning hiring and firings but they definately have more advance knowlegde than just the day of the last performance. Lea Salonga stated on her blog that there were a lot of cast changed coming that she wasnt allowed to talk about until official info was released but she posted that she knew they were coming at least a few days before people's last shows. I doubt that the cast would be in the dark about changes then on people's last day be like "surprise, its our last show" That seems a bit silly.