Mary Beth Peil Will Play Final Performance in ANASTASIA On September 23- Page 4

[LarryD2]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 10:19am

Judy Kaye, officially confirmed.

[Producer2]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 10:41am

Told you so!  No Chita!

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 11:29am

(It was supposed to be Chita.)

[VotePeron]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 11:44am

ColorTheHours048 said: "(It was supposed to be Chita.)"

If that's true, I wonder how they got to Judy Kaye from Chita? They don't seem like two sides of the same coin, like MBP and Chita do. Donna Mckechnie would've been an interesting choice. Judy is a WONDERFUL comedic performer so I'm interested to see how she'll handle this very not funny role?

[Bwayfan292]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 11:44am

I wonder what happend with Chita.

[PrinceAli]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 11:46am

As somebody who knows Chita... it was not. 

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 11:55am

It was a last minute change. Why else would they wait until 3 days before to announce? It’s not like Mary Beth Peil is selling tickets, nor is Judy Kaye going to bring in an audience (no offense to either woman, they are both marvelous).

[PrinceAli]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 12:00pm

They were building suspense/hype for a very lackluster show. The role is not fit for Chita nor would she be cancelling her upcoming appearances. 

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 12:04pm

Suspense and hype for who? This message board? Don’t think so. They couldn’t announce because they needed to secure a replacement. And they got a great one. Judy Kaye is fabulous.

[Kad]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 12:06pm

Not fit for Chita? All she has to do is be regal, dignified, and walk with a cane. She did that in The Visit.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 12:07pm

It’s also why Kaye is starting on the 28th - a Friday - and not the 25th.

[PrinceAli]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 12:46pm

To boost ticket sales making you think its somebody big coming in. They need all the help they can get.

[PrinceAli]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 12:46pm

Not a big enough role.

[Bwayfan292]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 12:50pm

Why is everyone acting like anastasia is in trouble? They are doing just fine. And like someone else mentioned in this thread, it was a big enough role to be tony nominated.

I think it would have been a perfect role for Chita, theres lots of stage time and she gets two solo songs. But Kaye will be great!

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 1:46pm

Bwayfan292 said: "Why is everyone acting like anastasia is in trouble? They are doing just fine. And like someone else mentioned in this thread, it was a big enough role to be tony nominated.

I think it would have been a perfect role for Chita, theres lots of stage time and she gets two solo songs. But Kaye will be great!"

Well, one poster seems to have a particular hatred for the show, but otherwise, I think it's because the combination of Mean Girls and Frozen did cause their box office to take a hit. To my knowledge, though, you're correct - they're still meeting/exceeding their weekly nut, and while their days in the million-dollar club are over, I don't think they're in danger of an imminent closing quite yet. 

[Kad]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 1:54pm

PrinceAli said: "Not a big enough role."

I love Chita, but the lady is 85. The Visit is very likely the final large role in a Broadway show she'll have.

 

 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 2:00pm

Not for nothing, but we do have 91-year-old Rosemary Harris doing eight shows a week up at the Vivian Beaumont...

[Fan123]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 5:53pm

It's fun that Judy Kaye is doing this, given that she previously played the Anastasia-or-is-she character in a version of that other, Wright and Forrest musical based on the same play. For those interested, cast recording samples here: https://www.allmusic.com/album/anastasia-affaire-original-cast-recording-mw0000405719.

[StardustsChild]

Posted: 10/14/18 at 2:30am

Has anyone had the opportunity to see Kaye in the role yet? I would love to know how she is faring.