Miscast in Movie Musical Adaptations

[Theater_Nerd]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 7:58am

Film adaptations of Broadway musicals

Ann-Margret in "Bye Bye Birdie"
Janet Leigh in "Bye Bye Birdie"
Elizabeth Taylor in "A Little Night Music"
Pierce Brosnan in "Mamma Mia!"
John Travolta in "Hairspray"
Amanda Seyfried in "Les Miseables"
Richard Beymer in "West Side Story"
Lucille Ball in "Mame"
Daniel Day Lewis in "Nine"
Nicole Kidman in "Nine"
Omar Sharif in "Funny Girl"
Barbra Streisand in "Hello Dolly"
John Kerr in "South Pacific"
Tab Hunter in "Damn Yankees"
Peter O'Toole, James Coco and Sophia Loren in "Man of La Mancha" 

 

 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 8:03am

Gerard Butler in The Phantom of the Opera
Madonna in Evita
The Original Cast Members in Rent
Diana Ross in The Wiz

Updated On: 1/19/16 at 08:03 AM

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 8:05am

Almost all of the cast of "Grease".

[Dave19]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 8:07am

It has to be Hugh Jackman in les Miserables. One big parody.

 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 8:10am

_|_

Updated On: 1/19/16 at 08:10 AM

[Theater_Nerd]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 8:33am

One more from "Bye Bye Birdie": Jesse Pearson - they should have cast Dick Gautier.

 

I didn't mind the original cast from "Rent" in the film. In my opinion it was the execution of the material that was off the mark.

 

I agree with Diana Ross in "The Wiz". She had absolutely no business being in that film.

 

"Grease" was definitely a mixed bag.

 

Another from Les Miserables: Russell Crowe

 

 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 8:48am

I didn't mind the original cast from "Rent" in the film.

 

And I actually didn't mind Russell Crowe nor Amanda Seyfried in Les Miserables.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 9:11am

I thought most of the cast of Grease was good in their roles, despite their ages. When it comes to being miscast in movie musicals, I think it usually has to do with a lack of talent (frequently vocal) or being wrong for what the character originally was on stage. Russel Crowe was wrong for the former but right for the latter. Barbra in Dolly was the reverse.

[Theater_Nerd]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 10:32am

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "I didn't mind the original cast from "Rent" in the film.

 

 And I actually didn't mind Russell Crowe nor Amanda Seyfried in Les Miserables."

 

That's great Jeffrey, we are all entitled to our own opinions. Thanks for contributing to the thread! 

 

 

 

Updated On: 1/19/16 at 10:32 AM

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 10:41am

What was miscast about James Coco as Sancho?

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 10:45am

Marlon Brando in Guys And Dolls

[Theater_Nerd]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 11:44am

Mr Roxy said: "Marlon Brando in Guys And Dolls

 

Yes. I would have to agree with this. His singing voice is not pleasant to the ear...at all. 

[Theater_Nerd]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 11:46am

henrikegerman said: "What was miscast about James Coco as Sancho?

 

Okay, maybe I was a little hasty in naming Coco. He wasn't so much miscast as he was just annoying to me. lol! 

 

 

 

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 11:49am

Frank Sinatra always referred to Brando in Guys as "Mumbles"

Updated On: 1/20/16 at 11:49 AM

[illiniparkie]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 11:53am

Theater_Nerd said: "Film adaptations of Broadway musicals

 

Ann-Margret in "Bye Bye Birdie"
Janet Leigh in "Bye Bye Birdie"
Elizabeth Taylor in "A Little Night Music"
Pierce Brosnan in "Mamma Mia!"
John Travolta in "Hairspray"
Amanda Seyfried in "Les Miseables"
Richard Beymer in "West Side Story"
Lucille Ball in "Mame"
Daniel Day Lewis in "Nine"
Nicole Kidman in "Nine"
Omar Sharif in "Funny Girl"
Barbra Streisand in "Hello Dolly"
John Kerr in "South Pacific"
Tab Hunter in "Damn Yankees"
Peter O'Toole, James Coco and Sophia Loren in "Man of La Mancha" 

 

Pierce Brosnan's singing in Mama Mia was so bad, it was almost laughably camp.  Of course, that whole movie felt so camp to me that I guess he fit right in.

 

Amanda Seyfried was terrible in Les Miz, or rather, her voice was.  I know Russell Crowe gets most of the hate for this movie but Amanda's tiny warble stuck out much worse to me.  And I thought she was okay in Mama Mia.  Just goes to show you what sound engineers can do in a studio vs. singing "live" as they did in Les Miz.

 

Lucille Ball was just overall miscast for Mame.

 

I also thought Helena Bonham Carter handled the acting fine in Sweeney Todd and Les Miz, but her singing voice in both is very weak. 

Updated On: 1/19/16 at 11:53 AM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 1:10pm

Russell Crowe would've been great as Javert in a straight-up novel adaptation. But alas.

 

[evic]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 1:49pm

Lee Marvin and Jean Seberg in "Paint Your Wagon"

Minnie Driver in "Phantom Of The Opera""

[luvbrdway]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 1:56pm

Audrey Hepburn: My Fair Lady

Vanessa Redgrave: Camelot

I'm a Julie Andrews fan, if you couldn't tell.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 2:02pm

Marvin was the only good thing in an otherwise wretched movie.

[Ranger Tom]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 2:31pm

I agree with Jackman and Crowe in Les Miseables.  I'd add Helena Bonham Carter (and her performance in Sweeney Todd).  Anna Kendrick in Last Five Years - she's ok but there are so many better voices out there to match Jeremy Jordan.  Meryl Streep was ok in Into the Woods but, again, could have found better (BTW - didn't mind Anna K. in ITWs at all).  Matthew Broderick in Producers - yes, I know he originated the role but in the movie he was just a caricature of a caricature of him playing the role.  I agree with luvbrdway on the Hepburn and Redgrave in Lady and Camelot.  

[AngusN]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 3:51pm

Catherine Zeta Jones in Chicago. I always envisaged Velma to be more worldly, experienced and older than Roxie. I felt she looked too clean cut.

The biggest travesty in movie musical casting has to be Helena Bonham Carter's Mrs Lovett. 

[TweetyPie2]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 4:58pm

Somebody beat me to Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. I can't watch that movie. And, yes, I agree with Vanessa Redgrave in Camelot, too. I grew up on those Julie Andrews cast albums and the movies were soooo disappointing.

Updated On: 1/19/16 at 04:58 PM

[gypsy101]

Posted: 1/19/16 at 6:27pm

Ranger Tom said: "Anna Kendrick in Last Five Years - she's ok but there are so many better voices out there to match Jeremy Jordan."

 

I watched it the other day when I found out it's been added to Netflix. I was reminded that, while I find Jeremy Jordan to be a terrific singer, I find him a completely bland screen presence. I like Anna Kendrick in the role, because the fact she's not a superstar vocalist but is a capable one works well for the character struggling so much in musical theater. Great singers like Sherie Rene Scott and Betsy Wolfe playing the character make me think "damn, why isn't this lady a Broadway star by now?"

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 1/20/16 at 3:06am

 

ANN MARGRET?! She's the only salvageable aspect of that movie adaptation of Bye Bye Birdie.

 

Miscast for me was Anthony in Sweeney Todd. "Johanna" is a gorgeous sweeping song and his voice, like the rest of the cast was so THIN

[Princeton Returns]

Posted: 1/20/16 at 2:27pm

Hugh Jackman and Aaron Twait (Yes he can sing but had zero screen presence) in Les Miserables 

The three leads of Phantom of the Opera 

Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth in Mamma Mia

John Travolta in Hairspray

 

I'm not usually a fan but I loved Madonna in Evita, in fact for me it's one of the best stage to screen adaptions there's been