Posted: 9/29/15 at 9:13pm
Aaron would be great as Chris!!! I really didn't like the one on the West End. I saw him as Marius too and he reminded me way too much of an old Katherine Hepburn.
Posted: 9/29/15 at 10:43pm
I have read several articles and they all say that only a few theatres can handle the technical size and scope of Miss Saigon. The theatres that are mentioned are the Lyric, Broadway, and Winter Garden. I think the Lyric might be too big. So what will it be, the Winter Garden or Broadway. Although Cameron Mackintosh can try convince ALW to close School of Rock, I think both the Broadway and Winter Garden are up for grabs. Thoughts?
Updated On: 3/5/16 at 10:43 PM
Posted: 12/27/15 at 2:18pm
Kim and the Engineer are cast: http://www.actorsequity.org/CastingCall/browse_notice.asp?NoticeID=39427&NoticeType=1
Posted: 12/27/15 at 3:33pm
Hopefully, this won't start the same argument that is going on in the Harry Potter thread, but Chris and his friend (John?) would provide perfect opportunities to cast non-white actor-singers in roles usually filled by white performers. Sadly, Kyle Jean-Baptiste is gone, but I would have seen him as a good choice for Chris.
Audrey Liebross
Posted: 12/27/15 at 3:49pm
AHLiebross said: "Hopefully, this won't start the same argument that is going on in the Harry Potter thread, but Chris and his friend (John?) would provide perfect opportunities to cast non-white actor-singers in roles usually filled by white performers. Sadly, Kyle Jean-Baptiste is gone, but I would have seen him as a good choice for Chris.
John is usually played by an actor of color in most professional productions (Peter Polycarpou excepted obviously). However, I don't believe his race is ever specified in the script, nor is Chris' for that matter. John also seems to usually be cast older than Chris, but again, to my knowledge the script never specifies that.
Kyle Scatliffe or Joshua Henry would both be great choices for either role.
Updated On: 12/27/15 at 03:49 PM
Posted: 12/27/15 at 4:13pm
John does sing that one line "Stop drooling white boy, you're losing your cool," but I think that's the one time Chris's race is mentioned.
Posted: 12/27/15 at 4:24pm
Joshua Henry for John! He'd be perfect!
Posted: 12/27/15 at 6:49pm
AHLiebross said: "Hopefully, this won't start the same argument that is going on in the Harry Potter thread, but Chris and his friend (John?) would provide perfect opportunities to cast non-white actor-singers in roles usually filled by white performers. Sadly, Kyle Jean-Baptiste is gone, but I would have seen him as a good choice for Chris.
Audrey Liebross
"
The only thing I find strange about that casting notice is that John must be "non-caucasian". The original John was caucasian and worked fine. Any race can work fine for that role.
Posted: 12/27/15 at 8:32pm
seaweedjstubbs said: "John does sing that one line "Stop drooling white boy, you're losing your cool," but I think that's the one time Chris's race is mentioned."
The alternate line is "farm boy," which I think can be used if Chris is non-white or both John and Chris are white.
Dave19, the original John WAS white, but very few after him were.
Posted: 12/27/15 at 10:55pm
Despite the affecting story and the brilliance of the music, I doubt I will see "Miss Saigon." I borrowed the original cast album from the library and couldn't even get all the way through. The story is too tragic, and it apparently isn't relieved by any comedy -- Boublil and Schoenberg made "Les Miz" seem cheerful by comparison.
I cry at the end of "Les Miz" every time I see it, but it's definitely an uplifting tale. When I listen to "They're Our Children, Too" and think about a mother's killing herself to give her child a better life, I become thoroughly depressed. BTW, I haven't seen the Broadway version or the touring version of "If/Then" either because, when I saw a Washington, DC preview, I cried my eyes out and became thoroughly depressed by the ending of the Beth (?) scenario. What can I say? I cried at the end of "Lincoln," even though I already knew the ending.
I believe that a musical must have substance in its story to become timeless. However, if the show's substance leads to a thoroughly unhappy denouement, I can't embrace it, despite its gravitas.
Audrey Liebross
Posted: 12/28/15 at 7:25am
I think you will love the show Audrey, it definitely has a lot of comic relief.
It is better than Les Miserables in my opinion.
