NEW 'ODD' MEN IN - nypost.com

[Rob]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 7:32am

Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick to the Odd Couple?

https://www.broadwayworld.com/l.cfm?id=17682

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 8:04am

Ya know..this could really be terrific. Especially if they flip-flop the roles every so often.

Posted: 1/7/04 at 10:09am

What a great idea! I've always wanted to see Nathan as Oscar, and I think Matthew would be a perfect Felix. These two are turning into a legendary pair. Do they publish a Broadway version of "Tiger Beat"!? (Quiz # 36: "Why Nathan's lips are soooo kissable!")

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 10:14am

Yes, Marissa, there is a "Tiger Beat" of Broadway. It's Called SHOW PEOPLE.

Posted: 1/7/04 at 10:15am

Ain't that the truth! *rolls eyes*

[ckeaton]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 10:21am

Super... when they are done with the Odd Couple they can take on some of the other great pairs:

Othello and Iago
Sigfried and Roy
Thelma and Louise...

[sheekala]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 10:29am

LOL! Thelma and Louise, maybe Jenna Elfman can make her up for her aborted debut in the Brad Pitt role?

Posted: 1/7/04 at 10:39am

Batman and Robin! (On more than one occasion I've heard Matthew referred to as "the boy wonder", so why not??)

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 10:40am

What a brilliant idea! Because NO OTHER ACTORS could POSSIBLY play the roles. I think Lane and Broderick should star in EVERY SHOW until they die. Well, them and Kristen Chenoweth.

Is there no original casting left?

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 10:44am

No, No, No, Mister Matt!
You need to add Sutton, Gavin & Audra to your list.

Posted: 1/7/04 at 10:52am

But Mister Matt, isn't everything about supply and demand? If Lane and Broderick supply what the public demands, why not them? The flip side is the oversaturation - people will undoubtedly get tired of watching them pair up, and the backlash will begin, probably very soon (undoubtedly you are already there).

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 11:05am

Who is demanding them? Where are the throngs of angry individuals with placards and bullhorns chanting "Matt and Nathan! Matt and Nathan!"?? I'm certainly not one of them. I would much rather see David Hyde Pierce and John Goodman in the show.

I don't think we'll be oversaturated with Sutton, Gavin, or Audra just yet, but the Lane, Broderick, Chenoweth obsession is just scary.

[Karma76]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 11:10am

I kind of agree that is plain OVERKILL.

Posted: 1/7/04 at 11:14am

The demand = the fact that you can't buy a ticket to see them. But I do understand people feeling that it's overkill. BTW, I would LOVE to see Pierce and Goodman pair up for TP. Great idea.

[sheekala]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 11:15am

I hear ya MM, let's only cast certain performers in ALL the roles. Now I happen to adore Nathan, yes I said it, believe it or not he's always be peachy to me, but the current state of casting has been putting the the same tired few people in many shows, and Merman they ain't....

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 11:20am

Once again the wants of the theater audience are at odds with themselves. We complain that there aren't enough theater roles to keep people from going to TV and movies, then when the same people get cast we say its overkill and that there's no demand for them and that new people should be given the chance instead of continually casting the same people.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 11:23am

MM, you haven't been here that long. A few months ago, the board was filled with comments that Sutton & Gavin would be "awesome!" in everything from PHAEDRA to SOUTH PACIFIC. Then there was the "Betty Boop" musical thread that elicited a tidal wave of Bernadettian proportions.

There hasn't been all that much for people to get hopped about the past season. Obsessions run in cycles. Now its Chenoweth, Menzels, Lane & Broderick's turn.

[Karma76]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 11:25am

Ok demand...people do want to see Nathan and matthew in the producers!!! NO DOUBT tickets sales tell you that. it IS however overkill to now pair them up as the Odd couple in essence to copy that appeal! I personally think it is a bit much now. Good theater just happens to force it to cash in just makes it sad i think.

[sheekala]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 12:10pm

I'd rather they do "Having Our Say"

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 12:24pm

Good theater 'just happens?'

Uh, no, good theater is a result of a lot of blood, sweat and tears, not some happy artistic accident.

They shouldn't 'cash in?'

What SHOULD they do? Keep good theater in a box on the shelf?

It's silly. They absolutely should capitalize on their success. It's good for them and good for the audiences that want to see them. They're not out to come over the hill and save theater for our children, after all.

[Craig]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 12:32pm

OK.. But I draw the line when I read this...

Lane IS Elphaba and Broderick brings a gentle sweetness to Glinda!

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 12:34pm

Oh, please, Lane would be a better Glinda. There's darkness in Broderick and the green warpaint is the one thing that will show it off!

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 12:37pm

JohnPopa - "We complain that there aren't enough theater roles to keep people from going to TV and movies" If there aren't enough theatre roles, then all the more reason to stop the overkill casting.

MasterLcZ - "A few months ago, the board was filled with comments that Sutton & Gavin would be "awesome!" in everything from PHAEDRA to SOUTH PACIFIC"

The obsession I mention about Chenoweth, Lane, and Broderick is not from the board, but from the articles posted by Playbill.com and Broadway.com regarding producers' interests in these actors to overuse them. Fan buzz is another thing entirely. It doesn't bother me at all.

[tkts]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 12:39pm

People seem to forget this is still show BUSINESS. I am sure there are better qualified actors for The Producers and The Odd Couple but producers want BUSINESS and Lane and Broderick can practically guarantee that.

Keep in mind Broadway needs mega hits and a mega stars; that is the only way "quality" shows can be produced. This is simple economics with two mega Broadway stars. Where can I buy tickets. :)

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 12:40pm

Matt: If the notion is that 'true' theater stars are going to be content to do all their work on Broadway then it's going to require them to play a lot of roles, otherwise they're going to need to work in TV or movies to supplement the times when there isn't work on Broadway. We can't complain that Marissa Jaret Winokur leaves 'Hairspray' to do a TV pilot because she's 'selling out' and then complain if she's being considered for three different new musicals because she's taking 'all the parts.' (Just an example, obviously.)