Natascia Diaz Front Page... Why?- Page 2

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/8/11 at 4:49pm

MB, there were other dancer/singers who made it very far into the process (Rachelle Rak is sticking out in my brain for some reason), but I know for a fact that it came down to Diaz and d'Amboise.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 8/8/11 at 4:52pm

the four "finalists" for Cassie were d'Amboise, Diaz, plus Nadine Isenegger & Meredith Patterson. Isenegger was cast in the show as Lois and covered Cassie & Val. She was also the Cassie alternate(along with Jessica Lea Patty) when d'Amboise went to 6 shows a week.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 8/8/11 at 4:54pm

I thought Rachelle Rak was auditioning for Sheila in the documentary.

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/8/11 at 4:54pm

^ You're correct. That's why it was sticking out in my brain.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/8/11 at 5:01pm

The film focuses on Rak being up for Sheila, not Cassie, though perhaps she was considered for that role as well at some point. At the final call back in addition to Diaz and D'Amboise, the film shows Shannon Lewis and another actress I couldn't identify all doing the Cassie song, so unless you know from somebody who works in the casting office that the role was down to Diaz and D'Amboise, you can't make that assumption based on the documentary.

Like all documenatrians, the creators of the film chose to focus on the stories they found the most interesting for their film and edited in a way to make those stories seem paramount to the casting. But, there are definitely a few instances I know of where people at the final callbacks weren't actually filmed but were very seriously considered for roles in the production.

In other words, you have to take anything in that movie with a grain of salt.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/8/11 at 5:02pm

I don't think Patterson was up for Cassie. She was up for Val. Nadine Issinger may be the 4th actress I couldn't identify in addition to Shannon Lewis, Charlotte and Natascia.
Updated On: 8/8/11 at 05:02 PM

[AC126748]

Posted: 8/8/11 at 5:06pm

I do know it came down to Diaz and d'Amboise, and I'm not referencing the documentary. I've never actually seen it, which is why I was confused about Rak.

[Kev]

Posted: 8/8/11 at 5:23pm

Nadine Issinger may be the 4th actress I couldn't identify in addition to Shannon Lewis, Charlotte and Natascia.

Charlotte, Natascia, Nadine, and *Meg Gillentine.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/8/11 at 5:43pm

Thanks Kev!

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 8/8/11 at 5:47pm

Since we are touching on the subject of "Every Little Step".... I have a question. Towards the end of the documentary, Rachelle Rak is shown peeking out of the stage door of some theatre. She was in costume. Did she eventually play in "A Chorus Line" or was it for some other show? I've wondered about that. from RC in Austin, Texas

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 8/8/11 at 6:56pm

I find it interesting that everybody lists singing as Natascia's greatest strength. I do agree that she's a good singer, but I'm pretty sure that in the documentary, she sang Music and the Mirror in a significantly lower key than the other Cassies.

[mattywhits]

Posted: 8/8/11 at 7:39pm

RC, Rachelle was peeking out the stage door of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", in which she performed in the ensemble and understudied Sara Gettelfinger.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 8/8/11 at 8:18pm

"Just for argument's sake, how long was it before Charlotte d'Amboise--a classically trained dancer--conceded that she couldn't do the original choreography and got an alternate? A few months?" - AC126748

"d'Amboise didn't get an alternate until a year into the show" - ACL2006

"Charlotte didn't take an alternate because she had trouble performing it. If that were the case, she wouldn't have taken Tues and Thurs night off, she would have taken matinees off. The producers wanted her to stay and she wanted to spend time with her family, so they compromised". - husk_charmer

What ACL and husk charmer said, except I think it was Sundays and Thursdays - in any case, Charlotte had two young children that she wanted to maximize her time with, but wanted to have money to raise them with. When her contract was up, she took on her unusual schedule. Had nothing whatsoever with her not being able to do 8 shows a week. She's already proved she could do it for a year. Had she been looking to rest her body, she would have, as husk said, not kept her 2 show days.

And what MB said. Every Little Step is a very skewed film.


Updated On: 8/8/11 at 08:18 PM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 8/8/11 at 10:27pm

and yes, it was Thurs nights & Sundays. once they switched Tuesday nights for Sundays nights in the summer, she opted for Fri & Sun nights off.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 8/8/11 at 11:27pm

I'm just going to forget this whole Natascia Diaz video ever existed. I'm embarrassed for all involved.

Updated On: 8/8/11 at 11:27 PM

[Little-Lotte]

Posted: 8/9/11 at 1:28am

The thing a lot of people in this thread seem to be forgetting is that Natascia was also a classically trained dancer. Granted unlike d'Amboise, her career has included much more than just simply "dance" roles, though she has played her fair share of those as well.

I don't know if over the years she's kept herself in tip top dancer shape. I'm betting she probably hasn't, unless a role required it. But I have no doubt that she could do the role properly. It's a shame she wasn't in the revival, the fact that she lasted through so many callbacks tells me that the choreography was not an issue in the decision.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 8/9/11 at 1:45am

Diaz's reputation offstage played a significant role in why she wasn't cast as Cassie, especially considering the fragile emotional state required of the character. Those conversations between the creative team were (obviously) kept out of the documentary. It's a real shame, because she's incredibly talented.

While I found d'Amboise thoroughly underwhelming, Jessica Lee Goldyn knocked "The Music and The Mirror" out of the park closing week in a way I haven't seen someone own it since Donna McKechnie in the original company (you can see her version on the forbidden site.) When she's actually age-appropriate, she will be a Cassie for the ages.

Updated On: 8/9/11 at 01:45 AM

[evic]

Posted: 8/9/11 at 6:59am

If you want to see the Cassie dance impeccably done, watch you tube videos of the recent Mexico cast- or the Italian cast with the beautiful Maria Laura Baccarini. They are in their 20's- but gorgeous technique.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 8/9/11 at 7:57am

Jessica Lee Goldyn just played Cassie again in St. Louis this summer. I'm curious as to how she has grown in the role since the revival closed three years ago.

And, yes, as somethingwicked pointed out, Natascia does have quite a reputation for her behavior and attitude offstage which has hurt her in the casting process more often than not.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/9/11 at 9:01am

I also think sentiment was on D'Amboise's side during the entire casting process. D'Amboise has, of all the recent Broadway dancers, had the career that probably most echos Cassie's and I think the creative team was really rooting for her to get the part. Not that they didn't seriously consider Diaz and others, but I think once they saw that Charlotte was capable of doing the role, it was likely an easy decision.

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/9/11 at 9:17am

I'm sure the documentary was skewed, but in "Every Little Step" (which I rewatched yesterday, because I was inspired to after reading this thread), d'Amboise dances, sings, and acts better than any others at the Cassie callbacks. As far as dancing and acting, it isn't even close.

And for all this talk about Diaz's singing, they do a side-by-side edit of the competition, and d'Amboise wins. Not that that's saying much. I didn't think any of the Cassies had good voices. They could sing the song (meaning they were capable of "getting through the notes," and actually one of them barely), but none were what I would call "singers."

Donna McKechnie jokes about how at the original Chorus Line auditions, she knew she was getting the part but went through the audition process anyway. She sang "Musetta's Waltz" for them, while holding a rose. Donna's a classically trained singer as well as dancer. None of the ladies at the revival sounded remotely classically trained. They were dancers who could hold pitch (most of the time). That's it.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/9/11 at 9:24am

Which isn't to say that the role of Cassie requires a classically trained singer, but I do agree with those points about D'Amboise. When I saw the show early in previews in San Francisco (pre-Broadway), D'Amboise actually sounded fantastic in the solo (which at that time was still in the original keys).

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/9/11 at 9:25am

My other biggest head-scratcher ... aside from wondering why Jessica Lee wasn't up for Cassie initially (I guess it was her age), was why Nikki Snelson wasn't in the final callbacks for Cassie. She's much more of a "Cassie" than a "Val." You can see that from all the interview clips, and I would think the casting people would have noticed it, too.

(She eventually played Cassie somewhere, right?)

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/9/11 at 9:30am

MB, d'Amboise is the only one at the callbacks in the documentary who sings it in the original key. And she sounds better than any recording I've heard of her doing it since. She must have gotten vocally fatigued early on and never really recovered.

And no, Cassie doesn't have to be a classically trained (or sounding) vocalist. But it does help, and since Donna clearly was, she set the bar for vocal expectations. It gives Cassie some added class, too, if she can sing it that way. Takes the "commonness" right out of the character.

The other thing I noticed (and I'm sure I'll get flack for saying this) ... Diaz is really a character actress, not a leading lady. And no, I'm not remotely talking about ethnicity. She's just not really "leading lady" material.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 8/9/11 at 9:30am

Snelson did Cassie on tour. She was good but not one of my favorites in the role.
Snelson Music Mirror