Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren to star in THE LAST FIVE YEARS Broadway Revival- Page 3

[RW3]

Posted: 6/16/24 at 2:09pm

Also, if Jason Robert Brown is fine with Nick playing Jamie then there really isn't much that can be done.

[bwaylyric]

Posted: 6/16/24 at 2:14pm

Just bring back Norbert and Sherie and call it “The Last 25 Years”

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 6/16/24 at 2:17pm

for 50 years, it was never even a question whether straight/nonjewish actors should play queer/jewish roles. When Alfred Molina and Rosie Odonnell were cast in Fiddler, the reaction was more about how they couldnt pull it off, not that it was somehow unfair/wrong. 

this is a modern invention, where Lin MIranda has to apologize because the wrong people of color were cast in ITH (the movie, not the play, because this new outrage industry had not yet emerged in 2008). and its silly and i think fading a bit, but in that context, where this ethnic authenticity is demanded by so many, it is glaring when overtly Jewish characters are somehow not included. thats what, i think, bugs many. 

let anyone play anyone if its going to work on stage so long as everyone has opportunities to do so. lets get back to that.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 6/16/24 at 2:34pm

bwaylyric said: "Just bring back Norbert and Sherie and call it “The Last 25 Years”"

 

Now here’s an idea. I wish they’d do a reunion concert, what a dream that would be.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 6/16/24 at 2:43pm

perfectliar said: "rattleNwoolypenguin said: ""Iwill not lose because you can’t win”

I dunno, sounds like micro aggressions now.

Maybe that’s an angle they’re going for?

Maybe Jason is changing some lyrics?"

It's not a micro aggression. It's an aggression, regardless of race, full stop. And that's the point. Jamie is being awful to her in that moment, as couples sometimes are. This isn't some random coworker or stranger asking Cathy if she could maybe try harder; it's her husband cutting her in the way only those closest to us can.

I was about to ask if all nuance was dead, but this isn't even nuanced. It's willful ignorance"

My point isn’t insane. It’s a fair one to consider.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/16/24 at 3:54pm

binau said: "Maybe they should replace Nick Jonas with Ben Platt that would go down well here :p."

Ben as an actor was never questioned nor attacked here. It’s his attempts at pop music. Learn to decipher the difference. 

[Sauja]

Posted: 6/16/24 at 4:06pm

Unpopular opinion, but I’ve never loved this show. I think it works better as a concept album than a staged piece. Nick Jonas’s lack of gravitas and vocal chops don’t suggest to me that this is going to be the production that will change my mind. Adrienne Warren will, of course, sound incredible.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/16/24 at 4:07pm

Kad said: "Jonas has definitely become a bigger name since How to Succeed (which was somehow over 12 years ago already&hellip."

Yes, and it's also tough to be the third replacement, when sales had already softened a bit towards the end of Radcliffe's run.

And when, from a quality standpoint, Jonas was not as good as Radcliffe or Criss, and Beau Bridges is less of a name than John Larroquette and was way out of his element in this show.

Willing to give him a chance while managing expectations that he won't come close to Norbert or Jeremy or Adam Kantor, and also respecting the economics of the industry: this would not happen on Broadway without him or another star of his stature, period. (and don't give me a laundry list of who might have been better. You rarely see the producers' first choice in any show.)

Updated On: 6/16/24 at 04:07 PM

[singer234]

Posted: 6/16/24 at 4:35pm

Nick Jonas has a much better voice than people are giving him credit for. Not to mention he's now in his early thirties, and male voices continue to grow well into this age range. His natural talent, coupled with what I imagine is the best vocal training in the industry starting probably yesterday, should make this work out. IF he's super, super careful.

If he's not, this score is no joke, and he'll be worn out by the end of one show. Jamie sings a lot, often, and he sings high. He'll sink or swim, and I'm hoping he swims.

[Valentina3]

Posted: 6/16/24 at 5:13pm

My genuine first thought was how cool would it have been if Priyanka Chopra had been announced as Cathy.

 

(Yes I know Warren would be fantastic, and I know Chopra can't sing this role but she is a phenomenal actress and it would have been quite an event)

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 6/16/24 at 7:37pm

Valentina3 said: "My genuine first thought was how cool would it have been if Priyanka Chopra had been announced as Cathy.



(Yes I know Warren would be fantastic, and I know Chopra can't sing this role but she is a phenomenal actress and it would have been quite an event)"


I can’t imagine any married couple wanting to touch this piece with a ten foot pole lol

[Blindbutlerdeafmaid]

Posted: 6/16/24 at 7:40pm

OhHiii said: "lol another one the oracle called correctly. It’s kinda getting scary at this point."

There was nothing to "call", the press release went out late-Friday afternoon and was embargoed until this morning. Either early posters betrayed the confidence of a friend that received the press release as a member of the press and trusted them with the info or a friend who has an economic interest in the news being handled the way they'd planned it to. 

Either way, it's not a great look... and certainly no great "call".  

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 6/17/24 at 8:31am

Blindbutlerdeafmaid said: "OhHiii said: "lol another one the oracle called correctly. It’s kinda getting scary at this point."

There was nothing to "call", the press release went out late-Friday afternoon and wasembargoed until this morning. Either early posters betrayed the confidence of a friend that received the press release as a member of the press and trusted them with the info or a friend who has an economic interest in the news being handled the way they'd planned it to.

Either way, it's not a great look... and certainly no great "call"."

I wonder how much Sweaty pesters his "insider friends/sources" to give him "tea" 

[OhHiii]

Posted: 6/17/24 at 9:56am

Blindbutlerdeafmaid said: "OhHiii said: "lol another one the oracle called correctly. It’s kinda getting scary at this point."

There was nothing to "call", the press release went out late-Friday afternoon and wasembargoed until this morning. Either early posters betrayed the confidence of a friend that received the press release as a member of the press and trusted them with the info or a friend who has an economic interest in the news being handled the way they'd planned it to.

Either way, it's not a great look... and certainly no great "call"."

Well you don’t know what you’re talking about and missed the point entirely given I’m not talking about what clearly was an embargo being broken by people posting about it. Sweatyoracle talked about this production 4-6 weeks ago. It is true that his sources have gotten much more reliable. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/17/24 at 10:18am

Valentina3 said: "My genuine first thought was how cool would it have been if Priyanka Chopra had been announced as Cathy.



(Yes I know Warren would be fantastic, and I know Chopra can't sing this role but she is a phenomenal actress and it would have been quite an event)"

Why would anyone want to pay $ to watch someone struggle through a score? I don’t think it would be an event but a blunder. 

[Valentina3]

Posted: 6/17/24 at 12:50pm

RippedMan: "Why would anyone want to pay $ to watch someone struggle through a score? I don’t think it would be an event but a blunder."

I'm a massive fan of Chopra's work in Bollywood, so I know what she's capable of as an actress. To be clear, I'm not saying she should have been cast. I'm mostly day dreaming about the possibilities if she was a strong enough singer to pull this score off.

TotallyEffed: "I can’t imagine any married couple wanting to touch this piece with a ten foot pole lol"

Totally fair, but there are some great tender moments in the show too, at least the ones where Jamie and Cathy directly act off one another. Most of the stage version otherwise is really just a series of monologues delivered in songs...

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 6/17/24 at 1:32pm

rattleNwoolypenguin said: "perfectliar said: "rattleNwoolypenguin said: ""Iwill not lose because you can’t win”

I dunno, sounds like micro aggressions now.

Maybe that’s an angle they’re going for?

Maybe Jason is changing some lyrics?"

It's not a micro aggression. It's an aggression, regardless of race, full stop. And that's the point. Jamie is being awful to her in that moment, as couples sometimes are. This isn't some random coworker or stranger asking Cathy if she could maybe try harder; it's her husband cutting her in the way only those closest to us can.

I was about to ask if all nuance was dead, but this isn't even nuanced. It's willful ignorance"

My point isn’t insane. It’s a fair one to consider."

 

It's also worth considering the line that comes directly before this one:

"I will not fail so you can be comfortable, Cathy"

That's harsh, but that can be walked back. Jamie could stop and apologize, tell Cathy that he was upset and he didn't mean it.

"I will not lose so you can't win."

That's said after a fermata, a pause both in the music and the text. Jamie chose to say this, he doubled down. It's where the marriage in the show truly ends, at least for Jamie.

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 6/17/24 at 1:35pm

All the discussion about Jewishness is overshadowing the bigger elephant in the room, which is age.

Jamie and Cathy are supposed to range in age from 23 to 28. When this show opens next year, Jonas is going to be 32 and Warren is going to be 38. Are they going to age up the characters? Modernize the story (at least in the sense that people don't get married in their mid-twenties that much anymore).

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 6/17/24 at 1:37pm

Alex Kulak2 said: "All the discussion about Jewishness is overshadowing the bigger elephant in the room, which is age.

Jamie and Cathy are supposed to range in age from 23 to 28. When this show opens next year, Jonas is going to be 32 and Warren is going to be 38. Are they going to age upthe characters? Modernize the story (at least in the sense that people don't get married in their mid-twenties that much anymore)."

 

It's theatre, they'll be fine.

 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/17/24 at 1:40pm

Im on the fence with this one: I love the score, and enjoyed the film, but I've never seen a live performance of this so nothing to compare it.  

But just on this casting it doesn't quite gel for me....so, I'm going to let it settle in a bit before deciding to plunk down $. It just seems to be cast on financial decisions, not artistic one.   But I'm going to try to keep an open mind!

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 6/17/24 at 2:08pm

Sometimes I hear about a show and jump on tickets. This might be an exception to that 

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 6/17/24 at 5:17pm

I agree with what others are saying here that the casting seems off to me.  Was Nick looking to come back to Broadway?  Why not do something new instead?  Also, regional theatres all over the country are doing this show next season, how weird, this musical must be on people’s minds. 

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 6/18/24 at 12:21pm

TotallyEffed said: "singer234 said: "Are Josh Henry and Nick Edwards Jewish? I don't recall people freaking out their Jamies, but it's doomsday for Nick Jonas on Twitter?"

Josh Henry did a (one night?) concert. During The Schmuel Song the audience startedlaughing at his horrendous Yiddish accent and even he broke character and started laughing. We all understood this was a one time thing to hear those two amazing performers sing and act that show."

Personally, fake exaggerated Yiddish accents drive me nuts. Saying an actor is going to nail it because they're Jewish, is kind of like saying an actor is going to nail a Boston accent because they're also from America. 

I suspect The Schmuel Song was going to feel awkward, regardless of if Jonas was the guy singing it.  

[Elspeth3]

Posted: 6/18/24 at 12:48pm

Norbert Leo Butz is a Catholic boy from St Louis MO. I don't really think Jonas is going to be much less believable, although I do think he is going to be eaten alive on that stage by Adrienne Warren.

[Voter]

Posted: 6/18/24 at 9:21pm

Just got an Instagram advertisement that says tickets are on sale on July 22. Any idea what theater this is going to?