Norbert Leo Butz

#1

Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 10:19am

I heard he's leaving the show with Kristin Chenoweth on July 18th?
Is this true??
Dammit!!! I'm going to see Wicked for the first time on July 31st and everyone's leaving!
Please tell me Joel and Idina will still be there.

#2

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 10:27am

im not so sure about butz but i have heard that before, but as for idina and joel http://www.playbill.com/news/article/85680.html
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/85680.html>http://www.playbill.com/news/article/85680.html

#3

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 10:29am

You'll be fine if you miss Norbert. BELIEVE you me. Even an inflatable doll would have been better.

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Twitter @NamoInExile Instagram none

#4

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 10:32am

hehe good to know.
What are the chances they'll throw on an understudy for a Saturday night? I'll cry.

#5

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 10:38am

Namo - what exactly is the deal with Norbert? He seems to get alot of work. I saw him in WICKED when I was in NY, and was a little underwhelmed. I'm going to go down to San Diego to see this new project from DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (I really do like the movie, and I'm very fond of Lithgow, Joanna Gleason and Sherie's voice,) but I'm having some reservations about Norbert. Where did he come from, and what seems to be the attraction in New York?

#6

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 10:38am

Joey McIntyre is the new Fiyero. He is supposed to begin performances on the 20th of July.

Updated On: 6/8/04 at 10:38 AM

#7

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 10:41am

Norbert Butz was excellent in "Last 5 Year" and was the ONLY saving grace of "Thou Shalt Not"

Don't judge a performer on just one role.

Just my opinion, I may be wrong.

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TWOGAAB "A Class Act" will never die!

#8

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 10:43am

Twogaab - I'm not - that's why I'm asking about him - and Namo has had things to say about him before - just looking for an opinion from someone who has observed - like you, and thanks for the input.

#9

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 10:46am

I did love NLB on the cast recording for L5Y, which is why I was excited to see him in Wicked.....
And Joey McIntyre?
haha that could be as disastrous as Joey Fatone in Rent

#10

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 10:46am

I agree that Norbert Leo Butz is a very talented man - he just got stuck with a crappy role in Wicked - it is so badly written, and the choreography for Dancing through Life is just awfull, so it is no wonder that he was underwhelming in the role. But give him some good material, like The Last 5 Years, and watch him shine..

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"I don't really get the ending,all i can go with is when after several months,Judith saw Pat sang,and later she kissed him on the toilet,after that the story back to where Pat went down from the stage after he'd sung,and he went to the italian lady.I just don't get it,what Judith exatcly meant when he kissed Pat that she had seen,and did Pat end up together with The Italian Lady?Please help me,thank u very much!" Quote from someone on IMDB in reference to a movie he/she didn't understand. Such grammar!

#11

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 11:22am

Yes, Norbert has an incredible voice, and is a great actor. One of my absolute favorites on Broadway. Fiyero was just not a great role for him. He actually sounded a lot better on the original version of Dancing Through Life, which was called Which Way Is The Party. I think he'll be wonderful in Dirty Rotten Scoundrals. I'm trying to go to the first preview on Sept. 15. I'm such a huge L5Y fan, that I'm excited to see both Sherie and Norbert together.

#12

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 11:32am

Do yourself a favor--rent "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"--it's a great movie. Glenn Headley is terrific, as are Steve Martin and Michael Caine.

Having seen the movie, I think Norbert will be a perfect scrappy foil to John Lithgow, who is supposed to be the suave one. This is the one show I am most looking forward to seeing in 2005. I just wish Christine Ebersole was going to be in it, as she was in the workshop, from what I hear.

#13

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 11:35am

Another big curiosity for me is the music - I didn't get to see THE FULL MONTY, so I have no idea what to expect.

#14

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 11:42am

His role in Wicked does not showcase his talents at all! I saw him as Roger in RENT and I thought he was AMAZING! I haven't seen a Roger who lives up to that performance since then. And regardless of what I tell you, I think its always better to go see a show and make your own decision, since sometimes your opinion of a specific person can differ from what a lot of other people think.

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"With any part you play, there is a certain amount of yourself in it. There has to be, otherwise it's just not acting. It's lying." ~ Johnny Depp

#15

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 11:45am

LadyDulcinea - I absolutely agree - and I would never let someone talk me out of something because of what they think. My curiosity was academic, as my one encounter with him didn't match what I was hearing or reading about. Obviously, many people have had great experiences with him - and that is all i was curious about.

#16

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 4:04pm

DGrant,

I know this is just my opinion, but I think Norbert is an incredible performer. I've seen him in many things now and he is one of the few people whose work I make a point of seeing when I'm in NY. As far as his role in WICKED, I thought he did a wonderful job with what he was given. He's got a beautiful duet with Idina, and I was entertained by "Dancing Through Life" as well. Thought he did fine, but it *is* hard to see his potential in this role based on what I've seen in the past.

Updated On: 6/8/04 at 04:04 PM

#17

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 4:23pm

I saw Taye Diggs and Norbert in this role, and Norbert was much better. It's just a pretty sucky role.

#18

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 5:05pm

Agreed - the role is awful, but he is miscast too. Dancing Through Life is one of the biggest waste of spaces ever, a big flaw in the score.

#19

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 5:37pm

Yes, Norbert is leaving on July 18 on the same day as Idina. I think the new Boq will be in those few weeks also, so you might see him. Idina and Joel are signed until January 2005 though, so you'll still probably see them! By the way, Norbert is an amazingly talented performer.

#20

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 6:20pm

I saw Norbert in Rent and his voice gave me chills(in a good way!)No Roger since then has come close! I was very disappointed that Fiyero did not do him justice. I, for one, am very much looking forward to Scoundrels!

#21

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 7:55pm

aww Idina and Taye Diggs would have been cute together.

#22

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 10:09pm

Norbert has talent to burn, but you try being impressive carrying around all that dead weight known as the Fiyero role. I think Dancing Through Life is a big improvement over Which Way's The Party, but so would a 5 minute moment of silence. Norbert first wowed me in the tour of Cabaret opposite Joely Fisher, and his performance in L5Y made me a huge fan. Can't wait to see him using his talent where it's deserved.

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"The last train out of any station will not be full of nice guys." - Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

"I wash my face, then drink beer, then I weep. Say a prayer and induce insincere self-abuse, till I'm fast asleep"- In Trousers

#23

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 10:46pm

Broadway Matt, your icon looks like a cross between Brian D'Arcy James and a werewolf. Who is that?

Norbert is very talented and can use his voice to express every nook and cranny on the emotional spectrum. He is, however, an acquired taste.

#24

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 10:49pm

mattio, my icon is a very werewolf-like Brian D'Arcy James from backstage at The Wild Party. man, his Burrs was something else.

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"The last train out of any station will not be full of nice guys." - Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

"I wash my face, then drink beer, then I weep. Say a prayer and induce insincere self-abuse, till I'm fast asleep"- In Trousers

#25

re: Norbert Leo Butz

Posted: 6/8/04 at 11:05pm

Yes it certainly was.