Norbert Leo Butz Will Not Tour in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

[SirLiir]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 5:54pm

http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/8206

Oh well. I didn't think it was happening. Catch him when you can ASAP.
Updated On: 5/5/06 at 05:54 PM

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 5:58pm

Am I the only one who thinks d'Arcy James (although fantastic) is just too old for Freddy?

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 5:59pm

Maybe he was in discussions until he found out his sitcom had been picked up? One can only hope.

[dirty rotten guy]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 6:01pm

The fact he is not mentioning his sitcom cant be a good sign. I cant imagine this show without Norb. Unless they get a great replacement, I think we may be saying goodbye to DRS.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 6:02pm

Well I looked up the project he says he is doing, and a press release announcing it in December that mentioned nothing about Norbert said it was a mini-series, as does the Theater Mania article, and since it was supposed to be for the same network as the sitcom, maybe the sitcom fell through and he is doing the miniseries instead?

[BluCat500]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 6:04pm

According to Imdb D'arcy James is younger than Norbet, not to mention younger than Steve Martin when he played the role...


I'm all for Norb finding a fabulous new role to originate...

[Holly Therese]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 6:04pm

I was really looking forward to this

[colleen_lee]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 6:05pm

Awww...I am quite disappointed. I had been looking forward to rushing this show like mad whne it made it's way to Minneapolis, but I don't know if I can bare to see it again if Norbert isn't in it.

I hope he isn't away from the stage for too long. I love that man so dang much.

[Popular]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 6:09pm

Guess that means d'Arcy James might not be in The Pirate Queen as was rumored. Hmmmmmm, who is playing Stephanie's husband then?

Ok... carry on while I ponder the possibilities

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 6:17pm

Presumably, Comanche Moon is an adaptation of the book:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comanche_Moon

Huh. I thought CBS signed him because they were impressed with his comedy talent?

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 6:18pm

why have we all latched on that it will be d'arcy james? I can think of a very funny actor in another "killer role" who would do great, Manoel Felciano

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 6:20pm

It says D'arcy James in the linked article...

[xxnewgirlxx]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 6:22pm

That just helped me make the decision to go to NYC to see Scoundrels one last time before Norbert departs the show.
Updated On: 5/5/06 at 06:22 PM

[donna_darko_23]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 6:22pm

This is such dissappointing news. I was really looking forward to see the show, mostly because of him, when it came to Minneapolis. Damnit.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 6:43pm

So wait, miniseries would be a limited time thing whereas a sitcom would run for however long it lasts right?

[little_sally]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 6:51pm

I am a huge, huge fan of Brian's and this will definitely bring me back to the Imperial Theatre.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 6:53pm

Yes shootinstr11...

[dirty rotten guy]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 6:53pm

Plus, a miniseries will genrally have about 6 episodes tops, then be over forever. Nowhere near as great a prospect as a sitcom, which will generally have 12-15 episodes a season, air for multiple seasons, and sometimes live on for decades in syndication.

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 7:04pm

DRG- A sitcom also has the potential to fail miserably, like many have.

I'm just selfish and want to keep him on the stage .

[sabrelady]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 7:08pm

Glad it's a miniseries. Always felt that was the right route for him to go, able to really develop a character.

[dirty rotten guy]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 7:20pm

I know that a sitcom can fail and that the majority do, I am just saying that it has better prospects for the future than a miniseries does, which once it has run is over and done.

I agree though, I would rather see Norb on the stge more than any place else.

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 7:24pm

Most sitcoms have 22 episode seasons, if they're lucky enough to make it that long. CBS is especially critical, ratings-wise, so unless it was a big hit right away, it wouldn't stick around.
I'd still like to see him in one, though. Maybe for only one year.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 7:40pm

22 is almost unheard of anymore. That's a full season and no one commits that much time/resources w/o a sure fire hit. Usually it's for 4 to six episodes up to MAYbe 13.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 8:09pm

dirty rotten guy---I agree with you, unfortunately. I think that DRS w/o Norbert will not last too long. He is the energy and heart of that show. I had the pleasure of seeing it this past Tuesday in 2nd row, center---
From there you could see his eyeballs cross, his one-finger salute (a few times) and other gems that you miss further back (where I saw it previously). What an amazing performer. I'm very sad he's actually leaving.

[dirty rotten guy]

Posted: 5/5/06 at 9:12pm

shesamarshmallow, CBS actually has the number one ranked show one TV and I believe it is generally either 1st or 2nd in the network rankings. Also 22 episodes for a season is a huge number that isnt even ordered for hit shows. Knowing that this would be a new show, if they even chose to pick up the pilot I would estimate that they would order 8 or 10 shows.

As for the Norb one finger salute, I dont believe that he was doing that through the whole run. I did notice that when I saw the show on Sunday but to the best of my memory, he wasnt doing it in January when Lithgow was still around. I know that the show is constantly changing, so I would guess that is probably something added when coming up with new things to do with Pryce.

Updated On: 5/5/06 at 09:12 PM