Now that tickets for HUNCHBACK are being sold...

[ILOHTFAHA (Aida Man)]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 1:19am

...does anyone think that Disney will announce the cast soon?

[Patash]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 10:20am

Why? Is the cast important for selling tickets to this show, do you think?

[Nateben2]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 10:36am

I think it's up to La Jolla Playhouse to make the announcement, not Disney . . . and probably in the next two weeks . . . if casting is finalized at this point.

[ethan231h]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 10:40am

well i don't want to jinx it but on twitter Ciara Renee said that she is really excited to work with Andrea Martin in Pippin, Andrea is in it towards the end of september and Hunchback begins in La Jolla about a month after Andrea leaves pippin, so if Ciara is involved it probably would've been announced by now.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 11:39am

Ciara is the leading player for Pippin, she isn't doing Hunchback.

[Nateben2]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 2:33pm

Sutton, do you have any inside knowledge about . . . she did do the workshop . . . and I believe the creative team was very excited about her continuing. Would be sad.

I wonder if the twitter announcement has to do with people having to wait until the casting is announced before the can public acknowledge it.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 2:43pm

No, I have no inside knowledge. I know that she started with Pippin in April, so for her to leave after five months to get ready for an October 26th opening in California? I don't think so. Standard contracts are for a year. But, these things do happen I guess, it just doesn't make much sense.

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 3:18pm

Disney usually doesn't cast any "celebrities" in any of their roles for original casts, and while Ciara's involvement would be exciting for those that know her, it would hardly sell tickets so they will probably announce when they're ready.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 3:28pm

if Ciara signed a 6 month contract with Pippin, she'd be scheduled to leave at the end of September. If Hunchback starts rehearsals beginning of Oct., she could still be able to do Hunchback.

[gstrus2]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 3:29pm

If I recall correctly for the Aladdin Toronto tryout, they didn't "announce" the Aladdin cast until the first day of rehearsals.

[ILOHTFAHA (Aida Man)]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 6:46pm

Very true. And I don't think the cast is that important to the ticket sales. I think the name of show alone is enough to generate sales because a lot of people/Disney Musical junkies have been waiting for Hunchback to come to the USA. I'm just saying since it's getting close to rehearsals it would be wise to announce the cast. By the way when do rehearsals start?

[dreaming]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 8:48pm

I kind of hope Ciara Rene plays Esmeralda. She has a gorgeous voice and a remarkable stage presence-I was struck at how much I enjoyed her Leading Player. She would be great as Esmeralda, I think.

[Nateben2]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 8:54pm

Rehearsals start September 16th.

http://www.lajollaplayhouse.org/downloads/auditions/hunchback-local-casting-notice.pdf

[dreaming]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 9:04pm

Is there any way they could do choral rehearsals for awhile?? I don't know much about the process in professional theater, but from my own limited experience, when I was in the chorus, we had chorus calls and rehearsed at different times than principals. The principals worked more on their own. (That could well be the case here.) They were later integrated into the run through process. With the show likely containing a large chorus with complex choreography, could this be the case here?

[Essie4]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 9:11pm

Dreaming, it looks like the choral ensemble will have rehearsals in late August. http://sacraprofana.org/auditions/

[dreaming]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 9:28pm

Gotcha. I really wanted her to get a new role. Darn.

[Nateben2]

Posted: 8/3/14 at 11:59pm

There is no reason to believe Ciara Renee is not doing Hunchback. She was attached to the project BEFORE she went into Pippin, and with Schwartz on both projects . . . it's very easy to see her doing both.

Let's wait until the cast announcement soon.

[ILOHTFAHA (Aida Man)]

Posted: 8/4/14 at 12:24am

What do you mean by soon? Do you have inside info on the cast?

[Michael Kras]

Posted: 8/4/14 at 12:47am

I don't care who the cast is, as long as they found an actor for Clopin who can belt/mix a high D for the end of Bells of Notre Dame.

I saw a video of a stage production of Hunchback where the actor playing Clopin just dropped out at the end and started silently gesturing as the ensemble finished the song. No high D. Major disappointment.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 8/4/14 at 1:07am

Ciara has an out in her PIPPIN contract for HUNCHBACK

[ILOHTFAHA (Aida Man)]

Posted: 8/4/14 at 1:13am

Really she does? So that means she's doing the show I guess huh?

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 8/4/14 at 1:24am

I've heard that from someone close with her. It's a clause for at least the Papermill & Broadway production, no idea if it includes La Jolla.

[Nateben2]

Posted: 8/4/14 at 10:34pm

it should include La Jolla . . .