Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET- Page 4
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#75
Posted: 6/30/17 at 2:00pm
Or if Telecharge is to be believed:
Dave Malloy (7/3 - 7/9)
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#76
Posted: 6/30/17 at 2:03pm
From TDF:
On July 5th and 6th , the role of‘Pierre will be played by the show’s creator, Dave Malloy. Okieriete Onaodowan and Josh Groban are not performing in this popular Broadway musical on July 5 and 6.
Broadway Star Joined: 1/7/16
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#77
Posted: 6/30/17 at 2:05pm
haterobics said: "Or if Telecharge is to be believed:
Dave Malloy (7/3 - 7/9)"
even better! 
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/25/05
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#78
Posted: 6/30/17 at 3:23pm
Call_me_jorge said: "Here's a direct link: https://twitter.com/oaksmash/status/880829740332064768
That seems kind of unprofessional to me. Shouldn't they know how long it takes to put someone into the show? So who will be playing Pierre. I doubt Josh is gonna extend another week."
Word around town is that it's not exactly the production's fault that he's not prepared.
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#79
Posted: 6/30/17 at 3:26pm
That's what I was hearing. He might be sick? Is it also true he has had months of prep?
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/25/05
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#80
Posted: 6/30/17 at 3:29pm
All I will add is that the accordion is a surprisingly difficult instrument to learn, even for someone with a background in piano.
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#81
Posted: 6/30/17 at 6:07pm
I noticed Oak watching the show last Sunday matinee from the audience. It was odd seeing a woman who had no clue who he was point to the stage left bar behind him as he was trying to dash backstage at intermission and ask if she could get bottled water there. (There's a barricade blocking the aisle on that side so you pass through the curtains below the boxes to get around but that seemed to mystify many people.)
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#82
Posted: 7/1/17 at 11:29am
A little disappointed to be missing Oke next week. But happy to see Malloy
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/03
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#83
Posted: 7/1/17 at 11:43am
Deleted post. Apologies.
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#84
Posted: 7/1/17 at 11:55am
I can think of at least 10 reasons not listed. Of course none of them support the chicken little scenario that seems so popular around here.
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#85
Posted: 7/1/17 at 12:16pm
Well a lot of Pierre's parts are memorized and done without sheet music - and a lot of it would be tough for someone who isn't trained on piano or accordion. I don't know Oke's mastery level with either, but hey, he got the role, didn't he?
Anyways, I heard there were some personal health things going on that they needed to give him some time for. Nothing major but he wouldn't have been able to do the role. Or so I was told.
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/03
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#86
Posted: 7/1/17 at 12:33pm
My apologies. Removing my prior post. We have enough ugly innuendo in this world, theatrical and otherwise.
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/05
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#87
Posted: 7/1/17 at 2:03pm
He was announced forever ago, no? One would think he'd have started lessons then. At least on the accordion stuff.
Broadway Star Joined: 4/26/17
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#88
Posted: 7/1/17 at 2:37pm
RippedMan said: "He was announced forever ago, no? One would think he'd have started lessons then. At least on the accordion stuff."
I think there's a clip somewhere of him doing the Prologue online. He definitely was decent on the accordion. Not perfect, but fine. If I had to guess he's having trouble anywhere, it'd probably be Pierre. Three against two is hard to play if you're not a trained player, which I don't get the impression that he is.
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#89
Posted: 7/1/17 at 8:03pm
leighmiserables said: "RippedMan said: "He was announced forever ago, no? One would think he'd have started lessons then. At least on the accordion stuff."
I think there's a clip somewhere of him doing the Prologue online. He definitely was decent on the accordion. Not perfect, but fine. If I had to guess he's having trouble anywhere, it'd probably be Pierre. Three against two is hard to play if you're not a trained player, which I don't get the impression that he is.
"
I thought he played piano by ear fairly well but couldn't read music. Either way he's supposedly been in piano and accordion lessons for months now. You think he'd get one song on he piano down in that time.
Broadway Star Joined: 2/14/17
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#90
Posted: 7/1/17 at 8:43pm
Oak gives us a little Dust and Ashes in his Ham4All challenge:
https://twitter.com/oaksmash/status/881307282092564482
Broadway Star Joined: 4/26/17
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#91
Posted: 7/1/17 at 9:27pm
froote said: "Oak gives us a little Dust and Ashes in his Ham4All challenge: https://twitter.com/oaksmash/status/881307282092564482"
I know it's not any indication of what it'll actually be like but...I don't know if I love it. He sounds a little too polished and clean, imo. Which isn't usually a bad thing, obviously, but with Dave and Josh as precedents, I would expect something a little less pop-esque. But to be fair he didn't seem to be acting the song at all so I guess we'll see next week.
Understudy Joined: 5/13/16
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#92
Posted: 7/1/17 at 10:11pm
That was an interesting mashup, thanks for sharing the link froote.
It really seems to me that he intended the song to have an R&B vibe, and I don't think it's necessarily an indication of how he'll perform it within the context of the show.
I'm really excited to hear reports of how he does once he finally makes his debut! I'm not sure I can picture his Pierre, but I was skeptical about Groban and he was absolutely magnificent in the role.
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#93
Posted: 7/4/17 at 9:10am
I enjoyed and liked Oak in Hamilton, but his voice cannot compete with Groban's who can leave a listener breathless. Oak is pop/rock, but Groban 's voice can span pop to classical. Groban has sad eyes and the beard that personifies Pierre as an elderly Russia man 'living out his life." From an appearance standpoint, Malloy is a better fit.
But news reports in early 2017 said producers were counting on Oak's popularity in Ham as a crowd draw much like Phippa Soo in Amalie. Look how well that worked, or didn't. I just can't see Oak in this role.
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#94
Posted: 7/4/17 at 9:30am
Nicholas Belton posted a short clip of Oak singing Dust and Ashes during his put-in rehearsal yesterday on his Instagram story. It sounds better than the bit in his Hamilton mash-up, but still not on the level of Groban or Malloy, personally. That being said, I can't judge a performance off of a few seconds, looking forward to seeing how he does, and I hope it is great. I'm surprised to not see any reports from Ingrid's firt night last night.
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#95
Posted: 7/4/17 at 9:32am
"I don't think this show will be able to stay open too long without a big name or Tony wins."
News has pretty much said the same.
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#96
Posted: 7/4/17 at 10:12am
NYTimes 2/5/17 article regarding Oak as replacement: "The casting choice is striking. It reflects a bet by Broadway that “Hamilton” alumni have ongoing, bankable box-office appeal." Article says choosing Ham alum was behind picking Phillipa Soo for Amalie. But that didn't guarantee the show's success. It closed in two months.
That's my point. It's the box office take that determined the pick. I also think it will be hard to replace Ben Platt in DEH. Same with scruffy Bogart in Casablanca.
I never said Oak wasn't talented. I simply said his voice cannot compete with Groban's, and he doesn't look like a depressed old man. Oak said himself he "had a lot of work to do," once he saw show.
There's much news that ticket sales fell when Groban was't there, much like significant sales drops in Bette Middler's absence.
I've seen the show multiple times from different seat locations. Plan to see Malloy and Oak. Curious to see who the producers get in Sept.
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#97
Posted: 7/4/17 at 10:18am
I guess he now won't be playing Kristoff in Frozen.>>
No, he won't. An interview quoted Oak as saying "I'm done with that." For whatever reason, it didn't work out.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#98
Posted: 7/4/17 at 10:19am
Loretta Swit
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET#99
Posted: 7/4/17 at 10:51am
JayElle....why do you think that Pierre is supposed to be OLD? He's not, at all. Look at all his friends in his life....all young, Anatole, Natasha, Andrei, Dolokhov, . Referring to someone AS an old man is a figure of speech, although it does describe his personality a bit. He's cranky, and unhappy.
Take a look at the link below -- the BBC did a wonderful 4 part series on War & Peace, focusing quite a bit on the same section of the story. See how very young their Pierre is.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/3D5R2vxdjv0ySLMCfHBHlST/pierre-bezukhov
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