Okieriete Onaodowan to Replace Josh Groban in THE GREAT COMET- Page 8

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 7/12/17 at 11:08am

haterobics said: "Am I missing when Oak is supposed to wrap up his run in Comet? Also, would that end date also be pushed out a week now?"

The original NYT article committed him through September 4, though I'm also curious if he'll now push that a week.

[PaulWom]

Posted: 7/12/17 at 12:23pm

I was there last night, and in my opinion, he was probably the best Pierre I've ever seen. Acts circles around Groban, that's for sure, and has a much more beautiful, soaring voice than Dave does (unexpectedly- at least for me, I've never heard him sing except in a low range- his high notes could make Norm Lewis blush!)

[Ahmy]

Posted: 7/12/17 at 2:34pm

ColorTheHours048 said: "There's an audio of "Dust and Ashes" floating around. It's definitely not a powerhouse performance, but he has the chops and I love his look as Pierre from the promo photos. I'm seeing it again the second week of August, so I'll be looking forward to seeing how he and Ingrid sink into the roles.

 

"

I don't know if the "Dust and Ashes" audio was done by the same person, but there is (or was, I haven't checked to see if it's still there) an audio recording of the entire show on Twitter last night. He was pretty good, as was expected. I was more interested to hear what Heath sounds like as Balaga.

[schubox]

Posted: 7/12/17 at 2:36pm

PaulWom said: "I was there last night, and in my opinion, he was probably the best Pierre I've ever seen. Acts circles around Groban, that's for sure, and has a much more beautiful, soaring voice than Dave does (unexpectedly- at least for me, I've never heard him sing except in a low range- his high notes could make Norm Lewis blush!)

 

"

Wouldn't surprise me. Malloy is a much better actor than Groban was, but obviously Groban has a much better voice. Hopefully a video of audio of Oak will get out 

[bear88]

Posted: 7/12/17 at 3:43pm

There are two, and possibly three, questions with Oak. The first is whether he will be good in the role. Early reports sound promising, but we'll see. (I feel obligated to stick up for Josh Groban here. I thought he did fine as an actor.)

The second question is whether people will come to see him, and the musical without Groban as bait. Oak won't have the Donna Murphy problem of being a replacement for a star who will be back soon. If you want to see Great Comet, Oak is Pierre now. The role is important but he doesn't have to carry the show until the tail end.

I am probably kidding myself, but I still think there's a non-zero chance that Comet, the show, has gotten past the need for stunt-casting. I realize that Oak himself is a minor example of that, as he undoubtedly was hired in the hopes of attracting some Hamilton fans. But he's not that big a name. What if many other people just agree with PaulWom and think Oak is great as Pierre? 

And if he is great, and attendance stabilizes, why would Oak's run necessarily have to end in early September? He's rehearsed for months, and the role is very different from Hercules Mulligan. It seems like a great opportunity to show his range as a performer in a meaty role. Does he have another gig lined up? Is there another big star waiting in the wings to take over?

I'm getting ahead of myself, and the realist in me recognizes the show faces a lot of challenges going forward past January. Much of the cast will probably move on to other projects in the fall. The show seems pretty expensive. But given its popularity, and my own bias, I just wonder if the death watch about it is a little premature.

Updated On: 7/12/17 at 03:43 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/12/17 at 4:56pm

I just saw the matinee and it was my first exposure to the show, therefore I don't have anything to compare Oak's performance to, but he delivered a solid performance. He has a nice voice with a rich lower register, and his acting was appropriate for the role. It wasn't a performance that blew me away, and he didn't really bring a star quality to the production, for better or for worse. 

Shoba Narayan was on as Natasha and she was excellent. 

[adamgreer]

Posted: 7/12/17 at 5:02pm

bear88 said: "There are two, and possibly three, questions with Oak. The first is whether he will be good in the role. Early reports sound promising, but we'll see. (I feel obligated to stick up for Josh Groban here. I thought he did fine as an actor.)

The second question is whether people will come to see him, and the musical without Groban as bait. Oak won't have the Donna Murphy problem of being a replacement for a star who will be back soon. If you want to see Great Comet, Oak is Pierre now. The role is important but he doesn't have to carry the show until the tail end.

I am probably kidding myself, but I still think there's a non-zero chance that Comet, the show, has gotten past the need for stunt-casting. I realize that Oak himself is a minor example of that, as he undoubtedly was hired in the hopes of attracting some Hamilton fans. But he's not that big a name. What if many other people just agree with PaulWom and think Oak is great as Pierre? 

And if he is great, and attendance stabilizes, why would Oak's run necessarily have to end in early September? He's rehearsed for months, and the role is very different from Hercules Mulligan. It seems like a great opportunity to show his range as a performer in a meaty role. Does he have another gig lined up? Is there another big star waiting in the wings to take over?

I'm getting ahead of myself, and the realist in me recognizes the show faces a lot of challenges going forward past January. Much of the cast will probably move on to other projects in the fall. The show seems pretty expensive. But given its popularity, and my own bias, I just wonder if the death watch about it is a little premature.

 

The assumption on here is that Oak is a place-holder and that they already have a star lined up for the fall, though obviously nothing has been announced and this is all speculation. 

[bear88]

Posted: 7/12/17 at 5:40pm

ljay889 said: "I just saw the matinee and it was my first exposure to the show, therefore I don't have anything to compare Oak's performance to, but he delivered a solid performance. He has a nice voice with a rich lower register, and his acting was appropriate for the role. It wasn't a performance that blew me away, and he didn't really bring a star quality to the production, for better or for worse. 

Shoba Narayan was on as Natasha and she was excellent. 

I'm curious. If you could tell, what was the Wednesday matinee attendance? Full theater, or plenty of empty seats?

 

[paper_cliche]

Posted: 7/12/17 at 5:44pm

PaulWom said: "I was there last night, and in my opinion, he was probably the best Pierre I've ever seen. Acts circles around Groban, that's for sure, and has a much more beautiful, soaring voice than Dave does (unexpectedly- at least for me, I've never heard him sing except in a low range- his high notes could make Norm Lewis blush!)"

I think it's kinda cool how all 3 Pierres interpret the character in such different ways (haven't seen Scott Stangland or Oak yet). But it sounds like Oak brings more energy to the character and his vocals are maybe a bit more poppy? As soon as I watched that Ham4Ham video he did of Dust and Ashes, I immediately wondered if this had anything to do with Or Mattias leaving...

In terms of future castings, there would have haddd to be some sort of discussion about Phillipa Soo rejoining. I'm not sure how that works in terms of career moves or ticket sales, but she still has star power and IMO it would be pretty badass if she went back to the role she originated before Hamilton.

[Skimbleshanks2]

Posted: 7/12/17 at 5:49pm

No1curr about OAK. We can admit that right?

[froote]

Posted: 7/12/17 at 6:06pm

Skimbleshanks2 said: "No1curr about OAK. We can admit that right?"

No.

 

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/12/17 at 6:46pm

bear88 said: "ljay889 said: "I just saw the matinee and it was my first exposure to the show, therefore I don't have anything to compare Oak's performance to, but he delivered a solid performance. He has a nice voice with a rich lower register, and his acting was appropriate for the role. It wasn't a performance that blew me away, and he didn't really bring a star quality to the production, for better or for worse. 

Shoba Narayan was on as Natasha and she was excellent. 

I'm curious. If you could tell, what was the Wednesday matinee attendance? Full theater, or plenty of empty seats?

 

 

"

The orchestra section appeared completely full. 

[Nicole 10]

Posted: 7/12/17 at 10:15pm

Hi guys, I went to see the show last night for Oak's debut and here's what i thought: 

When i think of josh groban or dave malloy's pierre, i am able to sum up their character essence in a word. For groban i feel like his character was was frustrated, whereas malloy was just sorry. Groban's self pity led to him being angry at himself and malloy's self pity led to being sorry for himself and despair. When i think of Oak's performance, I can't really sum up the essence of his character. I'm not sure if he just needs to settle into the role or hasn't really fleshed out the character yet, but I couldn't find a driving characteristic for his pierre and so it seemed kind of bleak. 

I agree with a previous post that his vocals are kind of in between dave's gruffness and josh's soaring voice and it was a nice blend of both. I do have to note that he looked like he was concentrating really hard while he was playing the accordion in "prologue" and the piano in "pierre" I'm sure he will be more comfortable with the instruments in time. 

Dave and Phillipa were sitting in the front row onstage, which was really cute. And Rachel Chavkin was sitting in the rear section onstage with maybe her assistant, who she gave notes to throughout the show to write in a notebook. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/12/17 at 11:51pm

Is this the first time Phillipa has seen the Broadway version? 

And Nicole 10, just as an actor, I don't think you'd want to sum up an actor's performance in one adjective. The point is to have a nuanced performance, and their emotions shouldn't be drives their characters. It should be what they want, not how they're feeling. Just saying. So I wouldn't say that's a negative. 

[yknot]

Posted: 7/13/17 at 12:26am

She was there on opening night.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/13/17 at 7:36am

And I thought someone said she was there last week too, to see Malloy.

[TrChSpHa]

Posted: 7/13/17 at 8:14am

Dave28282 said: "dramamama611 said: "

Why is it interesting?  First time two African American leads in a musical that was not an African American Story/cast, taking the role over from someone that is not of color... both things are pretty significant.

 

"

Actually, that might be significant for a certain group of people on a personal level, but these issues should stay out of the casting room, because they need to hire the best person for the role. We would not want someone to get a role just because he is black whatsoever, would we?

He got the role. So I will believe he was the best of all the people auditioning. So that is why I support the casting. Not because his color is right up my alley. I see him as a person. 

 

"

Goodbye.

Why is it that anytime the subject of race and casting come up, you have to jump in and shut it down as if it isn't relevant. Let's stop pretending that it's always about "talent" and the "best person auditioning." Just because you have the luxury of ignoring race, as if "you don't see color," doesn't mean most people do, or should.

http://broadwayblack.com/denee-benton-oak-great-comet/

And, no, these issues shouldn't stay out of the casting room.

Moving on,

I love his look for Pierre, and I'm intrigued in seeing and hearing his portrayal--having only seen Josh twice.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 7/13/17 at 10:45am

At this late date, the mythology that Groban's performance was only about the singing really isn't supported. He gave a full tilt, well-acted take on the role and the material. Backed up by reviews and even postings here (even that!) It wasn't a stunt, i.e. inserting a singer, and his dimensional completion of the character was far more than a smallish fat suit. He had a woeful awkwardness that made his arc in the show poignant and ... well, Russian. I didn't go in skeptical as much as curious and left entirely convinced. He was decidedly star-like in his presence and vocals, but folded into the company and its eccentric stylings perfectly.  

Updated On: 7/13/17 at 10:45 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/13/17 at 11:12am

^Amen.  We all knew he could sing it, but he easily proved he could act it.   Might you like others interpretations more?  Sure, but that doesn't make Groban's acting weak.

[froote]

Posted: 7/13/17 at 1:54pm

Indeed. I preferred his acting to his singing even and he and Lucas were the highlights of the cast to me.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 7/13/17 at 2:41pm

I saw Groban twice: once at the very beginning and once at the very end of his run. I thought he was sensational all-around the first time, but the second time, I was utterly bowled over by his performance. Over the course of his run, he grew to embody Pierre so, so perfectly. The second time I saw him, I was just stunned by the caliber of his acting, the way he comported himself on stage, the way he looked at the other characters (and supplemented by that gorgeous voice...I mean, come on).

Groban did not just give a stunt-casting, sing-y performance. He was incredible.

Can't wait to catch Oak in a few weeks myself.