Passion recording (Judy Kuhn/Rebecca Luker) question

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 2/3/23 at 5:56pm

I've just received the Passion recording with Kuhn/Luker and listening for the first time and am fascinated by the fact that Luker replaced an ill Errico for the recording. Bizarre! What was the reaction at the time of the recording? It's almost unheard of. Why didn't they wait for Errico to record? It's fantastic we have the beloved late angelic Rebecca Luker on record, but I wondered what the buzz was at the time with the casting replacement for the recording? What is the general consensus on Passion recordings? How does this album fare compared to the OBC and London concert cast recordings? 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/3/23 at 6:06pm

There was some sh1te going on with Errico and this revival of PASSION. I don't remember all the details and the blog she used to write no longer exists, but iirc she claimed to have been fired from the production after being out with bronchitis, then voice problems/vocal rest, and ultimately had surgery for a blood vessel in her vocal fold. Amy Justman finished the end of the run at CSC.

The album recording was postponed several weeks in the hopes that Errico would be able to do it, but they ultimately recorded the album with Luker (who had played the part opposite Kuhn at the Kennedy Center Sondheim festival).

Errico was wonderful in this great CSC revival, though I seem to remember some folks not liking Justman's performance/voice.

Updated On: 2/3/23 at 06:06 PM

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 2/3/23 at 6:18pm

Thank you for that. Didn't know about Justman's involvement or Errico's difficulties. It's a wonder they ever continued with the recording with all that stuff going on.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 2/3/23 at 6:20pm

Melissa Errico did her final performance in the show on March 21st, due to vocal issues, and even before then her attendance had been spotty. After being out for several weeks CSC decided to exercise a clause in their Equity contract that allowed them to replace an actor who missed a certain number of consecutive performances. 
 

At the time of her officially being let go from the production PS Classics had already delayed the recording hoping she would recover. Sometime later, I want to say early May, she announced that she would be having surgery for the vocal issues that had caused her extended absence and subsequent firing. In early June she began publishing a blog detailing her side of the story, though as many pointed out at the time, CSC had followed all of the stipulations in the contract when letting her go, so she was not the victim of unjust practices that she was trying to make herself out to be in her blogs (which seem to no longer be on her website). 
 

So by the time CSC and PS Classics were ready to go ahead with the now delayed recording she was no longer in the show, was not vocally up to recording the album, and had burned her bridges there by trying to paint CSC as a ruthless entity that had unjustly fired her. The bigger surprise was them bringing in Rebecca Luker for the recording rather than have her former understudy, Amy Justman, who had been promoted to the role full time for the remaining four months or so that the show ran, do it. 

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 2/3/23 at 6:35pm

Wow ok, didn't know any of this.

[mememe]

Posted: 2/6/23 at 4:34am

AEA AGMA SM said: "Melissa Errico did her final performance in the show on March 21st, due to vocal issues, and even before then her attendance had been spotty. After being out for several weeks CSC decided to exercise a clause in their Equity contract that allowed them to replace an actor who missed a certain number of consecutive performances.



 



At the time of her officially being let go from the production PS Classics had already delayed the recording hoping she would recover. Sometime later, I want to say early May, she announced that she would be having surgery for the vocal issues that had caused her extended absence and subsequent firing. In early June she began publishing a blog detailing her side of the story, though as many pointed out at the time, CSC had followed all of the stipulations in the contract when letting her go, so she was not the victim of unjust practices that she was trying to make herself out to be in her blogs (which seem to no longer be on her website).


So by the time CSC and PS Classics were ready to go ahead with the now delayed recording she was no longer in the show, was not vocally up to recording the album, and had burned her bridges there by trying to paint CSC as a ruthless entity that had unjustly fired her. The bigger surprise was them bringing in Rebecca Luker for the recording rather than have her former understudy, Amy Justman, who had been promoted to the role full time for the remaining four months or so that the show ran, do it."

Errico has a reputation for being hell on wheels, right? 

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 2/6/23 at 9:50am

Listened to some of her interviews on various podcasts lately and she sounds nuts