Postponed Indefinitely: ROOM On Broadway - News & Discussion Thread- Page 2

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/6/23 at 6:13pm

Jordan Catalano said: "My initial reaction to this is "why"? I love this film but it's...a lot. Also, the lead character is in her early 20s and these suggestions are women close to 40. Are they keeping with her being young?

Per the audition notice they want a young black female. I doubt they'll go with a name. Even someone like Adrianne Warren isn't a "name" outside of this board. Maybe they're hoping to win best New play over Fat Ham? But that seems unsure. 

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/6/23 at 6:41pm

Think LEOPOLDSTADT is head and shoulders above FAT HAM or any other Play contenders, unless another title opens and proves otherwise. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/6/23 at 7:05pm

InTheBathroom1 said: "really feels like producers are throwing sh*t at a wall and seeing what sticks."

I mean, that's kind of how producing works...even when people like me say "Ain't No Mo never had a prayer without a star." And it can lead to the more interesting productions. Or it can crash and burn in minutes.

FWIW, the lead role is cast and only seeking an understudy. So whoever it was got a straight offer for the part (which means she's either a known quantity –– ideally a star –– or the young lady from Canada).

Updated On: 1/6/23 at 07:05 PM

[Dolly80]

Posted: 1/6/23 at 7:11pm

If this doesn’t have a major movie star in it to draw audiences, this will tank.
I don’t understand why they’ve even staged this. A bizarre venture

[Robbie516]

Posted: 1/6/23 at 9:53pm

Alexis Gordon is doing a show called Pride and Prejudice at the Citadel Theatre from March 11-April 2, 2023 according to her IG…so like the previous post mentioned they probably got a name to do this which makes sense in this climate today

[Wallman2]

Posted: 1/7/23 at 12:00am

Danielle Deadwyler, who was so terrific in Till, would be wonderful in this.  

[BJR]

Posted: 1/7/23 at 10:34am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Think LEOPOLDSTADT is head and shoulders above FAT HAM or any other Play contenders, unless another title opens and proves otherwise."

Oh, without QUESTION. A lock at this point.

A) Bway loves a hit.

B) It's Stoppard's *last Bway play*

If FAT HAM becomes a massive hit and cultural touch stone, call me. But otherwise, it has it's Pulitzer and that aint shabby.

[Robbie516]

Posted: 1/7/23 at 10:42am

Most likely we will find out who is Ma with the official announcement…because there never was one …the BroadwayWorld article was an insider report…

[jvoom]

Posted: 1/7/23 at 10:55am

I caught this a couple of years back when it premiered in Dublin. I'm not sure if it's changed at all since but my main feeling after echoed exactly what Jordan said above - "why?"

 I could also argue it's not really a musical? Ok there's music, there's singing, but there are no real songs, excluding one at the end of act 1. Again, it may have changed since, but a huge chunk of the show was basically just "talk singing" with underscoring. I wish them the best, I suppose I'm just surprised this has been given another life..

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 1/7/23 at 12:41pm

Robbie516 said: "Most likely we will find out who is Ma with the official announcement…because there never was one …the BroadwayWorld article was an insider report…"

Not even an insider report –– it lifted the info from the casting notice.

If LADY DAY can be considered a "play" (one of the most egregious moments of "category fraud" in modern history), they can probably argue this as a play too.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 1/7/23 at 2:49pm

This seems like such an odd choice to bring to Broadway. The film is great, but it's also just not something I feel a need to ever experience again because it's SO heavy, and some friends have said the same. 

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 1/9/23 at 9:31am

This was my first show after the pandemic. I have never been so uncomfortable in my life. I wanted to leave at intermission, because I didn't know if I could take it. Mind you, I never saw the movie, or read the book. I knew the premise, but didn't know if they got out, etc. The journey of the actress playing Ma has to be so exhausting. It's not a musical. There are some songs that Ma sings to the little boy, but they are not really character driven, plot points. 

Alexis Gordon, who played Ma, in Toronto gave an interview in November talking about how doing the Rosemary Clooney role in White Christmas this past holiday season, was a welcome change from her 2 other roles this year (Ma in Room, and The Doctor's Dilemma). She said that during the sexual assult scenes in Room, she reminded herself "I am Alexis Gordon. This isn't actually happening to me. This is happening to my character, whom I'm playing, and this isn't real". 

[Robbie516]

Posted: 1/11/23 at 3:27pm

Anyone know of when this will be officially announced? Also any insight on who will play Ma?

[Robbie516]

Posted: 1/15/23 at 4:28pm

Has anyone heard anything further about this? Especially who will be Ma? I think they will need a big name like a Zendaya

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 1/15/23 at 8:38pm

Why would anyone want to go sit through this story in a theatre?

[Robbie516]

Posted: 1/15/23 at 9:13pm

I think this will be great…I thought the movie was phenomenal…especially if they get a big name for Ma…which I think they will since they are not casting it at auditions

[sabrelady]

Posted: 1/15/23 at 11:09pm

If it is based on the TO production there are specific songs as well as some music.

Also, as someone who generally dislikes projections I will say these were well done  and really helped expand the story.

Updated On: 1/15/23 at 11:09 PM

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 1/16/23 at 9:14am

How is the role of the little boy handled in this show? Seems like a really heavy play for a 5 year old to perform every night.

[Robbie516]

Posted: 1/16/23 at 10:33am

I think there’s two Jacks in this if I’m not mistaken 

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 1/16/23 at 10:40am

QueenAlice said: "Why would anyone want to go sit through this story in a theatre?"

It’s one of my favorite novels and I thought the movie was excellent. I also don’t find the material nearly as heavy as others have stated; I actually find it incredibly hopeful, in spite of the darkness. That’s why *I* would see it.

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 1/16/23 at 10:41am

Robbie516 said: "I think there’s two Jacks in this if I’m not mistaken"

That makes sense, casting more than one child seems like a universally good choice when there are roles for young kids. Even still - I haven't read the book and it's been a few years since I've seen the movie, and I haven't seen/read this adaptation, but it just seems like that's a LOT for any child, especially at just 5 years old, even if it's double cast. I sort of question the ethics of this. On a film set it's a lot easier to make sure that the child has proper protections, can be removed from set if necessary, and doesn't necessarily have to be present for more frightening/traumatizing elements of the film - camera trickery can be used to make it seem like the child is there if it's needed. In a stage production, a lot of this isn't possible. I have no doubt that Equity/the producers of the show would do anything they could to make sure that the child actor(s) are taken care of, but it seems like a lot less can be done in a stage production where there's less freedom and leeway than on a film set. I may be totally off, but something about casting a 5 year old child in a show like this rubs me the wrong way. I hope that it's handled well.

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 1/16/23 at 10:45am

This is an explanation of the "two Jacks," from the Mirvish review. There's an alternate for Young Jack, but there's also an adult alter-ego:

"There’s also the issue of Jack. The stage version of Room has two Jacks; and for those who’ve not read the book or seen the film, it’s not immediately clear that it’s two versions of the same person, and not two separate children mothered by Ma. Young Jack’s played most nights by the wonderful Lucien Duncan-Reid, a little firecracker, a Paw Patrol veteran, and an actor with nuance and stagecraft beyond his years. Duncan-Reid, a grade four student, is simply magnetic, and when Ma disappears for much of the second act, he carries Room squarely on his four-foot shoulders.

SuperJack, on the other hand, is a more difficult task. SuperJack is… an adult version of Jack? A five-year-old Jack in an adult’s body? Brandon Michael Arrington offers an animated, compelling performance, but it’s a tricky role, which, as eventually becomes clear, represents Young Jack’s older alter ego. SuperJack narrates events as they happen using a five-year-old’s lexicon, and that choice only works for so long before growing tired. While SuperJack offers a lifeline to the actor playing Young Jack (Levi Dombokah for matinees) who is onstage for Room’s two-and-a-half-hour-plus-intermission runtime, the role often feels dramaturgically unnecessary. I’m glad Duncan-Reid and Dombokah have an onstage buddy — I’m not convinced they need one."

[forfivemoreminutes]

Posted: 1/16/23 at 10:45am

TheGingerBreadMan said: "How is the role of the little boy handled in this show? Seems like a really heavy play for a 5 year old to perform every night."

Most of the story is actually told by adult Jack looking back on his younger self. In Toronto they also don’t cast a kid who was believably five - I think he was ten or so. They had one kid doing five or six shows a week (I don’t remember whether it was five or six) and an alternate doing the other two or three.

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 1/16/23 at 10:50am

forfivemoreminutes said: "TheGingerBreadMan said: "How is the role of the little boy handled in this show? Seems like a really heavy play for a 5 year old to perform every night."

Most of the story is actually told by adult Jack looking back on his younger self. In Toronto they also don’t cast a kid who was believably five - I think he was ten or so. They had one kid doing five or six shows a week (I don’t remember whether it was five or six) and an alternate doing the other two or three."

That also makes sense and makes me feel better about the situation. The Playbill casting notice simply specified that he's 5, so I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that they were specifically seeking actors that are about 5 years old. It also seems wise to have Adult Jack tell most of it - I wasn't able to discern from the breakdown how large of a role that would be, but that seems much more ethical and could be a very smart storytelling device.

[Hamilfan2]

Posted: 1/16/23 at 11:31am

This whole thing just gives me Kite Runner vibes- and I expect similar results