#51
Posted: 4/3/10 at 9:04pm
it must suck to be miscast.
i mean, no matter what you do - you just don't fit the show.
and in the lady's defense, (and i agree that cheno just can't quite fit into this baby) she is doing a great job.
It's just a shame the role doesnt let cheno be herself, and play to her strengths. (sure, one can say this shows that she has versatility and range, but honestly, performers with versatility and range are still always well cast - the roles they get to play just are stronger, and convey a range of emotion - see: Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep, Donna Murphy, Patti LuPone, Hugh Jackman, Hilary Swank)
What is most tragic about Cheno in "Promises, Promises" is that she's bound by the rules of musical theatre (especially revivals) - the most sensitive artform to type casting - because of how the role is/was done, and the way the book is written to someone else's strengths - if the team could just let go of this and really let her be HERSELF in the first act, with numbers like "You'll Think of Someone" and "Say a Little Prayer", she can be her quirky, fun self and then in the second act (which she legitimately nails - spot on) brought out this darker side, we could see an actress of better versatility that really did add their own "spin" to the role, rather than trying hard to nail something she's not.
imho.
i mean, no matter what you do - you just don't fit the show.
and in the lady's defense, (and i agree that cheno just can't quite fit into this baby) she is doing a great job.
It's just a shame the role doesnt let cheno be herself, and play to her strengths. (sure, one can say this shows that she has versatility and range, but honestly, performers with versatility and range are still always well cast - the roles they get to play just are stronger, and convey a range of emotion - see: Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep, Donna Murphy, Patti LuPone, Hugh Jackman, Hilary Swank)
What is most tragic about Cheno in "Promises, Promises" is that she's bound by the rules of musical theatre (especially revivals) - the most sensitive artform to type casting - because of how the role is/was done, and the way the book is written to someone else's strengths - if the team could just let go of this and really let her be HERSELF in the first act, with numbers like "You'll Think of Someone" and "Say a Little Prayer", she can be her quirky, fun self and then in the second act (which she legitimately nails - spot on) brought out this darker side, we could see an actress of better versatility that really did add their own "spin" to the role, rather than trying hard to nail something she's not.
imho.
I'm glad that Kristin is stretching herself. She had been playing pretty much the same character for most of her career and it's nice to see her do something different. Are there people who are more suited to the role? Yes. It is brilliant acting? No, but it's more than good enough IMO.
