ROCKY: Is there precedence for using photos of non-cast-members as logo/artwork?

[Lucy Harbin]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 3:06pm

I'm talking about photos specifically depicting characters in the show, as the ROCKY photo is clearly supposed to be depicting Rocky and Adrian, but using Drew Sarich and Wietske van Tongeren from the Hamburg cast rather than Andy Karl and Margo Seibert from the Broadway cast. (By "non-cast-members" in the subject line, I meant not from the Broadway cast - i.e. not the people Broadway ticket buyers seeing the logos and ads are going to see on stage.)

I can think of times with painted/drawn/etc. artwork like the MAMMA MIA! logo, which depicts a generic Sophie rather than any specific actress who played the role, but I couldn't recall any example with photos specifically showing people's faces, so I figured someone on here might be able to come up with one.

By the way, I completely understand why they wouldn't want to use Karl and Seibert's faces - they don't want the show's "brand" to be associated with specific actors, they want artwork that can outlast Karl and Seibert's presence in the show, etc. But there still seems to be sort of a weird disconnect that the giant billboard outside the Winter Garden features the faces of two actors not performing inside.
Winter Garden exterior

[loliveve]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 3:17pm

Yup- GHOST did it, and even had the other individuals on the Playbill cover for quite a while, until it changed to black and white.

[Broadway Bob*]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 3:22pm

The couple pictured on the SWING marquee were not performers in the show.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 3:23pm

I'm pretty sure the latest ONCE billboard in Times Square uses the West End cast in the photo. It happens frequently enough, I'm sure.

[bobs3]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 3:30pm

When you use cast members faces on advertising (depending on their contracts) you have to pay them. When Lee Roy Reams and Wanda Richert left "42nd Street" David Merrick pasted royalty-free clip art of model headshots onto their bodies and used those as ads for the rest of the run.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 3:34pm

Funnily enough, the guy starring in Beautiful Soup's production of LILIOM was the campaign model for BOMBAY DREAMS. But he wasn't in the show.

[Lucy Harbin]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 3:43pm

Great examples everyone, thanks!

[musicalfool]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 3:45pm

Those aren't the actors from Germany. The are "generic" people.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 3:48pm

Really? It looks a LOT like Drew Sarich.

[Demitri2]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 7:42pm

My all time favorite example was at the matinee performances of the original Broadway production of THE APPLE TREE. Barbara Harris only starred in the evening performances and Phyllis Newman did the matinees. The problem was the third act PASSIONELLA segment did a film montage of the evolution of Ella the chimney sweep's transformation into bombshell Passionella. There was a huge screen on stage showing closeups of Harris' face. Obviously to save money the producers chose not to re-film the montage with Newman and even in a blonde wig and heavy makeup Newman bore no resemblance whatsoever to Harris. So while Newman was singing her heart out on stage there was Harris' larger than life image behind her. Too funny.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 7:50pm

That's not the actual Rocky and what's-her-name? Natasha?

[Jonwo]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 9:32pm

The Book of Mormon logo uses Andrew Rannells although not his whole face, same with Hairspray which I assume was based on Marissa Jaret Winokur's face,

Updated On: 2/4/14 at 09:32 PM

[darquegk]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 10:02pm

The Producers uses a painted, somewhat generalized version of the Lane and Broderick logo as their permanent marketing image.

[veronicamae]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 10:25pm

Did Legally Blonde and Anything Goes change Elle and Reno once and LBB and Sutton left the show?

Though I guess at least they are former cast members, and not "randoms."

[misto625]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 11:09pm

Yes, the image of Reno on the Anything Goes Playbills did change when Stephanie J. Block took over for Sutton Foster.

I am pretty sure that the image of "Sophie" on the Mamma Mia marquee is actually modeled after Jennifer Gambatease, who posed for the image, but never appeared in the show.

I don't think I ever saw an ad for Bombay Dreams that depicted an actual person, so I not sure what that poster is referring to.

The Playbill cover for All Shook Up on national tour featured actors who did not appear in the show, as did the Playbill for the 1990's version of Fame.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 11:11pm

Rent used the original cast for years and years and years on the doors of the theater.

[NotTheComfyChair]

Posted: 2/4/14 at 11:55pm

I think BILLY ELLIOT used a non-Billy Broadway kid for most of it's US publicity. I heard that it was a model from London and not even a Billy Elliot kid from the show there. Could be misinformed, though...

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 1:08am

I am pretty sure that the image of "Sophie" on the Mamma Mia marquee is actually modeled after Jennifer Gambatease, who posed for the image, but never appeared in the show.

No... That was a stock photo inside a picture frame that a producer saw at a store somewhere & liked so much. They contacted the rights holder and got them to sell them the image.

[mikey2573]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 1:33am

Yeah BILLY ELLIOT came immediately to mind as they used a picture of a kid jumping and pasted James Lomas' head on it. That was the logo for most of the Broadway run and it is the picture on the cast recording that was rereleased for Broadway.
Also, much of the art and promotional material for A CHRISTMAS STORY THE MUSICAL used a kid who looked more like the Ralphie in the movie instead of using Johnny Rabe who played the part on stage.

[Phillytheatreguy10]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 8:23am

The original art for Newsies is actually a photo of Kyle Coffman that they "Butched" up to look like Jeremy Jordan- the cast has discussed it. As much as I don't like when shows don't use the show's actors, I understand cost-wise why they do- and I hate that that's not Andy Karl! LOL

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 9:43am

I was just about to mention “Newsies”, but I know “The Addams Family” updated the non-cartoon pictures after Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth left, but that was just outside the theatre because most of the promotional stuff used the comic-esque logo over the actors dressed in character.

[sassylash3s]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 9:56am

As I recall, the Playbill art for the 2009 revival of BYE BYE BIRDIE featured a bunch of teens who did not appear in the show, a handful of whom were former SPRING AWAKENING cast members.

[hanschens]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 11:35am

One of the promotional images used for the West End production of Love Never Dies used a model for Christine and as far as I'm aware, although it is hard to tell because of the mask, the Phantom wasn't Ramin. I can't remember if they used the image outside the theatre, but I know that it was used for the cover of the souvenir brochures and on promotional leaflets.

[Kad]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 11:58am

RACE used a stock photo of a white woman seen from the torso-down sitting on a bed, recolored the dress red and the skin to match Kerry Washington's tone, and made it its poster.

[Tsao5]

Posted: 2/5/14 at 12:13pm

True, that is not Drew Sarich (though it does resemble him a bit).

George Maguire (one of the original Billy's in London) was the one used on all those US adverts. He was writing about it and joking with friends at one point when he took a trip to the states that to see himself up in Times Square was very strange.

As I recall not just ads but also commercials were often taken from other countries-I believe Phantom at one point was using the Canadian commercial, and Beauty and the Beast (a long time ago) was using the German commercial for the show. I think it is just cheaper to take pre existing commercials and put a new voice over on them