Ragtime Lachanze vs Audra McDonald- Page 2

[Kitzarina]

Posted: 3/7/06 at 12:26pm

"Sarah please comb your hair!!!"

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 3/7/06 at 12:44pm

i love them both and i'm sorry i didn't get to see lachanze.

"chronic lateness" is not a euphemism. they called a meeting to discuss her problems -- including the lateness -- and she was LATE to the meeting. i allege no specifics as to substances, etc. that's all hear-say. betty is much better now dealing with time. she has had a great assistant for a while now --who knows how to corral her and get her rump in the saddle.

Updated On: 3/7/06 at 12:44 PM

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 3/7/06 at 1:19pm

As some have stated, LaChanze played Sarah in the early workshops and readings. She felt that the part was underwritten and undersized, and when it started to gear up for it's pre-Broadway tryout, she left the show. That is when Audra came in.

Since Audra had recently won her second Tony (her first for "Carousel" and her second for "Master Class,") the producers felt the part needed to be bigger to accomadate her (this is all talked about in the commentary on the audio of Audra's Seven Deadly Sins Concert.) At this time, they added "Your Daddy's Son" and "Sarah Brown Eyes." Whether they had previously existed in some context of the show I don't know, but I do know for sure that at the time Audra came in, they were not a part of it, and only were so because of her.

These changes to Sarah were exactly why LaChanze had left on the first place (or lack there of.) Once they were put into place, she took the role in the Los Angeles production and, eventually, went on to replace Audra on Broadway. (Keep in mind that all of Sarah's songs existed in the 'LaChanze key' [slightly lower] and the 'Audra key' [slightly higher.] With each actress comes a different version of the score.)

Updated On: 3/7/06 at 01:19 PM

[isntitromantic]

Posted: 3/7/06 at 1:26pm

Uh, I believe it was Ellen Foley who was Broadway bound in Into The Woods, having done the Globe production and she was fired. Didn't know Buckley was a contender at all. Foley was later fired from replacing Maryann Plunkett in Me and My Girl. Her biggest fiasco was getting fired from Night Court and being replaced by Marky Post. She did replace Philicia Rashad as the witch and closed the original run of Woods.

[Garland Grrrl]

Posted: 3/7/06 at 1:51pm

ellen was fired and betty was fired also; not sure of the sequence of events and don't know why ellen was fired but betty was fired as i said.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 3/7/06 at 2:32pm

There actually isn't a different version of the whole Ragtime Score. There are just different keys for Your Daddy's Son. They have 3 keys altogether. They are low, medium and Audra's key (seriously).