Rizzo's Been Cast - Another Wontorek Blind Item — Page 2

Jenny Powers aside, Yankee, alot more goes into casting than talent--I'd wager that talent is actually pretty far down the list.

The unemployed actor is likely no better or wrose than the employed one--actually, some of the worst performers I know (worst meaning both aesthetic and temperment)work non-stop and some of the more "talented" actors I know don't work at all.

The ones who seem to work the most consistently are those in the middle--attractive people who can do the job.

Exactly. Kathleen Marshall is no dummy. She has enough shows under her belt to realize what sells. She's not going to hire a risk in a show that's risky enough to begin with.

Why are my statements taken so literally? I can't understand it. I don't give a hoot about who they cast or why they cast them. My statement was something that you'd say in passing with a shrug. As in:

Man 1: Hey, did you hear that girl from Beauty and the Beast got the lead in Mary Poppins?
Woman 1: Yeah. She must be good. Hmm (shrugs).

Updated On: 2/9/07 at 03:02 PM

Yankee,
i really cannot believe that you are this naive. First off Jenny Powers has a nice voice, and I am sure she will do fine in the role, if it is her.
Secondly. You really think that because someone got a broadway job they "must be good". I know at least 5 people who got broadway jobs because the show needed an immediate replacement that week. They had one day of auditions and auditioned 15 people. (a lot of good actors work alot so you can't get people on tours/regional theaters to come in the next day, as flying would be impossible). So you are now limited to the people on the casting agents lists who are not working out of town (the ones that haven't gotten a callback for summer regional theater)SO the "waiters at stardust diner who arent good" are the only ones available cause they are NOT WORKING. They are brought in for the audition. Now they knock it down to the top 3 from that mediocre 15. Those top 3 are measured, cause the producers don't want to pay for a whole new costume. Whoever fits the costume gets the job.
But they must be good...right?
And as high profile as Grease? Do you really think the level of talent matters in this show? People are not going to come to the show because the Rizzo is good. They are going to come because its an icon of american musical theater. People will think "oh yea, i have 100 dollars to spend and I have never heard of Spring Awakening sooo...grease is safe". Come on. You could put two untrained people as the leads of the show and it would sell.. wait..aren't they doing that already?

i also heard that kirstin wyatt from HIGH FIDELITY is going o play "Frenchy."

massofmen -

First off, my exact phrasing was "They're dancing at Ellen's stardust....That's not to say that the people who don't have jobs aren't good."

NOT "waiters at stardust diner who arent good."

Listen. "She must be good," is a harmless statement. It translates to "I don't know much about her, but since she was cast, she must be good. She must have had what they wanted."

I don't want to be rude, but I don't want to enter a debate about the validity of casting.

4 words. "She must be good." Not "wow, she must be great because she got into Grease" or "she got into Grease, so she has to be good." 4 words I've said in passing many times before. "(insert up-and-coming/new performer) got a part in a high profile Broadway production. She must be good."

I don't know Jenny Powers - I did not see Little Women, I did not see Of Thee I Sing, and I regretably won't be seeing Follies. I'm assuming that she's good for the sheer idea that if she wasn't what they wanted, she wouldn't have been cast.

She must be good. Hmm.

Updated On: 2/9/07 at 04:34 PM

I ADORE Jenny Powers...would love to see her in this role!

I think I NOW get what you were saying Yankee, but keep in mind, that many people get jobs for which they are not qualified, be it theatrical or otherwise.

I know youjust mean it as a figure of speech, but that's sometimes like gasoline on a fire here on the BWW.

That being said, Kathleen SO does not have the final say....she may be the director, but since she's not someone of Prince/Bennett/Fosse level, the producer will get (in this case) his way.