STREETCAR CASTING

[Brodybaby03]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 3:39pm

OK I am really just completely OVER the casting of "Streetcar.." I love Natasha Richardson but I don't want to see her as Blanche. And I'm just DONE with John C. Reilly as Stanley...and now this other guy as Mitch! I just don't get it, WHAT are they going for??

[Tom1071]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 3:44pm

They are going for a brilliantly acted blockbuster of a Broadway play that will sale out its entire run, recoupe it's investment and win a Tony or two. Updated On: 2/10/05 at 03:44 PM

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 3:44pm

yeah...i agree...do u remember the AOl movie version with jessica lange,alec baldwin,diane lane and john goodman??? that was a good cast...i like the rest of the cast...but i cant see natasha in that role for whatever reason.....and i couldnt see her in cabaret either.well...i guess im just used to liza as the only sally bowles.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 3:44pm

AOL = HBO....im sleepy

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 3:45pm

I don't think John C. Reilly has the sexual charisma to pull off Stanley.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 3:53pm

Well, first of all Edward Hall is a brilliant director as anyone who saw his Midsummer Night's Dream at BAM or Rose Rage at the Duke can attest to.

Secondly, personally I think Reilly is great choice for Stanley. Just because Brando was a sex symbol doesn't mean Stanley should always be played by a pretty boy. What made Brando's performance so classic was not his looks but that his Stanley was so raw, animalistic, violent and even dangerous -- he scared audiences 50 years ago (as did his highly acclaimed successor in the role, Anthony Quinn, who was also a great, powerful actor, but was about as attractive as Reilly -- not very).

Alec Baldwin and Aidan Quinn were pretty guys and far from scary in any way and that's why those productions of Streetcar didn't work. Reilly can very believably play an uncultured brute and has the raw physicality and spontaneity that the role requires. He's a real powerhouse on stage and will be an outstanding Stanley.

[robbiej]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 3:57pm

And are people really over Natasha Richardson???

I mean...I get being over Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts. But Natasha Richardson? She's a spectacular stage actress who gave the hands-down best performance I've ever seen (in Cabaret).

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 3:59pm

I agree - she's remarkable. I have high hopes for this production. Roundabout almost always puts on amazing shows.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 4:08pm

I'm with you, robbiej - can't wait for this one!

[broadway86]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 4:09pm

I'm still not convinced that Reilly is right for the part. However, I love Richardson and I will be buying tickets when they go on sale.

[pooryorick]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 4:58pm

I think the casting on this is smart, daring and inspired. Love Reilly and think that he'll actually capture a brutish, animal essence of Stanley that was intended by Williams. "Sexy" doesn't always mean classically handsome. Ryan and Bauer are both strong stage actors who happened to be wonderful together in "The Wire" (I remember a scene they both had together in which Ryan's cop wept, asking Bauer's character to turn himself in and it was a perfect scene). As for Richardson, I have faith. It's probably one of the five most difficult roles for any woman to take on, given Blanche's iconic stature.

[WISHIHADATONY]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 5:32pm

I am looking forward to seeing how Reilly's performance is received. He certainly does not have the instant sexual magnetism we have come to identify with Stanley. Maybe his great acting will create the illusion. Could very well be.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 5:46pm

I have a hard time saying there's any part that John C. Reilly can't play well. The man is an actor's actor and his gruff physical appearance combined with the sweet timbre of his voice and expressions I think makes a possibly dynamite and original angle on Stanley.

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 2/10/05 at 5:50pm

I'm not sure how anyone disliked Natasha in Cabaret, unless you didn't see her. Yes she played it differently then Liza but she was AMAZING!

I am very excited about this production and am glad I already have my tickets.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/11/05 at 5:18am

Margo Channing --why do u say that those versions didnt work? the HBO movie had high ratings.anyhow...i think john will be good in the cast.not sure about natasha tho.

[BwayLover]

Posted: 2/11/05 at 7:09am

Just cause something had high ratings doesn't mean it was good. That's not, IMHO, a way to measure quality.

I happen to find John C. Reilly, on top of what JohnPoppa said so nicely, very sexy in an offbeat way. He will be an incredible Stanley, I have no doubts about it.

[OtherDaryl]

Posted: 2/11/05 at 9:29am

I was hoping that Phillip Seymour Hoffman would end up as Mitch, furthering that Lunt/Fontanne, Tandy/Cronin thing Reilly and Hoffman have goin' on. Well, c'est la vie.

[Justice]

Posted: 2/11/05 at 9:43am

I love Reilly. He is an amazing actor.
The fact that I felt so sorry for him in Chicago, and wanted to shed a tear for a role that was so small, yet played so wonderfully huge, put him as one of the greatest in my book.
I would see Streetcar if he was in it.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 2/11/05 at 10:43am

I'm with Margo. I think Reilly will surprise. I thought Aidan Quinn was a pale shadow of a Stanley, he actually whined, and though Baldwin was better on film, he mostly postured opposite Lange on stage. Baldwin's performance was much anticipated (by me included) and a disappointment. Maybe it's time to re-explore STREETCAR, to de-Brando-ize its central dynamic.

From what I've heard, Reilly is getting into shape. Not to achieve Brando muscles, but to be in peak form, and enhance the chemistry with Stella. For what it's worth, I had no trouble buying him as Jennifer Anniston's stoner husband in THE GOOD GIRL.

(Speaking of Reilly, has anyone else here read the new Dave King novel THE HA HA? It's a wonderful book, and a perfect role for Reilly.)

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 2/11/05 at 10:59am

I have to agree with you, Margo. I actually can see this production working very, very well. The cast is full of brilliant actors. To put them down because they don't look the part before you've given them a chance to shine is absurd. Let's see them before you start bashing, folks.

[Light My Candle]

Posted: 2/11/05 at 1:39pm

John C. Reily is going to be in Streetcar? That's cool. He's a good actor...

I saw a production of Streetcar at a local theatre in November and it was great to see onstage. I'm excited for the show on Broadway, but Brando will always be the numero uno Stanley.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 2/11/05 at 1:49pm

I can't wait...so want to see it!

[KindnessofStrangers]

Posted: 2/11/05 at 2:22pm

I don't think ANYONE envisions Stanley Kowalski as a "pretty boy," but rather an animalistic man who exudes a dangerous sexual charisma. John C. Reilly has his work cut out for him to convince us of this. Can you really imagine Natasha Richardson being attracted to him? I can't. In my opinion, Reilly is physically a Mitch type, but he wants to stretch.

[Brodybaby03]

Posted: 2/11/05 at 2:31pm

It's not that I think Natasha Richardson OR John C Reilly aren't INCREDIBLE....I DO! They're phenominal! I just do not think either one of them is right...but I have total faith the production will be wonderful. I just think there were other people who were better for this show. MUCH better.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/11/05 at 2:43pm

what actors would u like to see in "streetcar"? brodybaby