Should Micaela Diamond stay with Sweeney Todd or Parade if it moves

[BETTY22]

Posted: 11/4/22 at 6:57pm

All the talk about Parade moving to Broadway after The New York Times rave and critic pix, has me wondering:

Should Micaela Diamond stay with 'Sweeney Todd,;' or kiss the barber goodbye

Thoughts?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/4/22 at 7:07pm

Is she the begger woman? or Joanna?

If her contract allows, PARADE is the obvious choice. It's a starring role. But we don't know that PARADE is moving, do we? It's a big musical (even on an Encores scale), tricky material for mainstream audiences, and would need a decent run with Platt to break even.

[Kad]

Posted: 11/4/22 at 7:11pm

Well, if she was actually even ever cast in Sweeney Todd in the first place, Johanna is a pretty thankless role. Lucille Frank is a star role tailor made for awards nominations. 

[binau]

Posted: 11/4/22 at 7:21pm

Did I miss something? I thought the Sweeney cast announced was just Groban and Ashford. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 11/4/22 at 7:25pm

binau said: "Did I miss something? I thought the Sweeney cast announced was just Groban and Ashford."

It was, but I think there were rumors Diamond was attached as Johanna, or maybe the beggar woman? I don’t remember which one.

[matty159]

Posted: 11/4/22 at 9:28pm

My guess is we will know after the Sunday matinee of Parade what is going on.  They would probably make a proud announcement at the end.  I’m leaning towards a transfer.  I’m also biased as I fell in love with Parade after seeing the original production at LCT many a moon ago.  It’s definitely a hard sell, but with the strong reviews and Platt is attached, a limited run is very possible.  I’m going to the Sunday matinee, so will be very curious if it comes up during curtain speeches, if there are any!

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 11/4/22 at 9:34pm

A proper revival would be very timely right now. Antisemitism is on the rise yet again and we need stories like this one.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 11/4/22 at 10:08pm

I think Sweeney. You’re almost guaranteed a year of steady good money work. 
 

Parade could open - it’s a tough sell usually but in this current environment even harder - so who knows? Platt has sort of lost his footing as a star-to-be but would probably still appeal to a Broadway audience and she got the best reviews. But she could still slay in Todd. 

[Dollypop]

Posted: 11/5/22 at 12:15am

BETTY22 said: "All the talk about Parade moving to Broadway after The New York Times rave and critic pix, has me wondering:

Should Micaela Diamond stay with 'Sweeney Todd,;' or kiss the barber goodbye

Thoughts?"

 

This is a decision that should be made by the actress herself and not by a group of fans on a message board

 

 

Updated On: 11/5/22 at 12:15 AM

[Rainah]

Posted: 11/5/22 at 1:08am

There's pros and cons to both. Sweeny is a steady paycheck in a lead role, and depending on what else happens by Tony's can get a nom.

Parade is a hard sell even with raves. If it transfers, it won't be for long, and that short runtime makes nominations less likely (but does depend on every other show). But having such a great lead role on Broadway is great for her resume and may raise her star power more than sweeny.

What we have absolutely no insight on is career satisfaction. It's pretty common for feels about a role to influence an actor's decision. If she adores sweeny, she may want to stay with that. Or perhaps she's fallen in love with her character in parade and it's worth giving up sweeny. You can't measure or put a price on that stuff.

[binau]

Posted: 11/5/22 at 5:27am

Hypothetically if she already had a signed Sweeney contract at this stage could she back out?

I guess she is a bit too old now but would LOVED to have seen Carmen Cusack play the role. 

 

[darquegk]

Posted: 11/5/22 at 8:56am

The factor everyone is missing in these pros and cons is Diamond’s working relationship with Groban, who took her out on tour and appears to be her mentor in the theatre/music crossover thing. Maybe they’re friends, but more importantly maybe they’re colleagues; it wouldn’t hurt for her to be the Carole King to his James Taylor and function as a package deal, since she is a fairly obscure indie folk artist and he is, well, Josh Groban.

[dylanhauck]

Posted: 11/5/22 at 10:32am

I believe you’re thinking of Eleri Ward. 

[darquegk]

Posted: 11/5/22 at 11:33am

Oops yeah. Mixed up the two rumors!

[JSquared2]

Posted: 11/5/22 at 11:58am

Let's see....should this actor choose to do the show that currently has no plans to transfer...or should she take the role she has not been offered??

 

As long as we're dealing in hypotheticals, how should I spend the #1.6B I might win in Powerball tonight??

 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 11/5/22 at 7:00pm

I think the question is hypothetical, and theres nothing wrong with that. We dont know if shes been offered Sweeney, and we dont know if Parade is transferring. 

But if she is faced with that choice, I don't think its a hard one. Mrs. Frank is a leading role opposite Ben Platt; Johanna is a smaller, less showy role in Groban's and Ashford's shadows.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/5/22 at 10:10pm

Also, I can't imagine they'd transfer Parade and recast her part. So if it's going to Broadway, I'd imagine it's with her. 

[OhHiii]

Posted: 11/6/22 at 9:07am

Joanna is really a thankless role. It wouldn’t even be a question. If she’s committed to Sweeney, then they’d hold the Parade transfer. There’s no reason to do it without the best reviewed part of the show. 

[Kimbo]

Posted: 11/6/22 at 10:11am

OhHiii said: "Joanna is really a thankless role. It wouldn’t even be a question. If she’s committed to Sweeney, then they’d hold the Parade transfer. There’s no reason to do it without the best reviewed part of the show."

Yes to what you say about Joanna. The problem is, with Sweeney not even opening until the end of March, and with most principal roles in Broadway shows contracted for a year, that means she wouldn’t be free until after the 2023-24 season – and with all the momentum, if it’s going to happen, Parade simply isn’t gonna wait two years for its basically unknown leading lady to complete a one-year run in a supporting role of the 4th or 5th major NYC revival of a Sondheim show, and hold its own move until fall 2024. (Into the Woods barely waited 3 months, and they had much bigger stars to consider coming out of that City Center run.)
 

The decision no doubt would be difficult for her, but seems obvious. If, however, she for some reason opts for Sweeney, and the producers and Platt still want to move Parade, no doubt they’ll simply recast her, just as Into the Woods recast Headley and Harris - both bigger names than Diamond. (For what it’s worth, I hear the question posed by this thread is not at all hypothetical.)

Updated On: 11/6/22 at 10:11 AM

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 11/16/22 at 11:38am

Did the larger Sweeney thread get removed? I cannot find any trace of it.

In any case, I was just told from a reliable source that there is a Tony winner attached to the Beggar Woman (and I'm sort of surprised she is doing it, though she will be fantastic). She won her Tony within the last decade.

So if Diamond was attached to any role, it would have been Johanna. I don't know if they will actually transfer Parade this season or not (spring will be a crowded season for revivals) but I think Diamond would make a great Johanna, and if Parade doesn't transfer or waits to transfer, then why not!

[Robbie516]

Posted: 11/16/22 at 12:14pm

Ruthie Ann Miles???

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 11/16/22 at 12:16pm

Interesting info on the Beggar Woman. Just some guesses from that:

Katrina Lenk
Ruthie Ann Miles
Renee Elise Goldsberry

Also a wild suggestion but, Stephanie J. Block? I know she recently moved to the West Coast but came back for ITW, so maybe it’s a smart move to then keep the family here through the year for her daughter.

[broadwayben3]

Posted: 11/16/22 at 12:16pm

Robbie516 said: "Ruthie Ann Miles???"

yes

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 11/16/22 at 12:25pm

Ruthie makes sense considering we know they had to have to some reason to move Encores Piazza.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 11/16/22 at 1:11pm

The Beggar Woman is a soprano.

 

And with Here Lies Love coming in I have to wonder…