Stephanie Block on her next Broadway role- Page 2

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 9:45pm

Grey would be a bad choice. The Chairman needs to be saucy and bawdy and playful and mischievous. He isn't just a showman, he effectively tells and demonstrates to the audience how they should react to what they're seeing. His energy and personality set the tone for the whole show, and he drives it throughout both acts.

As I said earlier, that casting is key to the whole thing. Grey is too mild-mannered and affable for the Chairman. The evening will be a snooze-fest under his onstage direction, and it won't even matter who plays the rest of the roles. The Chairman focuses the show.

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 9:53pm

I sincerely hope that Grey is not the Chairman. Best12 summed up perfectly why this would be a miscast. Please, anyone else, PLEASE.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 10:05pm

In truth I don't think Joel would want to take on a role as taxing as the Chairman at this point in his career- the role is absolutely mammoth both in terms of the sheer volume of spoken and sung material and stamina to get through it-- he's just not up for it (many actors half his age aren't) but I do think he'd be delightful as the Reverend Crisparkle

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 10:07pm

^ Oooh, yes! I agree. That's the part for him.

[Bialyhoos22]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 10:29pm

Well said Best12. Your points are spot on and echo my own. Grey has carved his niche and should stick within it at this point in his career. His 'aren't I precious' shtick would be pretty terrific in the Crisparkle role. Less taxing and more en pointe. Though it's too small a role for him (arguably) he'd make a terrific Bazzard as well.

The fact of the matter is, when George Rose left us, he also left an incredible void in the theatre - he was truly the last of his kind. Short of Nathan Lane I don't know of any other theatre actor who has that kind of ferocious command that could pick up where Rose left off. Clive Revill did an adequate (albeit last minute) job filling in on the '88 tour, but didn't come close to Rose ultimately.

It should be noted too that when you saw Rose perform the role, you really got a sense that you were witnessing something pretty authentically "music hall" on stage. Rose (born in 1920) was well steeped in the traditions of it in his formative years on the stage - he even had a CBS special in the early 60s dedicated to classic English Music Hall. So even though Drood is ultimately a patische (or homage), when you saw him burst forth through the curtain, you got a sense you were really witnessing something magical and of a different era. Pretty brilliant but as a result, it makes every subsequent production hard to pull off as well. Even the British cast couldn't make it work with Ernie Wise in the role.

Updated On: 4/6/12 at 10:29 PM

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 10:35pm

I really like the idea of Jim Dale for the Chairman, and I know his name has been batted around on Drood threads numerous times. And Joel Grey could be a GREAT Crisparkle.

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 10:48pm

Totally agree about Grey for Crisparkle. That would be absolute perfection.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 10:50pm

Doesn't it seem strange that she'd jump from Anything Goes - having been in it less than a year - into DROOD? I know they're the same producers, but it seems like a big deal to cast and train another Reno for Anything Goes as I don't see it closing anytime soon. Unless they expect with Sutton out that it won't last much longer.

[Blockhead24]

Posted: 4/6/12 at 10:58pm

No since the show's closing in September

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/7/12 at 1:18am

Has that been announced or is it just because they're only selling tickets through Sept?

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 4/7/12 at 1:37pm

Who would be a good Jasper for this production? McGillon was great.

[Bialyhoos22]

Posted: 4/7/12 at 2:14pm

Love him or hate him, Marc Kudisch has all the makings of a terrific Jasper. He has no problems hamming it up and has the baritone to boot. You definitely need someone with a solid comedic chops in there otherwise the tone of his scenes/songs gets thrown off. McGillin was pretty perfect in the role.

As a sidebar - I believe one of the reasons Rupert Holmes cut 'A Man Could Go Quite Mad' from the revised (licensed) version of the script is because he felt no one had come close to making the song work as well as McGillin and without that potent mix of music hall/melodrama, the song falls flat. (I believe Rupert also had said that the song gave away Jasper's secret "duality" too early in the show)

I think it's actually one of the score's strongest songs and works quite well. If any number needs to be cut/revised/rewritten for the revival it's Ceylon (and likewise, a British Subject). The Neville/Helena numbers have always been problematic and I've yet to see a staging (including the OBC) that's benefitted from keeping it in.

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/7/12 at 2:22pm

Marc Kudisch would make an excellent Jasper. I think he's a tad old for it, but I also don't think that matters much for the character. It actually makes him creepier if Rosa Bud is 20-ish, too.

[darquegk]

Posted: 4/7/12 at 2:27pm

Tim Curry would be a fantastic Chairman- he even has music hall experience.

Here's a clip of his 1981 SNL performance, during which he performed a traditional music hall routine that, other than the massive double entendre at the heart of it, seems more like it belongs on The Muppet Show.

http://www.veoh.com/watch/v5822449wfP4atMK

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/7/12 at 2:33pm

That's inspired casting! Hadn't even thought of him, and as long as he still has the energy to do it, I think he would be terrific as the Chairman.

EDIT: The thing I also love about casting Tim Curry is that he is widely known for being the star of a classic "audience participation" movie, perhaps the biggest of all-time. So, aside from his Music Hall abilities, to cast him as the star of a big "audience participation" show on Broadway is perfect. It will get a visceral reaction from some audience members that they won't even be expecting.

I really would love him to be seriously considered for it!

Updated On: 4/7/12 at 02:33 PM