Surprising Stunt Casting

[Ke3]

Posted: 4/4/22 at 9:57pm

a friend of mine saw one of the guys from NKOTB in Waitress and still raves about it. would love to know some stunt casting that really surprised you.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/5/22 at 12:47am

Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway in HELLO, DOLLY!

[ATerrifyingAndImposingFigure]

Posted: 4/5/22 at 2:53am

I didn’t see it, but I’m told Al Roker was delightful in Waitress. In hindsight it makes sense, as while he may not be an actor, he still got huge in a profession calling for great charisma.

[pmensky]

Posted: 4/5/22 at 3:14am

Dollypop said: "Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway in HELLO, DOLLY!"

Pearl Bailey was an 18 year veteran of four Broadway shows when she was hired to do Hello Dolly! and Cab Calloway was already an established Jazz legend who ended up winning an Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance in the show. To reduce these two performers’ casting to a gimmick is ignorant and insulting. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/5/22 at 5:39am

Vanessa Williams replacing Chita Rivera in KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN.  This was in the early days of the internet so the AOL Chatrooms were not too pleased with this announcement.  Can she dance?  Her voice isn’t Broadway.  Are they kidding?  THEN she started performances and the buzz reached Pluto - she was fantastic!  Her original 3 month limited engagement extended to 9 months and a New Cast Recording was made with her cast: Howard McMillan and Brian Stokes Mitchell.  She even cancelled a planned concert tour to continue in her well-received Broadway debut.



 

[The Other One]

Posted: 4/5/22 at 7:27am

Raquel Welch in Woman of the Year.

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/5/22 at 10:30am

Brooke Shields in Wonderful Town was a major surprise. She received great reviews from the critics, including Brantley. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 4/5/22 at 10:45am

Dollypop said: "Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway in HELLO, DOLLY!"

 

That's Star casting --- not stunt casting.  There's a difference.

Updated On: 4/5/22 at 10:45 AM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/5/22 at 10:49am

ljay889 said: "Brooke Shields in Wonderful Town was a major surprise. She received great reviews from the critics, including Brantley."

She loves being a replacement.  Coming into a show already established and that doesn’t need fixing AND doing her own thing with the role.  She did not enjoy working in the 2010 Los Angeles pre-Broadway tryout of LEAP OF FAITH due to the almost-daily revisions being done, etc.  That’s when she decided to never be part of an original show and just have a career as a Broadway replacement.

 

[Lisalemann]

Posted: 4/5/22 at 5:36pm

Reba McEntire in Annie Get Your Gun - whoever came up with that idea was a freaking genius!

 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 4/5/22 at 5:47pm

Lisalemann said: "Reba McEntire in Annie Get Your Gun - whoever came up with that idea was a freaking genius!

Again, that wasn't stunt casting -- it was star casting.  

 

 

[wiggum2]

Posted: 4/5/22 at 6:22pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "ljay889 said: "Brooke Shields in Wonderful Town was a major surprise. She received great reviews from the critics, including Brantley."

She loves being a replacement. Coming into a show already established and that doesn’t need fixing AND doing her own thing with the role. She did not enjoy working in the 2010 Los Angeles pre-Broadway tryout of LEAP OF FAITH due to the almost-daily revisions being done, etc. That’s when she decided to never be part of an original show and just have a career as a Broadway replacement.

Am I imagining this or did Bernadette Peters say something similar recently that she was too old to originate a new role at this stage of her life?

"

 

Updated On: 4/5/22 at 06:22 PM

[David10086]

Posted: 4/5/22 at 10:47pm

Cheryl Ladd in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN. She had the whole audience in the palm of her hand. 

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 9:05am

I saw Kevin Richardson of Backstreet Boys fame as Billy Flynn in Chicago on tour, and was completely shocked by how much I enjoyed his performance. Surprised by how well he succeeded. 

To add to the love for Reba, I think she was incredible in the concert version of South Pacific. Her Nellie was so goofy, and awkward when needed. But also, strong and confident when needed.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 2:27pm

pmensky said: "Dollypop said: "Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway in HELLO, DOLLY!"

Pearl Bailey was an 18 year veteran of four Broadway shows when she was hired to do Hello Dolly! and Cab Calloway was already an established Jazz legend who ended up winning an Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance in the show. To reduce these two performers’ casting to a gimmick is ignorant and insulting."

 

An an entire cast lost their jobs to accommodate the "new" stars

 

[pmensky]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 2:43pm

Dollypop said: "pmensky said: "Dollypop said: "Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway in HELLO, DOLLY!"

Pearl Bailey was an 18 year veteran of four Broadway shows when she was hired to do Hello Dolly! and Cab Calloway was already an established Jazz legend who ended up winning an Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance in the show. To reduce these two performers’ casting to a gimmick is ignorant and insulting."



An an entire cast lost their jobs to accommodate the "new" stars

That’s nice. However, that tidbit of theatre trivia doesn’t validate your misunderstanding of the phrase, stunt casting.

 

[Ke3]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 4:04pm

Dollypop said: "pmensky said: "Dollypop said: "Pearl Bailey and Cab Calloway in HELLO, DOLLY!"

Pearl Bailey was an 18 year veteran of four Broadway shows when she was hired to do Hello Dolly! and Cab Calloway was already an established Jazz legend who ended up winning an Outer Critics Circle Award for his performance in the show. To reduce these two performers’ casting to a gimmick is ignorant and insulting."



An an entire cast lost their jobs to accommodate the "new" stars

"

No, an entire cast lost their jobs so that David Merrick could promote the all Black production as a “novelty”. He easily could’ve kept the rest of the cast. That’s not on Pearl and Cab.

[soulmistin]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 12:08am

Jane Lynch as Miss Hannigan in Annie in the midst of her Glee fame. If I recall it was a short run, but she was very fun as the character. Definitely had the competent talent to do it vocally. 

[soulmistin]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 12:08am

Jane Lynch as Miss Hannigan in Annie in the midst of her Glee fame. If I recall it was a short run, but she was very fun as the character. Definitely had the competent talent to do it vocally. 

[A Director]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 1:09am

Dollypop said: 


An an entire cast lost their jobs to accommodate the "new" stars

I not sure, but  reading between the words, you are implying "the coloreds shouldn't be cast in Hello, Dolly!"

"

 

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 7:48am

ATerrifyingAndImposingFigure said: "I didn’t see it, but I’m told Al Roker was delightful in Waitress. In hindsight it makes sense, as while he may not be an actor, he still got huge in a profession calling for great charisma."

I saw him! When that was first announced I was definitely surprised, but he was fantastic in the role. It makes sense that he had more than one run as Ol’ Joe. 😊

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 7:53am

A Director said: "Dollypop said:


An an entire cast lost their jobs to accommodate the "new" stars

I not sure, but reading between the words, you are implying "the coloreds shouldn't be cast in Hello, Dolly!"

I know what you're saying, but that term is really not something people of color want to read or hear again.

 

[The Other One]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 7:59am

Casting Mary Badham in the National tour of To Kill A Mockingbird is stunt casting. 

[QueenTwinnied]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 11:55am

Ingrid Michaelson in The Great Comet. She had a beautiful voice and stage presence. 

[David10086]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 1:10pm

Pamela Anderson in 'Chicago'.  She was on 'The View' earlier this week and she talked about how 'anxious' she is to be joining the cast - she seemed nervous just in the interview. 

Whoopi Goldberg reminded her that when she 'looks out into the audience' to remember those people bought tickets to see her, and they want her to succeed, not fail.