THE RITZ - aka Joe Mantello Gets Another Job- Page 2

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 7:45pm

Many on here can vouch that WICKED is indeed a revival. Many on here actually saw the original 1966 Lincoln Center production.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 7:48pm

I remember it!

Danielm - Though Mantello has had a great deal of commercial successes, most of his productions have been huge artistic failures (Wicked, 3 Days, Odd Couple, etc, etc.)

[Danielm]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 7:49pm

Well Yankeefan, if you say so I guess I will have to take your word for it.

[Hiram]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 8:27pm

Mr. Roxy - James Coco was not the male lead. The two male stars were Jack Weston and Jerry Stiller. They were replaced by Stubby Kaye and Mike Kellin. However when you mentioned James Coco, I thought how wonderful he would have been in the Weston role. He was such a marvelous actor.

Rita Moreno was brilliant as Googie. Rosie Perez is perfect casting. I look forward to seeing this hysterical play again. I wonder who is doing the role originated by F. Murray Abraham. He was an absolute scream.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 8:30pm

Brooks Ashmanksas will be playing Chris, the role originated by Abraham.

[Hiram]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 9:57pm

Great choice!

[wickedfan]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 10:11pm

Yankee is correct, Danielm. While most of the productions Mantello has touched have turned to gold, it's usually in one way or another. Either they are huge artistic achivements (Love, Valour..., Assassins, Blackbird) or they are huge commercial achievements (Three Days of Rain, Wicked, The Odd Couple). Very rarely is it both with Mantello. Although there are plenty who think that he was never that inspiring a director. Like every person in the arts, he has his fans and his haters.

Although, it must be said, no matter what the outcome of his productions he still manages to be one of biggest go-to directors on Broadway right now (2 Tony Awards in the last 4 years will do that). Looking forward to this revival, if anything to see Rosie Perez in it.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 10:13pm

Maybe I'm on a Blackbird-high, but I'd say it's one of the greatest achievements of his career.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 5/31/07 at 10:16pm

Haven't seen it yet, but from what I've been told, I don't think that it's your high talking, Yankee.

[Danielm]

Posted: 6/1/07 at 1:05pm

I haven't seen Wicked yet (and may not), and I didn't see the Neil Simon plays or Three Days, but I've seen some of his other work, while I don't know that he is a brilliant director he is a servicable one. It seems to depend a lot on the material--the Neil Simon plays were unlikely to appeal to critics--Simon has rarely been a critic's darling, his appeal is to audiences. Wicked seems to have split people--they either love it or hate it, but he also didn't have a free hand in directing it--Schwartz was always breathing down his neck. The critical reception for Three Days of Rain is highly suspect as it seems that a lot of people were laying in siege for Julia Roberts--and the play may not have been enough to support a movie star of her fame. I find that the artistic judgements of critics and people on this board can be more suspect than the commercial success of these shows. As for The Ritz, he's not the first director I would have chosen because he hasn't shown a gift for shtick. The Ritz, while it has some really good stuff, isn't a great play, it needs a lot of comic touches to work. But, as far as Mantello goes, there are far worse directors they could have selected.