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THE WIZ casting rumours
THE WIZ casting rumours
#0THE WIZ casting rumours
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:11pm
From the ATC board: rumoured to be early casting offers for La Jolla - I hope to God this is not right:
Dorothy: Shoshana Bean
Evilene: Marty Testa
The Lion: Titus Burgess
Awful choices if true (except for Burgess who is wonderful), but lets keep in mind that the La Jolla production is NOT yet Broadway bound.
EDIT: I'm revising the title, no use to be negative as most of the casting that is coming to fruition is pretty good. Still hate the idea of Mary Testa, but we'll focus on the positive.
Updated On: 7/17/06 at 10:11 PM
#1re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:13pmBesides the obvious reasons why she would not be good, Bean looks like she's 35.
Have I ever shown you my Shattered Dreams box? It's in my Disappointment Closet. - Marge Simpson
#2re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:18pmI'd love to see Shoshana learn to pronounce her vowels correctly when she sings. *Sigh*
"Y'all have a GRAND day now"
#3re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:18pm
Maybe Des is making her a 35 year old school teacher like in that awful movie.
This has come up before in other threads but I'll say it again. There is NO NEED to update the WIZ. It is a 1970s black R&B/Funk/Gospel musicalization of the story.
THE WIZARD OF OZ is in public domain, and if La Jolla wants to do a modern take on it, they should just hire a composing team to write their own hip hop/rap multi-ethnic version of the Baum novel.
I don't get it.
broadwaybelter
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/26/04
#4re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:18pmwell the up to shoshana being Dorothy is that she has a very soulful voice....make-up? masks? paper bags? Shoshana does look a lot older than Dorothy. Though I wouldn't exactly detest Mary Testa in here...
wicked_chitown
Swing Joined: 11/2/05
#5re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:23pm
Isn't Shoshana contracted for the Wicked Tour during that time period?
And as much as I love Shoshana's soulful voice, I really would rather see it cast "traditionally". My opinion.
Night
Swing Joined: 6/25/06
broadwaybelter
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/26/04
#7re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:30pmwicked_chitown good point! She'll be w/Wicked from September 6th-November 26th. "The Wiz" plays La Jolla September 26th-November 12th.
Corine2
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/14/03
#8re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:33pm
Mary Bond Davis needs to be in this.
So does Felicia P Fields.
I am so excited about the WIZ.
apdarcey
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/10/04
#9re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:33pmmb. i'm sure you can think of worse people than mary testa to be involved in this project.
Corine2
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/14/03
#11re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:35pmaw, can we do better than casting ex-Elphabas in EVERY role? Geez...
"Are you sorry for civilization? I am sorry for it too." ~Coast of Utopia: Shipwreck
Benzy92
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/24/03
#12re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:35pm
BEN LOVES SHOSHANA.
(that is all.)
Corine2
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/14/03
Night
Swing Joined: 6/25/06
#14re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 10:38pm
Shoshana? Riiiight
Nikki James IS Dorothy
Updated On: 6/25/06 at 10:38 PM
#15re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:00pm
I doubt very highly Shoshana will be cast, unless she is not doing the Wicked tour anymore.
Plus, I mean come on....Shoshana in THE WIZ??
Updated On: 6/25/06 at 11:00 PM
#16re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:03pm
if this is true, this production sounds like it's going to be BIZARRE.
DAME
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/15/04
#17re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:03pm
MB,
Chill. It is all good.
HUSSY POWER!
------ HUSSY POWER!
#18re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:04pmBrenda Braxton as Glinda please.. Thank you.
#19re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:06pm
Mary Testa!?
*is perplexed*
"Picture "The View," with the wisecracking, sympathetic sweethearts of that ABC television show replaced by a panel of embittered, suffering or enraged Arab women" -the Times review of Black Eyed
RentBoy86
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/15/05
#20re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:09pm
What's it matter that she's an Ex-Elphaba? It's a tough role to sing and it's in a big major Broadway hit. I don't get why people bash someone for playing the part.
But anyways, Nikki M. James! Please!
#21re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:10pmI could care less that she's an ex-Elphaba. There are other, more obvious reasons why her being cast in this would, to say the least, odd.
Roses
Swing Joined: 9/16/04
#22re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:12pma rumor is a rumor. let's wait for an anouncement!
BroomstickBoy
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/21/04
#23re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:15pm
Whatever happened to the updated ethnic version of the Wizard of Oz with Patti Labelle as the Wicked Witch and Queen Latifah as Glinda, along with Monica as Dorothy?
I don't WANT to live in what they call "a certain way." In the first place I'd be no good at it and besides that I don't want to be identified with any one class of people. I want to live every whichway, among all kinds---and know them---and understand them---and love them---THAT's what I want! - Philip Barry (Holiday)
Jazzysuite82
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/6/05
#24re: THE WIZ casting rumours (not good)
Posted: 6/25/06 at 11:15pmWasn't Anika noni Rose supposed to do it at some point? I acutally wouldn't mind Mary Testa. She's def got a presence for it. Also FYI they're changing the whole thing up. It's much more modern using Hip hop and a lot of urban sounds. It's being reorchestrated. The choreography in the audition was sort of African and REDICULOUSLY hard. A Couple of people just walked outta the room. It'll be interesting how they update it.
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