Todd Buonopane is Lord Farquaad in SHREK Tour!- Page 2

[Lefou]

Posted: 7/26/10 at 2:11pm

how unfortunate...Buonopane is a very talented performer and could have done some awesome things with this character...hopefully he can move on and I'm sure he'll find something even better!

[theaterbear]

Posted: 7/26/10 at 7:51pm

I don't buy this about Todd being demanding. I have several friends who have worked with Todd and they all rave about him as a person and as a professional. I know him quite well and know he is anything BUT a diva. He is a very genuine, sweet man. As a performer, I've been lucky enough to see him in Grease, Spelling Bee, Happy Days, Henry and Mudge, and his one man show at Ars Nova and have always found him great fun to watch. Grease would not have been nearly as fun without him and Lindsay Mendez.

[SimplyDeLovely]

Posted: 7/26/10 at 8:02pm

I have to say I agree with theaterbear. I just don't believe anything about Todd being anything but sweet and dedicated to what he does. I had the opportunity of doing a week-long workshop last summer, and anything demanding from him would seem out of character to me from what I got to know of him.

[Carl Magnum]

Posted: 7/26/10 at 9:08pm

Believe it kids...

[theaterbear]

Posted: 7/26/10 at 10:33pm

I don't. And as you weren't there maybe you shouldn't be so sure of it either.

[CateBroadway]

Posted: 7/27/10 at 12:00pm

That would be contrary to everything I've heard about Todd as a professional. From what I've gathered, everyone I know who's worked with him says he's a big ole teddy bear and a delight to work with. This makes me doubly sad because reading the early threads about the tour it sounded like people were really enjoying what he was doing with the role. I wish him lots of work on his next project whatever that may be!

[BroadwayBen]

Posted: 7/27/10 at 12:58pm

I saw Todd during the first week of previews. He was average at best. There was no shading to his performance, and he didn't really offer up the outrageousness the part demands. They were probably wise to let him go. Talented guy, bad fit.

[Dolly_Levi]

Posted: 7/27/10 at 1:35pm

Todd thinks he is Nathan Lane or Cher.

Carl Magnum, that is one of the funniest things I have read on here in quite a while.

[Pippin]

Posted: 7/27/10 at 2:25pm

"I saw Todd during the first week of previews. He was average at best. There was no shading to his performance, and he didn't really offer up the outrageousness the part demands."

You realize that you are saying you saw his 4th or 5th public performance, right? It's not like you saw him three months into the run where he has had the time to find shading and outrageousness for the part?

People who judge solely on previews don't really deserve an opinion.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 7/27/10 at 2:38pm

Exactly. That's why preview tickets are so significantly discounted! If you want the whole show, wait til tickets go up to full price and pay that! Otherwise, caveat emptor.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/27/10 at 3:13pm

There will be a noticeable deficit of opinions on Shrek in Chicago, then...the discounts have already begun.

At least it's better than Young Frankenstein.

Posted: 7/27/10 at 3:44pm

Well, the reviews have been great: "The top-drawer first national touring company of Broadway's "Shrek" arrived at the Cadillac Palace Theatre here Sunday night, and it's a surprisingly goofy, grand-scale delight."
She's still crazy

[newintown]

Posted: 7/27/10 at 4:18pm

I confess that I am baffled by this more-widely-held-than justified belief that an audience member shouldn't expect a good performance, ready for evaluation, from an actor until some months into the run.

A good performer knows how to work a show at their first performance in front of an audience (the actors I admire figure out how to do it during the weeks of full-time rehearsal that precede that first performance). They may hone some finer points as they continue, but the performance should be ready for audiences at the first paid performance.

I have less respect for the hack who makes audiences wait til after those weeks of rehearsal and months of paid performances to find their way.

[singtopher]

Posted: 7/27/10 at 5:24pm

^ I tend to agree. Folks in regional productions usually have 2 or 3 weeks to rehearse before the show opens and critics are invited.

[liotte]

Posted: 8/1/10 at 7:24pm

Todd is such a sweet person, he is anything but a diva. After getting consistent praise from the creatives of the show, he was a victim of a sudden whim from a movie studio mogul.
He is a great actor and I'm sure something much better will come along for him. I wish Todd the best in everything and will continue to show my support for him.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 8/1/10 at 8:22pm

Todd was always great at Mostly Sondheim when I saw him there. Really funny, really talented, and good at improv. If he was a diva it would definitely show up when try to herd a drunk open mic night. He was very mellow and cool.

It sounds like some higher up didn't care for him and pulled the plug. It happens everyday. Onward and upward Todd.