WOMEN/VERGE/BREAKDOWN Art- Page 2

[Sauja]

Posted: 6/28/10 at 8:05pm

The artwork is perfection. Has anyone hear heard any of the music yet? I LOVE the movie, but I really disliked the music in The Full Monty and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, so I'm wary of it. Any opinions would be welcome!

[HBP]

Posted: 6/28/10 at 8:35pm

WOW. this is one of my FAVORITE movies. definitely my favorite almodóvar. i never thought of it before, but it could make for a really great musical. carmen maura will be sorely missed, though. i hope they really put some effort into the casting..

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 6/28/10 at 9:22pm

I hope they spruce up the Belasco marquee now!

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/29/10 at 9:59am

One of the best if not the best artwork for a broadway production I have seen in a long time! Thanks for sharing!

[Brick]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 8:46am

I've heard from a very good source the creative team really wants Patti. It's just a matter of the deal going through, and contracts being signed.

[madbrian]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 8:57am

For me, the prospect of LuPone originating a role in a new musical is the biggest Broadway news in a very long time.

[HBP]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 9:40am

ok.. so it may not be completely original haha

but I still like it.

[Felm_heart]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 12:02pm

Now don't judge me, but I've never seen the film. Will Patti's role be very significant, or is this more of a featured role. (Taking a back seat to the Biel role?)

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 12:51pm

The film at least is a pretty ensemble driven story. The role LuPone would be playing is definitely supporting (albeit showy - a jilted first wife recently released from a mental home who highjacks a man on a motorcycle in the movie's climax).

Pepa (Sherie Scott) is really the only lead character in the film.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 1:11pm

I love this movie and the LuPone character in the film is quite nuts and I imagine LuPone having quite a blast with the role (not sure how it's written in the show).
I still don't really get Sherie Rene Scott as Pepa, but I'm sure she'll be great. But to think of all the other women who could have played the role...
I imagine Biel is/was being sought after for the girlfriend of the character played by Antonio Banderas in the movie. Who is playing Pepa's friend? Is that the role Joanna Gleason read for?
Almodovar is known for his brilliant female ensembles, I can only imagine what a great ensemble they are getting for this.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 1:17pm

I would actually think Gleason played Lucía. She was in the very first workshop, which LuPone wasn't involved in.

I find Sherie Rene Scott to be great casting for Pepa in terms of type, but I'm a little confused as to how they plan on handling the ethnic backgrounds of the characters.

For a story that's so very Latin, there doesn't seem to be any Spanish actors in the cast (at least based on who's been involved in the development process, minus Salma Hayek and Mia Maestro.)

Updated On: 6/30/10 at 01:17 PM

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 1:32pm

Ah, thanks for clarifying that, somethingwicked.
My problem with Scott as Pepa has everything to do with the fact there's absolutely nothing Latin about her. I'm not merely talking about the fact she's white but about the fact that she possesses none of what could capture the great Hispanic/Spanish spirit that is such a big part of this particular Almodovar movie (and just about every one of his films that I've seen). LuPone is someone I can see capturing that, not Scott. That's why I wanted someone like Salma Hayek (or ideally) Penelope Cruz, women who would be riveting as Pepa and would perfectly depict the Spanish essence of the story.
Plus, as a Latino man myself is quite annoying to see that even in an adaptation of a Spanish film Broadway keeps on wanting to cast the whitest actors they are able to find, ugh.

[HBP]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 1:44pm

I'm assuming that this will not be set in Spain. I wouldn't be surprised if they changed the characters' names and set it in New York or something. There's nothing in the plot that makes it necessarily 'Latin' (although it was made in Spain by a Spanish director with a Spanish cast). I'm still excited about this.

I'm not really sure how great Sherie would be for the Pepa role.. but I would definitely love to see Joanna Gleason take on the Lucía part over Patti.
Updated On: 6/30/10 at 01:44 PM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 2:18pm

Here they are side by side for better comparison:

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 2:39pm

I think Gleason was playing Paulina, the role of Ivan's now mistress (the social worker Pepa goes to see) and I believe Chita Rivera was playing Lucia in one of the earlier readings - she would have been great - but hard to imagine her as Brian Stokes Mitchell's first wife...

I agree it would have been fun to see someone like Peneleope Cruz in the project, who has a history with Almadovar, but in defense of Sherie Scott's casting - she is about the same age (early 40s) that Carmen Maura was in the original film - and the character of Pepa is somewhat the 'straight man' in this madcap piece. Its a role that I think might suit Scott's skills well. I'm assuming Hayak just wasn't up to the vocal demands of the part.

The musical is definitely set in Spain.

[Edna Turnblad]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 10:32pm

I literally just finished watching this movie, and...

1. It was good. Not great, but I liked it better as it went on, meaning when I knew who everyone was.
2. Patti was be amazing in the role of the first wife. I'm not a fan of her singing, but when she talks is fine. I think she has the comedic chops to do the crazy character.
3. I don't know who would be Pepa, but I would imagine someone like Scott. She is much more subdued. She just seems calmer and quieter and the kind of person who could pull off the more straight Pepa.
4. I really am interested in seeing this musical. I really want to know what the music sounds like.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 6/30/10 at 11:02pm

If Patti is doing the show, I'm curious as to how her concert schedule will be affected. She's pretty faithful to her commitments, but she has an awful lot of things scheduled for October, when the show would be in previews.

[WayTooBroadway]

Posted: 7/1/10 at 1:20am

EPA noted:
"The musical takes place in Madrid, Spain, and casting should be believable as set there; we're seeking a European feel. Actors of all ethnicity are welcome to attend."

Here are the roles, as described:
1.) MALE (50s; any ethnicity) - IVAN. Handsome, sophisticated and smooth. Pretty much a haircut and a voice, it would be possible to mistake him for a bounder, but the truth is he falls in love with every woman he meets. A player. Strong comic actor and singer;

2.) FEMALE (20s; any ethnicity) - CANDELA. Very pretty, razor-skinny, naive working model and hopeless romantic who falls in love at the drop of a hat. Much smarter than she appears, with a small-town innocence underneath her cosmopolitan sexiness. Truly in love with Ivan. Her diet consists of lettuce and diuretics. Strong comic actor and singer;

3.) FEMALE (50s; any ethnicity) - LUCIA. Ivan's ex-wife. She has just been released from a mental institution after 20 years, but she is still mad. Both comic and scary, with a heartbreaking vulnerability underneath it all. Everything she does is 20 years ago; her mind might as well be frozen in time. Strong comic actor and singer;

4.) MALE (20s; any ethnicity) - CARLOS. Ivan and Lucia's son. Handsome, sexy, shy, awkward, unassuming and studious-looking. Struggling to break out of his shell; has a real untapped passion that is yearning to be let out. Attached to his father, even though he doesn't know him. Dominated by his mother. Strong comic actor and singer;

5.) FEMALE (mid 30s-early 40s; any ethnicity) - PEPA. Working actor and presently spurned lover. Warm, funny, sardonic, matter-of-fact, down-to-earth, emotional, motherly, and naturally sexy (i.e. not working it). Has just broken up an affair with Ivan. Strong comic actor and singer;

6.) FEMALE (20s; any ethnicity) - MARISA. Carlos' snobby fiancee. A striking, exotic, unusual-looking woman. Very matter-of-fact and no-nonsense. Stern, depressed, competitive with Candela. Firmly holding onto her virginity, but with a smolder that will eventually emerge. Strong comic actor and singer. This role will dance;

7.) FEMALE (mid 30s-early 40s; any ethnicity) - PAULINA. A smart lawyer, a 1987 feminist, and a bitch - although we must also believe she can be swept off her feet. Attractive underneath her business suit and stern demeanor. Ambitious, funny, on par with Pepa. It's a surprise that she ends up with Ivan. Strong comic actor and singer;

8.) FEMALE (mid 30s-40s; any ethnicity) - TAXI DRIVER. Very off-center, very talkative, and big-hearted. Takes on the problems of any of his passengers. He is the spirit and energy of Madrid. Strong comic actor and singer.

Now can they announce soon? Too much excitement going on with the speculation. For all we know, Patti might not...

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 7/1/10 at 1:32am

^ you bite your tongue! I will and shall see my Pats in Women!

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 7/1/10 at 1:44am

Michael Bennett, I think Chita Rivera's name was only mentioned in connection to her possible interest in the project. I'm almost positive her schedule prevented her from actually participating in any of the developmental work. In fact, I know she had tentatively committed to the reading that followed the initial workshop, but she ultimately had to be replaced by Patti LuPone rather late in the game.

While she fits the type to a tee, at 60, Joanna Gleason is far too old for Paulina. That's what leads me to believe she played Lucía. If I'm wrong, I'd be curious if she remains involved. She's been very reluctant to commit to theatrical projects until recently, but considering her relationship with Jeffrey Lane and David Yazbeck, this may be worthy of an exception for her.

Updated On: 7/1/10 at 01:44 AM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 7/1/10 at 10:55am

A few things to be gleamed from that casting breakdown (assuming some of the little details aren't just oversights):

Changes from the movie...

Candela is in love with Ivan? That's new and could be interesting - in the film she merely has been involved with a group of Shiite terrorists.

Is the Taxi Driver now female? Casting breakdown seems to be confused on that one...

Looks like Marissa is going to have more to do than she does in the movie (which is pretty much stay asleep the entire time). It looks like they are hoping to do a nod though to Rossy De Palma's unusual physicality.

[americanboy99]

Posted: 7/1/10 at 11:15am

"Warm, funny, sardonic, matter-of-fact, down-to-earth, emotional, motherly, and naturally sexy"

That description couldn't be more Sherrie!

[Edna Turnblad]

Posted: 7/1/10 at 11:38am

That casting notice is wack.

[newintown]

Posted: 7/1/10 at 3:23pm

This disappoints me - I know, some of you may cry out "broken record," but -

The fact that they keep the title, and the poster copies the movie poster; and based on Yazbek's track record (even though I know he doesn't write the books to his shows) -

I fear (not predict, fear) that once again, what we'll see is merely a stage reduction of the film with plugged-in songs, in contrast to a transformation of the source material into a different animal (like I Am A Camera/Cabaret, Tevye and his Daughters/Fiddler On the Roof, The Matchmaker/Hello Dolly!, The Uses of Enchantment/Into the Woods, etc., etc.)

[americanboy99]

Posted: 7/1/10 at 3:29pm

I'd say HAIRSPRAY is one of the most successful film to stage reincarnations, and I wouldn't exactly call that a transformation or a "different animal."