What's up with Cary Shields? — Page 2

I saw the show tonight and Jay was on. I thought that some of the cast had very little energy, but the audience was going crazy. After every song almost, the crowd erupted in applause and during the songs as well.

We dont know what is wrong with him. A few days before he was going to come back on the 14th, he was excited and anticipating the return. He knows the thrill and joy people have of seeing him at the Neder. god I love it more than anything. He may have gotten sick again or just needed more time before going back to the craziness backstage as well as on stage. Roger's brooding takes a lot of work [/sarcasm] Also he could be taking time to be working on his album, sans producer of course since Jimmy is on his honeymoon with new wifey Karmine Alers.

Cary's contract is up in Jan. if he doesn't re-sign his last is either Jan 15th or Jan 22nd. Please dont worry too much. He needs the rest and hopefully he is getting all the medical attention he can. Maybe he will be back, maybe he wont.

Oh and lastly Matt is taking a break in March so those that don't like him can see the show then. but best of luck getting tickets, its getting SOLD OUT

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also, I thought Josh was the one rumoured to be Tarzan?

Kobak isn't playing Tarzan, but he is going to be part of the production. I believe Tarzan rehearsals were mentioned to begin in late December, so ending his Roger stint on the 24th makes sense.

I thought Joshua Kobak was amazing. He was just so passionate on stage. I loved Cary Shields, but Joshua absolutely stunned me.

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I guess you people aren't familiar with the DL then.

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Hope everything is kosher with Cary.

He's one of the few people I've seen that have a good grip on Roger.

On the other hand, I adore Josh just as much and have never seen him play Roger, so that could be fun too.

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It seems like they are gradually doing that, at least a little bit. Caplan is rumored to be leaving in March, who knows if Shields will be back, a number of ensemble members are leaving in the next month, and Merle Dandridge is also leaving (though they're bringing in an ex-Joanne to take over for her). Fresh blood is always a good thing. Though I'm really glad Kobak is getting a run at Roger, especially since I think he's a lot better than Jay Wilkison, who's been doing it the past month or so.

This is a strong analogy, but I think the complaints here have more to do with the audience member than the performer not having energy. It is like a drug high. From what I understand the first time is indescribable and then the person spends forever trying to reclaim that initial high only to be disappointed. The people that have seen the show multiple times are not going to be satisfied with some of the performers they have seen over and over. I think it is the audience member being bored with the performer and not the performer looking bored. I sincerely think some of the criticism is not fair because I've been at performances where people reviewed the performers as having little or no energy. I did not have the same reaction on that particular day. I am just making the point that some of the criticism of people like Matt and Cary shouldn't be stated as fact, for not all people see it as some of you do. Someone wrote something about the performers lacking energy but the audience was going wild. Think about that. Think about how the performance looked to someone that wasn't seeing it for the umpteenth time. What looks boring and appears to lack energy to you just may be a well carried out performance to others.

They "need" to move on? Why is that? Because YOU want someone new? Erinrebecca was right. I don't think some people around here get just how hard it is to be cast in something or have the job opportunities some of these guys have. Not to be mean, but how many shows do you think Caplan would be cast in? He is a perfect Mark C, but there aren't many other roles he seems suited for.

Updated On: 11/20/05 at 11:00 PM

I would have to agree there.
I also think alot has to do with the fact that you find a favorite. Favorite Roger, Favorite Mark, maybe even an all time favorite cast all together..and over time you compare your favorite to the ones you see afterwards, so of course the energy is never the same because you dont get that sense of community back.

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Certainly, Viva. The energy not being the same as your favorite, though, (to me at least) is different than obvious boredom, and that boredom actually having a negative impact on the quality of the performance. The latter is something that I do think happens, unfortunately.

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I've seen the show MANY times, but I have never seen the Goodbye Love fight played lightly or for a joke. Care to elaborate?

A friend of mine saw it and said Roger accidentally spit on Mark. Mark paused and made a big deal of wiping off his face. Roger laughed, Mark smiled, and they had to recover and get back to the fight. It can be just considered breaking character, but at a moment like that, it's just not appropriate.

I can't remember who the actors were, it was awhile ago, but the story stuck with me.

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wait a minute I have a crazy question then...I saw Rent on last Sunday I guess that was Nov. 13th. I assumed it was Cary playing Roger since there was NO mention of an understudy. I really thought it was him. Who was it then? I still think it had to be him.