When did the talented people start getting fired?

[chenofan]

Posted: 5/28/05 at 9:57pm

Okay, so this has been a question in the back of my mind for a while now. When did it become the trend on Broadway to fire the talented people. The incedent that immediatly comes to mind is that of "Sweet Charity" and the firing of Natascia Diaz and Solange Sandy. Those two girls where a revelation in that show! The audiences loved them and they got amazing reviews in each city! Their roles where also c ut down enormously from the original production - to shadows of their former selves. Is it that they wanted Christina to not be overshadowed by her side-kicks? I just that that this is a bad trend for producers to start. I know that I have heard other stories about other shows,but, like I said, this is the only one I can think of right now. What are your thoughts?

[ChrisLovesShows]

Posted: 5/28/05 at 10:34pm

I was disturbed by that as well, especially since no one seems to know for sure the real reason why they were fired.

On the subject, I NEVER heard a viable reason that Alice Ripley was let go of the Broadway-bound Little Shop.

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 5/28/05 at 10:38pm

Alice Ripley was FANTASTIC as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors
I was shocked when I heard she was NOT re-hired

[OrdinaryJukebox1]

Posted: 5/28/05 at 11:48pm

How could that be?! I didn't know this about Alice Ripley. I knew she had been Audrey, but I didn't know where and I saw that Kerry Butler did the revival, I assumed she was in the tour or something. Gross, truly gross...

-Vincent

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 5/28/05 at 11:54pm

Talent has nothing to do with it. The list of talented people who have been replaced prior to Broadway openings over the last 50 years would be thick as a phone book. People are replaced because for one reason or another, they aren't working in the context of the director's vision.

[Joshua488]

Posted: 5/28/05 at 11:56pm

Damn Jerry Zaks.

As much as I am obsessed with Kerry Butler, I think that Alice Ripley would have made a much better Audrey.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/29/05 at 12:00am

On the Natascia and Solange subject..

There were rumors that they were fired because they looked too young for the character. They wanted Nickie and Helene to look older than Charity - more of the been around the block type.

I don't know how true that is.. but it seems like a better reason than firing them so they don't outshine Charity.

[zoran912]

Posted: 5/29/05 at 12:07am

Janine LaManna is amazingly talented. I don't know about the other girl.

[timote316]

Posted: 5/29/05 at 12:10am

There could be any number of reasons why Diaz and Sandy were replaced.

Just a nitpick: they were only in one of the Pre-Broadway cities; they were replaced before the Boston run.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 5/29/05 at 1:34am

That PISSED me off when Diaz and Sandy were fired..they blew me AWAY when I saw it in Chicago! that's part of the reason why I believe it was cuz they were upstaging Christina (cuz as GREAT as I think she was I don't think it's hard to be better!).

I heard about the whole cast of Little Shop being fired (except Hunter and the puppeteers!)..I didn't know Alice Ripley was Audrey though!

[bunchamuncha]

Posted: 5/29/05 at 6:18am

Dallas Roberts getting replaced in Glass Menagerie.
I wonder how different the show would have been.

[Jon]

Posted: 5/29/05 at 6:40am

The Little Shop situation was this:

After the Florida production got mediocre reviews, plans for Broadway were cancelled. Then the producers decided to try again with a new director. Jerry Zaks said he would do it, but wanted to cast the show from scratch. The cast from the Florida production could re-audition for their roles. Alice Ripley basically said "screw that" and didn't re-audition. Hunter Foster was the only one cast.

The rumor on GLASS MENAGERIE is that Dallas Roberts was fired because Jessica Lange thought he was "too intense". This fits perfectly with many stories I've heard about Ms. Lange.

[Mamie]

Posted: 5/29/05 at 11:10am

And here I thought you were writing about Dallas Roberts and Danny Davis.

It does make you wonder what would have happened with those shows if they HADN'T been replaced.

[Act4ever]

Posted: 5/29/05 at 11:21am

I saw Alice Ripley in the role... and she was not that good. Granted, it did seend like it had a lot to do with the direction...

[grizzabella]

Posted: 5/29/05 at 12:43pm

Sad to say, but it seems that in a number of recent cases, it has nothing to do with talent - or the quality of the show that the audience sees (remember them - the ones dropping big bucks for tickets?). Great word-of-mouth and reviews, even maintaining better-than-respectable percentages are only minor considerations if the producers/directors or other powers behind the scenes have agendas. Sad trend.
_

[justthefacts2]

Posted: 5/29/05 at 6:09pm

Well said, grizzabella. Hijacking the quality of the production for your own agenda because you have the power is the height of narcissism.

[LucilleAndLeoFrank]

Posted: 5/29/05 at 6:14pm

Are there any clips floating around of Alice as Audrey?