Which production you wanna see Randy Harrison in?

Equus.

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Take Me Out.

Ahahaha.

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queer as folk: the musical.
oh my.

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Obviously, he's good enough to be cast by noted directors with noted companies. I'll cheerlead for him even though I've never seen him on stage. What I do know is that he has been cast in plays at great regional theatres (Guthrie, Bershires - multiple occasions), has trained well (bachelor's degree and with Siti doing Shakespeare), is consistently employed, and is operating his own arts program. As I'm sure not everyone in the business wants to be judged by only one project, I'm sure he does not want QAF to be his only calling card. QAF got him a fan base (sometimes too kooky for words - I hope this missive does not place me with the kooky group), but something aspiring actors can certainly use to their advantage.

Having said that, I would have loved to have seen the Guthrie production of The Glass Menagerie, and I wish him continued success.

abg

"Obviously, he's good enough to be cast by noted directors with noted companies."


No, no hon. Never understimate theater companies star-f**kerism. Why, I just went to a seminar with a casting director with a major on and off broadway theater company and she basically said its all about the star. She said, "I have to be honest with you, its the star's game. If Gretchen Mol says she wants to do a show with us, its our job to make a list of roles that she would be right for." Yes. Gretchen Mol. This is practically verbatim. She also said that whenever they do a show, they have to put out offers in Los Angeles for, as she put it, "Cameron Diaz and Rachel McAdams and all these other people who will never say yes." Producers...even regional and off broadway producers want A Name. Hence Randy Harrison's success in the theatre. Who else would have him?

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Speaking of which, has anyone heard anything about Edward II yet? It's a play I've never seen. When Ian McKellan did his one-man show in 1995, he named Edward II as the first gay play in the English language. It's great in the reading. And what part is Randy going to play? Not Gaveston, I hope. That would be totally wrong for this particular play, IMO.

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I don't want to see him in anything. I just...ew. Even if he is better on stage...I can't even look at him.

OK, Nitsua and borstalboy, and jbbran - what plays have you seen him in and what was wrong with his performance? Have you been in a play at the Guthrie or in the Berkshires? Do you know the casting company or directors? Do you know whether all casting agents work like your seminar person indicates? If the Guthrie and Berkshires regularly hire only "stars" that have a name only and no talent, how did they get their good reputations? What do you have to say about the generally good reviews that Harrison garners? I don't know - I'm just saying . . .



abg

Eh. Joan Collins graduated from RADA. I don't really give a damn about someone's alma mater. I have seen dreadful actors from the *bow your head* Julliard and Yale drama schools.

Jesus, Tourist, chill out. He's not your son. If you were capable of reading carefully you could see that I wrote, "maybe he's better on stage". I'd give the mushy faced mumbler some slack only some friends who saw WICKED said he sucked the big one and not in a good way. He could be the next Frank Langella, for all I know, but I somehow doubt it.

But what I said about casting directors is 100% the truth, Ruth.

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Updated On: 12/17/07 at 02:17 PM

broadwaytourist: NOTHING you're rambling about has to do with ANYTHING I said... I said he was bad on an even worse show, but that the cast's badness was probably more the fault of the scripts and direction.

What did I say exactly set you off like that?

Well, as someone who, for a change, actually enjoys his work (I know, how shocking, just stone me to death now), I certainly wouldn't mind seeing him in more shows. Yes, I loved him on Queer as Folk, and as much as he probably dreads it, I will always associate him with Justin. But regardless, I find him to be a fantastic actor who is truly versatile. Not to mention, he is a theatre actor first and foremost and QaF and a small role in another movie on Showtime are really the only TV work he's done.

I seriously can't understand why all this hate for him.

To Borstalboy:

In defense of my workplace, the Berkshire Theatre Festival, we DO NOT hire actors because of their "star" name. Please don't generalize all theatre companies under your opinion of how we cast. Yes, many places will try to get the names and it does sell tickets. However, we do not base our seasons on star names. That is not how we get our reputation. We are an ensemble company, which means no one's name gets billed over anyone else's. If one actor's name is listed, all other actors names are listed right beside there's. Artistic Director, Kate Maguire, is extremely firm in this belief. No one is more important than the other. Everyone has to audition, no exceptions. Even Linda Hamilton of the Terminator movies fame, had to fly in from Malibu to audtion for us. The reason why Randy Harrison has performed at BTF on multiple occasions is because his work ethic and quality is of superb professionalism. We are a company that focuses on an actor's development, and with each production, he has consistantly grown artistically. Why wouldn't we want him to come back?

Please don't brush off a regional theatre just because you think we are trying to load up our shows with stars. That is not the case. These actors want to work at BTF because of our repuation for focusing on the work and not the names. Your comment was an insult.

Randy Harrison is a talented actor. He strives for excellence and leaves it all on the stage. Please don't brush him off just because of his time on QAF. He deserves much more credit as a legit actor.

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Updated On: 12/17/07 at 11:01 PM