Whitaker, Rashad, McDonald to NOT Star in "Cat" Revival

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 6:32am

Forest Whitaker (Big Daddy), Phylicia Rashad (Big Momma), Audra McDonald (Maggie), Anthony Mackie (Brick), and Kenny Leon (Director) have officially pulled out of the all-black revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, citing problems with the producers.

Apparently, Whitaker wasn't as good as Danny Glover and McDonald is a "regional theater actress."

Debbie Allen is officially directing now.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04112007/entertainment/theater/the_roof_caves_in_theater_michael_riedel.htm

[ahmelie]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 6:51am

Leon, meanwhile, was fuming that the producers were second-guessing his casting. They called McDonald a "regional theater actress" (her four Tony Awards notwithstanding) and were trying to replace her with either Whitney Houston or Beyoncé.

Oh my Lord. I'm actually glad that this isn't happening now, as much as I would like to see it.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 8:39am

Wow...this gets worse and worse as it goes along.

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 8:45am

If this weren't so offensive, it would be terribly funny.

...I guess it sort of IS anyway!

[wickedfiyeroofoz]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 8:50am

I thought the Title of the thread was mispelled.....I thought it said meant "Cats" revival....my Heart just about stopped....thank God that's not what it is lol.

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 9:17am

Now THAT would really be funny...

Forest Whitaker - Old Deuteronomy
Audra McDonald - Grizabella
Phylicia Rashad - Jennyanydots
Anthony Mackie - Rum Tum Tugger

Oy!

[Urban]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 9:18am

best12bars - Thanks for the laugh!

Also, on the topic at hand, I managed to laugh and be offended at the same time - difficult bloody feat - but I did it!

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 9:19am

He called Audra a "regional theater actress"? And he's a Broadway director? WTF??? Does he know Lincoln Center isn't considered regional just because it's not in the theater district?

Updated On: 4/11/07 at 09:19 AM

[Urban]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 9:19am

"Beyoncé might look good in a slip, but then she has to act. They couldn't grasp that."

Cold!

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 9:21am

Oh wait - I just reread that - it wasn't Leon who said that, it was the producers.

Sorry, KL!

[My2cents2]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 9:25am

WOW! A regional theatre actress...I think Ms. McDonald's TONY for Raisin and Masterclass, as well as her EMMY nom for WIT would disagree...

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 9:28am

What is Kim Fields doing these days?

[Urban]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 9:32am

Of course at the rate these producers are going, they'll mistake Kim Fields for Lil' Kim.

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 9:40am

Or "Tootie" Fields for Totie Fields...

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 9:54am

Were they planning on having white people play the servants?

[Calvin]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 11:29am

Maybe Tyler Perry can play Big Momma.

[Carl Magnum]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 11:32am

I'm starting to get the feeling this may never actually happen. Which honestly is a good thing. Although I'd be upset on missing out on this very very obvious train wreck.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 11:36am

As there are racial undertones in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, I really can't see how an all-black production would work. Please remember, Big Daddy is a plantation owner.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 11:45am

First, Forest Whitaker as Big Daddy? Isn't he a little young for it? I mean he could still almost get away with playing Brick.

Second, I think that the ghost of Tennessee Williams has put a curse on any producer who tries to mount an all-black production of CAT. Not sure how many of you remember, but sometime back in the late 90s, there was an announcement made with great fanfare that James Earl Jones (Big Daddy), Laurence Fishburne (Brick) and Angela Bassett (Maggie) were signed and slated to star in a Broadway revival of CAT. About a month or two later, it was announced that it was off, due to what Jones called "producer incompetence." The details were sketchy, but either the producer hadn't secured the necessary funding (which seemed ludicrous with the starry cast they had assembled) or there was a problem with the Williams estate, but whatever the reason, the production was cancelled and Jones and the rest of the cast were fuming.

[Carl Magnum]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 11:45am

Oh becareful DP, I got accused of being racist for making that same very obvious, very true statement.



That being said, would you like to direct the all white production of Rasin in The Sun I'm starring in?

[sweetiedarlinmia]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 12:27pm

AUDRA A REGIONAL THEATRE ACTRESS!!!????!!! THE HELL!!! Yea, they just hand out 4 Tony Awards and Emmy Noms to any hack off the street!!

So now some "hey I have too much cash and time on my hands, so why don't I try to produce a Broadway show even though I wouldnt know talent even if Antoinette Perry, Ethel Merman, and Sarah Bernhardt themselves shoved a Tony Award up my ass" hedge-fund managers fancy themselves authorities on producing?! Insane is the best way to describe them!

Beyonce could BARELY act in Dreamgirls (lets not even mention the disasters before!) and Whitney, though I love her when she's clean, aint the best actress on film, so I don't even wanna see her on stage, unless she's strictly singing.

That would've been a production I woulda sold my kidneys to see, if just to see many of my fav actors on one stage, BUT NOW! I wouldn't give a three day old moldy piece of toast to see this.

[Dark Gable]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 2:29pm

Whitney is definitely wrong for Maggie and I won't even comment on Beyonce.

IMO, the perfect Maggie would be Robin Givens. I really didn't care much for her in the past, but after seeing her in "Chicago", she won me over. My second choice would be Jasmine Guy, who also did "Chicago" (yes, I'm "Chicago" fan!)

[My2cents2]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 2:38pm

Unfortunately Ms Guy isn't exactly "Whitley Gilbert" anymore...she's lookin a little more like a Mama. She'd have to really get herself back into shape...

I think at this point, they need to call it day. The producers are clearly looking for people whose names alone will bring in an audience. Maybe they've been chit chatting with the Color Purple producers...

CAT had a good thing going...that cast was worth the ticket price alone - good solid actors. Maybe that was just too much for audiences...ugh.

**And Dollypop - believe it or not,there were blacks that owned slaves and plantations as well.. And if they wanted to go in a different direction, when things changed, there were blacks who took over the plantations after the master had died. It could work - given an educated and familiar director..which I'm not so sure Allen actually is. (My guess is the producers figure putting Debbie in, might win Phylicia back...)

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 2:40pm

At 42, Givens is kinda pushing it at this point age-wise to play Maggie. And I doubt we'll be seeing Jasmine Guy (who's 43) on a NY stage again after her little "painkiller" incident that led to her being fired from THE VIOLET HOUR.

[My2cents2]

Posted: 4/11/07 at 2:48pm

Sad but soo true Margo...

I didn't want to bring that little incident up...