smart or stinted stunt casting — Page 2

AC126748 said: "I don't consider Taye Diggs in HEDWIG stunt casting.He's an actor with extensive theater experience in both musicals and straight plays. Casting him, at least on paper, didn't seem like a huge departure. There's a difference between "stunt casting" and someone just not being very good in a certain role."

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Gizmo6 said: "AC126748 said: "I don't consider Taye Diggs in HEDWIG stunt casting.He's an actor with extensive theater experience in both musicals and straight plays. Casting him, at least on paper, didn't seem like a huge departure. There's a difference between "stunt casting" and someone just not being very good in a certain role."

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For this though, I would have said stunt casting as an exception to the traditional rule. Yes, he has extensive theatre credits, but they also heavily used his name in advertising and touting him as the “first black Hedwig in a major production”, so I would call it a stunt on those grounds. (Notwithstanding the fact that I agree with most posters in that he was absolutely terrible in the role, and I was just thankful that his thick, walnut cracking thighs were glistening in my face for the whole show).

Also, Glenn Close was a theatre actress well before she did film so whoever said she was stunt cast in SUNSET BOULEVARD needs to recheck themselves

and now Al Roker in Waitress.... there is no better example of Stunt Casting - and look everyone is talking about it - and he can promote it every day on the Today Show = Brilliant or Disgusting??

emaxman said: "BroadwayConcierge said: "Few things will be as bad as Taye Diggs in Hedwig."



Wow, really? I never saw the show, but what was so bad about him?"

I actually liked Taye's take on Hedwig! Having said that, if he was my first Hedwig, I probably wouldn't like the show as much as I do. He messed up a lot of lines, had issues with the choreography, they had to lower the keys of the songs so he would be able to sing them and his German accent was all over the place. To be honest, it was also just a bit hard to believe he was "a slip of a girly boy from communist East Berlin" (that's a line from the show).

However, I personally really liked the different energy he brought to the show. He had some great improv moments and he definitely made the role his own. And as I am a baritone, it was cool to hear the songs sung in a lower key.