why did Chita do "Casper"?- Page 2

[singerunlimited]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 12:03am

Ok, well then I guess the autographed playbill/picture from the cast party I have with her, and the several chats I had with her backstage during the Dallas run never happened... You need to check your facts

[singerunlimited]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 12:07am

Ok, well I guess the autographed playbill/picture with her from the cast party and the multiple chats we had backstage during the Dallas run never happened... You need to check your facts and produce some proof that eartha kitt was in it, because I have proof (because I was actually in the show) that Ms. Rivera was the lead

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 12/21/08 at 12:44am

I actually saw it twice in Pittsburgh. Both times, starting up in the cheapest seats they had (last three rows of the balcony and the theatre it was in seats around twenty-seven hundred) and going down to the orchestra during intermission. The second time I was in the second or third row.

The sets were from the London production of the show. The person from the CLO who was behind it saw the show in London and bought the rights and the sets from those producers. They thought that it would make a great family musical. (Every year they used to do a family musical like "Annie" or "Bye, Bye Birdie" or "Oliver" "Dreamcoat" in order to be able to use the kids from their Musical Theatre Academy and fill the stage during one number with shrieking adolescents and fill the audience with the parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents of said shrieking adolescents.) And they toured it to other cities with CLOs, hoping to have the same success that they had with their tour of "Barry Mannilow's 'Copacabana'".

But, "Casper" bombed and they lost a lot of money.

It was by no means a great, or even a good show. But it was fabulous seeing Chita Rivera. It was like a gift to her fans who never had the chance to see her in "Bajour" or "1491."

Those four hunks were her henchmen, Alberto, Bernardo, Reynaldo and Chuck.

EricMontreal22's comment reminded me that it was playing here the week of Pittsburgh's Gay PrideFest parade. I remember thinking that the planners of PrideFest should have asked Chita to be the Grand Marshall of it instead of the porn star they had!

[bchildress]

Posted: 5/19/09 at 3:16pm

I saw the Dallas show also and it was Chita. One of the songs was "MAGDALENA MONTEVERDE Dot COM" which I was so amazed the site was not actually registered to anyone that I registered it hoping to drive traffic to my nervebreakers.com site when everyone went to the show. Too bad I didn't realize the show was already at the end of it's run and had served it's limited purpose. I do try and find a clip of that song from time to time.
Just like my favorite song from Elton John's Elaborate Lives (Aida) "Our Nation holds Sway" was cut from the finale show. I thought it really rocked and was I singing it for weeks after the show. I couldn't believe they cut it.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/19/09 at 4:10pm

You just joined today and somehow managed to find the Search function and then just HAPPENED to come across the old thread?


Have you ever lost a sock at the laundry?

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 5/19/09 at 4:25pm

Ok, and I figured out my confusion. It was the same summer as Cinderella (Pretty sure, at least) and we saw both, and I guess I blended the two in my head.

[xoffender45]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 7:14pm

Sorry to revive a long-dead thread (EDIT: Ugh..no pun intended!!), but I just stumbled upon finding out about this musical. Did anyone actually see the London production of the show? From the few pictures I was able to find, it appears the ghosts were played by puppets of some kind? Does anyone know why it was changed to humans wearing all white in the US tour?

UK:



US:

Updated On: 5/24/11 at 07:14 PM

[UKtheatrekid]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 7:35pm

i saw it in london, and even have a copy of the CD hiding somewhere, i was very young so dont remember much!
I remember LOVING the show, but when i listen back it is terrible! It originated at Butlins ( a cheap and tacky summer camp chain that put on cheap shows using pre existing characters to serve the generally non theatre going masses) I seem to remember it being something to do with Zombie's locked in the basement? And casper brings toys to life to save the day? There was some sort of thriller esque act 1 closing number too i think :/

sorry i cant be of more help!

[Sant]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 8:32pm

I saw it in London, at the Shaftesbury theatre. It was just awful. There was about 10 people in the audience.

3 of the ghosts (Stretch, Stinkie and Fatso) were puppets but Casper was played by an actress wearing a (half a) costume. Her face was the face of Casper with his eyebrows being on top of her head and she was wearing dark blue tights so that in a darker/blue lighting one couldn't (hopefully) see her legs.

According to what I read earlier on this thread the storyline is different from what it was in London but I've blocked this show successfully from my mind so I can't say much about it - there was a an actress actually singing a kind of a love song to Stinkie though, I remember - unfortunately! - that much.

[xoffender45]

Posted: 5/24/11 at 10:42pm

UKtheatrekid, if you could somehow find that recording, I'd love to hear it!

[Annas_Priest]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 2:25pm

I have the london cast recording. Private Message me.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 5/25/11 at 2:45pm

I saw it in London at the Shaftsbury i believe, it was not good but the kids in the audience seemed to like it. Saying that the theatre was pretty empty. It got very negative reviews (though the Telegaraph were a bit more positive about him).
The 3 puppets were good and they should have done that with Casper because the actress was annoying as hell.