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Post by oxfordsimon on Dec 15, 2017 11:23:15 GMT
Surely Craig would want to double Mama and Miss Sunshine - as well as directing
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Post by ellie1981 on Dec 15, 2017 11:23:37 GMT
I saw this on Broadway in 2016 and thought it was wonderful, so I’m not quite sure if I understand the “tired” accusations. Mind you the only other time I’d seen it was rather late into the West End run which really was going through the motions then.
Still not jazzed about another WE run though as I agree, some new blood would be preferred. The Phoenix has been struggling to find a potential long running show, so maybe ATG are desperate to go with a tried and tested production that doesn’t involve too much promo.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 15, 2017 11:49:25 GMT
I wonder if Ruthie has it in her to make her 20th return to the show.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2017 11:55:55 GMT
Baz says that "The Phoenix unexpectedly became available when the star of a high-profile new production had a 'scheduling conflict' so [Barry] Weissler (Chicago's producer) has been able to secure the theatre for an initial year's run". I wonder what the other show / star were?! I stumbled over that, too. My guess is that that was All about Eve with Cate Blanchett, which has gone completely quiet. They had a few options, as far as I know – at one point they almost secured Jake Gyllenhaal in SITPWG. And yet here we are.
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Post by Honoured Guest on Dec 15, 2017 12:01:58 GMT
What did the english trainer bark at the welsh dog?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2017 12:04:09 GMT
Oh I don't know, you can see their train of thought. It makes perfect sense.
"Let's do a play of that really old film with a double Oscar winning actress in it" "Yaaaay" "Oh damn"
"OK, plan B. Let's do a revival of that old musical with an Oscar nominated actor in it" "Yaaaaay" "Oh damn"
"Right, I've got it. Let's do another revival of the revival of that really old musical and we might get someone from 'Strictly' to do it" "Yaaa . . really? Well if we don't have any other choice" "Yaaaaay"
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Post by lou105 on Dec 15, 2017 12:33:19 GMT
I wouldn't be surprised if Mr McFadden didn't make the leap back to MT from Strictly into this. Maybe they could do a 'Strictly' version? Louise and Alexandra as Roxie and Velma, Joe as Billy and Debbie as Mama Morton. Mollie and Gemma could do the matinees as Roxie and Velma. Craig can direct. Strictly tour finishes mid February, so some of this may come to pass..
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2017 15:36:58 GMT
On the one hand, I'm thinking I've never seen it live, so here is my chance.
On the other hand, I'm thinking why drag this back into the West End and waste a good theatre when this tours regularly and does fairly well each time. There must be decent casting.
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Post by showtoones on Dec 15, 2017 16:22:30 GMT
This show lives and dies by the casting of Roxie and Velma. It came a long way down from Ute and Ruthie as the Weisslers began putting in X factor and East Enders stars in it who weren't up to it, dance it poorly and dumbed down the choreography.
If they were smart they'd get stars who can actually dance. I hate to say it but Nicole Scherzinger would be awesome in this as Velma and would definitely sell.
What about Tamsin Outhwaite? Joanna Riding?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2017 16:35:23 GMT
I still stand by the fact Nicole Scherzinger was amazing in Cats and should of won the Olivier.
If she wants to do Velma, she'd be amazing.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 15, 2017 17:06:53 GMT
Wasn't Joanna Riding in it already? Or Josefina Gabrielle? I always confuse these two.
Any rate, Joanna is a bit unexciting as far as I'm concerned. I don't mind stunt/celebrity casting as long as they are good.
Nicole sounds like she could be fun.
The London production did have some good casts in it. Hello, did we all forget that God in the form of Chita Rivera played Roxy at the Adelphi in the late '90s?! Maria Friedman was fabulous, and from what I heard, Brooke Shields and Denise Van Outen were pretty amazing too.
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Post by Steffi on Dec 15, 2017 17:11:22 GMT
Wasn't Joanna Riding in it already? Or Josefina Gabrielle? I always confuse these two. Josefina Gabrielle has definitely been in it. I saw her years and years ago.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2017 17:11:48 GMT
Wasn't Caroline Flack previously in talks about joining Chicago a while back?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2017 17:14:41 GMT
How smashing. And Nicole can flog her yoghurts in the interval instead of ice creams for a bit of extra cash.
Just the thought of her giving every line of 'All That Jazz' a touch of the melisma would make me want to take a flaming torch to the Phoenix Theatre before the show even got started.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 15, 2017 17:18:31 GMT
I love me some Beverley Knight but they cannot approach her to do this. She has given us no indication that she can dance (does the 6 minute beginning of Cats count?), and though they can always modify Roxy's dance bits as they have done for a dozen actresses, I don't think she's funny enough to pull it off.
There is no dancing around Velma's choreography (get it?). Whoever plays Velma needs to be a very serious dancer to pull it off. Though Bev's All That Jazz could blow the roof off and she'd look hot in these costumes.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2017 17:23:19 GMT
Isn't Alexandra Burke a really obvious casting choice for this? Two leading roles in musicals, Strictly finalist whos role in The Bodyguard was made more dance heavy because of her casting, boosted sales of The Bodyguard and was the reason Sister Act sold as well as it did. The Strictly tour ends in Feburary... her name is as good as signed on the dotted line is my guess.
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Post by couldileaveyou on Dec 15, 2017 17:25:03 GMT
There is no dancing around Velma's choreography (get it?). Whoever plays Velma needs to be a very serious dancer to pull it off. Have you seen clips of Sam Barks' "performance" in the role? I was very impressed, it takes a genius to play that part without dancing a single step.
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Post by showtoones on Dec 15, 2017 17:26:14 GMT
Wasn't Joanna Riding in it already? Or Josefina Gabrielle? I always confuse these two. Any rate, Joanna is a bit unexciting as far as I'm concerned. I don't mind stunt/celebrity casting as long as they are good. Nicole sounds like she could be fun. The London production did have some good casts in it. Hello, did we all forget that God in the form of Chita Rivera played Roxy at the Adelphi in the late '90s?! Maria Friedman was fabulous, and from what I heard, Brooke Shields and Denise Van Outen were pretty amazing too. Joanna hasn't done it but Josefina did it for 4-5 stints through the years. She was excellent with Anna Jane Casey. Daniel Johnson is right that Nicole was fabulous in cats and would be fabulous in this. They need someone exciting - not that she would EVER do it but Gaga comes to mind.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 15, 2017 17:27:57 GMT
I am aware she played the part and that there are clips on YouTube, but haven't bothered. Luckily it was just a concert for a few days. She's all wrong for Velma, anyway. I always pictured Velma to be a girl who has been around the block..been there, done that, shot the bastard. Ironically, Roxy works well with a younger actress, when in reality she is supposed to be a bored housewife whose chance just passed her by.
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Post by showtoones on Dec 15, 2017 17:27:59 GMT
Or they could go real camp for Billy and get Michael Ball or Wayne Sleep? LOL
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2017 17:29:11 GMT
If anyone has seen 'The Twilight Zone' at the Almeida, I think we can all agree that Matthew Needham has got the role of Velma Kelly all sewn up.
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Post by ellie1981 on Dec 15, 2017 17:31:39 GMT
I’m getting flashbacks of when they had Kelly Osbourne as Mama Morton.
When I saw it the “celeb” was Maxwell Caulfield as Billy.
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Post by ali973 on Dec 15, 2017 17:32:18 GMT
Or they could go real camp for Billy and get Michael Ball or Wayne Sleep? LOL I think the camp/tacky route was taken for many many years. It's time for them to slightly redeem themselves and assemble an exciting cast worthy of a return.
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Post by Being Alive on Dec 15, 2017 17:40:31 GMT
Why has no one mentioned a Nolan yet?! Surely that's a done deal!!!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2017 17:40:36 GMT
Or they could go real camp for Billy and get Michael Ball or Wayne Sleep? LOL Oh the jolly japes the person shoehorning Miss Ball into a pair of hot pants and fishnet stockings every night would have. One wrong move and he could take out the front half of the stalls. The gal's got class I'll give her that.* It would be worth the money though. That's what you have a premium priced seat for Miss Cameron Mackintosh. * See what I did there?
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Post by martin1965 on Dec 15, 2017 18:09:10 GMT
I wouldn't be surprised if Mr McFadden didn't make the leap back to MT from Strictly into this. Funny enough i mentioned to friends at wkd that i bet he had a show sorted for 2018! Could see him as Billy.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Dec 15, 2017 18:27:01 GMT
Nicole Scherzinger must be delighted to know how many MT roles she gets hypothetically cast in, given that she’s only ever done a bit part in one musical where she sang one song.
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Post by andromedadench on Dec 15, 2017 18:32:54 GMT
On one hand, I do get the misgivings (to put it mildly) most of you have about Chicago's return, but on the other, I hope I'll get to see it again as it's both a wonderful show and a wonderful production when cast properly.
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Post by zak97 on Dec 15, 2017 18:57:42 GMT
If only Kenwright was producing, Marti Pellow would be part of the package...
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2017 19:22:08 GMT
"These are the people who cast David Hasselhoff in a musical".
That being said, won't rush to buy a ticket, but I may enjoy seeing Chicago sometime next year.
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