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Post by theatrefan62 on May 30, 2024 9:02:49 GMT
What poor artwork.
I don't remember Calamity Jane being awfully smug in the film. Surely there's a better photo they could use
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Post by theatrefan62 on May 30, 2024 9:07:07 GMT
Doris Day was one of my idols as a child and I don't want to see Carrie shout (plus that irritating little yodel she does) and badly act her way through it. My money isn't going on the lazy stunt cast option when she just simply isn't the best singer and actress out there by a long shot. If I had to see it, I'd wait for the inevitably better understudy or replacement who will make the role their own. It will probably sell out super fast as it's such a loved musical but I wish the producers etc had more faith in their material than to cynically wheel out Carrie as the stunt cast option again. Let some real talent whip-crack-away! How is she is stunt cast when she's been a musical theatre actress since she was a child and that's her main career? She is a musical theatre performer, that's her career and always has been, how can she be stunt cast in anything?! I can take her or leave her, I've got no extreme opinion on her one way or another other than to say she's seemed fine to me in anything I've seen her in. I wouldn't say that's her main career. Social media is her main career. She was a child actor, then 15+ years break. She only returned to musicals when she had got a large social media following and her brother was in one of the biggest bands in the country. That was when the offers started coming in. She can sing (how nicely is a personal preference), but her acting and dancing are severely lacking and she really isnt funny with good comic timing. Would she have got the role in an audition room against other contemporaries if you take out her social media following and famous name? Probably not. It's well known these other things are taken into account when casting. It may not be quite stunt casting, but it also isn't hiring the best person for the job either. |
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Post by HereForTheatre on May 30, 2024 9:08:00 GMT
Mind you, by my count the director Nikolai foster will be directing 3 shows at the same time now. He seems to have My Fair Lady, Calamity Jane and Kinky Boots all happening between the end of Novemeber and mid Jan. Is that some kind of record, I dunno. Man is going to be STRETCHED though not sure how you can possibly do that.
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Post by theatreismagic on May 30, 2024 9:17:00 GMT
Doris Day was one of my idols as a child and I don't want to see Carrie shout (plus that irritating little yodel she does) and badly act her way through it. My money isn't going on the lazy stunt cast option when she just simply isn't the best singer and actress out there by a long shot. If I had to see it, I'd wait for the inevitably better understudy or replacement who will make the role their own. It will probably sell out super fast as it's such a loved musical but I wish the producers etc had more faith in their material than to cynically wheel out Carrie as the stunt cast option again. Let some real talent whip-crack-away! How is she is stunt cast when she's been a musical theatre actress since she was a child and that's her main career? She is a musical theatre performer, that's her career and always has been, how can she be stunt cast in anything?! I can take her or leave her, I've got no extreme opinion on her one way or another other than to say she's seemed fine to me in anything I've seen her in. Stunt cast based on social media following i.e. cast someone with a strong social media presence in the hopes that seats will be bought to boost the shows ticket sales. Carrie herself has referred to it but she calls it "clever casting" and I don't think we should go against what Carrie herself says. Also the rest of your post confirms "... I can take her or leaver her... no extreme opinion on her one way or another.. she seemed fine..." which actually supports my point - "fine" is not the standard quality of a lead actress. |
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Post by HereForTheatre on May 30, 2024 9:25:43 GMT
How is she is stunt cast when she's been a musical theatre actress since she was a child and that's her main career? She is a musical theatre performer, that's her career and always has been, how can she be stunt cast in anything?! I can take her or leave her, I've got no extreme opinion on her one way or another other than to say she's seemed fine to me in anything I've seen her in. Stunt cast based on social media following i.e. cast someone with a strong social media presence in the hopes that seats will be bought to boost the shows ticket sales. Carrie herself has referred to it but she calls it "clever casting" and I don't think we should go against what Carrie herself says. Also the rest of your post confirms "... I can take her or leaver her... no extreme opinion on her one way or another.. she seemed fine..." which actually supports my point - "fine" is not the standard quality of a lead actress. Well, there are plenty of people in lead roles who are only fine or indeed very much less than fine who have no other claim to fame or social media following and so must have been cast on the basis of their perceived talent or fit for the role. It's clearly in the eye of the beholder, so in this case the directors and teams, when it comes to casting. |
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Post by Alejo on May 30, 2024 9:27:30 GMT
How is she is stunt cast when she's been a musical theatre actress since she was a child and that's her main career? She is a musical theatre performer, that's her career and always has been, how can she be stunt cast in anything?! I can take her or leave her, I've got no extreme opinion on her one way or another other than to say she's seemed fine to me in anything I've seen her in. I wouldn't say that's her main career. Social media is her main career. She was a child actor, then 15+ years break. She only returned to musicals when she had got a large social media following and her brother was in one of the biggest bands in the country. That was when the offers started coming in. She can sing (how nicely is a personal preference), but her acting and dancing are severely lacking and she really isnt funny with good comic timing. Would she have got the role in an audition room against other contemporaries if you take out her social media following and famous name? Probably not. It's well known these other things are taken into account when casting. It may not be quite stunt casting, but it also isn't hiring the best person for the job either. I’m not sure the target audience for this will know much about her social media or famous brother. They’re more likely to know her from the Les Mis concert. People on this board said that the lack of “names” in the Bonnie and Clyde tour was one of the reasons it failed. Put a bona fide theatre actor with some name recognition in this and people start complaining. I’m indifferent to Carrie - have enjoyed her performances any time I’ve seen her, but avoid her social media presence. And I would say she’s earned her place in this show - more so than Jodie Prenger in the previous tour. Would Celinde Schoenmaker want to do a UK tour of Calamity Jane?? |
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Post by theatrefan62 on May 30, 2024 9:27:43 GMT
Weird thing is Carrie has shown a few times now she can't sell a show on her name alone (cinderella, the crown jewels, the play she did in richmond) and her solo concert tour didn't sell out everywhere. So that together with her problematic reputation it does surprise me producers still hire her on that basis.
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Post by Alejo on May 30, 2024 9:32:26 GMT
Weird thing is Carrie has shown a few times now she can't sell a show on her name alone (cinderella, the crown jewels, the play she did in richmond) and her solo concert tour didn't sell out everywhere. So that together with her problematic reputation it does surprise me producers still hire her on that basis. Well there goes the stunt cast argument, that she’s only there to shift tickets. |
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Post by theatrefan62 on May 30, 2024 9:33:54 GMT
Weird thing is Carrie has shown a few times now she can't sell a show on her name alone (cinderella, the crown jewels, the play she did in richmond) and her solo concert tour didn't sell out everywhere. So that together with her problematic reputation it does surprise me producers still hire her on that basis. Well there goes the stunt cast argument, that she’s only there to shift tickets. Not really Casting someone hoping they'll shift tickets, and them actually doing so are two different things Happens a lot. |
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Post by HereForTheatre on May 30, 2024 9:36:09 GMT
Also just say it was true, the thing is as a producer or director if you have one of the biggest known musical theatre stars in the country willing to be the lead in your show, are you going to pick them or someone nobody knows of? I can see the reason why that would happen and I would do the same, especially if that person happens to also seem a perfectly good fir for the role.
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Post by BVM on May 30, 2024 9:40:21 GMT
I dunno. People can't have it both ways with Cinderella. It ran for almost a year at pretty good capacity (yes there was some papering but absolutely not a year's worth)
For a new ALW musical in 2021 that's more or less sung through and totally NOT the fare that is on trend in MT currently - that's either a bigger than expected hit for ALW, OR is due to CHF shifting decent amounts of tickets.
My heart would like it to be the former. My head says it's the latter.
I am indifferent to her on stage (she does have a decent voice) and find her fairly irritating off stage; but I do think Cinderella would have closed much sooner without her. And been emptier.
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Post by BVM on May 30, 2024 9:41:55 GMT
I can also see the reason they would pick her for this.
For better or worse casting isn't about who is "best" on technical and acting merit.
Producers cast who they think will sell the most tickets.
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Post by theatreismagic on May 30, 2024 9:52:48 GMT
I can also see the reason they would pick her for this. For better or worse casting isn't about who is "best" on technical and acting merit. Producers cast who they think will sell the most tickets. And that's the sad and cynical point for me. Carrie isn't the best lead they could have found, she's just at her very best (as other people have said) "fine". So do they go with the unknown best possible talent or the social media backed one? It is actually a tough choice and I do get why they made it. I would have liked to think they could have taken a chance with this one though - Calamity Jane is so loved I'm sure it will sell out fast based on this alone. |
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Post by BVM on May 30, 2024 10:14:11 GMT
I can also see the reason they would pick her for this. For better or worse casting isn't about who is "best" on technical and acting merit. Producers cast who they think will sell the most tickets. And that's the sad and cynical point for me. Carrie isn't the best lead they could have found, she's just at her very best (as other people have said) "fine". So do they go with the unknown best possible talent or the social media backed one? It is actually a tough choice and I do get why they made it. I would have liked to think they could have taken a chance with this one though - Calamity Jane is so loved I'm sure it will sell out fast based on this alone. Oh for def! It is sad! I've kinda made my peace with it though as it's such usual practice. Also sad (in general terms; not connected to this show) that letting the show be the star and not worrying about cast "name" recognition is absolutely the exception rather than the rule these days! (Though am very happy re Starlight going down that route!) |
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Post by Seriously on May 30, 2024 11:06:05 GMT
So Bonnie & Clyde didn't do well because it didn't have a name. While this is getting flack for casting a name?
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Post by danb on May 30, 2024 11:08:42 GMT
So Bonnie & Clyde didn't do well because it didn't have a name. While this is getting flack for casting a name? …erm…what about ‘er off of Corrie!!! MASSIVE star…free cake please 😂 |
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Post by bellatheatre on May 30, 2024 11:11:59 GMT
Yikes!! We’re not giving regional theatres much inspiration to keep their doors open. I fear with big musical theatre names they do better in London than regionally, household names are needed for tours
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Post by WireHangers on May 30, 2024 11:13:24 GMT
I recently watched Calamity Jane on iPlayer and was thinking I’d be keen to see a production of the stage show, but this doesn’t thrill me.
I don’t fancy seeing a super posh Calamity pretending to be the very opposite of super posh.
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Post by Alejo on May 30, 2024 11:19:06 GMT
So Bonnie & Clyde didn't do well because it didn't have a name. While this is getting flack for casting a name? Exactly what I said further up. 🤷🏼♂️ |
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Post by theatrefan62 on May 30, 2024 11:19:06 GMT
Regional theatres don't always need a name. Come from away and Titanic are recent examples that sold well without one. Calamity Jane is a known show already, and it's fans will likely never heard of Carrie.
And there's nothing wrong with casting a name, if they have the talent to back it up. Cast the right name for the right role and production. Jodie Prenger was a good choice for Calamity Jane as she can sing, decent actor but is also funny which the role needs. Carrie can't act and isn't funny. I'd actually say Jodie would mean more to the target audience for this.
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Post by FairyGodmother on May 30, 2024 11:48:43 GMT
 at that announcement video starting with a close up of false eyelashes. I'd love them to cast somebody with a voice like Howard Keele's as Bill Hickok, but it isn't doesn't really seem to be in vogue in MT at the moment. (edited to change the wrong character!) |
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Post by theatreismagic on May 30, 2024 11:57:35 GMT
at that announcement video starting with a close up of false eyelashes. I'd love them to cast somebody with a voice like Howard Keele's as Buffalo Bill, but it isn't doesn't really seem to be in vogue in MT at the moment. That would be incredible if they could - although Howard Keele's voice was so uniquely rich they might deliberately steer away from that. The choreography for this should be fantastic. Calamity, Adelaid, the ball/dance - I can see that side of it being really fun and everyone going to town with it. |
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Post by cezbear on May 30, 2024 11:58:31 GMT
I'm not the market for this at all, I don't know the show and I'm afraid I can't bear CHF, but I find it strange casting based on the few clips I have seen (which don't seem anything like the same tone as the promo video, but again I don't know the show so perhaps am missing something).
If they want to sell it on a name then I would think you'd need a bigger one, or at least one that would resonate with fans of Calamity Jane who I'd assume are a much older demographic than her fans. I can't see where the crossover would be there.
But then looking at the promo for it, I actually think a fair amount of those that book on her name will be booking purely because her name is so heavily featured (big dramatic 'CARRIE HOPE FLETCHER IS...') rather than who the actual name is, if that makes sense. As in, people thinking 'ooh that must be *someone*, that's exciting'.
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Post by BVM on May 30, 2024 12:07:23 GMT
I'm not the market for this at all, I don't know the show and I'm afraid I can't bear CHF, but I find it strange casting based on the few clips I have seen (which don't seem anything like the same tone as the promo video, but again I don't know the show so perhaps am missing something). If they want to sell it on a name then I would think you'd need a bigger one, or at least one that would resonate with fans of Calamity Jane who I'd assume are a much older demographic than her fans. I can't see where the crossover would be there. But then looking at the promo for it, I actually think a fair amount of those that book on her name will be booking purely because her name is so heavily featured (big dramatic 'CARRIE HOPE FLETCHER IS...') rather than who the actual name is, if that makes sense. As in, people thinking 'ooh that must be *someone*, that's exciting'. The really weird thing is though - when someone has a fangirl following, it almost (within reason; appreciate they didn't go to the Brecht thing) doesn't matter what the show is. They go anyway! On paper I really didn't see Bonnie and Clyde as a fangirl show. But they stuck Jordan in it and they flocked. (Appreciate it's more of a London than tour phenomenon). Producers probs think - the older demographic will go whoever is in it. So putting CHF in gives you ADDED sales from fangirls who otherwise would not have seen this. Feel sure they'll all mix in harmony in the auditorium. |
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Post by Being Alive on May 30, 2024 12:09:01 GMT
A touring production of calamity Jane with no 'star' in it would die on its arse and close early in the current situ, I'd bet most of my possessions on it.
Carrie, whilst probably not the most logical actor for the role, makes total sense in terms of Box Office.
You only have to look at how the shows she toured in did when she was in them, compared to when she wasn't.
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at that announcement video starting with a close up of false eyelashes.
