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Post by bex1210 on Mar 21, 2017 15:54:51 GMT
Hi I'm thinking of doing my postgraduate dissertation on celebrity casting in the UK theatre industry and how this can enhance or disrupt a production and the audience experience. I'm just trying to collate some general ideas to start me off and wondered what are some of the best and worst celebrity castings you've experienced. This can be purely based on the celebrity's performance or it could be the theatre experience in general i.e full of screaming fans, audience not interested in the actual performance etc. Thanks  |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2017 16:11:50 GMT
From a performance perspective, most of the times I've seen a legitimately famous person in a play, it's after they've gone off to Hollywood then come back to prove they still have it. And in the vast majority of cases, they give a performance that fully justifies their level of fame. But the fans, oh the FANS, they can prove to be something of a trial. It would have to be a play I DESPERATELY wanted to see before I willingly set foot in a theatre containing James McAvoy or Colin Morgan again. In fairness, the fans do seem very interested in the performances, but the disruptive ones are the ones who want everyone to know JUST HOW INTERESTED THEY ARE. We all have emotional and/or audible responses to plays, of course we do, but most people manage to not be so performative about it.
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Post by Elisa on Mar 21, 2017 16:32:05 GMT
What's a celebrity? Is that when there are so many fans at stage door that barriers are required? If so, I attended "Hamlet" with Benedict Cumberbatch at the Barbican and "Romeo and Juliet" with Lily James and Richard Madden (note: Richard Madden was actually replaced by Freddie Fox) at the Garrick. I didn't experience problems during the performance on either occasions and I think that the audience was unexpecetdly well behaved. My problems on these occasions were actually at the stage door. At the Garrick I was unable to meet Derek Jacobi because of the crowd; at the Barbican... well, Benedict Cumberbatch didn't even came out, but, even if he did, my friend - a fan - would have been disappointed, as we were standing behind several rows of people.  |
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Mar 21, 2017 16:52:51 GMT
I suggest the OP has a look at the Ghost thread during the time when Sarah Harding was in the show. There's enough material there for a dissertation!
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Post by bex1210 on Mar 21, 2017 17:04:10 GMT
I suggest the OP has a look at the Ghost thread during the time when Sarah Harding was in the show. There's enough material there for a dissertation! She's definitely on my list of case studies! |
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Post by rockinrobin on Mar 21, 2017 17:05:41 GMT
The worst for me was the Cumberbatch Hamlet. Not only was it dull but the audience behaviour... Oh dear. A night to forget for oh so many reasons.
The best - James McAvoy in "The Ruling Class". He clearly enjoyed being back on stage and it was a true delight to watch him. He managed to build a strong rapport with the audience so easily. Andrew Scott in the Scott Hamlet did the same and he was also very charming at the stage door (even if knackered - he seemed so exhausted I wanted to hug him and walk him home).
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Post by londonmzfitz on Mar 21, 2017 17:47:55 GMT
Being "of an age" I could point you in the direction (pun) of Pirates of Penzance at Drury Lane in 1982/83, where we had Tim Curry and Michael Praed against Pamela Stephenson (as Mabel) who was famous for being on Not the Nine O Clock News, and George Cole (as Major General Stanley) who (apart from the St Trinian films) was famous for being in Minder.
Or as a fan of an Osmond Brother I could tell you about Jimmy Osmond being in Grease in the West End, or touring in Chicago (Tour of Chicago on a wet Saturday night in Birmingham and a speeding ticket on the way home .... I've learned my lesson).
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Post by Tibidabo on Mar 21, 2017 17:56:57 GMT
Frank Bruno as the genie in Aladdin at Wimbledon. He made his grand entrance on a weeny tricycle and grunted instead of speaking.
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Post by longinthetooth on Mar 21, 2017 19:03:47 GMT
Nick Jonas in Les Mis .......
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Post by frosty on Mar 21, 2017 19:35:04 GMT
It will be interesting to see how Miranda does in Annie. There's bound to be legions of fans waiting for her to fall over or gallop around. The worst celeb casting I saw was Phil Jupitius, Jason Manford and Michelle Collins in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang....it was incredibly panto (which is fine if it is actually a panto!). Phil Jupitius even managed to slip in a visual BJ joke....there's a time and place....
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Post by sondheimhats on Mar 21, 2017 20:15:04 GMT
From my somewhat limited experience seeing theatre in the UK, I've noticed that most of the "celebrity" casting seems to be of actors who have already proved themselves as strong actors of the stage, despite gaining fame through TV and film. So in that sense, it doesn't feel at all forced or gimmicky.
In NY, the celebrity casting tends to be more out of left field - often they cast movie stars who have never, or rarely, set foot on a stage. That said, many of the performances I've seen by these movie stars have actually been pretty good. I've noticed that hyper-naturalistic acting is becoming more and more "in" when it comes to contemporary plays. The more you can accurately replicate real life behavior and mannerisms, the stronger the performance is considered. Obviously, the average film star knows how to achieve that naturalism pretty well.
Also, I'm not at all opposed to the casting of celebrities - even the untested ones - if it means that more shows can make their way into the commercial houses. Many shows have only been able to get funding for Broadway runs based on the name of some attached celebrity. So I appreciate that it's a dependable way to provide commercial opportunity to shows that might otherwise die on the vine during workshops/tryouts.
I've also noticed that in the UK, you tend to see more big names at the non-profit theatres. You see them on the West End too, of course, but lots of companies like the Almeida, National, Donmar, etc. are able to attract big names moreso than than the off-Broadway theatres in NY. Though nowadays the Public Theatre in NY pretty consistently produces shows with big names. And of course there are plenty of other examples of celebrity casting at non-profits in NY, but in general you see it more on Broadway. I think it's great that these companies are able to produce bold, exciting theatre with celebrities involved, though often it creates very pesky ticket demand. Things sell out in a flash when there are celebrities in the cast. UK theatres tend to be good about providing later opportunities for tickets (day-seats, friday rush, Klaxon, etc). NY theatres aren't as good about that, I've noticed.
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Post by infofreako on Mar 21, 2017 20:20:07 GMT
My first experience of celebrity casting was Jason Donovan in a touring production of Sweeney Todd in which the actors played the instruments as well.
My enduring memory of the evening is the worst behaved audience I've ever been a part of. Screaming, moaning amongst themselves about him not singing his hits in between noisily stuffing crisps into their mouths i felt for the cast.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 21, 2017 20:38:52 GMT
As Elisa said above - who counts as a celebrity?
I remember being captivated by Chita Rivera when I saw her in Kiss of the Spiderwoman. Now in MT terms, she is absolutely a celebrity but her fame doesn't stretch to the wider public.
People like Elaine Paige and Michael Ball count a celebrities in their own right - and have a long enough list of productions and plaudits to be (or have been) considered credible performers at the same time.
A more modern example is Jake Gyllenhaal - someone who is absolutely a celebrity but is proving to be credible with his more recent forays into MT productions.
We have all seen people who should never have been cast - but who can help sell tickets. Is it better for audiences to see a celeb do a mediocre job but then be tempted to return to see more theatre or for them to not see something because they haven't heard of the cast?
What is better for the long-term health of (primarily) touring theatre?
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Post by infofreako on Mar 21, 2017 20:43:00 GMT
I agree with the idea that if it gets people into theatre who would not otherwise try it that it can be a positive thing.
Perhaps some will get the bug and return for something else less celebrity driven.
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Post by Michael on Mar 21, 2017 20:46:47 GMT
Kimberley Walsh in Shrek and Elf. Atrocious. Thin and breathy voice, no acting skills and no chemistry with her fellow cast members.
Matt Cardle's Huey in Memphis, OTOH, was rather good.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2017 21:02:25 GMT
We need to make a distinction between celebrity casting and stunt casting. There's nothing wrong with casting someone famous if they have experience and can handle the role. The problem comes when a role is given to someone who wouldn't even have been allowed to audition if they hadn't been famous. My entire acting career spans a period of around 20 seconds and I've seen people on stage who, at the beginning of their first show, had less experience than I have.
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Post by infofreako on Mar 21, 2017 21:13:48 GMT
Very important distinction that
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Post by bex1210 on Mar 21, 2017 22:31:01 GMT
Thank you for all your replies so far. We need to make a distinction between celebrity casting and stunt casting. I'm interested in looking at this side of it a bit more because the papers I've read that have researched the practice before don't really seemed to have touched on it and I too think it's an important distinction to make. |
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Post by duncan on Mar 21, 2017 22:43:03 GMT
Panto is certainly an area to look at in terms of "stunt" casting where Producers hope that someone off Gladiators or a local Radio DJ will be able to help them shift more tickets than they would if they had cast someone who did 2 years at RADA and 3 years in Rep.
Stunt casting should also look at the likes of say Marti Pellow - who'll be cast in productions like Jekyll or Chicago (or last Christmas in the SECC panto) because he'll put bums on seats and get great publicity for a touring show - who shall we be kind and say isn't the best actor in the world but again a trained actor more suited to the role isn't going to shift tickets.
I mentioned in the Wonderland thread when I saw it earlier this year that if I was Wendi Peters I'd be giving my agent a special thanks for getting me top billing despite only being on stage for around 20 minutes in the whole show. But as she is "FORMER CORRIE STAR WENDI PETERS" again she puts bums on seats in regional theatres in a way that Kerry Ellis and Dave Willets never will.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2017 23:50:07 GMT
Seeing Neil Patrick Harris in Hedwig and the Angry Inch is one of my favourite theatre memories. Genius casting.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Mar 22, 2017 13:13:42 GMT
Panto casting has been a mixture of young professionals, old hands and 'celebs' for well over a century. It is far from a modern phenomenon.
Speciality acts and big names were brought in to help boost ticket sales from the early part of the 20th century if not before. Boxers were particularly popular in this regard - so the Frank Bruno thing is actually part of a long tradition!
There are relatively few 'pure' pantos in the UK these days. Amazingly Oxfordshire has two - the Oxford Playhouse and Chipping Norton Theatre both go for celeb/stunt-free casts - and manage to sell out show after show. Admittedly they are smaller houses - but it is the story that sells the shows for them.
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Post by duncan on Mar 22, 2017 15:52:20 GMT
There are still lots of "pure" Pantos on the go in Scotland, the home of panto.
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Post by Tibidabo on Mar 22, 2017 15:57:54 GMT
There are still lots of "pure" Pantos on the go in Scotland, the home of panto.Oh no it isn't..... (I'll get me coat) |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2017 16:18:21 GMT
There are still lots of "pure" Pantos on the go in Scotland, the home of panto. Yes, performing year-round at Holyrood. |
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Post by kathryn on Mar 22, 2017 18:21:31 GMT
In Panto the celeb is basically being themselves, not expected to play a role, though.
Did anyone see Paul O'Grady in Annie a few years ago? Was he actually playing Mrs Hannigan, or basically doing Lilly Savage? Or Lily Savage playing Mrs Hannigan? That might be an interesting case study.
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