Fame and recognition outside of the ‘theatre bubble’

It’s a statement of fact though isn’t it? How could she possibly be offended without looking like a total diva or a bit deluded? She’s not stupid, she’ll be quite well aware of her ‘reach’ outside the world of theatre. And he didn’t seem to be saying it unkindly or with malice.

I get what Sondheim means to an extent - especially if I apply the same logic to the West End. When did we last have a legitimate west end star become a huge box office draw? We’ve had certain names build up a fanbase that enables them to branch out into doing their own solo work, but their names alone don’t guarantee a ticket sale hit.

I assume this is what Sondheim meant anyway. The biggest I can think of here is Kerry Ellis and Rachel Tucker, but both have struggled to find roles post Wicked and both have had to rely on Wicked’s fandom to branch out as solo acts (which is ultimately solo work that doesn’t actually help them find a new audience).

Even if we apply the same here to Company’s cast, the leading lady is one of the least known, despite extensive work in musical theatre over the last decade.

That all said - there’s a huge lack of new musicals that allow a person to build up any sort of name. Even Kerry Ellis has had to rely on big name revivals post Wicked to really create whatever west end stardom she has (including a trip back to Wicked itself).

I accept producers have a responsibility to get bums on seats and if that means getting someone well known in the show, then so be it. But I feel like musical theatre circles could do more to support its own community more - there’s a huge pool of talented, capable performers that can do the material justice... if the material is good enough.