Welcome! The purpose of this thread is to talk about all things related to the wonderful world of musical theatre. Each week (or so) I will post a thread with a topic/question for everyone to respond to. This is also a great place to mention any new musicals you’ve discovered and/or general recommendations for other musical fans. Heard/seen any good shows lately? Have any theatre news to share? Tell us about it!
Good news, today we have another wonderful contribution from Bfth! As always, if you ever have any idea for a post or want to write one yourself, just let me know. This week, Bfth brings us a fun discussion of miscast musicals:
The other day I happened to hear “Hello Dolly” on Sirius XM Broadway. Great song, but it wasn’t the original Broadway cast or the revival; it was the movie version. Now, I’ve got NOTHING against Barbra Streisand, but she was totally wrong for the part, at the time. Yes, she was much too young. (In the original non-musical version by Thorton Wilder, Dolly was originally a friend of Horace Vandergelder’s late wife.) While getting Carol Channing for the movie might have not been a possibility (not enough name recognition would most likely be the excuse), there had to have been someone better suited for the part.
Which got me thinking of how movie musicals often miss the mark when it comes to casting. I LOVE Lucy, but she was not right for Mame. Why couldn’t they have gone with Broadway’s Angela Landsbury or even the original Mame, Rosalind Russell? Instead Rosalind Russell herself ends up miscast as Mama Rose in the film version of Gypsy!
[Grumproro here: While looking for some videos this week, I came across this video that does exactly what Bfth is asking us to do this week. And, even better, it is comparing the Mame casting choices!]
What movie musicals do you love (or not) but think are miscast in some way? Don’t leave it all up to the leading ladies either. The Sound of Music is one of my favorite movies period, and I think just about everyone in it is spectacular, except Christopher Plummer. Again, nothing against him as an actor, but he just doesn’t capture the part for me. (And by all counts he wasn’t too thrilled at being in the movie either!) Or maybe you think the entire movie was a mess. (I’m looking at you 1980s A Chorus Line!)
Share your miscasts here!
