Sunday, April 17, 2011

Drama Desk Panel on Casting TV, Film Stars on Broadway

The Drama Desk presented a special Panel Discussion and luncheon at Sardi’s on Friday titled “Movie and TV Stars on Stage,” reflecting the current trend of casting film and TV stars in plays and musicals on the New York stage.

The Panelists were (in alphabetical order): Jim Belushi (Born Yesterday), Maxwell Caulfield (Cactus Flower), Stephen Kunken (High), Dan Lauria (Lombardi), John Larroquette (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying), John Leguizamo (Ghetto Klown) and Annabella Sciorra (The MotherF**ker with the Hat).

The panel was moderated by Drama Desk member Robin Milling (Milling About, BlogTalk Radio, World Entertainment News Network).

Panelists shared anecdotes about their time on stage and agreed on general truths about the differences between working on film and on stage:
  • The rehearsal time for a stage production is a lot longer. You get to develop your character and his or her nuances in greater detail than the TV and film media which often have actors receiving dialogue just hours before the final take will be shot.
  • The stage environment is more demanding. More work is required for less pay. There aren't extra "takes" to get something right.
  • Stagework is draining. Once you find a peak, there's no "cut." You have to maintain it eight shows a week.
In addition, the panelists seem to be aware of a special kind of "magic" that's available only with live theater. When the material, the actors and the audience click, it's magic, Belushi said. Leguizamo compared it to an ice sculpture -- a beautiful creation that disappears quickly.

Belushi said he was humbled by the talent of the actors he has seen on Broadway. Larroquette is in awe of the lineage of great talent on the Great White Way and what amazing star might have used the dressing room you're now occupying.

Lauria expressed frustration over theater owners having control over who stars in a play (and apparently he was turned down by some to star as football coach Vince Lombardi. "They'd rather have Julia Roberts play Lombardi," he joked referring to the need for box office draw.

"I'm waiting for Snooki: The Musical," quipped Caufield.

But there is one advantage besides ticket sales to casting qualified TV and Hollywood stars on the stage, they agreed: They bring new audiences. Lauria related the story of a football star who came to see Lombardi. It was the first play he'd ever seen. Larroquette's co-star Dan Radcliffe, who starred as Harry Potter in the big screen, is packing in an audience of teen girls, he said.

The Drama Desk Award nominations for this season will be announced May 2 with the awards gala on May 23.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Gracewell Prodiuctions

Gracewell Prodiuctions
Producing Inspiring Works in the Arts
Custom Search
Our reviews are professional reviews written without a religious bias. At the end of them, you can find a listing of language, content or theological issues that Christians might want to know about when deciding which shows to see.

** Mature indicates that the show has posted an advisory because of content. Usually this means I would recommend no one under the age of 16 attend.

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

Theater Critic Lauren Yarger

My Bio

Lauren Yarger has written, directed and produced numerous shows and special events for both secular and Christian audiences. She co-wrote a Christian musical version of “A Christmas Carol” which played to sold-out audiences of over 3,000 in Vermont and was awarded the Vermont Bessie (theater and film awards) for “People’s Choice for Theatre.” She also has written two other dinner theaters, sketches for church services and devotions for Christian artists. Her play concept, "From Reel to Real: The Jennifer O'Neill Story" was presented as part of the League of professional Theatre Women's Julia's reading Room Series in New York. Shifting from reviewing to producing, Yarger owns Gracewell Productions, which produced the Table Reading Series at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT. She trained for three years in the Broadway League’s Producer Development Program, completed the Commercial Theater Institute's Producing Intensive and other training and produced a one-woman musical about Mary Magdalene that toured nationally and closed with an off-Broadway run. She was a Fellow at the National Critics Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, CT. She wrote reviews of Broadway and Off-Broadway theater (the only ones you can find in the US with an added Christian perspective) at http://reflectionsinthelight.blogspot.com/.

She is editor of The Connecticut Arts Connection (http://ctarts.blogspot.com), an award-winning website featuring theater and arts news for the state. She was a contributing editor for BroadwayWorld.com. She previously served as theater reviewer for the Manchester Journal-Inquirer, Connecticut theater editor for CurtainUp.com and as Connecticut and New York reviewer for American Theater Web.

She is a Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter of the League of Professional Theatre Women. She is a former vice president and voting member of The Drama Desk.

She is a freelance writer and playwright (member Dramatists Guild of America). She is a member if the The Outer Critics Circle (producer of the annual awards ceremony) and a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women, serving as Co-Founder of the Connecticut Chapter. Yarger was a book reviewer for Publishers Weekly A former newspaper editor and graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, Yarger also worked in arts management for the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and served for nine years as the Executive Director of Masterwork Productions, Inc. She lives with her husband in West Granby, CT. They have two adult children.

Copyright

All material is copyright 2008- 2024 by Lauren Yarger. Reviews and articles may not be reprinted without permission. Contact reflectionsinthelight@gmail.com

Search

Key to Content Notes:

God's name taken in vain -- means God or Jesus is used in dialogue without speaking directly to or about them.

Language -- means some curse words are used. "Minor" usually means the words are not too strong or that it only occurs once or twice throughout the show.

Strong Language -- means some of the more heavy duty curse words are used.

Nudity -- means a man or woman's backside, a man's lower front or a woman's front are revealed.

Scantily clad -- means actors' private areas are technically covered, but I can see a lot of them.

Sexual Language -- means the dialogue contains sexually explicit language but there's no action.

Sexual Activity -- means a man and woman are performing sexual acts.

Adultery -- Means a married man or woman is involved sexually with someone besides their spouse. If this is depicted with sexual acts on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Sex Outside of Marriage -- means a man and woman are involved sexually without being married. If this is depicted sexually on stage, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Homosexuality -- means this is in the show, but not physically depicted.

Homosexual activity -- means two persons of the same sex are embracing/kissing. If they do more than that, the list would include "sexual activity" as well.

Cross Dresser -- Means someone is dressing as the opposite sex. If they do more than that on stage the listing would include the corresponding "sexual activity" and/or "homosexual activity" as well.

Cross Gender -- A man is playing a female part or a woman is playing a man's part.

Suggestive Dancing -- means dancing contains sexually suggestive moves.

Derogatory (category added Fall 2012) Language or circumstances where women or people of a certain race are referred to or treated in a negative and demeaning manner.

Other content matters such as torture, suicide, or rape will be noted, with details revealed only as necessary in the review itself.

The term "throughout" added to any of the above means it happens many times throughout the show.

Reviewing Policy

I receive free seats to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows made available to all voting members of the Outer Critics Circle. Journalistically, I provide an unbiased review and am under no obligation to make positive statements. Sometimes shows do not make tickets available to reviewers. If these are shows my readers want to know about I will purchase a ticket. If a personal friend is involved in a production, I'll let you know, but it won't influence a review. If I feel there is a conflict, I won't review their portion of the production.

All Posts on this Blog