I Love Lucy: Live OnStage @ The Broadway Playhouse

"IT'S 1952. 
You & I are part of a studio audience 
watching a taping of I Love Lucy, 

the early TV sitcom starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz...
of course, we see Lucy & Desi and company 

do their stuff in the 2 episodes that are 
theoretically being recorded.
It's a pleasant illusion for the most part."

~Tony Adler, The Chicago Reader

I am very glad I read Mr. Adler's review before seeing this show. I didn't realize the title I Love Lucy: Live On Stage would be taken so literally in this musical adaptation [and honestly don't understand why that was the artistic vision chosen by the creators of this show, but still held hope]. I had also seen a brief preview of LUCY at the Broadway in Chicago Summer Series Concert, which appeared promising. So, I entered the theatre with semi-high hopes. 

All my hopes were crushed. 

Sirena Irwin & Bill Mendietas were sub-par & generic choices for our Lucy & Ricky. Their performances qualified more as off-kilter charicature than thoughtful interpretations of this iconic couple. As Ethel & Fred, Joanna Daniels & Curtis Pettyjohn brought a little more to the table in terms of acting with an appropriate degree of authenticity [and were styled in a much less cartoony manner]. I'm sure all the performers are actually quite talented, but I don't think this material would have allowed any actor the opportunity to shine. 

Re-creating two episodes being filmed in front of a live studio audience did not offer the audience any fresh perspective on the TV show I Love Lucy. Rather, it presented a sub-par interpretation of something awesome without offering any innovative style, perspective, or information. Lucille Ball was a firecracker & trail-blazer, but, most importantly, she still serves as one of the most important women in the history of American comedic entertainment. Before there was Tina, Chelsea, Ellen, & Mindy, there was LUCY. And learning about the woman behind the laughs would have been a much more enriching, enlightening, & authentic theatrical experience than trying to transpose a few vintage episodes to the stage. 

There has been a recent string of musicals that pay homage to some of our more glorious female representatives. This musical did not take that historic route, but here are some musicals that did:

• Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson starring Carolee Carmello [who I saw in The Scarlet Pimpernel & LOVED as the Parade's original Lucille Frank]. 
• End of the Rainbow starring Tracie Bennet as Judy Garland
• Bombshell: The (fictitious) musical on the TV show SMASH that should be real & is the story of Marilyn Monroe
• Evita [2012 Broadway revival] starring Argentinean actress Elena Roger as Eva Peron. 
• One Name Only @ Black Ensemble Theatre: A Chicago world-premiere tribute to The Ladies of Soul which featured the music of Aretha, Gladys, Patti, Chaka with a special tribute to Whitney.

I also find it interesting that there is a show for the theatre that is based off of a television show that is an homage rather than a spoof. The only TV-based musical I've ever seen was Gorilla Tango Theatre's Attend The Tale of Danny Tanner, which was an awesome, gory, re-imagined version of Full House; but to see the same principle applied in a more literal manner would be a fun trend to erupt onstage. Some shows I'd like to see: 

• LOST: It is my favorite show ever, after all. The storyline(s) were highly complicated though, so it would have to be something like Potted Potter, which melds the entire Harry Potter series into a 90-minute recap. Or like the time I saw Henry the IV Parts 1 & 2 @ The National Theatre, which was an 8-hour event complete with a break for dinner. 
• My So-Called Life: It could be performed like a gloomier, more suburban but equally angsty & awesome RENT. Good luck finding someone to stand up to the original Jordan Catalano though 
• Sex & the City: I firmly believe the sassy & urban Cosmo Girls are an underrated demographic in the theatre world. Profiles made a smart move by appealing to their production of Bachelorette. However, I think the SATC musical could easily marry the this TV-trend with the Chick Flick Musical trend to produce something glorious. 
• Six Feet Under: Dark musicals work. I'm picturing something like Martin McDonagh meets The Addams Family Musical meets John Patrick Shanley: one that is satirically dark, at the root focuses on the importance of family values, and is presented in a clean, contemporary manner.

HUNGER GAMES

I’m usually RedBox kind of girl, but this was one movie I thought called for the big screen. 

I joined the Hunger Games club a little late & figured that was a lost cause until the Brew & View saved the day.

This was my first visit to The Vic's Brew & View & I LOVED IT. 

It’s such a smart idea for a theatre space to drop a projection screen & show movies. 

I will most definitely be returning to The Vic (specifically for Stephen Marley,  Ani DiFranco & The Mountain Goats).

The Book(s) v. The Movie 

I read all three books & really enjoyed them. They initially reminded me of one of my favorite short stories, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. The best part of these books is the creation of a world that is simultaneously accessible & impossibly foreign. It is an imaginative narrative that uses our contemporary America to project a seemingly impossible future. It is the details of this projected, pretend society that create such an intriguing setting. Not to say the obvious, but the book was so much better. If you’ve read the books & liked them, you should see the movie; it won’t provide any new insight or highlight the novels, but it an enjoyable & gratifying accompaniment the text. Accompaniment being the operative word; this movie is not a strong enough entity to stand on its’ own. If you want to see the movie because it has gotten so much attention & want to be in on current pop-culture, don’t bother. Either read the book first, or don’t even bother with the movie. It is not a film that everyone will automatically love, but an enjoyable cinematic tribute (pun intended) to a crazy, contemporary book.


Here is the problem that erupted when this book was translated into a movie: the loss of details. It might just be the fault of a faulty script, but the details that made the book awesome somehow fell through the cracks. There was too much wasted time during the film that could have been used to communicate expository information. There were moments where this was not the case: I loved the moment of the newscaster Caesar [Stanley Tucci] giving an expository newscast to explain what Tracker Jackers are for the viewers at home who forgot. It was also a smart alteration to attach little fortune-cookie comments to the gifts that arrive to the tributes by parachute. In the book, we could read her reaction to & interpretation of these gifts; in the movie, we needed a little note from Haymitch [Woody Harrelson] to nail down his specific sentiment. I don’t love deviations in the process of translating a book to movie, but, in this case, the creative ways to stuff in some exposition were appreciated. However, overall, I don’t think the filmmakers utilized the movie‘s 142 minutes to convey/create this world & story that  Suzanne Collins created. 

+ Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket: She is a great actress & I am so glad she was cast in this part. She's funny (as displayed on Scrubs & 30 Rock) & loved her in The Next Three Days, Our Idiot Brother, & Definitely, Maybe. The styling of her character was appropriately awesome & married the styles of  Queen Elizabeth I,  Harijuku Girls, Marie Antoinette, & Judy Jetson. 

+ Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy: I'm glad he underplayed a part that could have easily been portrayed as a caricature. I was expecting a little more gruffness. The most interested aspect of Haymitch's character to be the fact that he has had to coach these 2 kids every year & they all die. That pressure & life-long obligation was a little diluted, but I'll let it slide. This time. 

+ Lenny Kravitz as Cinna: Cinna's defining characteristic was his sense of thoughtful  insight.  Since Cinna is a fashion designer, I was expecting a more flamboyant character with a subtle streak of sensitivity. I'm so glad my expectations were off because Kravitz's calm energy was much more authentic to the character in the novel, as well as a nice deviation from the crazy corruption that permeated the rest of the film. 

+ Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne: He was a character in this movie, right? I forget because his role got butchered. In the first book, he serves as a character that helps define Katniss' character: his role provides more setting than plot-pointed action. I'll let his absence slide for the first movie; however, his role becomes more pivotal as the series progresses, so I'm hoping to garner a better gauge of his performance in the very distant future (seeing as the second installment will not be hitting theatres until November 2013). 

+ Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark: He definitely nailed Peeta's likability quotient. He was appropriately charming while still fulfilling the necessary void of simplicity & good-nature in this psychotic, unnatural world. Peeta's role is more complicated than the nice, blond boy & Hutcherson acted with a sense of authority over his character that I am excited to see challenged in the next movies. 

+ Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen: I love nothing more than an apathetic heroine. She was ideal: understated, hardcore, relatable, strong, sassy, etc.  She was a great leading lady & a perfect casting choice. She also seemed like Kate from LOST reincarnate. They are both unlikable, long-haired brunette who landed in this crazy jungle by crazy circumstances (and leaves behind a life that relied on crime, secrecy, & physical strength). Also, they can both climb trees & have 2 guys who love them: the bad boy (Gale/Sawyer) & the noble hero (Peeta/Jack). 
+ Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman:This man can do no wrong in my book. He's a dynamic actor, but he brings such a lovely, endearing charm to every part he plays. He plays trustworthy parts very well, and he always brings a very layered performance to the table. Caesar is the closest character Hunger Games has to a narrator. We've seen Mr. Tucci play the perfect pseudo-narrator as Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream as well as the sweet man happily/diligently working his way up in the shallow world in The Devil Wears Prada; Caesar Flickerman is marriage of these roles, so it's no surprise that he rocked it.
+ Donald Sutherland as President Snow: He was physical perfection in this part. He created a character so creepy you could smell the blood on his breath in the theatre. 

DreamCast: WICKED

I love WICKED. It is a completely unique musical that still holds appeal for a widespread demographic. It is also awesome for a musical to center around the friendship between two females rather than focusing primarily on a love story. Stephen Schwartz is a composer who always tries different tones & dynamics in his musicals; I don’t always love the choices he makes, but Wicked is a smart, innovative, contemporary musical that will be always be a staple in the Soundtracks section.



Emma Stone as Elphaba
Her performances have never disappointed.
I loved her in Easy A, Crazy Stupid Love,
Friends With Benefits, & The House Bunny.
She is a great actress & deserves an
all-star, shining, center-stage role.
She has found her niche in playing
a great girl trapped as undeserving underdog
who eventually comes into herself & shows her full potential.
The girl has also pulled off every hair color, so I'm sure she'd look good green.

Leeann Dearing as Glinda
She is my great friend
who is as equallystunning in her acting skills as she is physically.
Glinda could easily be played a flat glitter queen,
so the actress in the role has to fight that urge to play a bland blonde.
Leeann approaches her characters
with thoughtful intelligence as well as striking beauty.

Terry O’Quinn as The Wizard
The Wizard serves as leader & protector of the crazy culture of Oz,
which is a parallel sentiment to his character John Locke on Lost.
He somehow legitimizes the otherworldly &
performs with strong commitment & sense of character history.

Bradley Cooper as Fyioro

I like the idea of casting Fyioro older than his romantic counter-parts.

The song Dancing Through Life would be much more effective

if delivered from one who has already danced through life.

He is also the most charming actor ever,

which is Fyioro’s defining characteristic.

DreamCast: SWEENEY TODD

I've been on a SONDHEIM kick lately.

Philip Seymour Hoffman as Sweeney Todd

He is just an amazing actor. He especially excels at
conquering shadowy title-characters like Capote,
with confidence, color, & a slightly arrogant intention.
His physicality is perfect & always intentionally executed,
and it would be exciting to see him
reimagine one of the most imaginative title characters out there.

Felicity Huffman as Mrs. Nellie Lovett

She is a tough, cool, complicated actress that displays

the roughened edges that dark humor demands.

She displayed in Transamerica that she can unfold a character

as the text presents new information, which is a necessity for Mrs. Lovett.

Most importantly, she exhibits the strength & skill to play a woman

who has spent years withholding her love towards a man.

Allison Harvard as Johanna 
I know she is not an actress, but she is the perfect caged-bird.  

She has the crazy curious eyes, gothic look, & detached personality

that would result from living in an isolated world.

Johanna is a caricature more than a character,

so a creepy, Tim-Burton-esque-model seems like the perfect fit.

 

Christopher Walken as Judge Turpin

He is a master intimidator who inherently demands

the respect of both other actors & the audience.

His subtle nuances & intense energy would ensure

that Turpin was not performed as a blank, sinister villain.

Michael Cera as Anthony Hope

He could play the earnest, eager moments of

the first falling-into-love of a sweet young man,

While still making the audience fall in love with him,

He provided the same tone in

Juno, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Superbad,

Arrested Development, & Paper Heart.

Catherine Keener as Beggar Woman

She is so beautiful, but it’s an innate beauty

that is not immediately overwhelming.

She could play the Beggar Woman,

while still revealing who Lucy Barker used to be.

T.R. Knight as Tobias Ragg
On Grey’s Anatomy, he created a character who exhibited
blind devotion to his loved ones.
That character trait is the backbone of Toby,
except Toby takes this dedication to a
heightened, slightly crazy level,
which would be a cool challenge for T.R.K. as an actor.

Michael Emerson as Beadle Bamford

His performance as Benjamin Linus on Lost has eternally solidified

my love for him as the wacked-out pseudo-villain.

It would be cool to see him as the

sinister assistant rather than the sinister ringmaster.

 

Michael C. Hall as Adolfo Pirelli

I first fell in love with this man when he played

the Emcee in the Broadway Revival of Cabaret.

He performed the role with a perfect accent while

equally accentuating the campy & intrinsically creepy facets

of his seemingly simple character.

DreamCast: The Secret Garden

My Thoughts

This is an amazing & underappreciated musical that should be reproduced in tours/regional/community theatres much more frequently. I think the reason why it is a back-burner musical is due to the fact that it seems misleadingly like children’s theatre. I’m sure it is difficult to sell tickets to a children’s book turned musical that is actually so poignantly & applicable to the adult mind. Like Oliver! and Carousel, these musicals read as overly-sentimentalized if poorly directed or thematically misdirected.

The musical opens with the death of Mary's parents, which displaces her from India to the English Moors. Here she meets her Uncle Archibald, who is lost in grief over his dead wife Lily. Mary’s reminiscence of Lily compounded with Archibald’s grief drives him to eventually to run away to Paris. There is a thread of this story that acknowledges the physical displacement occurring in the face of grief. Whether it a choice or a forced relocation, the physical journey in the face of grief is a direct symbolic reflection of the journey that overcoming grief demands. Mary’s active pursuit of life despite grief pulls Archie back to allow him to “walk through the walls he’s hidden behind for years.”

To me, The Secret Garden is thematically a musical study & poetic homage to the reality of adjusting to a grief-stricken life. It accurately addresses the dismantling effect of an acute loss to the living victims. In this musical, the dead are not memories but present characters. This allows the audience to picture their presence, grieve their absence, and empathize with the characters.

Most stories build up to a climax. In The Secret Garden, we are seeing what happens in the aftermath of the climactic moment. The drama has already happened. Lily died, Mary’s parents died. The Secret Garden is almost like Seinfeld in that it is about nothing. But this nothing is a reflection of the absence of something: namely, the person whose death still haunts the one(s) left behind. The moral of this story is that grief is rightfully debilitating, but can somehow be overcome with time from the most unexpected string of catalysts.

The Players

Ralph Fiennes as Archibald Craven

In Wuthering Heights, he was a perfect brooding Heathcliffe.
In The English Patient, he showed that he can conquer
difficult physicalities in characters &
use them to project his performance.

Joseph Fiennes as Dr. Neville

In Shakespeare in Love, swooned silently & sacrificially,

and swallowed feelings of inappropriately directed love.

Those are the feelings that also drive Neville's quiet actions.

I would love to see actual brothers sing this song.

Natascha McElhone as Lily

I LOVE her on Californication.

She is entrancing English rose with a fittingly steel backbone.
And has the hauntingly beautiful thing down.

Suri Cruise as Mary Lennox

She is finally old enough to star in something besides tabloids.

Mary is a girl who is thrust into the world of the English moors
after an isolated life in the foreign, unrelatable India.
I think Suri could channel that feeling.

Chris Colfer as Colin Craven

I don't watch Glee, but a little bird suggested this casting.

I like it because his face has a sweetness to it. Colin is usually cast so frail,
but that physicality should be a result of circumstance. He could first appear sick,
but then go through a physical transformation to appear
alive & fresh in the finale.

Michael Cera as Dickon

He has a positive approachable energy that he brings to every part.

Dickon's first role is to provide companionship for Mary.
Michael Cera is always cast as
a guy who seems fun to hang out with.

He seems to play characters
(Juno, Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist,
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Arrested Development)
that find tiny details of life & make them interesting.

Which is exactly what transcribes between Mary & Dickon:
he introduces her to the unnoticed life around her &
awakens her senses & sense of self.

Ginnifer Goodwin as Martha

I've always had a soft spot for this girl.

She really does exemplify that girl-next-door thing
without being annoying or idealized.

I have liked her in a lot of performances,
Big Love & He's Just Not That Into You (no judgement),
but I have never seen her dominate.

Martha would be a great part to demonstrate her strengths.

Maulik Pancholy as Fakir

His role on 30 Rock proved his skill at
making small characters memorable.
Plus, he graduated from Northwestern's Theatre program, so props for being local.

Rose Byrne as Rose Lennox

I like that she looks like she could
be the sister Natascha McElhone,
as well as the mother of Suri Cruise.

She has a serious & earnest quality
that Rose requires as the concerned sister.

Sam Anderson as Ben Weatherstaff

My primary reasoning for this casting was Lost alumni loyalty.

As Bernard, he was hard-working, honest, & slightly dopey.
And those are the traits of a great gardener.

Kelly Bishop as Mrs. Medlock

She is a great actress & a most important Broadway alum
(1976 Tony for Best Supporting Actress in A Chorus Line)

Not to mention she is also a Gilmore Girls alum.
She is a strong, subtle actress who can play the icy matriarch
without being cold & bland.
Plus, she's so pretty.

DreamCast: Blood Brothers

Blood Brothers just might be the best musical ever written. It is so thick & so poignant, especially for being penned in the 80s. I was lucky enough to see it in London & it was one of my Top-Ten Theatre Experiences. I love the dingy setting, the creepy undertones of the music, the quietly complicated characters, & the serious nature seasoned with perfect moments of light.

Jane Krakowski
Mrs. Johnstone
Something about her screams deadened potential.
I first met her on the soundtrack to Grand Hotel,
now she is associated more her with 30 Rock & Ally McBeal
(both positive associations, IMO).
But first impressions say it all: to me,
she will always be a quality & capable
musical theatre rockstar.

Michael Emerson

The Narrator
I apologize for the repetition,
but I can't stop casting this man in my imagination.
What an exceptional actor,
what a great &expressive face, &
what positive associations for me from the Lost years.

Laura Linney
Mrs. Lyons
For some reason, she plays the suburban crazy very well.
I liked that she had the same coloring as Jane Krakowski
because Mrs. Lyons should serve as a foil
of who Mrs. Johnstone could have been.
Mrs. Lyons is a symbol of Mrs. Johnstone's lost potential,
& requires an untouchable quality that Laura Linney could convey.

Jack McBrayer
Eddie
He has proven on 30 Rock that he is a smart actor.
It takes such articulated effort to play a believable idiot.
Not that Eddie is an idiot, but he is a man
whose mind has been simplified by the luxury of an easy lot.

Ellie Kemper
Linda

She has grown into one of my favorite character on The Office. 

I could see her though Mickey's eyes:

 as his familiar partner in crime.

I could see her through Eddie's eyes:

as a an idealized & eternally adored armpiece.

Jeremy Sisto
Mickey
He is a crazy great actor.
I first loved him in Clueless, but his work on Six Feet Under
solidified my confidence in his solid skills.
He has such a strong performance presence,
a strong & striking speaking voice, &
creates crazy, great characters out of nowhere.

DreamCast: Miss Saigon

Miss Saigon was pivotal to my adolescent education of musical theatre. This is one musical that actually would be great as a movie & there have been talks of that possibility. I love that the writers were ballsy enough to conquer such a complicated war that was still fresh in the minds of many audience members. If it wasn't such a perfect & pristine piece of theatre, it could have been a huge expensive, offensive flop. Luckily, it turned out to be a perfectly-crafted, ageless, & invincible American Musical Theatre classic.

Jamie Chung as Kim

She doesn't have the most amazing acting stats,

but she is the perfect picture of Kim in my mind's eye.

She is an MTV star turned actress & something about that makes me think

she would have the freshness Kim needs & most actresses lack.

Hugh Laurie as The Engineer
Disclaimer: I know The Engineer is usually played by an Asian actor,
but since Jonathan Pryce is synonymous with the role, 
I felt entitled to cast Hugh Laurie based on that interpretation.
On House, his character's identity is grounded in his goals & work.
The Engineer is similarly-minded,
but with a completely different brand of background.
I've only ever seen him play a dry, quiet humor, &
 I would be excited to see him interpret
the more flamboyant flavor of The Engineer.

These girls have small roles, but it is important to cast them as individuals.   

Keiko Agena as Mimi
She reminds me of the sweet & poor Monique Wilson.
And I've gotta represent Gilmore Girls.

Tila Tequila as Gigi
She clearly exhibits the attitude & sexual charisma
Gigi requires to win Miss Saigon.

Devon Aoki as Yvette

She is more model than actress, but she has a great face.

She could individualize a role that could get lumped into the chorus.

Zhang Ziyi as Yvonne

She is a seasoned actress with a wide range of experience.
She seems like she could bring something sad & serious to the part.

Mekhi Phifer as John
I like that he was from ER, the Grey's Anatomy of yesteryear
John leaves the war a more driven & serious man
whose world view is seasoned with what his eyes have seen
I love the song Bui Doi & think it must be such a fun challenge as an actor.
To stand stagnant & sing a public service message
as the Opening to the Second Act requires
an actor whose conviction engages the audience enough
to get their mindset back to Saigon.
It is a challenge & responsibility that I could see
Mekhi Phifer having the intensity to handle.

Disclaimer: I don't like the choice to have the background singers in choir robes.
I like the background singers to be soldiers behind a screen.
This is a song about the perspective of a veteran, the infusing of the church dilutes his perspective.

Justin Chambers as Chris
Many elements of his Grey's character that would be applicable to Chris.  
He is the All-American Boy, but with baggage in his eyes.
His efforts are honorable, but living in a world of shades of wrong but no right,
it is a constant struggle to apply
everyday American ideals in a foreign & impossible world.
Chris seems like the simple, romantic male lead, but
placing that lead in this setting requires
an actor who can use his pretty face to actually act.

Daniel Dae Kim as Thuy

He proved on Lost, he can pull off the traditional, domineering man
without making him into a cruel caricature.
I think he would play a Thuy who felt like a piece of Kim's past,
instead of a random, flat antagonist.

Jennifer Garner as Ellen
Her performance in Juno reminded me of Ellen's journey.
Ellen can be played a million different ways, but I envision hers as:
A steel magnolia who doesn't mind getting dirty,
A wholly-devoted wife, who is strong despite herself, &
A woman with the fiercest of maternal instincts.
The Original 1989 'I Still Believe' - Lea Salonga & Claire Moore

I love them both so much & clearly no one will ever compare.

Pax Jolie-Pitt as Tam

I think Pax could channel

some of his real-life experiences into his interpretation of the role.

There was a limited casting pool for Tam &

he fills the required cute quotient.

Black Swan

Disclaimer: I will probably ruin the ending if you haven't seen it.

When I first saw previews for this movie, I was expecting Center Stage meets V for Vendetta. There is something about movies about ballerinas that I automatically categorize as awesome but indulgent. The world's reaction to this movie made me question my instincts, but they were kind of right on. After seeing the movie, I felt the exact same way as after I saw the preview: that there were all these crazy things going on & I wanted to know what was behind them. This movie was like Lost Season 6...after all the hype & build-up, the questions they raised still remained.


From the beginning, it was trippier than I expected. I liked the thematic lines & imagery, I just wish they had been rooted with a more direct & purposeful perspective.  We saw the story from the point-of-view of Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman), whose reliability as a narrator is never made clear. As stress disintegrates her mind, she can't distinguish from what is real, who is who, & how events unfold in front of her. And since her perspective is the only one we have, it remains unclear what actually transpired.

There were themes that were consistently present, but vague. Upon receiving the role of the Swan Queen, Nina must fully embody the frigid beauty of the White Swan & the base sensuality of the Black Swan. The latter is her struggle & the struggle to balance the duality of one's self permeates the film. Another thematic element was self-sabotage, which I found to be more provoking & interesting. Since it was a movie about ballet, we had to see excessive self-control & bouts of bulimia. I didn't mind these obvious choices because they were being used to stir up different ideas.

What Happened To My Sweet Girl.

Natalie Portman earned that Oscar. She played the frigid innocent whose performance was the backbone of the entire film. She had to be tightly wound, intense, vague, obsessed, & buried all at the same time and gave a performance that was perfectly on point.

Mila Kunis was great. She played the new ballerina who posed a threat to Nina's new & fragile success. She created a character that was intriguing, but still casual, natural, & realistic. She held her own against Natalie Portman's huge performance & that is no easy task. I preferred the scenes where she was present


Winona Ryder played the crazy, washed-out ballerina who was being forced into retirement because the shelf-life of a ballerina expires at 30. She cracks up at the reality of hitting this glass ceiling & provided a great glance into the crazy future in store for our narrator. It was a good role for Winona Ryder. Her acting has gone from Girl Interrupted into Woman Interrupted. However, I don't know if she would be as appealing if casted outside her typecast as the frustrated, slightly insane artist.

Barbara Hershey played the ballerina who gave up her career when she got pregnant and lived aggressively & vicariously through her daughter. She had weak role commitment and made easy & obvious choices (granted, in an easy & obvious role). But I will always love Barbara Hershey for 2 reasons:
1. I love Beaches & always will.
2. I love Sayid & always will.

Also, do all ballerinas have crazy moms? Maybe ballet has such female associations that people think they have to stick a mother/daughter plot-line on the side, but I could do without it. Ballet always seems to become a metaphor for the jarred belle, when it could just as easily be used as a metaphor for the dedicated, driven, & successful woman. Speaking of moms,

Happy Mother's Day!!!

DreamCast: Parade

I love PARADE like none other.

On Lost, Ian Somerhalder & Terry O'Quinn were nothing if not dedicated soldiers to an antiquated cause. As The Young Soldier, Ian Somerhalder would provide an earnest & attractive introduction to the show. And his poetic face & baby blues would be a nice way to easy into the show with some poetry before we get bombarded with facts & courtrooms. Terry O'Quinn exudes the rawness that falls out with life experience. He could enrich The Old Soldier's role from a role with some great harmonies to a role with great impact.

Michael Emerson clearly has the physical embodiment of Leo Frank down. He gives a terrible & incriminating first impression, followed by some weird heart-warming sense of that's he's not all bad.

Mariska Hargitay has already shown in SVU that she can solve any crime by dinner time. Lucille Frank is a magnolia crafted from most hardcore of steel, and Mariska Hargitay is a perfect marriage of bound magnolia meets sexual crimes investigator.

Evan Rachel Wood has proven time & time again that she can play the spunky, ragmuffin roles like Mary Phagan. The Mean Girls Trio seemed like a strangely appropriate counter casting as the gaggle of Factory Girls, and Amanda Seyfried seemed the sauciest, sassiest, & most capable of handing Iola Stover.

I would cast Craig Robinson as Jim Conley because he plays roles subtlety that could easily become caricatures. His timing, slightest mannerisms, and vocal inflections all add up to a potentially powerful performance from the character whose actions are at the root of the show. Perez Hilton is our modern-day Britt Craig. Both of them created an identity putting celebrity/human interest stories on full-blast. Plus, Perez Hilton is a pioneer for the blogging generation, which makes him all the more appropriate.


Red-heads in this age-range are a rare commodity. Rupert Grint has the acting chops & heart-breaking chops to pull off Frankie Epps.

There are at least two things in this world that I know inside & out & upside down: Lost & Parade. I feel this is an angel-sanctioned union of casting & my loves. On Lost, Paula Malcomson played an under-appreciated, underdeveloped, & haunting part. Mrs. Phagan is a role of the same color & Paula Malcomson pulls off a perfect downtrodden dishrag.


Christopher Walken is clearly capable of taking on challenging & sickening roles, and Tom Watson calls for nothing else.

In Thank You For Smoking, Aaron Eckhart played a charming advocate for the side of the devil. Hugh Dorsey shows shades of those characteristics, and Aaron Eckhart could play the part with complexity, charm, & an underlying air of distrust.

DreamCast: Into the Woods

The man defines dapper & I would gladly listen to any story he had to tell. Plus, Mr. Grey is nothing if not mysterious.


I first thought of Kate Walsh for the Baker's Wife because my attention span lights up everytime she comes onto the Grey's set. She also is a contemporary physical reinterpretation of what The Baker's Wife has become. Originally for the The Baker (so difficult because the possibilities are endless), I thought of Matthew Fox and was dead-set. But then I considered him with Ms. Walsh & the chemistry seemed impossible. Then I realized Patrick Dempsey has that sincere effort muddled with uncertainty, and those 2 have already established in my mind the marital chemistry/history necessary for the casting of these 2 parts. And I would rather see an amazing duo repeat the similiar setting of coupling than risk some inauthentic chemistry. Plus, bakers and surgeons have a lot in common.


Kimberly Paisley-Williams was a belle in Father of the Bride and would be a sweet, strong, sassy belle as Cinderella. In playing the Wolf & Cinderella's Prince, Clive Owen could handle both the sexually predatory Wolf & charasmatic, faux genteel Prince with comlplexity & charm.


First of all, LOST alumni are perfect & will be forever.
Emilie de Ravin is actually a great actress who brought meat to a potentially bland blonde role on LOST. She would do the same thing to Rapunzel. From her brilliant time on the brilliant LOST, she tackled all the acting requirements for an ideal/pretend Rapunzel: perfecting the blood-curdling scream, pulling off a pretend pregnancy without it seeming like a joke, & the ability to channel the blonde & green-finch caged-bird. She could really light the part up.


Something about Californication and True Blood seem to draw upon the same acting skill sets. They both are set in settings that seem so close to being possible, even though they are clearly contemporary fairy tales. In playing Little Red and Jack, Madeleine Martin & Ryan Kwanten could bring bright, thick, & youthful portrayals of their respective roles.


Estelle Parsons has a voice that was cater-created for Jack's Mother. I am not ashamed to say that I love Roseanne & think it is TV show that was stocked with great actors, E.P. being one of them. She is a great actress in terms of subtle humor, comedic timing, & understanding of one's opportunity as an actor to personalize the comedy written in the subtext of great text.
Susan Sarandon has proven she can play a Stepmother. And, in playing Janet in Rocky Horror, she has solidified herself a role in musical theatre history, which must be respected.

And,
Finally,
Our Glorious Queen...
For only the most obvious reasons.
Who else would have the creative competancy, respect for the work, & visionary chops to reign as one of Captain Sondheim's most beloved lady-part creations?
I think Ms. Peters would approve.

I wish!