Tag: theater

Posted in Theatre

Stunt/ Celebrity Casting in Theatre

Posted on by Georgia Haze

Today I want to discuss the topic of stunt/ celeb casting in theatre so please pass me a ladder so I can get myself up onto a fence because I don’t really have a clear side on this. Sometimes it’s necessary, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes the celeb is fantastic for the role, sometimes they’re not.

            Usually celebrity casting is done in theatre to keep the show running. Most of the time, investing in theatre is a really risky affair. A lot of shows lose more money than they make and it’s not uncommon for shows to close early or sometimes not even happen at all when the ticket sales aren’t looking great. Oftentimes, the show itself, even if it is a well-known show, isn’t enough to guarantee strong enough sales figures so casting a celebrity in one of the roles (or multiple celebs in multiple roles) is a handy way to get a few more seats filled. This means some amazing shows that don’t have the advantage of being well-known already or have missed out on awards, don’t lose their audiences to other shows that are sustaining their popularity. Which, also means that if the celebrity casting can keep the show open, the people working on that show get to keep their job. This also means that there are plenty of cast and crew members who could be getting their big break in theatre world and are getting to keep a job for a significant period of time (which can be unusual for some people working in theatre. For some, moving from one project to the next with periods of unemployment is common) because the celebrity casting is keeping the show running and therefore benefitting the rest of the team working on it.

            Except, when you think about how that role is now unavailable for aspiring actors and actresses who have trained for to work in theatre and are potentially missing their chance to get a leading role that could see their career take off. Plus, sometimes the stunt casting is done purely to bring in a ‘name’ regardless of whether they’re the ideal fit for the role or not. Working in theatre is hard work, I don’t think you need to be a professional actor to see that (I’m certainly not!). So, it can be really noticeable when someone on the stage doesn’t really have the skills or training required to be there. This then can make the show suffer in its storytelling and can be especially annoying for anyone who is more of a fan of the show itself than the cast in it.

            The other issue with celebrity casting is when the celeb has a day off and the understudy fills in for them. Now, I am a big advocate for celebrating understudies. They work incredibly hard and nearly every time I’ve seen an understudy perform, they have been amazing. So, when the understudy goes on for the celeb role you’d hope the audience would appreciate they’re seeing the show and support whoever is playing the role. But, unfortunately, not everyone thinks that way. I’ve heard really nasty things said by disappointed audience members who are there to see the celeb but see the understudy instead. Ergh. I swear, people that hate on understudies are worst people in theatre and celeb casting can make these people even worse for moaning and causing a negative atmosphere. This really is another topic for another time though.

            Overall, celebrity casting is not always a bad thing. Sure, sometimes the celeb clearly wasn’t the best choice for the role and it’s kind of annoying to see the part being taken away from someone who could have done it better but equally sometimes the celebs are brilliant and manage to keep the show open by increasing ticket sales. As I said at the start, I’m really on the fence about this but would love to hear your thoughts.

            Also, this post was totally inspired by all the drama that’s been going down at Waitress in London and I just want to say another issue with stunt casting is when there’s fantastic actor or actress in a role but then suddenly they’re dropped from the production for a few months to bring in a celeb*. Not cool. #JusticeforLauraBaldwin!

 *No hate to Ashley Roberts though, this situation is definitely not her fault and I wish her all the best for her run as Dawn.

Posted in Theatre

The House on Cold Hill Play Review

Posted on by Georgia Haze

The House on Cold Hill is a play based on a novel by Peter James currently touring the UK. The story follows a young family as they settle into their very old new home, the ominously named “Cold Hill House”, not knowing that the house is haunted. There’s a psychic, a séance, a priest who refuses to perform an exorcism and an Amazon Alexa with a mind of its own. That’s the jist anyway.

            Overall I didn’t really enjoy this show. The dialogue was ok but the lines given to the teenage girl made her sound more like a caricature than a real living, breathing 21st century teen. Or, you could say, she sounded just like how a middle-aged man might imagine a 16-year-old of 2019 might talk. The plot itself wasn’t all that compelling either, I think ghost stories in general are usually quite predictable and this show served as a reminder of that for me.

            There were also a few odd moments where it would seem they were hinting at some information that would come in handy later but then there would be no pay-off. Unlike most stories where if something seems like foreshadowing it probably is, in this story, it’s mostly not. Who was the mystery other bidder on the house? Who knows and don’t worry it’s not important because it won’t come up again. Why is the family’s techie friend repeatedly warning them against using an obvious Wi-Fi password in this scene? Forget it, it’s not important.

            There were moments of true potential with this show. The use of the technology with the Alexa and laptop playing up in a ghostly way was fairly spooky and could have given this show a really unique modern twist on the classic haunted ghost narrative but they didn’t use this enough for it to feel important. There was a moment when the whole family managed to convince themselves their techie friend who also happened to be obsessed with ghosts was behind their Alexa’s creepy messages despite the fact two of out of the three family members had themselves come face-to-face with the ghost at this point.

            The tour is nearly finished anyway but I think it’s fairly obvious this isn’t a show I’d really recommend. I think if you like a simple ghost story with the odd laugh and you’re not too bothered about originality then go for it. It’s not something I’d be rushing back to see again though. There’s a different Hill House that I find much more interesting and I can watch that from the comfort of my home (and behind a pillow) on Netflix instead.

Posted in Theatre

Hadestown First Listen & Reaction

Posted on by Georgia Haze

I don’t know where Hadestown came from but it seems like suddenly it’s everywhere. And everyone loves it. So, I did a bit of Googling to figure out the background of the show before going into my first listen of the 2017 cast recording. Turns out it’s a musical based on a concept album by Anaïs Mitchell from 2010 that has since had a few small runs and a live cast recording and was even on at the National Theatre recently (I’m so mad I didn’t go and see it because, spoiler, I’m now obsessed with Hadestown) before making its way to Broadway with an amazing cast.

            But, what’s the story? Hadestown is a modern/modern-feeling retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. If you don’t want anymore Hadestown spoilers, I’d stop here because I’m about to have a natter about Greek mythology and the show itself now so will probably spoil the ending for you.

            Are you ready for a slightly-random-and-kind-of-unrelated-but-actually-kind-of-is-related anecdote? I sure do hope so, because you’re getting one. About two weeks ago I knew very little about Greek mythology. That was before I stumbled upon a copy of Mythos. Mythos is essentially a book of Greek myths retold in a comedic style by Stephen Fry. It’s great, I’d definitely recommend it and I’ve already started his second book on Greek mythology, Heroes. But, honestly, I have no idea why I bought Mythos. It’s not the kind of thing I’d normally pick up. It’s not a novel and I don’t really read short story collections or anything similar but something made me really want to read it. As I said, I’m glad I did because I loved it and now have a new-found love and appreciation for Greek mythology.

            Naturally then, when I found out Hadestown, as the title suggests, had a link to Greek mythology, I was keen to start listening. So I did. I listened to the first song of the live recording and… I didn’t really like it.

            Here’s the issue I had. I’m not a big fan of jazz, it’s just not my thing and that first number (Road to Hell) is very jazzy and bluesy. I really wanted to like it but it just didn’t click with me on first listen so I stopped and that was it for a couple of days. But, then I saw Amy Lovatt (a theatre YouTuber who makes brilliant videos so if you don’t watch her, you should!) did a cover of All I’ve Ever Known and it didn’t sound jazzy at all. It just sounded nice. So I decided to give it another try.

            Livin’ It Up on Top was more fun to me and I love Amber Gray from the Great Comet cast album so I enjoyed that song but it wasn’t until I listened to All I’ve Ever Known that I fell properly head-over-heels-and-walk-right-into-the-Underworld-just-to-get-tickets in love with a Hadestown song. It’s just beautiful. I have nothing else to say. I just love it and have listened to it on repeat several times.

            I’m not going to go over every song in this live recording especially since it’s so fresh in my mind but here are a few further initial thoughts:

  • Amber Gray is amazing and I love her voice so much, please God may I see her live one day?!
  • I love chantey numbers in musicals and there’s literally a song called “Chant” so of course it’s one of ,my faves!
  • Damn Patrick Page’s voice goes low in Songbird, I hope he has some throat sweets back stage with him on Broadway.
  • Wait For Me is beautiful ahhhhhh and I can’t wait for the new cast recording so I can listen to the new lyrics ahhhhhh
  • Ow my heart hurts. Orpheus, why? You literally had one job. Even if she didn’t follow you out you were getting out of Hades anyway, why did you turn around?!
  • Hermes getting sad at having to sing the tragedy over again in Road to Hell II is almost more painful than when Orpheus looks back.
  • Maybe I do like a bit of jazz and blues after all…

I just want to go way down way down to Hadestown (not literally, I think I learnt the lesson) and see this show. Why I didn’t go and see it at the National Theatre I don’t know but maybe the Broadway hype will bring it back over here soon. I did look into the cost of tickets to see it on Broadway and they were literally the same price as the flight to New York so might just park that idea for now.

ANYWAYS, the moral is listen to Hadestown. And read Mythos. Bye for now!