We all wince at the notion of stunt-casting—getting a name from television, film, or popular music to appear in a show on Broadway or on tour to get butts in seats, usually to the detriment of the show and to the livelihoods of struggling actors who have devoted their lives to the stage.
Prime examples include, but are not limited to, David Hasselhoff, Jack Wagner, and Sebastian Bach (all from Jekyll and Hyde); Mickey Dolenz, Michelle Williams, Deborah Cox, Toni Braxton, and Taylor Dayne (all from Aida); or CeCe Winans, Chaka Khan, and LaKisha Jones (all from The Color Purple). In some cases, they may not be able to dance like the part requires, sometimes they aren’t the right age at all, and for others, they simply can’t do it on stage.
Tourist audiences walk out thinking, “Wow, I can’t believe I saw ________ live, and wasn’t he/she amazing!” The 1/3 of the audience who is visiting the show after having seen Rob Evan, Chuck Wagner, Heather Headley, Sherie Rene Scott, or Felicia P. Fields in those roles is thinking, “Wow, I can’t believe _________ was so ill-suited for that part.”
But as die-hard as most of us are, and as much as we love our theatre actors, we also need to acknowledge that there are people out there whose careers didn’t originate in theatre but who are still incredibly talented on stage. Everyone has their own path to Broadway, and just because someone, say, chose to wait in long lines for American Idol instead of outside an audition space, doesn’t mean their talent should be discounted.
I was excited to see Diana DeGarmo listed in the Broadway cast of Godspell. Don’t get me wrong, because I would have been more thrilled to see Eden Espinoza, Julia Murney, Felicia Finley, or Coleen Sexton in that part. However, this is a sign that DeGarmo is making a run for a career on Broadway. She’s not just doing a summer tour or three months as a replacement, she’s dedicating herself to a show for an entire year. And she’s got real talent. Not only did I hear great things about her time as Penny in Hairspray, but when I saw her in Brooklyn, she could really knock those songs out of the park. Her voice has grown greatly since her days on Idol (when she was just a teenager), and she’s the real thing.
Honestly, we often hear of people online raving about some replacements, in relation to their being very physically fit men (i.e. Joey Lawrence, Mario Lopez, et al). But there are times when talent wins out, when the road they took to the stage may have been from celebrity, but their acclaim is all talent. After all, for every Lance Bass, there is a Fantasia, Reba McEntire, Marilu Henner, Larry Gatlin, Keith Carradine, or Tom Wopat.
In some cases, they may not be able to dance like the part requires, sometimes they aren’t the right age at all, and for others, they simply can’t do it on stage. But other times, they’re spot on.
Congratulations, Diane DeGarmo. I’ve no doubt you’ve earned it.
the Broadway Mouth
June 28, 2008
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17 comments:
I saw DeGarmo in Hairspray and she really did steal the show. I'm glad to see someone with real talent being cast, even if they are from American Idol. I don't have a problem with stunt casting/star casting if the person in question is really talented and a good fit for the role. Plus, looking at DeGarmo's theatre resume, she seems to have quite a bit of experience and dedication.
Maybe I'm reading it wrong but both Marilu Henner and Tom Wopat are not just "from celebrity". Henner was a replacement in the ORIGINAL production of GREASE, originated a role in OVER HERE!, and was in the ensemble and understudied in the B'way revival of PAL JOEY all in the 1970s, so I'd say she earned her stripes on stage before "Taxi" came along to elevate her "celebrity". Tom Wopat: I LOVE MY WIFE (BEFORE "Dukes of Hazzard"), and then back within 4 years for CITY OF ANGELS, GUYS & DOLLS - a replacement in all three Broadway productions before CHICAGO and CATERED AFFAIR, as well.
Diana is amazing. Her voice is almost unparalleled. This is her fourth show in less than four years and I'm glad to see she's looked at as a musical theater performer and not as a "stunt casted former idol." She deserves more respect than that and I'm glad to see you recognize it.
I can't wait to see her in Godspell!!
IMHO, Diana is extremely talented. I saw her in Brooklyn and Hairspray and she was outstanding. I also think she is the only Idol alum who is really committed to Broadway and is building an awesome resume.
I saw Diana in Hairspray and as a previous comment said "she stole the show" Icame in thinking another stunt caster and American Idol to boot but like everybody walked out wowed.And the favorable reports from WSS and Brooklyn, two lead roles before she's 20. She even sang at Carnegie Hall last year spring. I think what impresses a lot of people from what I've read in blogs and Broadway message boards is her high work ethic and how she relates to her fellow cast mates, very considerate never this diva shit.
"I also think she is the only Idol alum who is really committed to Broadway"
I don't see how you can say that, she did just take over a year long break (perhaps closer to 2 years) from broadway when Tamyra just finished up nearly a year in Rent. I think that's a statement you should make when Diana has done 2-5 years straight on broadway, now that's commitment.
Congratulations to her, but I don't see the need to put down other idols for not going or being "totally" committed to broadway, especially since their first love is supposed to be singing and that pursuit should be first and foremost, unless you just give up broadway is a nice thing as a backup.
American Idol does open a lot of doors for these contestants though, some that would have likely never opened.
"I think what impresses a lot of people from what I've read in blogs and Broadway message boards is her high work ethic and how she relates to her fellow cast mates, very considerate never this diva shit."
With all due respect, you should really slow your roll talking about "work ethic" and "diva" attitude. So far the longest time Diana has spent on broadway has been two stays in hairspray both times very short of 3 and 4 months each (she needed to take a four month break in between both stays). You don't know how "professional" and how her work ethic would be if she had to stay lets say 9-12 months CONSECUTIVE. I would wait until she's pasted her six months before we talk about "work ethic". So far she hasn't worked all that much on broadway to prove "work ethic".
Regarding the previous comment about Diana needing to take a break in between her Hairspray runs, that wasn't a break at all. As soon as she finished her run in Hairspray, she was in rehearsals for the national tour of Brooklyn, and then once that tour was over, she returned to Hairspray. The only reason she left Hairspray for those few months was because she'd already committed to the BKLYN tour before she signed up for Hairspray. Say what you want about the show itself (I'm not a fan), but there's no doubt it's a vocally taxing role. Also, her second run in Hairspray was a few weeks shy of 6 months, not 3 months. I'm not saying this is the utmost form of commitment, but I just wanted to clarify based on the previous post that she can absolutely hack the Broadway schedule. I think she'll switch between her music and Broadway throughout her career. There are many Broadway performers (I'll go with Jesse Tyler Ferguson as an example) who go between doing TV/movies and Broadway all the time. I don't see why the opposite can't be true as well.
I also agree that Tamyra has been dedicated to Broadway with both Bombay Dreams and Rent. As many Idols as there have been on Broadway at one time or another, there are very few that do truly have the chops and heart for Broadway performance and those two are on the (short) list.
I'm excited about Diana being in this show, she's an amazing singer. I've only seen the YouTube stuff from Brooklyn but I've been very impressed.
I don't think praising her obvious intent to make Broadway part of her long term career (while also doing other things) is any reason to get defensive as some are doing. The reality is that she, along with Tamyra and maybe Constantine, have the most theater credits from Idol. That's not a slam on anybody else, just a statement of fact. Overall those from Idol have handled themselves quite well on stage. Diana has been a big part of that from what I can tell.
W"ith all due respect, you should really slow your roll talking about "work ethic" and "diva" attitude. So far the longest time Diana has spent on broadway has been two stays in hairspray both times very short of 3 and 4 months each (she needed to take a four month break in between both stays). You don't know how "professional" and how her work ethic would be if she had to stay lets say 9-12 months CONSECUTIVE."
Actually Miss DeGarmo did theater for one year straight: Hairspray, the lead role in Brooklyn during their national tour and then back to Hairspray. She never took a break from it during 2006. So I'd say she's earned her stripes and proven herself.
And commitment isn't just about length of stay. Lots of performers hang around a show for a paycheck but aren't terribly committed. It's about doing everything you can to promote the show, be a good castmate, and be a good representative of the Broadway community. She does all of that quite well from what I can tell.
"Actually Miss DeGarmo did theater for one year straight: Hairspray, the lead role in Brooklyn during their national tour and then back to Hairspray. She never took a break from it during 2006. So I'd say she's earned her stripes and proven herself."
Let's not play dumb, you know what I mean. I'm talking about commitment in one role for a consecutive amount of time. Anytime you get to take breaks and leave broadway (whether it's to do another musical for a tiny amount of time) it is still a change and still easier then doing the same show for an entire year looking at the same ole' faces singing and dancing the same ole' same ole'. That she hasn't proven and this will be her FIRST real trial so as I said, just wait and see if she can handle it. But the role is likely so small that she'll be able to pull it off easily perhaps that's why we can be so cocky here.
I here she was in the middle of a Country album and stopped that so commitment isn't really something she's good at.
I'll give her props and strips in March when she's past six months, and the critics have raved and definitely when she picks of that Tony nomination in May.
Until then, Diana is a broadway newbie just like all the other Idol alums out there.
"the lead role in Brooklyn during their national tour "
I thought only Broadway mattered. If this is the case then
Latoya London has been the most committed to theatre. She's been doing The Color Purple tour for over ONE year. That's the type of commitment I'm talking about.
Perhaps that's why people have given Diana her strips without proving herself for a period of time, I guess they respect it more when you don't start out on broadway and start with a touring maybe that's the "earning" part.
If this is the case both her and Latoya have earned theatre strips. I stand corrected. But I still think Latoya has a leg up because she's been doing it for so long in the same role.
Good Day!
It’s hard for me to understand why everyone can’t just give ALL the AI alumni credit for pursuing their career in the entertainment industry without all of this nitpicking of when, where and for how long one of them has been doing this or that without all of this stupid flack like some want to give Diana. No matter how anyone wants to slice it, Diana has earned respect from Broadway from what she as accomplished in the past and she got this new role because she is good enough and deserves it.
Wow, I can't imagine why a nice role in a revival show would cause so much consternation among some. It seems some are taking issue with the excitement others feel on Diana's behalf. Very odd.
Maybe Latoya is still in The Color Purple because she hasn't gotten any other offers? I'm not sure how the length of time in a show has anything to do with anything except a paycheck.
having said that, Latoya is wonderful in her role, absolutely wonderful. I just don't think length of time in a role is significant in any way other than it allows the actor to have steady income?
Actually, Diana didn't start on Broadway either if you really want to nitpick here. Even discounting her community theatre credits as a child, she got her Equity card in 2005 doing a regional production of West Side Story in California, before she even set foot on a Bway stage. I believe her audition for Hairspray came after that. As far as Tony nominations for Godspell go, those come in the Best Revival category and likely some others not related to the cast. It's an ensemble show through and through, I can't even imagine Creel getting nominated.
I'm not sure why the LaToya comparisons are being made. She's done well for herself on The Color Purple tour and I don't think anyone would negate that.
The Godspell cast sounds amazing. Gavin is incredible and so is Telly. I've done some digging around on youtube for stuff by Diana and her rendition of "Bless the Lord" could be showstopping if she sings it anywhere near as good as she did "Once Upon A Time."
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