Casting Games

I haven’t linked to them explicitly before now but John Porter’s reviews of “[title of show]” and “Bloody Murder” were both posted relatively recently. For that matter, I didn’t link to the T-D review of “Murder” either – click here for Ms. Lewis’s take.

When the Barksdale “Signature Season” announcement came out a couple of weeks ago, one of the entries was listed as “rights pending.” Apparently, the rights for “God of Carnage” have come through and so now it’s their official “Acts of Faith” entry for next year, definitely an exciting development.

One of the fun things about season announcements has always been playing the casting guessing game. I know when word first started circulating that Barksdale was doing “Spring Awakening,” the speculation among “SA” devotees (e.g., my lovely wife) about who in town could / should play each part began in earnest. Now the same thing can happen with “God of Carnage.” The stars who originated the lead roles on Broadway definitely put distinctive stamps on them, making it hard for me to immediately plug local actors into each slot. It’s also interesting that the roles in this show have sometimes been swapped by the leads in each gender before so perhaps the specific person is not as important as someone who is just a damn good actor. Hmm.

The Barksdale shows aren’t the only ones that lend themselves to this game (“My Fair Lady” being precast took that one out of the running). Firehouse’s “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” certainly was rife for speculation (though not anymore since casting has been finalized). I’m still fascinated by thoughts of who among the extremely talented local youngsters will be tapped for Triangle Players’ “Stupid Kids.” Certainly, someone of substantial skill will need to play Shylock in Henley Street’s “Merchant of Venice.” Sycamore Rouge’s “Topdog / Underdog” should spark some intense competition for the two leads. And even Theatre IV’s season generates conjecture: who, for instance, would be appropriate to step into the shoes – or webbed feet, as it were – of either Frog or Toad?

This kind of casting conjecture happens all the time for movies: anyone remember the strum and drang over the casting of the "Twilight" leads? Similar anticipation followed the announcement of an American adaptation of the "Dragon Tattoo" series. More recently, the producers of "The Hunger Games" got a lot of press for their decision to make Jennifer Lawrence their Catniss (an excellent choice, IMHO). The final decisions are always the director’s, of course. But even so, it’s fun to imagine who might be perfect for a specific role. Anyone out there want to offer up your thoughts for upcoming Richmond shows? You'll probably have a better chance guessing who'll be Richmond's Stinky Cheese Man than Hollywood's Lisbeth Salander.

Fourth Wall

A month or so ago I stated in a review that “silence is one of the scariest things in live theater.” At the other end of the spectrum, one of the most fun aspects of live theater – and sometimes the trickiest – is the fourth wall. Just to heap a little more praise on “[title of show]”, I think the way the show doesn’t break the fourth wall outright, choosing instead to have the actors often give knowing looks or skittish glances that telegraph their awareness of the audience, is another one of its many charms.

From what I hear/read, CAT’s latest production, “Bloody Murder,” does break the fourth wall and, like “[tos],” has characters that know they are characters in a play. But while the musical’s characters were mostly happy to be there, the characters in “Bloody” are understandably none too thrilled about the plotline of their little drama and rebel against it. It’s a fabulous premise for a show and I really hope CAT can bring it off well. With a cast that includes talented vets like Emma Mason and Bob Murphy, the production certainly has good raw material to work with.

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. It won’t be long before Richmond’s stages are replete with scoundrels, Peanuts, epic battles and tragic kings, so brace yourself for the eminent onslaught of new productions.