To compensate for the good casting news earlier.

[fancycwabs]

Tonight were the auditions for West Side Story, which I'd agreed to do because the choreographer for Christmas Carol told me that I ought to--I'd make a great Krupke. It had been years since I'd seen the play, and even longer since I'd seen the movie, and I'd forgotten what Krupke's particular character trait is, confusing him with Lieutenant Schrank, the racist, tough-guy detective. Krupke, as it turns out, is practically mute, and fat--a thick-headed moose of a man, with few social or other graces beyond the one-dimensional stereotype of the heavy. Frankly, I expected more from the choreographer, although I can see an attitude like that from the director, who was the inspiration for Val ("Dance 10 Looks 3") in A Chorus Line, who has a reputation for casting folks based primarily on their weight, ignoring things like acting or singing ability (hence the need a year and a half ago for pit singers in Cats).

Also, the other major theatrical player in town, Playhouse on the Square, announced their final show of the season would be The Producers and that the male leads were already cast, which leaves chorus parts--or would if those weren't going to be filled with interns.

Comments

[luckimunki.livejournal.com]

casting folks based primarily on their weight, ignoring things like acting or singing ability (hence the need a year and a half ago for pit singers in Cats).

This is why I stopped auditioning for parts in plays/musicals.

In High School, I auditioned for 'Fiddler on the Roof' and got the one-scene solo part of Grandma Tzeitel. After the play had finished, the student director (also a friend of mine) told me she had wanted me cast as Golde, but the teacher running the show wouldn't let her because the girl cast as Golde (also my best friend) had 'earned' the lead by being in more productions than I had been over the years. It probably helped that she was thinner, also.

The whole show as a fiasco. If we ever meet face to face, I'll tell you about it. It was CWAZY with a capital Q.

[fancycwabs.livejournal.com]

Where is Golde supposed to be skinny? She's the milkman's wife, and eats nothing but dairy products. Rosie O'Donnell played her on Broadway, for heaven's sake.

Krupke is intended to be overweight, as is Theo in The Underpants; it's in the script. It's just that Theo has 200+ lines in The Underpants, and they were having trouble finding enough lines of Krupke to let me fucking audition. Similarly, Bialystock in The Producers is being played by a guy who MIGHT be 20 lbs overweight, when the role clearly calls for Zero Mostel.

Actors in fat suits kinda bother me in general. There are plenty of heavier actors out there with plenty of talent, but producers would rather put John Travolta in a fat suit to play Edna in Hairspray than have John Goodman or George Wendt just do the role, or, (unheard of!) just have an overweight woman playing an overweight woman. Still, Hairspray does have Tracy; but I'll wager that once the rights become available, community theatres all around the country will be padding out skinny women to take the role.