i'm happy that Keala Settle is in this... i heard so many great things about her in Hairspray and have heard some clips of her and have always wanted to see her...
I think people are forgetting that this production changed how Nellie Forbush is played. At least in the hands of Kelli O'Hara, she was not some stereotypical southern cock-eyed optimist. Rather, she was a REAL American woman who was forced to look at herself and start to beat out her ignorance. Carmen Cusack is an excellent choice for this role.
How to properly use its/it's:
Its is the possessive. It's is the contraction for it is...
Maybe Kelli's Nellie was stereotypical on the outside, but on the inside she was very conflicted. I think Kelli did at excellent job at portraying Nellie's transformation.
I know people are skeptical about Carmen playing this role, but she may actually be great. Some people weren't sure that Laura Osnes would make a good Nellie, but she's been getting excellent reviews from people who have gone to see her.
Osnes was offered the opportunity to go on tour with the show. They wanted her to sign on for a year and she was only willing to commit for six months, so she turned it down.
She'll be doing Frank Wildhorn's BONNIE & CLYDE in the fall instead.
Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
It does make sense that you can only fit in so many cities in one year when a tour is staying more than 1 week per city, but why aren't they hitting major cities like Philadelphia and Chicago earlier? It doesn't make sense. This tour is playing many what I consider to be 2nd-tier towns first.
i just saw the first rate!!!! tour in chicago at the rosemont out by the airport.. figure the downtown theatres are so booked. nonetheless we made it out there and so glad we did. what a knock out. great orchestra, i think 25 pieces, great cast and a wonder wonderful experience, could fill a theatre downtown for an extended run. hope it comes back. they deserve a better venue.