Regional Casting Vs. The Big Smoke
With the recent announcement that Kevin Kennedy and Jonathan Wilkes (pictured, right) are to star in the touring version of the Queen musical We Will Rock You, do you think regional audiences miss out on star wattage compared with the West End?
Have a look at the examples below and see what you think:
When Harry Met Sally- Alison Hannigan/Molly Ringwald
Tour- Gaby Roslin
Joseph- Lee Mead
Tour- Craig Chalmers
Boeing Boeing - Tamsin Outhwaite
Tour- Sarah Jayne Dunn
Cabaret- Anna Maxwell Martin
Tour- Samantha Barks
Fiddler On The Roof- Henry Goodman
Tour- Joe McGann
There’s no doubt that with recent tours of Miss Saigon and Mary Poppins filled to the brim with West End talent, theatregoers are getting the same experience as London. But there is still this nagging feeling that what will do for the regions will not always do for the big smoke.
What do you thuink?
April 14th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
That seems like a pretty harsh comment on those actors who get the roles on these tours. I imagine a lot of the time these star names just find it easier to get cast in the west end where they can then base themselves on a permanent basis. The actors who then tour in the same roles have to put in extra hard work coping with changing venues, cities, etc. and I imagine can sometimes pull out better performances than those ‘too lazy’ to leave London and sometimes on a smaller wage. (I am not saying everyone in the west end is too lazy to leave London - after all if it were me I would be cautious about leaving too!)
There is a also the extra cost of touring star names who would expect a lot laid on to be taken into account, even producers aren’t made of money!
Also this does seem to completely ignore the many star names who do tour - Arthur Lowe, Prunella Scales, Linda Bellingham and hey isn’t Craig Chalmers a bit of a star too?
Odd comment here which I’m afraid I cannot bring myself to agree with as it ignores the good work of people who are not household names and seems to miss the point that despite the change of faces the touring performances are unlikely to be any different to what you may see in the West End.