Mary Doherty returns, Jacqui Sanchez leaves early.

[ollie123]

Okay, Simon Gorton told me at stage door last night :

Jacqui Sanchez (Mrs T, Bear and Resident Director) will be performing for the last time on Saturday the 8th, NOT the 29th as advertised. She's got a job doing a new production of "Hair" in Germany, so the Mackattack are letting her go early.

Previous Mrs T and Bear, Mary Doherty, will be returning to cover Jacqui from the date she leaves until her official "taken off the billing" day (29th).

Rachel Jerram will take over the role permanently as of December 1st, as advertised.

Finally, the new, developing Ave Q Fansite will be interviewing Jacqui Sanchez this Friday (31st, haloween!), so please do listen in (I'll try and upload it that evening). Also, if you'd like any questions added to the list, please submit them through the website :

www.avenueq.sm4.biz/ (Yeah, we WILL buy a proper domain, once it's finished!!)

And if you're wondering why I'd bother setting up a fansite when the show's announced it's closing dates, I just couldn't help but notice how much fan support Avenue Q lost since cast change. I don't understand why a majority of the fan base of the show couldn't accept new people, it's the way shows like this work. What annoys me more is that most of the people who've dropped out of the fan network haven't even SEEN the new cast. Anywho, I figured the show and the current cast deserve a real fanbase right until the end, there's still five months to go, which is a relatively long time when you put it in perspective to how long the show's been running.

Hm. Rant over. ;D

x

[sianysian93]

aww man i would love to see mary again but can't afford to go twice before it closes

[crazeball]

I don't think it's that hard to understand, no one is arguing that shows should never change casts, but I guess for some shows, for me at least, the show is good regardless of the cast, and for others it isn't. I'll go and see Les Mis or Rock You no matter who is in them because overall they always pick solid people and even though I have favourites the general feel of the show never changes from what I felt the first time. Then there are shows like Q or Wicked where one performer can make or break it basically. And this isn't even universal seeing as the world is full of people who are completely obsessed with Wicked regardless who is in it, they just like the show... and I don't particularly like it in itself instead. And while I think Q overall is an amazing show for me it's just one of those shows that is more about the people in it and how good they are with comic timing (honestly, Jennifer Tanarez made it almost unbearable for me to sit through).

[homo-whatever]

While I ultimately think that all this stuff is just a matter of opinion, I also think the new cast were never given a fair shot. I honestly believe that if they had been the OLC and everyone was used to them and then Jon, Simon, Julie etc were the ones to take over then people would be complaining about them just as much. Because it's really hard to see other people in such distinctive memorable roles, if you're used to them being played in a certain way.

I love the new cast. I don't think they were perfect, but neither were the OLC. Simon Lipkin is such a force of nature, but Mark's a better actor. Julie's a better actress than Rebecca, but I love the strength and power Rebecca gives Kate. Jon's puppetry, improv' skills and accent were better than Daniel's, but Daniel's comic-timing and ability to hit the notes in the moving scenes can't be bettered. I could go on and on. It doesn't make one cast better than the other, they're just different.

And I do agree with Ollie, ultimately. While I grow fond of the actors, what I ultimately love is the message of the show. I'm at just the right age for this show and its message, to really hit me where it hurts. I don't have any loyalty to one cast, all I care about is that people come in and honour it, by putting 110% into it. And I think we can agree, whether we like them or not, that every cast has at least tried to do that.

[crazeball]

Oct 27, 2008 21:56:35 GMT homo-whatever said:

While I ultimately think that all this stuff is just a matter of opinion, I also think the new cast were never given a fair shot. I honestly believe that if they had been the OLC and everyone was used to them and then Jon, Simon, Julie etc were the ones to take over then people would be complaining about them just as much. Because it's really hard to see other people in such distinctive memorable roles, if you're used to them being played in a certain way.

But that's the same in every show and whether you like it or not it's just the way it is. People stopped going to Rock You when Hannah Jane Fox left because they couldn't adapt to Jenna Lee James. And almost two full years on I still hear people ranting about Idina Menzel. It's just a curse, or a habit or whatever you want to call it that people have with original casts. every single show whether on Broadway or the West End has gone through that. Legally Blonde closed and people blamed it all on the new Elle. At least no one is blaming Q's closure on the cast.

[homo-whatever]

I never questioned whether it was true or not. But the fact that it's true doesn't make it a good thing.