Rock Of Ages Original Broadway Cast RARE
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2017 TRUE WEST AWARDS Day 29: David Nehls Composer and Music Director I’ll Be Home for Christmas Killer Wigs from Outer Space The Wild Party Mommie Dearest A Midnight Clear By John Moore Senior Arts Journalist Composer had four new musicals in various stages of development over the past 12 months. Let me repeat that: Composer David Nehls had FOUR NEW MUSICALS in various stages of development over the past 12 months. It’s nearly incomprehensible to think that one composer based here in Colorado could have that much new musical material gestating out there in the theatre world all at once. And all four of his musicals got staged and seen, in some form or other, in three states.
And that doesn’t even include his musical direction of someone else’s musical: Nehls made his Denver Center debut in 2017 by taking on Off-Center’s full-flapper cannonball dive into immersive theatre with, a truth-in-title musical that was staged under in Aurora. Ladies and gentlemen, this is David Nehls’ moment. And his moment includes brain-eating parasites, unapologetic holiday sentiment and partnerships with none other than the daughter of (pictured at right) and a star of Broadway’s.
Maybe we should go back to the beginning of the year. Nehls began 2017 by bravely leaving the safe embrace of his 12-year artistic home at the, where he supervised the music for about 45 mainstage productions. And he went out on top: His final project there was one of his own: The Arvada Center premiered Nehls’, a familiar holiday throwback with a little bit of bite. He ended 2017 premiering a purely joyful holiday commission called at in Houston, where Nehls’ writing partner, is the Artistic Director. 'The work that David is doing is really vital for the future of the American musical,” said Denver's, who traveled to Houston to be the assistant director A Midnight Clear. 'Because without people like David continuing to take these big risks and write this new stuff, we’ll continue to just perform The Sound of Music and Beauty and the Beast into the next century.'
Here’s a quick look at Nehls' four very different new musicals in 2017:. World premiere at the Arvada Center. Nov. 23, 2016.
Written with: Kenn McLaughlin. At a glance: Set in 1969, the Bright family prepares for their annual Christmas variety show, always one of the most-watched national TV events of the year. As the telecast approaches, they welcome their eldest son home from the Vietnam war.
The former teen idol is now a decorated hero but deeply challenged by his return to civilian life in front of the cameras. Workshop staging at the University of Colorado Boulder on Dec. Fully presented at the from July 10-16, 2017. Written with: Zac Miller. At a glance: This “hair-raising rock opera” is the story of a carnival handyman named Orville who is attacked by a galactic, brain-eating parasite.
The alien transforms Orville into 'a rock ’n roll prophet for peace with out-of-this-world hair.' We follow Orville on his epic operatic journey to save our world.
The New York cast featured, who starred in Broadway’s. Presented as a reading on Sept. 1, 2017, at in New York. Written with:.
At a glance: This is the musical stage adaptation of Crawford’s shocking, about growing up as the adopted daughter of. The focal point of the stage story, written in full collaboration with Christina Crawford, is the famous actor’s will, which disinherits her two eldest adopted children. The plot becomes the coming-of-age story of the brother-sister pair who try to remain family as various obstacles force them down different paths. A Midnight Clear: A Musical Tale of Christmas. Nov.
Rock Of Ages Original Broadway Cast
24, 2017. Stages Repertory Theatre, Houston. Written with: Kenn McLaughlin. At a glance: It’s Christmas Eve 1964, and a snowstorm threatens to cancel a concert hosted by the Sisters of the Poor Sacred Heart. But when a mysterious stranger and a stranded motorist arrive at their chapel, the nuns find that the songs of Christmas have far more power than they had imagined. The score combines traditional Christmas songs with Nehls originals including “A Joyful Christmas Noise,” “St. Christopher's Prayer” and “Eyes of a Wandering Stranger.” 'If regular theatre takes place in three dimensions, then immersive theatre takes place in six.' No less impressive than creating those four new works from scratch was tackling the unique challenges Nehls was presented by Off-Center’s staging of, said director.
“First of all, the way the music functions in an immersive-theatre space like is a totally different ballgame from how it works in a traditional theatre,” Berg Wilson said. “If regular theatre takes place in three dimensions, then immersive theatre takes place in six. Performing the show environmentally seriously changes how the music is going to play out in your time and space.” Imagine a cast of 15 actors playing characters who are attending a drunken, decadent party in a 16,000-square-foot apartment crammed with 200 guests. The live band is stationed in one far corner of the room, but the actors sing and dance and run down tiny aisleways at times more than 100 feet away from the musicians. This was a new performance challenge for actors and musicians alike. “David really had to be there to support the actors and to help them develop techniques for how to perform the songs in completely different corners of this massive room and still make it sound blended and lovely,” Berg Wilson said.
And Nehls had to abandon his own comfort zone to do that. “After so many years at the Arvada Center doing outstanding, but traditionally presented musical theatre, David had to be willing to go places he had never gone before — and he was completely game for it,” Berg Wilson said. Perhaps no actor has more practical experience working with Nehls than the multiple award-winning, who has performed in nearly two dozen productions under Nehls’ musical supervision since 2005. She even went on the road to Houston with Nehls last month to play the Mother Superior in A Midnight Clear. “The one thing that has impressed me the most about David over the years is how much that he, as a composer and lyricist, thinks about the characters and the story and the mood and the ambience — and then he puts all of that into his songs,” said Van De Hey.
“He has a very clear concept for every show that he goes into.” She cited the Arvada Center’s 2012 production of the Cold War musical as an example. “He took every song that was focused on the Russians and filled it with the warmth of violin and cellos,” Van De Hey said. “And anything that had to do with the Americans had more of an electric sound to it. That’s the kind of twist that David adds to everything he does.” In recent years, Nehls vigorously joined the now 30-year-old grassroots movement to resurrect the dilapidated old summer playhouse that once hosted the likes of, and as a year-round, functioning crown-jewel of Denver theatre. As a former board member, Nehls got further than anyone else has in 2015 when the old wooden theatre in the Highlands began hosting an annual new-play festival of readings. Despite Nehls’ breakout year as a composer in 2017, his success in new-musical development is not actually new. Nehls first hit it big back in 2004 with, which he developed here in Denver with Betsy Kelso before it went on to dozens of productions in New York, Australia, the U.K.
And many points in-between. Van De Hey was asked how she reconciles the breadth of Nehls’ story subjects, ranging from the sci-fi silliness of to basking in the show-biz mud to holiday stories geared for traditional theatre audiences. “No one who has met David would ever expect him to turn out to be a sentimentalist in any way, shape or form,” said Van De Hey.
“But actually, so much of his work is rooted in actual memories from his own childhood.” She describes working with him as 'insanely collaborative.' “It’s never been his way or the highway,” she said. 'If you are the person who is going to be singing his song, he talks to you. He asks you questions. He asks for your point of view. As a composer, he works with the actor, and you discover the song together. And when David turns a song over to you, he is really turning a piece of himself over to you.'
And that works to everyone's advantage, Sanders said. 'David is not only furthering his own craft — he’s creating work for the rest of us,” Sanders said on behalf of the hundreds of actors, musicians and other creative personnel who produce musicals in Colorado and around the country.
John Moore was named one of the 12 most influential theater critics in the U.S. By American Theatre Magazine in 2011. He has since taken a groundbreaking position as the Denver Center’s Senior Arts Journalist.
About The True West Awards: '30 Days, 30 Bouquets' The True West Awards, now in their 17th year, began as the Denver Post Ovation Awards in 2001. DCPA Senior Arts Journalist John Moore — along with additional voices from around the state — celebrate the entire local theatre community by recognizing 30 achievements from 2017 over 30 days, without categories or nominations. 2017 TRUE WEST AWARDS Day 4: Olyvia Sydelle and Joanie Brosseau Rock of Ages BDT Stage Anyone who has attended a show at Boulder's in the past two decades would have gotten a kick out of the clever casting twist this year in. First, there was fresh-faced Olyvia Sydelle as Sherrie (thank you, ) in this unapologetically silly musical homage to big-hair 1980s rock bands.
In the story, fresh-off-the-farm Sherrie quickly falls on hard times after arriving in L.A. To pursue her dreams. Broke, doe-eyed and desperate, Sherrie ends up at a strip club where she encounters a modern-day.
(Go with me on this.), owner of the Venus Club, takes Sherrie und er her wing and puts her to work as a stripper. It's all a tough-love, mildly exploitative excuse to hear the two power balladeers riff out a medley of 's Harden My Heart and 's Shadows of the Night.
OK, so it's not exactly. But here's the punchline: Cast as Justice was the adored and adorable BDT Stage veteran Joanie Brosseau, who happens to be Sydelle's real-life mother. Blonde-to-the-bone Brosseau will never be mistaken for, who played the role in the — but it worked for Boulder. You gotta admit: It's funny: Watching a mother encouraging her daughter to toughen up and take her clothes off for leering men?
(Oh my goodness, I just realized — Rock of Ages is a total rip-off of!) No wonder there was such obvious chemistry between the two. Furthering the bloodlines: The man responsible for this clever casting twist was Director, who happens to be Sydelle's father — and Brosseau's ex-husband. OutFront theatre critic r said the BDT production lived up to the Broadway hype, and that Sydelle 'definitely stole the show.
She is gorgeous, and has an intense belt that meshed incredibly well with all the songs she sung.' Beki Pineda of concurred that 'Sydelle knocks it out of the ballpark as the naive girl who becomes disillusioned by the world she enters but never loses her sweetness.' Olyvia Sydelle: At a glance As the daughter of two longtime Boulder actors, Olyvia Sydelle has grown up in front of BDT audiences, first playing child roles such as Liesl in The Sound of Music, and now as a grown-up in shows like Rock of Ages. She graduated from Standley Lake High School in Westminster and studied psychology at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Joanie Brosseau: At a glance Joanie has appeared in dozens of productions on the BDT stage over the past 21 years. She attended Heritage High School.
Favorite roles include Evita (Eva Peron), Peter Pan (Peter), Chicago (Roxie Hart), Sweet Charity (Charity Hope Valentine), Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Mrs. She has also performed at The Arvada Center, Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, Lone Tree Arts Center, PACE Center, Country Dinner Playhouse and Heritage Square Opera House. ABOUT THE TRUE WEST AWARDS: '30 DAYS, 30 BOUQUETS' The True West Awards, now in their 17th year, began as the Denver Post Ovation Awards in 2001.
DCPA Senior Arts Journalist John Moore — along with additional voices from around the state — celebrate the entire local theatre community by recognizing 30 achievements from 2017 over 30 days, without categories or nominations. Moore was named one of the 12 most influential theater critics in the U.S by American Theatre Magazine in 2011. He has since taken a groundbreaking position as the Denver Center's Senior Arts Journalist.
Video by John Moore for the DCPA NewsCenter. The venerable Boulder dinner theatre will soon mark 150 productions after Technicolor bookends of Joseph By John Moore Senior Arts Journalist celebrated its past and looked forward to its future on Monday when the enduring dinner theatre marked its 40 th anniversary with a special performance of. Generations of past and present BDT cast, crew and staff were invited back, along with friends and original investors.
Fitting that the title was Joseph: The aerobic christened the then-named Boulder’s Dinner Theatre back in the Jimmy Carter administration. When Joseph closes Sunday (Aug. 19), it will be followed by, an homage to 1980s big-hair bands. That will mark BDT’s 150 th production at 55 th and Arapahoe streets in Boulder. Producing Artistic Director estimates the company has given 13,000 performances in that time. (Pictured right: Eleven members of BDT Stage's first production, 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,' in 1977, returned Monday.
Photo by John Moore for the DCPA NewsCenter.) BDT has defied all the industry odds by surviving for four decades while all but one other metro-area dinner theatre (the ) has fallen by the wayside. Back in 1977, the cast and creatives weren’t sure BDT would survive its first night. “It was a disaster,” said Dee Height, one of eight original investor families who put up $17,000 each to buy the land and start the business up in 1977. That’s a total of about $136,0000 in startup money. Crews were still laying down the carpet when it was time to open the doors for opening-night patrons.
That first performance did not begin until 10 p.m. As the kitchen struggled to feed the crowd. The opening cast included Duran in the title role and two others who would go on to become longstanding professional BDT performers: Barb Reeves and John Scott Clough.
Although the ensemble, 11 of whom returned for Monday’s party in Boulder, isn’t so sure just how professional that first show was back in the footloose and fancy-free 1970s. “For one thing, none of us could dance,” said Duran, who would nonetheless go on to a 23-year career as a theatre performer in New York before returning to run BDT in 2003. Duran was a late addition to that first Joseph cast.
“He joined us two weeks before opening, and he saved our butts,” said castmate Jim Robb. So was that first show any good? “It’s all relative,” Duran said with a smile. “It was a small production, but for the very first show at a brand-new dinner theatre in Boulder? It was fantastic.” The theatre used prerecorded music in its early days, and original investor (and current co-owner) Gene Bolles remembers being rallied to record a small trumpet part for that first show.
“Our sound booth was the bathroom,” Bolles said. “So I sat on the toilet with the microphone in front of me, and we did about a hundred takes.” That first cast ranged in age from 17 to 25. Clough was the youngest. “We tried our best, but I was 17, and I was doing what 17-year-olds do, which is get into trouble,” said Clough. Two years after Joseph, Duran played Jesus in BDT’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar. “On the final night, we put peanut butter on Mike’s crucifix, and he had to sit in it,” Clough said. Duran said he will never forget the night Jesus died with peanut butter in his crotch.
The founder and mastermind of BDT Stage was Ross Haley, who was not at Monday's party in person but was very much present in the thoughts of those gathered. Haley was the theatre director at nearby Boulder High School in 1976, and his production of Jesus Christ Superstar there was so well-received, parents and others encouraged him to found Boulder’s first professional dinner theatre. “Ross always encouraged us to take it very seriously,” said Reeves. Duran said Haley’s “vision and tenacity really helped keep this thing moving through the years.” Clough, likewise, said Haley “took great pride in this building. This was his baby. 'And we didn’t as much.” Clough mentioned a gigantic backstage fake-blood fight that left the men’s dressing room covered in corn syrup and red food coloring.
“Ross was not happy,” Clough said with a smile. BDT has now presented Joseph three times in its history, and all three Josephs were present Monday: Duran (1977), Scott Beyette (2004) and Jack Barton (2017). Beyette, who has been regularly performing with BDT for nearly 28 years, is now playing Joe’s ageless oldest brother, Reuben. He’s been at BDT so long that Barton remembers seeing him in BDT’s celebrated co-production of Ragtime with the late African-American Shadow Theatre Company (pictured above). Barton, not Beyette. “In fact, I made my parents take me here to see Ragtime for my 13th birthday,” said Barton.
“I have wanted to perform here since I was a little kid. That’s why I just feel super lucky to have been a part of this tonight.” Beyette is one of about a dozen local actors who have essentially performed at BDT for their entire careers. And the ties are multi-generational.
The cast of Joseph includes four children whose parents have worked for BDT Stage onstage and off through the years. One of them is Beyette’s daughter Olyvia, who will star in the upcoming production of Rock of Ages. “I truly have been blessed to be able to do what I love to do, and live in this beautiful state, and raise a family,” said Beyette. “It’s been fantastic.
Not a single day here has ever felt like work.” As he addressed the crowd on Monday, Duran acknowledged that many talented BDT performers have gone on to have successful careers in New York and Los Angeles, including Oscar winner, Tony winner and Tony nominee. “A lot of other people have come to work here and stayed, and we are ever so grateful to them as well,” Duran said. The closest BDT ever came to closing was in 2003, when Haley was in ill health and the future of the theatre was uncertain. That’s when Bolles and his wife, Judy, bought the theatre and hired Duran to come home and run it.
The Bolleses are the unlikeliest of theatre owners. Is a now-retired military neurosurgeon who worked on soldiers injured in Iraq. He has dedicated more than two decades to providing medical care in dozens of impoverished countries. “ Joseph is about dreaming, and I think we’ve all been dreamers, because being in the arts is a dream,” said Judy Bolles. Forty years in, Duran said the reason BDT is still here is because “dinner theatre or not, we present some of the best theatre in the area.
Our production values are high. The level of our talent is very high. People like working here and want to work here, and our food has gotten so much better.” Reeves says the impact BDT has had on audiences and the local theatre community is huge.
“I can’t tell you the number of people this place has touched,” she said. Duran also announced the release of a new book covering the history of the theatre, Remember the Magic, by Brandon Palmer.
It is available through the theatre by calling 303-449-6000. John Moore was named one of the 12 most influential theater critics in the U.S by American Theatre Magazine in 2011. He has since taken a groundbreaking position as the Denver Center’s Senior Arts Journalist. BDT Stage's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Ticket information Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Directed by Matthew D.
Peters. Through Aug.
19. 5501 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder. In 'An Act of God,' The Almighty comes to Earth to adapt the 10 Commandments for these modern times. But he chooses the approachable human form of a fabulously fun actor with just enough snark and charm - Wesley Taylor, star of stage and screen. Photo Credit: Adams VisCom. MEET WESLEY TAYLOR God in An Act of God At the DCPA: Debut. Most recently starred as the Emcee in Signature Theatre's acclaimed production of Cabaret.
On Broadway, he created the roles of Lucas Beineke in the original cast of The Addams Family and Franz in the original company of Rock of Ages, which garnered him a Theatre World Award (Outstanding Broadway Debut) and an Outer Critics Circle Nomination (Best Featured Actor). He has performed internationally and all over the United States, with extensive credits in Off-Broadway and Regional theatre. On Television, he's been seen on 'The Good Wife' (CBS), 'Looking' (HBO), 'The Tomorrow People' (CW), 'One Life to Live' (ABC), 'The Tony Awards' (CBS) and 26 episodes as 'Bobby' on 'Smash' (NBC). (Pictured above right: Follow Wesley Taylor on our Instagram account throughout the day and tonight's opening performance of 'An Act of God' at the DCPA's Garner-Galleria Theatre. Hometown: I was born in New Jersey and Iive in L.A. Now - but NYC still feels like home.
Training: I have a BFA in Drama from North Carolina School of the Art. Twitter-sized bio: 'There is something innately untrustworthy about Wesley when he walks into the room.' - Famed director, to my agent. What was the role that changed your life? Playing Falstaff in Henry IV at drama school. It was very hard.
Very rewarding. Why are you an actor? It's what makes me feel most alive. What would you be doing for a career if you weren’t an actor? I would be a full-time writer. Ideal scene partner: Romantically opposite James Dean, thanks. Why does An Act of God matter?
It's important to endow Biblical literacy with comedy. John barry walkabout. Religious legalism should be made fun of. What do you hope the audience gets out of seeing An Act of God?
Escape, mostly. But don't be fooled, there's a message in this play:).
Finish this sentence: 'All I want is.' The kindness of strangers.' Video highlights from Miscast 2015. Video by John Moore for the DCPA NewsCenter.
A community-wide benefit for the raised $4,102 for the non-profit organization that serves members of the local theatre community in need. This year's show, held Sept. 14 at the, featured 45 local performers, including an aging (male) Annie, a pair of female Elders, a hot-potato national anthem, and a high-heeled local TV personality who brought the house down.
Miscast is an opportunity for members of the local theatre community to sing songs and act out scenes they would never ever! Get cast to perform on any legitimate stage. The popular revue has been staged intermittently by various local theatre companies. But after a few years of dormancy, the Denver Actors Fund revived the tradition as its annual fundraiser last year. Provides both financial and situational help to members of the local theatre community both on and off stage.
Funds raised at Miscast 2015 brought the 2-year-old organization over the $50,000 mark in overall revenues raised. Under the guidance of director Robert Michael Sanders, Miscast took on more of a variety-show flavor in 2015. The bill included actors performing in miscast roles, as is the norm, but hosts Mark Pergola and Damon Guerrasio opened up the program to include fun audience-participation games that were chosen to capture the zeitgeist of the late-night TV wars, such as an homage to 's popular ' on As guests entered the Town Hall lobby, they were asked if they wanted to be entered into a drawing to play in several on-stage games.
Those who did paid $5 - sparing audience members with no desire to leave their seats. Several theatre companies and local merchants donated prizes. After two playful audience members took on the challenge of a cold lyp-sync assignment (including actor Margie Lamb, who starred in Town Hall's syncing Sir Mix-A-Lot's 'I Like Big Butts'), audiences were told the third contestant would be Eden Lane, host of the weekly arts TV show, airing on Fridays on Rocky Mountain PBS Channel 12. It was soon evident Lane, was a ringer. Lane emerged in the signature red boots from the hit Broadway musical and lip-synced Lola's big song, 'Sex Is in the Heel,' joined by members of the cast of 's recent La Cage Aux Folles: Peter Dearth, Carlos Jimenez, Jeffrey E.
Parizotto, Keith Rabin Jr. And Eric Pung.
For the second straight year, Miscast featured a comical appearance by M.U.T.T.: The satirical Multicutural Urban Theatre Troupe, which performed several short scenes from plays they are clearly miscast for, including this year scenes from Shakespeare's Othello and Romeo and Juliet. The actors included Arlene Rapal, Laura Slack and Sam Wood. 'Miscast 2015' was attended by more than 200, including DCPA Theatre Company Producing Artistic Director Kent Thompson. Several of the volunteer performers have appeared in DCPA productions, including Leslie O'Carroll ( A Christmas Carol) and Sarah Rex ( Forbidden Broadway).
Photos from 'Miscast 2015' held Sept. 14 at the Town Hall Arts Center.
All photos by John Moore for the DCPA NewsCenter. All photos are available for free downloading by clicking 'View original Flickr image.' 'MISCAST' MUSICAL NUMBERS:. Taylor Nicole Young Cory Wendling, 'Me, Beauty and the Beast.
Reace Daniel and Matt LaFontaine, two numbers from Chicago. Steven Burge and Sarah Rex, 'The National Anthem,' with appearance by Tim Howard. Phamaly Theatre Company, 'When You're a Gimp,' a West Side Story variation featuring: Brian Be, Don Gabenski, Adam Johnson, Harper Liles, Amber Marsh, Don Mauck, Lucy Roucis, Robert Michael Sanders, Rachel VanScoy, Daniel Wheeler, Leslie Wilburn, Linda Wirth and Lisa Young. Carter Edward Smith, 'So Much Better,' from Legally Blonde.
The Explorers Club Oct. 15-24 Directed by Neil Benjamin’s wildly funny comedy features the madcap adventures of eccentric London-based explorers who are members of a prestigious club. And the looming possibility of a woman assuming the presidency of this club threatens to shake the foundations of the British Empire.
This Colorado premiere features a notable cast filled with DCPA favorites including Brad Bellamy, Stephanie Cozart, Sam Gregory, Mark Rubald, Colin Alexander, Randy Moore, Director Randal Myler and Costumer.
Following along while director Adam Shankman casts his Rock of Ages movie has been like seating a dinner party for a who’s who of Hollywood: So far, everyone from to to and have signed on for the hot-hot-hot flick, which begins shooting May 19 in Miami and will hit theaters next year. And now, meet the show’s leading man: Diego Boneta, who you might have seen recently on The CW’s 90210 or ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars. Boneta will play Drew, a budding musician who falls for a small-town girl (Hough) who shows up on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip and expresses his emotions through songs from ’80s hair-metal songs. EW caught up with Ages director Shankman, who talked about casting Boneta, putting Cruise through rock-star boot camp, and why he didn’t choose Constantine Maroulis — who originated the role on Broadway — to be Drew. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What about Diego made him perfect to play Drew?
ADAM SHANKMAN: It’s very difficult to say, but it’s one of those instincts you have when you see somebody. I had the exact same thing about Nikki Blonsky in Hairspray. We had the same thing about Channing Tatum, Zac Efron.
You say, “Oh my god, it’s them!” Because there’s an It factor. There’s an honesty about it that you can’t see — you can’t put your finger on. It’s just that they’re behaving — they’re not acting like the character, they just are the character.
Diego definitely isn’t an A-Lister like the rest of the cast you’ve assembled so far. Did you want to nab someone you could “discover”? Yeah, I talked about wanting to discover somebody like I did in Hairspray.
That was something I wanted to do, but I wasn’t holding myself to anything. I was open to everybody. I found that it was very exciting to find this person. What was his audition like? It was grueling and endless, basically. I put Julianne through it, too, to be perfectly honest, but with Diego, he came back to audition a second time for the casting director and he came back and auditioned for me. And when he came back and auditioned for me again, he had to do a different scene each time and he had to sing those songs which are so hard and so high!
People in that era — in 1987 — sang like freaks of nature. All the music is written so high, so it was also difficult to find somebody who could find all the music. Did you put Tom Cruise through the ringer while casting, too? Here’s the thing about Tom Cruise: I knew in my heart he would never put himself in harm’s way about taking on a part if he didn’t think he could deliver. So it wasn’t until our first go around with his voice lesson that we sort of looked at each other and went, “This is gonna work!” And we were basically dancing around the living room and high-fiving each other because he actually has a fantastic voice. His grandfather or his great-grandfather was an opera singer, so apparently he’s genetically predisposed for this sort of thing. He’s having the time of his life and he is so grateful in a strange way that I even thought of him for this, because this is so outside of what he does.
He is going to create an incredibly indelible character, because I told him this needs to be so far out there that it’s startling. He’s going against type, it’s great.
The truth of the matter is, he knows he’s part of an ensemble. But he’s the driving force — it’s almost like he’s more into it than me.
When he commits to something, it’s a commitment level I’ve never seen: He’s singing five hours a day; he’s gonna start doing rock-star boot camp. And that’s following Mission: Impossible. Constantine Maroulis, who was nominated for a Tony while starring in the Broadway version of Rock of Ages, made it known he wanted the role in the movie, too. Why didn’t you cast him? Constantine is the absolute perfect human being.
But I am deeply committed to casting at authentic age — I don’t want to have to ask anybody to act like they are 23. I wanted a 23 year old. Just like when I made Hairspray, I wanted a young girl, and when I cast Nikki she was literally still in high school. When you’re dealing with this heightened reality business, I think it’s better to go with what is as authentic as possible, and Diego is absolutely that. He is kid who came to Los Angeles with a dream and who sings and has an amazing voice, and drive. And he’s also as honest and sweet as you can possibly make him and he’s authentically the age.
It creates a piece of something on screen that I don’t have to fabricate. So you love Constantine? I love Constantine. Constantine was a total inspiration, and he was fantastic, and I still have every intention of using him in the movie. I’d love to cameo him or have him say something — I think it would be a great show of support. We had the same thing with Ricki Lake in Hairspray.
Rock Of Ages Musical Cast
This was not about shutting out Constantine; this was about this is the next evolution of the project. There are lots of rumors about other possible castings in the movie.
Can we expect other big names? We will be making some big announcements deeper into the week.
I read some rumors that made me laugh, they are so not true. They are so super crazy and not true and have never been discussed. I read today that Katy Perry is starring as a barmaid slash stripper in the movie and I was like, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Nothing could be further from the truth. And then some other people that are said to be in talks are legitimately in talks. Who is in negotiations?, Amy Adams is another negotiation.
But they are in negotiations still, so confirming them would be silly. What I will say about this movie is that things fall apart just as fast they come. Not all the time, but I’m basically at 100 percent of my first choices so far, but lots of other things come and go.
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