Superstar....anyone watching?

[ClapYo'Hands]

Joanna Page seems to responding to one popular argument with another. Yes, there are plenty of leading men but on the other hand, is using the same group of men (Karimloo) all the time a good idea either?

[bob8rich]

Joanna's article is not a dig at the contestants in Superstar. It's a reponse to ALW's ludicrous comment during a show that the West End does not have any leading men. The response from a multitude of people within the industry to that comment was one of total outrage and there have been rants far stronger than hers about it.

[Princeton Returns]

I sort of see ALWs point, I'd say we are lacking strong masculine leading men here, but I'd don't really think he found any in Superstar either

[MusicalBoy]

^ I disagree completely.

[DeNada]

MusicalBoy, think about the shows you've listed in your signature - out of all of those I'd give you maybe Michael Xavier as a classic handsome leading man, but I'd be hard pressed to say that any of the leading men in the musicals you've mentioned have the right kind of charisma or stage presence to pull off Jesus (and certainly not the vocals for it). Heck, South Pacific had to bring Paulo Szot over!

There are certainly many men in the West End with great voices and good looks. Some of them may even be playing or have played lead roles in town. But there's very few people I'd immediately think "right, THEY should play Jesus".

[MusicalBoy]

Okay, firstly - I don't define great west end leading men (of which there are plenty) by whether or not they could play Jesus, which I regard as a highly uninteresting part.

Secondly, South Pacific didn't *have to* bring Paulo Szot over as far as we know, which brings me to my second example of a great leading man from my signature alone, Matthew Camelle.

Also, again *only* from my signature, Matt Rawle and Bertie Carvel are both strong leading men who gave exceptional performances when I saw them.

Also, there are more musicals to be seen in the UK outside of the ones listed in my signature, please don't let my limitations of theatregoing restrict the conversation.

And as for professional leading men who could play Jesus - Alex Gaumond, Jonathan Williams, John Addison, Jonathan Ansell...oh wait, those were just the professional leading men who could play the role AND happened to be on the show!

[DeNada]

Princeton was looking for "strong masculine leading men", and your counterargument is MISS TRUNCHBULL??? (please note I'm only teasing you)

I don't disagree with you in that there are several people with great voices out there who could sing Jesus. But it's not just about the vocals - or even the acting - it's about having star quality. Maybe it's because there aren't a lot of particularly interesting roles out there for leading men in musical theatre, but having seen several of the names you've listed below perform I don't think they've necessarily got "it" in the right way to carry a show as a male "lead" in the way I understood Princeton - and ALW - to refer to it.

[bob8rich]

Precisely, Musicalboy! The definition of a "leading man" is not whether or not he could play one specific role such as Jesus. And that is not what ALW said on air anyway - he did not say there were no leading men who could play Jesus, he said "the West End had no leading men" - which is a shamweful affront to all leading actors currently performing in the West End. It is also asserting that actors such as Michael Ball, John Owen Jones. Hadley Fraser, Ramin Karimloo, Tam Mutu, Julian Ovendon, Alex Gaumond, Jonathan Williams and a host of others do not exist! It was an appalling thing to say on live TV and Joanna Page and everyone else who has voiced their disgust were all totally right in doing so. (In fact, I have not come across a single person within the industry who did not find his statement seriously offensive.)

There are also a huge number of First Covers and even Second Covers slogging their guts out 8 shows a week who would be amazing leading men if given the opportunity. But ALW would prefer to overlook them and cast a show with TV hype voting and celebrity casting.

[123musicalfan]

I'm not defending his statement, but I've been wondering about it over the past few days, and maybe what he meant to say was (we all know he isn't the most articulate of people, and he says things he doesn't really mean in the spur of the moment trying to get ... a "moment") that there is no one in the West End akin to a Michael Ball/Michael Crawford who have not only played roles in the West End (and Broadway) to great acclaim, but have also recorded tons of CD's of music, done concerts all over the world, had DVD's made of their shows, done television and played lead roles in films (Crawford in Hello Dolly/Funny Thing Happened ... Ball hasn't, but I live in hope).

I honestly think that was what ALW meant, but it just came out wrong. That and the fact that most people involved with theatre are waiting to find fault with every single thing he says/does, was a very unhealthy combination.

Of course, there are very few people out there who have had that sort of success ... I can just think of the two Michaels, and possibly John Barrowman, Colm Wilkinson, and maybe Ramin Karimloo, but he is just starting out and only has an album. The ladies have had much more success, Paige, Ruthie Henshall, Maria Friedman, Frances Ruffelle, and of course all of ALW's female contestants .... Sammy Bark (lol), Rachel Tucker, Lauren Samuels, Connie Fisher, etc (they haven't all released CD's/DVD's or been in movies, but I think most of them will get there)

[FrontRowDress]

I started a poll today on my blog to find the favourite of all the ALW TV casting show winners, but it's kind of been hijacked by Lee Mead fans. If you fancy voting the link is here http://www.frontrowdress.com/2012/08/superstar-superyawn.html