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Disapointed re: Gareth Gates?


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Old 19-11-2008, 00:05
JustWonderful
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Anyone else feel that Gareth is a rather poor choice to take over from Lee?

Who would you have liked?

I think Keith Jack or someone a bit left-field like Darius Danesh..
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Old 19-11-2008, 00:17
jill1812
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Craig Chalmers would've the best choice

I never understand ALW relutance to work with experienced MT performers. I'm gurssing get more control if it's some new to MT.
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Old 19-11-2008, 09:15
Yorkie47
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Anyone else feel that Gareth is a rather poor choice to take over from Lee?

Who would you have liked?

I think Keith Jack or someone a bit left-field like Darius Danesh..
I'm not sure how I feel about Gareth Gates in the role of Joseph. I watched the TV documentary on him and felt really sorry that this obviously talented singer (and really sweet young man) had been struggling so much with his career.

He is definitely a good singer. Whether he can cut it as an actor remains to be seen.

However, I really do hope that he is a success. He deserves the break.

As for Keith Jack, I'm sure he'd be brilliant but his career seems to be very much on the up anyway.

Best wish and congrats to Gareth!
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Old 19-11-2008, 11:53
johartuk
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I think Gareth Gates would be a good choice (if he is the new Joseph - no official announcement has yet been made).

Keith Jack needs time to hone his acting skills and general stagecraft (and, sensibly, seems to be doing just that). Craig Chalmers would have been a logical choice, but whether his voice/acting is of sufficient standard for a WE show remains to be seen.

What I'm more interested in, to be honest, is what Lee will be doing next!
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Old 19-11-2008, 11:57
Chrissi_1986
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I think Gareth would be a good choice as well if it is true! He's doing panto in Wimbledon until the week after Lee leaves so he'll have some experience. The question would be whether he could go from Panto to the West End!

Good Luck to him if he is taking over, I'll wait until the official announcement though as so many names have been bounced around.
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Old 19-11-2008, 12:00
johartuk
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Craig Chalmers would've the best choice

I never understand ALW relutance to work with experienced MT performers. I'm gurssing get more control if it's some new to MT.
Actually, Lee is the only 'household name' in the Joseph cast, so it is essentially a cast of experienced MT performers.

At the end of the day, MT is a business - and the way to get bums on seats (and justify the often extortionate ticket prices) is, unfortunately, to go with 'names' in the cast.
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Old 19-11-2008, 12:44
Puterkid
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I can't see Gareth as a huge draw TBH.

You have to feel for aspiring musical theatre artists who would have loved this chance, when they are sidelined for 'names' and reality show winners. I was glad when Lee won, as he'd long been looking for his big break in MT.
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Old 19-11-2008, 12:55
NoahsAark
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Actually, Lee is the only 'household name' in the Joseph cast, so it is essentially a cast of experienced MT performers.

At the end of the day, MT is a business - and the way to get bums on seats (and justify the often extortionate ticket prices) is, unfortunately, to go with 'names' in the cast.
Thats partly true but when you look at the long running shows, that are still pulling in the crowds such as Les Mis, Phantom, Wicked ... they don't rely on a 'celebrity' name to get the audiences.

I love Joseph but it's not the greatest show on the West End - has been running for a while now and does really need a 'celebrity' to stand any chance of selling tickets for the rest of it's run. The show itself isn't good enough to keep going without a 'name'. IMHO.
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Old 19-11-2008, 16:13
lipgloss
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Garths a reasonable and probably not too expensive choice.
None of us have to go see him
In the current market it makes sense to keep a cheap show running until someone else want the theatre.
It'll probably sell fairly well with discounts as is one of the few properly family friendly shows around.
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Old 19-11-2008, 18:19
*Sparkle*
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I'm a fan of Gareth as well as Lee, so if it's true, it's great news for me, although I suspected there might be a few grumbles from those who like someone else. I'm glad Lee is leaving, because it's time for him to move on. In fact, I think he ought to have left a few months earlier, but it's hard to say no and maybe he wanted to have something new lined up first. Lee was the only finalist who I thought was right for the part of Joseph, so on a personal level I'm glad he's not going for Craig or any of the others.

I can see why fans of the other Joseph finalists might be a bit miffed they haven't been chosen, but I can also see why ALW wouldn't want Lee's proper replacement to be from ADWD. They would always feel like the stand-in.

Andrew said in the past that he rates Gareth, and the part seems well suited to him. He played the part as a child, and said a few years ago that it's something he'd consider doing again in the future, so it's not a random casting decision. Assuming it's not the latest in a long line of Joseph rumours.

I'm sure there are always aspiring musical leads who resent a star name taking over the starring part, and that probably happened when Lee won the role too, but most of them know the value of a star name and just hope that they can sing. In Gareth's case, he's an excellent live singer, and will be able to do the interviews on This Morning and so on that come as part of the package.

Good luck to Gareth, or whoever is taking over the role. Every man and his dog now has an opinion on what it takes to be a good Joseph, and they are all different!
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Old 19-11-2008, 23:25
johartuk
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Thats partly true but when you look at the long running shows, that are still pulling in the crowds such as Les Mis, Phantom, Wicked ... they don't rely on a 'celebrity' name to get the audiences.

I love Joseph but it's not the greatest show on the West End - has been running for a while now and does really need a 'celebrity' to stand any chance of selling tickets for the rest of it's run. The show itself isn't good enough to keep going without a 'name'. IMHO.
I think you'll find that Phantom started off with a 'name' (Michael Crawford), as did Wicked (Idina Menzel).

I don't think that Joseph needs a 'name' to keep it going because it's a bad show - look at how many 'revivials' it has, and then there's the tour that's being doing the rounds on and off for 25 years! The only reason that it needs a 'name' is because that's the nature of the business!
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Old 20-11-2008, 08:12
NoahsAark
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I think you'll find that Phantom started off with a 'name' (Michael Crawford), as did Wicked (Idina Menzel).

I don't think that Joseph needs a 'name' to keep it going because it's a bad show - look at how many 'revivials' it has, and then there's the tour that's being doing the rounds on and off for 25 years! The only reason that it needs a 'name' is because that's the nature of the business!
You're right that Phantom and Wicked opened with 'names' but they are still selling well now without a 'name' - that was my point. Until shows become established they often do need a 'name' to succeed, although there have been exceptions (Ave Q had an unknown cast, so did Miss Saigon all those years ago). Even now a well known 'name' in a show won't always guarantee it's success.

I didn't say Joseph was a bad show ... I LOVE Joseph - it was the first show I ever saw many, many years ago. Joseph has been revived so many times, but usually with a 'celebrity lead' - it's that type of show. You only have to look at ticket sales when Lee was away to see that it won't survive with an unknown lead. That's not to say someone like James Bisp/Ricky Rojas wouldn't do a brilliant job ... they would ... but the public won't buy into that for this show.

You know I think underneath it all we do agree

Last edited by NoahsAark : 20-11-2008 at 08:15. Reason: Too much blabbing ...
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Old 20-11-2008, 09:45
Duchess Lesley
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I would say that traditionally the role of Joseph is usually played by a pop star, or has been in recent times, H from Steps, Donny Osmond, Steven Gately and of course Jason Donovan, so I think Gareth Gates makes sense.

He is an excellent singer, and I think if he does land this role, he would do it justice.
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Old 20-11-2008, 10:15
JessicaK
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If this rumour is true I think Gareth Gates would be an excellent choice for Joseph. With his voice and personality he will do it justice and as its a non-speaking part, there wouldn't be any worries about his speech, although he's virtually conquered his problem now hasn't he. I hope there will be confirmation soon as I'd love to go see him in this part.
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Old 20-11-2008, 14:11
jill1812
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Actually, Lee is the only 'household name' in the Joseph cast, so it is essentially a cast of experienced MT performers.

At the end of the day, MT is a business - and the way to get bums on seats (and justify the often extortionate ticket prices) is, unfortunately, to go with 'names' in the cast.
That's not what I meant. On ADWD and other shows ALW seems reluctant to work with those who are already working in MT, Lee included.

Correct me if I'm wrong but had Michael Crawford work in MT before Phantom? I don't think he did. Same with Sarah Brightman.

I don't think it is just to get 'names' in the cast. Like I said before I think he like having more control which he will get with inexperienced performers.

That said, Congratulations and good luck to Gareth.
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Old 20-11-2008, 16:05
Red Lady
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That's not what I meant. On ADWD and other shows ALW seems reluctant to work with those who are already working in MT, Lee included.

Correct me if I'm wrong but had Michael Crawford work in MT before Phantom? I don't think he did. Same with Sarah Brightman.

I don't think it is just to get 'names' in the cast. Like I said before I think he like having more control which he will get with inexperienced performers.

That said, Congratulations and good luck to Gareth.
Michael played the title roles in Billy Liar and Barnum long before Phantom
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Old 20-11-2008, 20:46
chrisbfan
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I think Gareth Gates would be a good choice (if he is the new Joseph - no official announcement has yet been made).

Keith Jack needs time to hone his acting skills and general stagecraft (and, sensibly, seems to be doing just that). Craig Chalmers would have been a logical choice, but whether his voice/acting is of sufficient standard for a WE show remains to be seen.

What I'm more interested in, to be honest, is what Lee will be doing next!
there is a rumour going round that he's taking part in the tour of JCS. what role? I'm not sure, and it hasn't been confirmed as yet... but it has been heard.....
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Old 22-11-2008, 23:23
Chrissi_1986
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Yeah, we've heard the JCS rumours. I'm sure it'll all come out soon since Lee only has 7 weeks left.

I do hope they announce it soon, the cast of Joseph are amazing.
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Old 23-11-2008, 11:55
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The fact they haven't announced it yet makes me think it's more likely that they are planning on using a stand-in before bringing in another star name.

In an interview in this week's "The Stage", Gareth says he has been having lots of talks about future theatre projects, including a couple of "big shows". He has also done a video message for fans in which he says he has something else to announce soon which he's very excited about, and Joseph would fit.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lqCXFZD0Eds

It's about one minute in if you want to miss the bit about wedding presents!

I don't understand the need to delay the announcement. People will hold off booking tickets until they know for sure what is happening. I'd love to see Gareth in the role, but I'm not going to risk booking tickets in case I go before he starts! Or it isn't him after all.

I'm also eager to find out what Lee is doing next. I know he's got his album and that promotion, but he needs another musical theatre role to properly establish himself. I'm hoping it's JCS, because I think the two main roles would make for a good natural progression from Joseph.
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Old 23-11-2008, 12:45
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Oh how lovely to see Gareth without his stutter. (sorry if I shouldn't have mentioned it). I meant thats sincerely and no jibes by the way!

I have seen GG live and he is a very talented singer and musician. Didn't he go to stage school before pop idol?

Personally I think he would be a great choice for Joseph.

I know Keith and Craig fans would love to see them in the part but it may do them more harm than good when you think what has happened to Lewis who out of all the Jospehs seems to have done the worst yet came third.

I also look forward to hearing what lee will do next and hope it is something that is accessible for me to go and see.
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Old 23-11-2008, 17:04
pattycake
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Oh how lovely to see Gareth without his stutter. (sorry if I shouldn't have mentioned it). I meant thats sincerely and no jibes by the way!

I have seen GG live and he is a very talented singer and musician. Didn't he go to stage school before pop idol?

Personally I think he would be a great choice for Joseph.

I know Keith and Craig fans would love to see them in the part but it may do them more harm than good when you think what has happened to Lewis who out of all the Jospehs seems to have done the worst yet came third.

I also look forward to hearing what lee will do next and hope it is something that is accessible for me to go and see.
Twingle, I don't know ofany Craig fans who want to see Craig in WE Joseph, he has made touring Joseph his own, and the next stage for him should be something different.
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Old 23-11-2008, 19:06
twingle
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True Pat - think i might have overgeneralised there
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Old 24-11-2008, 19:39
*Sparkle*
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Oh how lovely to see Gareth without his stutter. (sorry if I shouldn't have mentioned it). I meant thats sincerely and no jibes by the way!

I have seen GG live and he is a very talented singer and musician. Didn't he go to stage school before pop idol?
I can understand your concern, because even now so many people get sarcastic when it comes to the subject of Gareth's speech, but his stutter is part of who he is, so nothing wrong with mentioning it. He still attends speech therapy courses on a regular basis, and is now heavily involved in the teaching side of things too.

Gareth didn't go to stage school, but he was studying A-level music and had applied for, and been accepted for the Royal Northern College of Music before Pop Idol. He sung a lot, and plays several instruments, so has a very strong, technical musical background, but this would be his first proper forray into acting, so still a challenge.

Apparently there is to be an announcement about the show on Wednesday, so we'll find out then!
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Old 25-11-2008, 12:47
Airam
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IMHO Gareth has just the right kind of bubbly personality for Joseph and he's an excellent singer.

Most people who especially wanted to see one of the ADWD guys will probaly have made the effort to see them on tour or in London by now. The ADWD guys have experience, they've proved they can do 8 shows a week well. They'd audition much better now. It's probably better for them to look beyond Joseph to something new.

If I was being cynical, I'd say it's less awkward if there isn't a star from ADWD in competition in the West End with the winner of IDA when Oliver opens.
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Old 25-11-2008, 13:33
Duchess Lesley
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IMHO Gareth has just the right kind of bubbly personality for Joseph and he's an excellent singer.

Most people who especially wanted to see one of the ADWD guys will probaly have made the effort to see them on tour or in London by now. The ADWD guys have experience, they've proved they can do 8 shows a week well. They'd audition much better now. It's probably better for them to look beyond Joseph to something new.

If I was being cynical, I'd say it's less awkward if there isn't a star from ADWD in competition in the West End with the winner of IDA when Oliver opens.
I think shows like ADWD/IDA etc are fantastic for creating musical theatre stars. Shows like these have opened theatre doors to people who have possibly never shown an interest in theatre or musicals before.

Personally, I would have liked to have had - Any dream will do 2! But that would only happen in my wildest dreams! The interest that people still have in that show and it's contestants is unbelievable!!!!
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