<p>I thought you all would be interested in this series of stories that appeared in the St. Petersburg Times about a high school girl who (on a lark) auditioned to be Shannon Durig’s understudy in “Hairspray” on Broadway and was chosen. The series chronicles her journey from her and her mom’s small apt. in Florida (on Treasure Island) to life as an understudy, and the moment she actually gets to perform. I hear the series is a Pulitzer contender in the features category. </p>
<p>That’s a great story and also well written. The role of Tracy seems to be one of the few leading Broadway roles where an unknown with little experience can get cast. Many actresses don’t fit the part. You have to be overweight and young, as well. This girl’s story and background is a real good small town girl makes good story!</p>
<p>I don’t know if you guys realize this or recall but there was a mom who posted occasionally on this forum last year, who I chatted with online several times. Her daughter was a senior and auditioning for BM in VP programs, though was active in musical theater in NJ. She auditioned for Tracy and made it through several callbacks, just like this girl did. Like her, nothing happened for months and then she was called in again when they were auditioning again and she got cast as the understudy for Tracy on the National Tour where she is now and so I believe she deferred at the college she got into. I know she has gone on as Tracy too. She had a similar background and is the same age, no professional experience. And her mom was on CC, LOL. </p>
<p>Thanks for sharing that series of articles. I’m sure most moms and teen daughters on this forum can relate to the feelings involved in such a story. </p>
<p>My D’s friend who goes to Westminster Choir College made it through the NY auditions and then was sent to audition in (I believe) Chicago for the Hairspray movie. She then made it to the final 6 or 7 for the part! She didn’t get the role, but was told they wanted to consider her for the dance ensemble which will be chosen in (I think) a few months? However, while they told her she was a little small for the main role, now they told her she’d have to weigh less for this other part!!</p>
<p>I kept thinking, as I read the series in the St. Pete Times, how sad it is that there really seem to be so few roles in MT for larger young women! That’s why Hairspray is unique: it’s <em>about</em> a heavyset young woman who doesn’t let her weight interfere with her dreams. However, most musicals (as we all know) are not similarly-themed, and it would be highly unusual (I think) for someone to cast a larger girl, in say, the role of Peggy Sawyer or Christine (in Phantom), etc. Is it unfair? Probably. But it’s the way it is. I recall thinking about this when Marissa Jaret Winokur (I think I misspelled her middle name!) left Hairspray and had a starring role in a TV movie called something like “Beautiful Girl.” The whole story was about an overweight school teacher who entered a beauty pageant to win money for her honeymoon and ended up losing sight of her unique self. I remember thinking “Why doesn’t someone cast her in a movie that is not about weight?”
I am not sure why I am getting so “het up” about this. My own MT D is as thin as a rail! It just seems unfair.
Stepping off my soapbox,
L</p>
<p>There are very few roles on TV or movies for women bigger than a size 4 too, but at least on Broadway there seem to be some larger women in some of the ensemble roles. I love to see larger actors and dancers strutting their stuff. And in Opera many times big women get the guy!</p>
<p>Lisa Howard, who plays Rona Lisa Peretti in the Broadway production of Spelling Bee, is also a plus-size model on the side. Mary Testa, who has had an amazing career in MT, is a larger woman too. And what about Sara Ramirez, the original Lady of the Lake in Spamalot (is she still doing it? not sure) - she is not a small woman either! :)</p>
<p>Just fyi, Samia, the current Lady of the Lake is Lauren Kennedy – frequent muse/collaborator of Jason Robert Brown, very talented, blonde and skinny!</p>
<p>You know, I remember my mum watching that movie one afternoon, and I remember thinking “That looks kinda like the girl from Hairspray!”. </p>
<p>Madame Thernardier in Les Mis is quite often a bigger woman at least over here. Can’t think of any others off the top of my head but I have only just got up admittedly.</p>
<p>There are other roles as well for bigger women, but let’s face it, not nearly as many as for thin ones and usually they are not in the ensemble/chorus. </p>
<p>One role is Mama Morton in Chicago. </p>
<p>But it is not like they have a slew of “name” MT actresses who have the body type as well as age, to fill the Tracy slots each time they open. They often do seem to look for brand new young talent for that role, but it does require a very curvy figure. But it is certainly nice to see a role for that type come along. For those actresses, there are far fewer roles they are right or eligible for. I think it is way more difficult for them in casting.</p>
<p>One of the most talented,beautiful, young ladies I know is a “plus” size. She is a college freshman…auditioned to one school, and was quickly accepted. She is absolutely amazing! She has been a “cheerleader” for my d (senior in hs) thoughout all of these auditions. While she has the talent, (and, by the way, she can she dance circles around most!!) she did not apply to the schools my d did only because of her weight! She knew she would not be accepted since they made it clear to her about weight and appearance. She may be a plus size, but she is truly a gorgeous girl!! My d and her were on many stages together…and have even shared the same role!! (my d is 5’5 and weighs 98 lbs…just the opposite problem…no matter how much both my d’s eat, they are both very thin and we have the battle of keeping weight on!) Anyway, this young talented lady is extremely happy where she is, and they are extremely happy to have her. I feel some of these schools truly lost out on this one…their loss not hers!! By the way, she has auditioned in NY for the Hairspray role, and made it to the final cut!!</p>
<p>notfromme, your D’s friend sounds like a talented and beautiful kid and it just boils me that, in 2006, we are still at a place where girls who are larger have a strike against them going in. (That is one reason I am rooting for Mandisa on American Idol … she can outsing 'em all, imo! :)) To be fair and practical, I know that in performing arts, it’s not just how talented you are; it’s also about whether you have the “right” appearance for a role. That usually means being thin. But I am 47 years old and I have watched the “model type” figure shrink from probably a size 8 back in the early 1970s to a much smaller and thinner type today. (Witness the advent of sizes 0, 1 and 2 in clothing sizes. When I was a teen, there was no such thing!)
Thus, the message that Tracy Turnblad is trying to get out is still relevant. (John Waters, we love you; you are a genius.)
Lisa (whose D someday would LOVE to play Penny Pingleton)</p>
<p>Weight is a reason why I’m not gonna bother auditioning for certain schools. I know that it has kept me out of roles in the past, I’m not oblivious to the subtle discrimination in the industry. But unfortunately it’s a reality that plus size girls have to face. But it is nice to see performers like Sara Ramirez breaking the mold. And shows like Hairspray, Spelling Bee, Rent, etc…turning a blind eye to looks and focusing on talent when they cast. These shows definitely have the most variety in casts, all different sizes, types and colors, which is awesome!
I wish more shows would take the hint and really focus on talent first, instead of looks. Now for some casting, I can understand. You can’t have Ulla or the ensemble in The Producers be short, curvy girls because they’re supposed to look like Rockettes, tall dancer figures. And you can’t have Christine in Phantom look that way because she and the other dancing ensemble are supposed to be ballet dancers. That kind of casting makes sense.
But I personally don’t find it all to crazy to have the role of Elphaba in Wicked be played by a curvy girl, I think it would work really well actually.
The bottom line is, if the girl has the talent for the role, then except in certain situations, looks and size should not matter. Oh if only we lived in a perfect world.</p>
<p>Lisa, I agree with you that the obsession with increasingly smaller size is troublesome, and also with you about Mandisa! I hope she goes far in the competition. Speaking of AI and also large ladies in the theatre world, Frenchie Davis has had great success since her being ousted from AI. She’s played the soloist in Rent on Broadway for close to three years now with one leave of absence to perform in a run of Dream Girls in L.A. The soloist, and accompanying roles, is almost always played by a large girl with an even larger voice. :)</p>
<p>Edited to add:</p>
<p>breakintosong, Shoshana Bean and Saycon Sengbloh are both curvy girls who have played Elphaba. They’re certainly not the size of Frenchie Davis but they’re not skinny like Eden Espinosa either.</p>
<p>Umm…I saw Saycon play Elphaba a couple of weeks ago at a Tuesday night performance when Eden was out - and she is VERY small. Much smaller than Shoshana Bean. And Shoshana is NOT a big girl either. The costumes weren’t particularly flattering to her, and tended to make her look somewhat stocky, but she can’t be more than a size 6 or 8 at the most.</p>
<p>Samia, I know both Saycon and Shoshana. I didn’t say they were large, I said they were curvy girls, and they are! When compared to many (maybe even most!) girls currently in Broadway shows, they are curvy. As I said, they’re not the size of Frenchie, but they’re also not rail thin like Eden.</p>
<p>Personally I find Megan Hilty to be curvier compared to Sho or Saycon, though I think it may be due to how some of G(a)linda’s costumes seem to have corsets built in or something. </p>
<p>But I wouldn’t really consider them anymore than average size in Broadway shows. They’re healthy, which is wonderful! I’m glad that girls on Broadway don’t look like they are starving themselves like women in Hollywood look nowadays. But I was refering to the size of girls who play Tracy Turnbald in Hairspray in regards to size. Funny thing is, Shoshana actually understudied Tracy (she was in the OBC) and I believe went on a few times.</p>
<p>Yeah they pad all of the understudies that are obviously smaller. I know that they also pad the principal Tracys. They want a certain look, I guess to more replicate Marissa Jarret Winokur’s physique.</p>
It just seems unfair.