CAST THIS: Clueless, The Musical
Monday, June 29, 2015 at 10:31AM Manuel here still recovering for a wonderful Pride weekend which I'm greedily extending for two more days with Bette Midler tonight and Fun Home tomorrow. Needless to say, movies and musicals, and movie musicals are on my mind. Thankfully, Amy Heckerling is here to tide me over, stoking Clueless fandom by letting us know she's finished writing the book for a stage musical adaptation of her 1995 film (though dampening the excitement a bit by confessing it's a jukebox musical to be directed by Kristin Hanggi, of Rock of Ages fame). And so, since she acknowledged casting would be a big hurdle before we see "As if!" being uttered on stage, I thought we could help her out brainstorming names for the central three performances.
Cher, originally played by Alicia Silverstone.
Sweet yet tart, ditzy yet savvy. Gonna be a hard role to cast, but Kerry Butler and Laura Bell-Bundy have proven it's not impossible to originate roles on Broadway that belong to iconic performances on screen.
Tai, originally played by Brittany Murphy.
Equally able to sell "Rolling with the homies" and various pratfalls, whoever plays Tai must be the heart of the show.
Dionne, originally played by Stacey Dash.
Definitely the Michelle to Cher's Beyoncé one hopes they'll beef up her role and somehow give her a Keeping it Real-type duet with Murray.
Other roles to cast:
Josh, originally played by ageless Paul Rudd.
Murray, originally played by Donald Faison.
Mr Hall & Miss Geist, originally played by Wallace Shawn & Twink Caplan.
Elton, originally played by Jeremy Sisto.
Christian, originally played by Justin Walker.
I know there are several theater lovers out there; who would you cast for this upcoming stage adaptation? And are you, like me, infinitely more excited about the chance to see these outfits on stage?
Reader Comments (7)
WHAT IF we all put out into the universe, The-Secret-style, that instead Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein are collaborating on the book & score, and that no one ever dared utter the phrase jukebox musical? Great! I feel better already!
Now, for the casting.... Well, I don't know enough young talents, so unless we're going full Grease-the-movie with our high-school-aged protagonists I'll leave those to someone else. I will say, though, that Oliver Platt is my dream for Mel (Cher's dad, played by Dan Hedaya in the film) and I fully support the idea of a "Keepin' It Real" duet for Murray and Dionne.
Really tough question, mainly because most people age appropriate for these roles are likely to be near unknowns, right? I'm sure Annaleigh Ashford could still work as Tai, but I'd rather see them find performers nearer to their high school years.
Mixed feelings about the jukebox musical approach - lots of fun 90s stuff to cull from, but the film had such a specific voice that the idea of relying on other people's lyrics feels dicey.
If it was all Cher and Dionne Warwick songs then I might be able to get behind it.
PS I think it's Stacey Dash not Nash.
Upon further reflection re: young singers - none of the "Glee" alum seem right for this casting call.
Only thing I came up with is for Tai - do Eden Sher (The Middle) or Allie Grant (Suburgatory) sing?
Cher - Taylor Louderman
Dionne - Keke Palmer
Tai - Molly Ranson
Annaleigh Ashford was my first thought for Tai also, but she's probably skewing a bit old.
If this absolutely is going to happen (grumble, grouse), then I think the cast should be one of nothing but unknowns.