Just got the call I was hoping to get. When I was asked to direct The Man Who Came to Dinner it came with a caveat: I had to accept an actor in the leading role. I was then told it was one of these LA critics. I said okay, despite that. Said critic assured me one YEAR ago that he was starting to learn the play then so he would be letter-perfect at our first rehearsal, so that gave me some comfort, even though I had other concerns. He's a very "big" fellow, if you get my meaning, has trouble walking, etc. Anyway, he came to our callbacks last week to read with people and announced to me that he'd JUST started looking at the play. Obviously that look me aback and yes his nose was in his script for all the sides he read. THAT is why we had this table reading last night because Doug and I felt that we had no confidence that he could learn this part and give a performance that would be acceptable, because even in the callbacks he was completely unfunny.
So, the artistic directors, who'd made this decision in the first place, made the reading happen so they could assess the situation and assessing it was easy. The gentleman did not know one single line, his nose was in his script, he misread almost every line and - it wasn't funny, although the writing is so strong there were a few laughs despite that. I couldn't imagine an actor having to actually play a scene with this fellow, nice a guy as he is. He was also reading the character in a very one-note way and I felt that was never going to change and I felt strongly that the audience would hate him and the character.
So, the artistic director drove the guy home last night (that's another thing - no transportation) and told him he was really uncomfortable because the fellow had promised he was starting to learn this a year ago, and that he was not confident he could learn this in time to be directed and give a good performance. Excuses followed, of course, and assurances and that's how it was left. I spoke to the artistic director and got that part of the story this morning. It was left that the theater would provide someone to read lines with him this coming week and then the artistic director would go there and hear what was what and make a determination then.
But the fellow just called him and after a sleepless night decided we were all correct in our assumptions and that he, too, was now nervous about getting the show in his bones and was withdrawing in the best interests of all concerned, which is exactly the outcome we were all hoping for. Now, I have to find someone great to do it and I am on that path right now.
