Zoe Lister-Jones Swallows Her Pride
Wow. Theatermania is reporting that Zoe Lister-Jones will return to The Little Dog Laughed, but just for the final 2 week of performances. Lister-Jones created the role of Ellen at Second Stage, but was replaced by the popular Ari Graynor for Broadway. I wonder who made that phone call? "Hey, Zoe! It's me, [broadway producer of Little Dog Laughed]!! Yeah, it HAS been a while! So, uh, I have a question for you, and feel free to say no, but..."
I haven't heard of anything Zoe's been doing since LDL finished it's run off-broadway, but can she really be in such dire straights that she had to do this? On the other hand, maybe she'll have a triumphant return and make those producers rue the day they replaced her. Maybe.
Posts
8 comments:
She should never have been replaced in the first place. She was wonderful off-Broadway, and is leaps and bounds better than Graynor has ever been (I've seen her three times). Graynor plays Ellen as a shallow and simple party girl and nothing more, whereas Lister-Jones added a much-needed depth that is lacking in the text.
Brava, Zoe!
Well your post shows you don't know what you're talking about because a simple check of her imdb profile shows that Zoe has spent her time since LDL's off-bway run making FIVE movies and appearances on "The Class," "Law and Order," and "Kidnapped."
Um, from what I hear it was the producers who swallowed their pride, issued a major mea culpa, and begged her to return. Everyone involved knows a mistake was made and this is known as rectifying the situation.
Hey people, I never said Zoe wasn't better than Ari Graynor. When I saw the Broadway cast, Ari's understudy (Dana Slamp) was on, and did a great job. My point, which perhaps was ill-worded, is that if I'd been fired (which she essentially was), and then they asked me to come back for the measly last two weeks of the run, I would be apt to tell them to shove it (especially if my career was doing great already, as anon points out).
I didn't really like Zoe Lister-Jones in the role, but I also appreciate what a thankless, poorly-written role it is. I think Douglas Carter Beane might be a little lacking in the understanding of the female psyche, because that role just isn't believable to me. The way she speaks, the choices she makes, I just don't buy it, and no actress is going to be able to totally remedy that.
why should any young actor in their right mind pass up the opportunity to perform for the first time on broadway, in a role they actually created, in a decent-to-excellent play, and with a cast they (probably?) love working with? unless they had an unhealthy amount of "pride" (arrogance? stupidity?)... who knows what the full story is. If I were ZLJ, I'd have jumped at the offer. hope she has had a muy fab debut.
Just saw Lister-Jones last night on broadway and I've got to concur with some of the other commenters-- in that Broadway house, with that great cast, in that decent-mediocre play, you can't blame her for jumping at the chance to rejoin. And guess what? She got the last little laugh, cuz she's fantastic in it!
Post a Comment