Imagine you have been asked to direct your own production of The Bald Prima Donna. Who would you cast as each character? Consider actors whose work you are familiar with, and why they would be suitable for these particular roles.
hmmm i would say jeffory rush would play a good mr smith
the guy who plays mr bean should be mary or one of the female characters for a laugh. Although it could be a bit TOO absurd for someone who is meant to represent all people, becuase most of us arent transexuals
"Imagine you have been asked to direct your own production of The Bald Prima Donna. Who would you cast as each character? Consider actors whose work you are familiar with, and why they would be suitable for these particular roles."
well....
Mrs Smith: Toni Collet This is because, (I don't mean this badly), I personally think she looks rather ordinary. She is no dought a very good actor although there is something about her that seems a bit quirky.... i can't relaly describe it. She has a knack of looking a bit frazzled sumtimes, yet very oridinary. An extremely good example of this is inthe movie 'COnnie and Carla'! IF anyones seen that movie, I think they'll agree with me that she does a magnificent job of looking frazzled and hilarious... and like a man! haha
ok, just hen i thought how cool would it be if the director put a whole policital spin on it all! but then i relalized, i'm the director, so i'm going to start again, but with a slightly different twist....
Mrs Martin: Hillary Clinton. This is because shes a polition, and everyone know that politions don't make mcuh sense when they're speaking!
Mr Martin: Bill Clinton This is again because he is a polition and everyone knows they don't make much sense when they're speaking. And also, because he is actually married to Hillary (tying real life into the play kinda thing)
Mr Smith: George W Bush This is because he's a polition and everyone knows that politions don't make much sense when they're speaking! Also, the scene where Mrs & Mr Martin are trying to remember where they know each other. (where in real life people do the same thing: trying not to know Bush! =P)also, he pretend that he's the ruler of hte house, when in hte play he doens't appear to hold a lot of power.... think about the connection to real life....
Mrs Martin: Bronwyn Bishop This is becsaue she's a polition and everyone know sthat politions don't make much sense when they're talking! I met her once and she seemed extrememly fake and i think she would suit this role.
Mary the Maid: John Howard The maid to Mr Smith, need i say more?
ok, now i relaise that of course these politions would not actaully perform this, but i tlikes the idea anyway, and we could just get some fill in look a likes.... anyway
Well, for my upcoming play I have decided to take an interesting spin on the type of actors I am choosing to play the roles of the main characters in The Bald Prima Donna. One of the themes of this play, relating to the clock chimes, is that the time in this alternate universe, symbolising our lives does not matter as nothing significant ever happens. Another aspect which is portrayed in the conversation between Mr and Mrs Martin, in which they figure out that they think they live in the same house with the same child and are therefore a couple, which is then proved to be wrong, is that today we are so caught up in other things that we don’t even know the most significant people in our lives. This would then lead the idea that it does not matter who the people around us are because everyone is insignificant to us or at least all significant to the same low level as one another. Whoever is reading this at the moment is most probably thinking about what an idiot I am because I have already written like a quarter of a page and have not mentioned anything to do with the actors I would choose. But don’t worry I’m getting there. Due to this last reason about the lack of significance we have for people and also the little amount of attention we pay to the people around us to a point where we don’t even know who they are, for the roles of Mr and Mrs Smith and then of Mr and Mrs Martin I would choose to cast two pairs of twins. Perhaps some of the ideas would have to be changed for this to work to its full potential, i.e. the Mr and Mrs, but then again maybe not. This is an absurdist play after all, so why not confuse the audience as much as possible. Through casting twins in these roles it would display the above themes and aspects of this play perfectly because it would show that everyone would be at the same level and no one is really significant because they are not unique. I might even try casting quadruplets in the roles to further illustrate this point. I don’t really have any particular twins or quads in mind to play these roles but they would have to have the qualities of a straight face, bland expression, simple look, amazing focus and (duh) a double. I don’t know if any of you saw the America’s Next Top Model season with the twins but I think a look like theirs would work well in this context. So, wish me luck with my play...
Georgina - I love the twins idea.... wouldn't it be awesome if they were quadruplets! Even madder! The other option would be to costume everyone identically..
Claire - love the political stance - you are really saying something about Mary the Maid's role..mmmm
Pippa - great idea about Rowan Atkinson as Mary - but wouldn't he also be hilarious as the Fire Chief?
Some great work girls - I am really enjoying reading your comments! Where are everyone else's ideas???
Remember a haddock in a paddock is better than a crab in a lab
i agree with the whole Toni collet as mrs smith thing i think she'd also be good at Mrs Martin because i dont think the two characters have much difference between them as i view them as just ordinary English women and i think Toni Collete conveys that "look" and "style". Mr Smith i house have Hugh Lawrie ...i think thats how you spell it , the guy who plays "House" because he would just be perfect as he has that layed back quirky stle of acting that seems almost effortless and that's how i view Mr Smith to be ...not really interested but a clever witty remarks sort of man. Mr Martain i'd have as they guy who playes mr bean ..Rowan.. can't spell his last name. After reading the other comments it occured to me that he does actully come across as an 'absurd' actor hahaha and the audience would find it funny to see him play a character that has no emotion and speaks in a monotone. I think when casting for a play like 'The Bald Prima Donna" if it was a goal to give it higher popularity and stage it for a young audience ...it would be great to have extremly well known actors ..play a contasting role to what they are usually cast for. anyway..that is all ...i used everyone elces ideas but i thought they were just great..exceot for my hugh lawrie idea...i can't get over the idea of how great he's be for that role haha Breana xx
hmmm..thats a trickey one mr Rutherford.. well i think that i would put Robin Williams as Mrs Smith (following his great performance as Mrs Doubtfire) alongside Steve Martin as Mr Smith-- a good couple dont you think?? Then i would put Will ferrel as the fire chief, and Cameron Dias as the Maid. Whoopie Goldberg as Mrs Martin and Eddie Murphy as Mr Martin. I have chosen a cast with a strong comedic background as i feel they are the best kind of actors to perform a Theatre of The Aburd performance. And have put some males as females as i think it will add another comedic aspect to it. over and out xoxoxox
THIS IS THE THIRD TIME I HAVE RETYPED THIS BLOG! SERIOUSLY!
ok, so i was doing my other drama homework which was getting a bit tedious and i was thinking about this question... and for some reason, the whole cast of playschool came into my head. you know, monica, colin, noni, simon, john, bernita, trisha... all the CLASSIC playschool crew who have now been overtaken by those jokes of people that like to call themselves hosts... pfft, pathetic effort! the people who hosted the show when we were little, who taught us how to make those lame plasticine animals and create a story... anyway
i decided Monica would be Mrs Smith. she never stops talking and i always loved monica. mr smith can be colin, the man with the guitar, god he was cool, but he was almost always being taken over by a more dominant female, who quite frankly, wouldnt shut up.
mr and mrs martin would be played by John and Bernita, remember, the two older people... John had the animation with the plasticine man... i remember strange things, if you were in my class you would know that... as they were the elder hosts, i almost immediately thought them to be more Mr and Mrs martin figures, and the recognition scene couldnt happen between younger people, well at least i dont think so.
noni can be mary the maid. good old noni, she always liked playing dress ups and was never the same person twice when it came to story time, and the section of the play when mary says "my real name is sherlock holmes" got me thinking about her.
let me see, the firechief... SIMON! i just found an old picture of him actually, and as a FIREMAN! how very extraordinary, and what a strange coincidence! he fits really well, physicality and all... i always found him quite strange, but he was great when it came to story time!
these people arent actors per say, they were never in many "productions", apart from the daily episode, the odd Playschool Live show, and the annual christmas album, but i think that giving the Bald Prima Donna a more childish setting would add a whole new meaning to absurd, dont you think!
we could set the whole thing in the old playschool studio! or maybe im getting a bit ahead of myself...
OK...first i just want 2 say that was a really good idea by Claire, it’s so true!...just a few ideas
Mrs Smith: Emma Thompson (after her crazy professor Trelawney in Harry Potter) because she always seems so out of it in the play. Maybe it was just the hair Emma Thompson had in Harry Potter but the always being lost idea just seems to fit perfectly... (Or maybe Drew Barrymore after 50 first dates)
Mr Smith: Bart Johnson (he plays Troy Bolton / Zac Efron dad in High School Musical)...all he cares about in high school musical was basketball and in the Bald Prima Donna, all Mr Smith cares about is his newspaper...well its close enough
Mr Martin: How about Johnny Depp? He can play the forgetful wacky character (like in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) or...sometimes his attitude towards Mrs Martin can be seen as a bit suggestive and I think Johnny Depp could do this part well too.
Mary: Julie Andrews...and she could sing her whole part about spending the afternoon with a man and drinking brandy and milk; as well as Donald and Elizabeth and Sherlock Holmes... (just not the opera style!)
Fire chief: I really like the idea of Rowan Atkinson being this character. It would be just HILARIOUS!
I'm not sure who to have as Mrs Martin but I think that is alright for now...
Imagine you have been asked to direct your own production of The Bald Prima Donna. Who would you cast as each character? Consider actors whose work you are familiar with, and why they would be suitable for these particular roles.
As the director of my own production of The Bald Prima Donna, I would cast actors that have a strong comedic background because I believe that humor is a major part of Absurd Theatre and comes from understanding the illogical and sometimes incomprehensible actions of an Absurd performance. Also, I believe comedy adds to the idea of ‘absurd’. The actors that I would cast are:
As Mr. Smith, I would cast Dustin Hoffman because he is an amazing actor and he especially caught my attention in the movie, ‘Rain Man’, where he played Raymond Babbitt. I thought he would be fantastic as Mr. Smith, especially where Mrs. Smith is going on about her day and Mr. Smith is just sitting there, reading the newspaper, clicking his tongue and not paying any attention to her. What a great actor!
As Mrs. Smith, I would cast Judi Dench because I believe that Mrs. Smith needs to be older and wiser. I see her character as a nagging wife who always complains and nags to her husband. She is more posh and talks about everybody else’s life when it’s none of her business.
As Mr. Martin, I would cast Robin Williams, because he is also another amazing comedian/actor. I definitely see him in the part where Mr. and Mrs. Martin are talking about whether or not they have met before and where.
As Mrs. Martin, I would cast Glenn Close because I believe that this character is also a little bit more serious than her husband, Mr. Martin. Glen Close was fantastically absurd in the movie, “Stepford Wives”, where she was a fake housewife. I think she would be great as Mrs. Martin.
As the Maid, I would cast Queen Latifah, because she is hilarious. Her character in “Bringing down the House” is the character I believe would be great as the maid.
I definitely agree with Miss Mac in saying that Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) would be hilarious as the Fire Chief. I can just imagine him playing the role now; how funny would he be! Another fantastic actor!
i just quickly browsed over the previous entries and found claire's appointment of John Howard as Mary the Maid very funny and clever! My cast would include: Mr Smith - Michael Caine (minus 20-30 years!!). he is a distinguished actor (and english at that!) and could pass off the role of the sometimes disinterested mr smith quite well. Mrs Smith - renee zellweger. she has the english accent to go, she can be dressed up to look in her 40's and she would also do a good job of drivelling on in the first scene (talking about being english and mayonnaise etc) just think of her role in bridget jones and the amount of time she kept talking in it! Mr Martin - Johnny Depp. he is good at adapting to different roles and looking like very different people(eg: a rowdy pirate in pirates of the caribean, or happy and slightly mysterious man in willy wonka and the chocolate factory). he would do well in this role as mr martin, particularly in the scene of mr and mrs martin meeting because he can be very funny in more suttle way than some other actors. Mrs Martin - Kate Winslet. she is english and looks english and is a skilled actor who would have the necessary skills to perform Mrs Martin well. Firechief - Michael Caton. he is a very funny man and would bring life to the stories that the fire chief tells. i think particularly funny would be when he says the line 'the cock aped the dog'. he would also add an australian touch!
The idea of directing my own production of the Bald Prima Donna sounds very exciting, but which actors would I cast as the various characters? I thought I’d go a bit absurd and have all the female roles played by male actors and male roles played by female actors.
Richard Griffiths (Uncle Vernon Dursley) striked me as being the perfect Mary the maid. Griffiths is a well known stage actor, recently taking out the lead role in the highly acclaimed play “The History Boys”, as well as being a superb screen actor, taking out the role of Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter movies. Griffith will hopefully change the image of Mary the Maid, and also add a comic element to the play.
As Pip and others have said earlier, Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr. Bean) would have to be a perfect actor to cast in an absurdist production of the Bald Prima Donna. I would probably cast him as Mrs Smith, because he would say her dialogue very matter-of-factly with a dead pan face, which is a particular style of his acting, creating comedy.
Next I would cast Bill Nighy as Mrs Martin, in many of his screen performances, particularly in Stormbreaker, he too, like Rowan Atkinson, can deliver his lines very matter-of-factly, with a dead pan face. This would hopefully show a likeness between Mrs Smith and Mrs Martin, as in the end Mrs Martin takes Mrs Smith place.
Seeing that my first three actors I chose are all British, I think there needs to be some Australian representation in my production. Several actors from Kath and Kim come to mind. Gina Riley (Kim) would be Mr Smith, and Jane Turner (Kath) would play Mr Martin. It would be interesting to see how they interact not only with each other but also with the “typically English” actors.
Now let’s not forget Magda Szubanski. We all know of her amazing acting skills both on the screen and stage (Spelling Bee!) I think Magda would fit the part of the Firechief very well.
Well there you go. It might be hard to imagine Richard Griffiths, Rowan Atkinson, Bill Nighy, Gina Riley, Jane Turner and Magda Szubanski all in the same production, but anything’s possible in theatre of the absurd. laters
There are so many characters in my opinion there are aloot of actors/acresses that could fit the roles of the characters in the Prima Donna. For Mr Smith i think rove live would fit right in as he would be good at all the tongue clicking and would make it extremly funny. For mrs Smith i think Barbra Srisand would fit right in as she would be the exact opposiote of an english woman.
For Mr Martin i would have to agree with pippa that Mr Bean would be the perfect actor as i can imagine him reapeating the "How extrodinary, how very amazing" line in so many ways. The best person i think to play Mrs Smith would be Goldie Horn as i think she would add to the cleaverness of the play.
As for mar i totally agree woth clair in saying that John Howard is the perfect candidate. As for the fire chief would have to be Johnny Depth as seen in Porates of the Carribean he can talk for hours about nonsence.
Mmmmm…let’s see! If I was the director of the Bald Prima Donna I would choose renowned comedians who are well known in the eyes of the media and in the eyes of the public. This way it would be more comical and more absurd! These would be the actors I would allocate to each role:
Mr. Smith- Steve Martin: because he has a very silly personality and he has the look of a typical English man. He may also be a very caring man and I pictured Mr. Smith to be like this in contrast with his wife. (Mrs. Smith pulls out a dagger) “Why are you spitting fir like that, my little roast chicken? You know I only said it for fun.”
Mrs. Smith- Glenn Close: who played the part of Cruela Deville in the movie 101 Dalmatians. I pictured Mrs. Smith to be very “two-faced”, specifically because of her random outbursts of violence! Hence Glenn Close would be suited for this role because she is good at playing evil characters. She also has “look” of an English woman.
Mr. Martin-Mike Myers: because he is good at adapting to any form of character and his comical background would make this role especially funny! He would also have the ability to make “the scene” between Mr. and Mrs. Martin (“how extraordinary…what a strange coincidence)” very funny without it being boring!
Mrs. Martin- Magda Szubanski: I would choose Magda because she is a very funny actress and I viewed Mrs. Martin as looking like her. She would also be particularly funny in the scene about meeting Mr. Martin and she would be great at absurd theatre!
Mary- Lisa Kudrow: I would allocate the role of Mary the maid to Lisa Kudrow from the American TV series Friends. She would be perfectly suited to the role because her humour is silly and impractical...which is how I pictured the maid! And this would be especially funny on the line “My real name is Sherlock Holmes!”
Fire chief- Jim Carey: I think Jim Carey would be perfect for this role because he is very exaggerated and extremely over-the-top! I pictured the fire chief to be like this because of the way he tells stories and I also saw him as having a sense of humour because of the content of his stories!
Bald Prima Donna: Carl Barron…just for a laugh! Xx bec
Mr Martin- Chris Egan He is a young actor and would be more funny and easier to understand due to he is young like us and we could undersatmd what he means more. Mrs Martin-Bec Cartwright would fit this well as she can act older and have more say in what she wants to say but it will br funny as sh will say something young and make it come out as an older person.
I think they are some interesting choices Jess. It would be particularly absurd to have younger actors play these traditionally older characters, and could make for an effective contemporary production. Thanks for your contribution!
I agree with Jess that it would absurd to have young, Aussie actors playing an old English couple - you could go even absurdier by casting little children or something. I also reckon Australian actors could be used effectively in the beginning when Mrs Smith is talking about the 'English' meal they just had - it would be really funny and absurd if the actors used really bogan Australian accents. vovo and out
well...i personally dont no most of the actors everyone has put done, so im really unsure, i agree with bec quinn becasuse jim carrey would obviously be helarious no matter what he does, i randomly think will farrel would be really funny in any character but maybe the fire chief or mrs smith or martain, this is mainly because i think his really funny, ummmm i really agree with mr rutherford when he said how jess' idea about using a young cast of actors, but that made me think really young, and i also thought of how georgina mentioned twins so maybe mary-kate and ashely from full house, they were cute and funny and it would create a really different atmosphere on the stage, there my ideas so far, all these comments are really hard to live up to
MR SMITH - carl barron carl barron is such a typical austrlian bloke that it would be completly obsurd if he played mr smith who is an english gentlemen
MRS SMITH - dame edna whatever he/shes name is i think this would be funny because it would be completly obsurd seeing that dame edna is a cross dresser and would also cometly blow the whole idea of the english women. dame edna and carl barron as a couple would be so obsurd and something im sure no one would have ever seen before
fire cheif - well, brad pitt was the first idea that came into my head just because him in a fireoutfit but i think someone that would suit the charecter more would probabally be DONKEY from shrek. neadless to say that he is an animated donkey he talks for hours and hours and also has an ego
MRS MARTIN - "elle woods charecter" in legally blonde so dumb and you could add a really dumb spin to her charecter when all the lines of " how extrodaniary but i have no recalection.." MR MARTIN - harry potters uncle cant remember his name his quite large and sorta just sits there so this could add absurdism in the whole scene with the awkrd "hmms"
i like everyones ideas so im going to put them altogether and make one single cast. first of all Mr. Smith - Steve Martin: his personality is outgoing and many people of many ages can still find him funny. Also i agree with bec that he has a very tipical English looking personality. Mrs Smith - Im not to sure about his role but i think it would be hilarious to see her be a him, such as Mr Bean. Mr Martin - Carl Barron: He is hilarious. He is someone that can keep a straight face but everyone who listens to him talking for even less then a minute cant. It would be great to see him in this. Mrs Martin - Magda Szubansk: Judging from the play we all saw the spelling bee, i think eveyrone would have a big laugh watching her play this role. I find her hilarious of kath and kim and also able to keep her focus very well, even though she gets put as such unusual roles.
hmmm i would have to say adam sandler should be in there somewhere as Mr Martin maybe his voice just came to mind when i was remembering our drama lesson reading over the scene with him and Mrs Martin (how extraordinary... what a strange coincidence) also because he is a hilarious actor with the ability to adopt all kinds of roles.
ahhh for Mr Smith i was thinking the comedian carl barron, I dont know if thats allowed but for an aburdist play he would fit right in, especially because of his crazy and hilarious facial expressions, body language and gestures.
Owen Wilson also came to mind for either of these actors again he can adopt any role and has got to be one of the funniest actors
Kate Winslet and Renee Zellweger for either of the female roles (Mrs Martin or Smith) would be great because they both have alot of expereince acting a variety of characters and have english accents which could add to the effect.
thanks miss mac and mr rutherford cya year 10. emma
i would like to see a more comical version of the Bald Prima Donna as i think it will intrigue the audience more rather than thinking "great more repition." Therefore i think that it would be great to see comedians like Robin Williams play Mary the Maid and possibly Steve Martin playing Mrs Smith i also like Brit's idea of Elle Woods i would place her into the postion of Mr Smith. After all it is absurd.
ooohhhh i like this question... now there are endless possibilities but i would have to say Rowan Atkinson would have to be in there somewhere i agree with pippa. hahah very nice. yes he is such a good comedian and he fits in so well with the absurdist theatre scene. i would have to put Lucille Ball as either Mrs Martin or Mrs Smith because she has great physicality and facial expressions. Jim Carry HAHAHAHAHHAHAH just imagine the one liners hahah he would be great as the fire Chief. hahah I'm not sure if this name is correct but Lisa Kudrow like she is in"friends" i think she is great especially when she does the "smelly Cat" hahah she just strikes me as a maid. Will Farrell need i say more.. "Anchorman" OMG FUNNIEST MOVIE EVER he would be good Mr Martin or Mr Smith or even the fire chief. i mainly went through the list of comedians in my head only becuase i thought this sort pf play would need some funny faces and i wouls also have a lot of fun on set with these actors.. hahaha sooooo many jokes.. heheh
okay i think it would be good to cast a lot of comdey actors for the bald prima donna because its an absurdist play and they would all bring their unique comedic styles together to produce such a funny and entertaining production.
Mrs Smith-i think gina riley (from kath&kim) would be good because she discusses things in an interesting and funny way, just like her character as kath in kath and kim.it would be interesting to see a typical australian woman in this play. Mr Smith- i would cast maybe Johnny Depp because he is really talented with the the way he says things and interprets dialogue and i think he would be able to make simple things much funnier. Mrs Martin-I'd love to see the lady from legally blonde who works in the nail salon Jeniffer Coolidge. Because she can act so vague and naive just like Mrs Matins character. Mr Martin-Jim Carey would be good as he is good at physicality and facial expressions and he could tell Mr Martins stories really well. Mary the Maid- i would like to see Magda Szubanski because the way she carries herself on stage and he comdey style is very unique and entertaining. Fire Chief- either Carl Barron or Adam Sandler because of their funny voices and their ability to be able to tell stories and make everyone interested in what they talk about.
i think an entirely female cast would be really interesting. It would enhance the effect of the character and the constrants that don't exsist. It would just be wild to see that. Mrs smith- Rosanne Barr.... like how funny would that be Mr Smith- sooki from gilmore girls, im not sure what that actors name is but she would bring something special to mr smith. Mrs Martion- Amanda Bynes, her experience in impromtu would make this really interesting. Mr Martin- Keira Knightly Fireman- Ellen Degeneres... lesbian fireman, i think so. Maid- if marilyn monroe was alive this would be hers!
Mr. Smith: i would probably say Jeremy Stanford for this role. He has done a lot of theatre work in the past and can definitley play a diverse range of characters. he would be good at playing Mr Smith because he would be able to make the most interesting event or object seem totally commonplace and boring.
Mr Martin: Maybe Terrence Stamp. He's English, he's polite and he is the best fit for the appearence of Mr Matin in my mind. Although hes a lot older then Jeremy, we could just draw some wrinkles on him to match up with Terrence. Terrence is also a fantastic actor with extraordinary and amazing focus. this would be usuful to him in the silences, adn the repititoin of the lines in the play.
Mrs. Smith:
Helen Bonham Cater would be great in this role. She can play anyone from Anne Boleyn to Bellatrix Lestrang. She has tallent coming out of her ears, and i just think she would do a goos job next to Jeremy.
Mrs.Martin: Sally Field. I love Sally Field she's probably one of my favorite actors. She can play anyone she wants. I dont really need to explain.
Mary: Genevieve Lemon. she would be good at this because she can be funny, and is a really talented actor. i think she'd do a good job at confusing the audience about the Martins.
Fire-Chief: Benny Hill. this man is just simply funny. he could really turn his stories into a good laugh. he would also look pretty funny in a fireman suit.
I think these people would do pretty well at these roles. What does anyone else think??
I'd probably choose actors who don't really care what other people think. Thats sounds pretty bad, but since the play is packed with non-sequiturs it gives me the impression that the characters don't really care what the other people are saying. They need to be almost arrogant or rude to get these parts as they picture themselves higher or more important than others because they don't listen to what anyone else has to say.
Mr Smith: Sorry for all the Tom Cruise fans but i think that he would make a respectable mr smith. In an interview with one of the reporters from aca i got the impression that he was a little rude and protective.
Mrs Smith: Lindsay Lohan. This girl just doesn't learn from her mistakes. I'm sure many people e.g. her family have talked her issues over with her, but it doesn't seem to get through. This is the same as all the non-sequiturs in the play; people say things and it doesn't register.
Mrs Martin: Helen Mirren. Don't like this woman at all. When she received the oscar for her role as the queen she made some really arrogant comment about how it was no suprise that she won this award.
Mr Martin: Michael Jackson. Had a brief actor career and like Paris and Lindsay, needs to think a little before he acts. He seems to some up "absurdism"
Mary: Paris Hilton. The same reasons as lindsay lohan
Fire Chief: Even though Anthony Mundine doesn't act (although he was on Big brother) i would say that he would make a good fire chief. I wouldn't give him one of the bigger roles as he lacks a little intellectually. Who licks their contact lense honestly!!!
These choices are a little strange but i think it would make us laugh (at them, not with them)
Thgere are heaps of really good ideas here, i especially like the carl barron, kath and kim and micheal jackson ones. well i'm going to take other people's ideas and include rowan atkinson becasue he is the typical english man and he would bring so much laughter to the play.. but to be absurd i would cast him as a woman and have him play either Mrs Martin or Mrs Smith just for fun. also, becasue i'm watching thank God You're here at the moment and i couldn't think of anyone else, i would cast Hamish as the other female role (skull, skull, skull, haha). anyway.. this is becasue he's so funny and i think could play an english woman really well and get the whole absurd thing across. Also, i would get women to play the male charcaters to emphasise the absurdity of the Bald Prima Donna. i think Magda Subanski would play an old fat english man rather well and yeah going to take georgia's idea and say kath from kath and kim becasue she is the complete opposite of an english woman and this adds to the absurdism!!!
This is hard! Everyone has had great ideas so far.
For Mrs Smith I would have Britney Spears. Everyone knows how absurd her life has been at the moment and so I think she would be great. Both she, and Mrs Smith are seen as a little shallow, especially when Mrs Smith says that when you hear a door bell ring there is nobody there.
For Mr Smith I would have Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Carribean style just because he is not the typical person for the role and so it would be interesting. And Britney Spears could also use his sword to try and stab him!
For Mr Martin I would have Santa Claus. Random and absurd? Thats the point!
I love Tatters idea about Whoopie Goldberg being Mrs Martin but I would get her to act out the character with a more funny but absurd touch.
For Mary the Maid I would have Renee Zellweger but I would get her to act it out with a Briget Jones Diary style.
For the Fire Chief I would have John Heder (the guy who plays Napoleon Dynamite) because I found this character so random and absurd. He asks if the Smiths have a fire in their house. First of all you would know if you did and you have to call the Fire Brigage, they don't come to you. I also think John Heder would be a great Fire Chief as the random meaningless stories he tells would be hilarious if acted out with Napoleon Dynamite style actions and voice.
And by the way Claires comment about the John Howard being the maid was hilarious!
I really like everyone’s ideas so far.I think if I was to direct The Bald Prima Donna, I would cast: Mr Smith: I would have to say as well Rowan Atkinson because he is simply just weird and absurd. He is just really funny to watch. In Mr Bean, Rowan does not speak a lot and he is still interesting to watch, which is why he would be good for this role because he was still be funny through the silences. Mrs Smith: Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall from Harry Potter) because she plays an uptight English teacher in Harry Potter, and Mrs Smith seems to be a bit of the same. Mr Martin: Johnny Depp because he is a bit vague and I think that he would suit this play because when I read it, I pictured the characters being vague and unclear on what they were trying to say. He has also played many weird characters so I think he would suit this very well. Mrs Martin: Nicole Kidman because she is great at adapting to any role and I think that she would be good during the ‘recognition’ scene. Mary: Magda Szubanski because I can really imagine her saying some of the lines that Mary said in the play, like, “My real name is Sherlock Holmes” and running off the stage. She is a fantastic actor and I think she could really take on the role as Mary very well. Fire Chief: Probably Bec Flynn cause she was hilarious when she acted this part out in class and I can’t really think of anyone at the moment who would suit it more than her.
well, i would try and make each character as absurd as possible or mix and match odd characters. I think it would be great fun casting and seeing the auditions! well... I was thinking maybe Dave Hughes would play Mr Smith because he is so loud and out of place - considering the setting and the era. He is bound to get a good laugh with his screams and odd facial expressions! (including the speedyness and running out of breath!) And then for Mrs Smith i was thinking of casting the lady who plays Lucy in the program 'I Love Lucy'. She is quite a character (funny, a tad crazy at times - yet she looks quite ordinary) and although she fits the era and setting, she is completely in contrast with Dave. That would be a great combination I think! Like they say, opposites attract! Well i definately agree with many people here in saying the Rowan Atkinson (mr bean) would be the best to cast for the fire chief! He plays Mr Bean so well and with his very odd mannerisms and contrasting thoughts and ideas he would match up quite well with the character of the fire chief. As for Mr and Mrs Matin I would say ( agreeing with Georgie's ideas) that they should be identical twins!! haha 'i beg your pardon madam but it seems to me, if im not mistaken, that ive met u somewhere before' - look in the mirror!! Well you could cast both girl twins or both boy twins! I dont have any actors in mind but i think I would lean a little closer to the boy twins. And finally the maid, Mary. Well i thought Lisa Kudrow would be a GREAT one! she is such a good actress and can loook so confused and out of it! But i also think Queen Latifah (thx Goldie) would be great fun as well! haha i could just see her coming on stage and she could even have (and i dont mean this at all in a racist way) but she could have a african american attitude. like 'dont mess with me' 'hmmm'. lol really a good mixture of actors and actresses here but togeter i think they would create a really hilarious absurdist play!!
p.s. i had to make a new account because i forgot my passowrd... i was nicky_ferendinos in the first two blogs and i shall now be nicola_ferendinos... sorry
okie dokie actors hmmmmm this is kinda hard OMG i just had an idea for Mrs Martin - lauren graehem i think her name is...lorelai from gilmore girls:) hehe shes totally hilarious, random and she would definately fit the character of mrs smith as she could show that she isnt really with it and completely random:)
the firefighter - hahahahaah totally random BUT alf from homeandawway i do not know where they came from but it would be fun fun funnny becoz if you watch h&a hes random and weird and he would play a great firefighter hehe
Mr martin - tom cruise because well no offence to anyone but i find him extremely boring haha so yeh thats why lol
Mr Smith - i rekon freddie prince jr haha i think he could act that part well, well i hope so anyway:)
Mrs Smith - uma thurman hehe shes a hilarious actress and i think she would play the part extremely well :) GO UMA GO
the maid - definately amanda bynes she is hilarious completely random and yeh go watch her movies and you'd seeee why and i can imagine amanda running around singing "caught fire" "caught fire"
if i was the director of the bald prima donna i would put the whole highschool musical cast in it and have them randomly break out into song and dance at moments in the play.
i just think it would be funny to play the characters polite and constrictive "english" mannerisms contained while perhaps doing a (i like to say 'burlesque', but i dont think thats appropriate) type of dance. if this type of dance is unsatisfactory then how about we put them in a ballerina outfit, prancing around the stage while keeping a straight face. however that may be altering the script and i dont know if im allowed to do that.
i would have aspects of the play where characters double up, and objects are physicalised by the actors. i would also have times of the play where there would only be two actors playing, perhaps, 4 characters.
i would do this simply to explore the effects of empty (negative) space and filled (positive) space. i wont go through the play naming which character should be played by who, because i would make it that while on stage, actors would switch roles of the characters.
"Imagine you have been asked to direct your own production of The Bald Prima Donna. Who would you cast as each character? Consider actors whose work you are familiar with, and why they would be suitable for these particular roles."
It's be great if Chris Lilley did a version of the Bald Prima Donna. He could play all the characters. Mr G could be the maid, Jonah could be Mr Smith, Ja'mie could be Mrs Smith and Mrs Martin, Ricky Wong could be Mr Martin and Daniel Sims could be the fire chief.
I'm sure it would be incredibly confusing and hard for Chris Lilley to act..But it's be hilarious too.
i would love to direct the roduction of the bald primma donna, not only would it be fun and hilarious, but you could do so much with it! i would love to cast Rown Atkinson also known as Mr bean as Mr Martain, as although the lines of dialoge are hilarious, he would bring a natural energy and funniness to the production! His facial expression would be tremendous and would be so good to work with such a talented man! xx
i would love to direct the roduction of the bald primma donna, not only would it be fun and hilarious, but you could do so much with it! i would love to cast Rown Atkinson also known as Mr bean as Mr Martain, as although the lines of dialoge are hilarious, he would bring a natural energy and funniness to the production! His facial expression would be tremendous and would be so good to work with such a talented man! xx
personally i would put Chris rock in as Mr.Martin and i think Carl Barron would make a really interesting fire cheif, as he is quite abusrd in himself.
haha this is a good question. personally i would like to see some comical characters in there to throw it all around and have a few laughs. so i would put kath and kim in there. i think that they would pull off the fire cheif and mary roll quite well. I would also put Paris Hilton in there jsut to see how she goes in a real absurd and illogical play. Because it is absurd.
Mrs Smith - bree from desperate housewives because i think she would be funny to see very poised and english and then have a random act of violence.
Mr Smith - Robbie from everybody loves Raymond because i imagine Mr Smith as rather slow and big and a little dopey and unaware of his wifes existence.
Maid - Anne Hathaway because i could see her playing a maid who deep down inside knows more than she should or will admit to knowing.
Mr Martin - Eddie Murphy because i think he'd be funny to watch playing a slow long line such as the how "extradinary scene".
Mrs Martin - I would say genuiiine...because its her name also. But when it comes to suiting the part i think maybe Kirsty Alley because i think she could bring a different aspect to the rather odd character of Mrs Martin.
The clock - i would really want to be played by one person and one person only (rather than actually having a clock) and that is Jim Carrey...need i say anymore?
The fireman - i have to agree with riarne and go with John Heder...Napoleon Dynamite would certainly be an entertaining way to play this character.
i just had an idea while looking over this 4 my essay...how about will smith as mr smith? or even mrs smith haha ... for obvious reasons...(ie last name lol)
what a brilliant question i would definatley pick the two most absurd people I know as Mr& Mrs Smith and they would be DiAnna McDonald and Mark Rutherford yep they are definatley insane. Haha ok seriously, I was just reading Pip's comment abotu Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) I reckon he would bd really good as Mr Smith, he has that English look about him. Did anyone ever watch The Vicar of Dibley? Well I am thinking of Alice off that show to be Mary the Maid. And then for Mrs Smith, not sure about that one, I cannot think of an actress REALLY suitable to her. I imagine Mr Martin with a really thick light brown moustache, haha are there any of actors like that? oh no wait.. remember the guy off Sabrina the Teenage witch, the school principal, I reckon he is a good Mr Smith, and then Sabrina's eldest Aunty Helda as Mrs Martin.
Ok brilliant theres another question done and if Mr Rah Rah is reading this... we miss you heaps! come back!
okay so if i was going to direct my own production of the bald prima donna.. well after reading some of the other comments, i'd have to say that i love the idea of having a man play a woman's role, especially the idea of Rowan Atkinson playing Mary the maid. After seeing him as Mr Bean, everyone knows that he would bring alot of character to the role.. i think he could do it so well and it would be hilarious seeing him in a frilly apron. For the fire chief i was thinking someone really big and bulky, who would come across as really stupid, like Arnold Schwarzenegger because he has been in alot of movies as well playing a fair range of characters; father to terminator etc. and he is experienced so i'm sure he could handle the role. For the Martins and the Smiths, i love the idea of making a political statement but i do agree with the fact that there is probably no way on the planet that any politician would agree to that, but if anything was possible then hey.. maybe for the men people like Johnny Depp, Mike Myers, Jack Nickolson or Adam Sandler. I think that any of these men would be really good for the roles; as i have already mentioned before, that they are experienced in a range of different roles, but i thought i might throw in an older, extreamly accomplished actor (Jack Nickolson) just for some variation, i love his comedic stance but also he could bring alot of emotion and depth to the role. For the women i love the idea of getting kath and kim up there but also for a non-comedic role Cate Blanchett or Charlize Theron could be great
Ohh wow directing The Bold Prima Donna that’s tricky but I would have to say- Mrs Smith- Kim (from Kath and Kim) because she would be hilarious and well suited to this role. Mr Smith- I like how Bre thought that Hugh Laurie would play Mr Smiths part as he would be laid back reading the newspaper and have clever witty comments. Mrs Martin- Kath (from Kath and Kim) also because she would be hilarious and well suited to the role. Mr Martin- I like how Bec Quinn thought that Mike Myers should play this role and yet again it would be funny to watch and be entertaining. Maid- Jim Carry, once again due to the comedian style. Firechief- Carl Barren, comedian. I chose this type of cast due to the fact that the play is quite boring as nothing much happens and with having comedians playing the roles would make the play interesting to watch .
Imagine you have been asked to direct your own production of The Bald Prima Donna. Who would you cast as each character? Consider actors whose work you are familiar with, and why they would be suitable for these particular roles.
Mr and Mrs Martin: Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand play a married couple in Meet the Fockers. Together they are perfect, very quirky and outrageous. I think they would do a brilliant job acting Mr and Mrs Martin, especially in the train scene.
Mr and Mrs Smith: Mathew Perry and Uma Thurman. I think seeing Mathew and Uma work alongside each other would be interesting. Mathew has a more casual acting style whereas Uma has a more serious acting style. Put them together and it could be very absurdist.
The Fire Chief: Adam Sandler, again an actor with great acting skills and presence. Adam Sandler would be suitable for the part because he has always played a random kinda guy in his movies, so as the walk on fire chief I think he’d do a great job.
The Maid: Owen Wilson is such a comedic actor with great acting skills. The maid, obviously that is a female role I think it would be very absurdist to be played by a male.
Mr Martin: I would definitely have to go with Hugh Laurie. I know he’s already been said as mr smith but I would put him as mr martin just coz I could see him fit perfectly in the whole how very extraordinary and what a strange coincidence conversation. I would have to cast him as how he used to act in blackadder though, not as his house sort of character, and he’d definitely have to keep the English accent for it, not the fake American one. I was actually thinking of him before I read any of the other blogs and I thought my idea was very original until I got to bre’s. So disappointed.
Mrs Martin: For this role I’d have to put Tim McInnerny dressed as a woman. He’s another guy off blackadder who used to do a lot of work alongside Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Laurie. I think he and Hugh together would make the very extraordinary scene hilarious.
Mr & Mrs Smith: I think for these two I would repeat mr & mrs martin’s actors again. This would add an absurd twist to the casting and since the two couples are pretty much repeats of each other I think it could work.
Fire chief: I can’t go past Rowan Atkinson for this role. I know everyone else has said it but he just fits so perfectly that I can’t come up with anyone else.
Maid: I would cast Miranda Richardson in this role. She played Rita Skeeter, the journalist, in Harry Potter. I think she would be great at this role coz she’s a really good English actress and she has that sort of quirky sense of humour.
!I would pick commedians for my characters, because in my oppinion, if someone boring were to act out the script, you'd fall asleep. Commedians would give the random and illogical dialogue a funny spin. I would cast Dylan Moran (Bernard Black off black books) as my Mr. Martin, because 1. he is always drunk and it would be funny to watch the scene where he doesn't remember his own wife. it could be said that he is too drunk to remember. I agree with Katarina, Steve Martin would play a great Mr. Smith because he is quirky and funny ina subtle, old man kind of way. For Mrs. Smith I would have to say Judith Lucy. Her tone is so sardonic and sarcastic that every time i hear her say something minutely funny i cant contain my laughter. She would be illogical as an ordinary english person, being an australian commedian, but thats the brilliance, its so weird, its perfect. For Mrs. Martin, I would have to say Dame Edna. She/he is great at acting like a lady, and she/he's already so absurd she was born to play it! For the fire chief, Peter Hellier (rove live). It would be a battle of the comedians to try and out wit each other. It would be very interesting to see in my oppinion. And lastly but definately not leastly, for the maid, the answer is, pork. kidding! but seriously, i think, for the maid, Tamsin Greig. Another Black Books actress, she is laidback, calm, yet slightly insane. I dont think ive ever seen her act a part that doesnt involve wine. She would be hilarious as the maid, because she would be so out of place. This is how i would cast my play. Gonna do my essay now. bye!
Hmmmm directing me own production of the Bold Prima Donna. What a fantastic idea. But what a hard question.
Okay well the characters that need to be posted would be - Mrs Smith Mr Smith Mrs Martin Mr Martin The Maid FireChief.
Mrs Smith - i would cast this as Marcia Cross. When Mrs Smith was first introduced into the play, my immediate thought of her was a perfect housewive, and as marcia has proved in her work in desperate housewives as an excellent perfect housewife, she would play this role excellently.
Mr Smith - Pierce Brosnan, quite a good looking guy for someone his age if thats acceptable to say. He also always seems very calm and collected which was my impression of Mr. Smith, as well as someone who might be slightly older. A good adition i would say.
Mrs. Martin - this one was more tricky, but i've chosen Julia Stiles, this is an actress who plays roles quite well that often have a more tempermental and sort of sulky temperemnt at times, and her face is one that is quite non-expressional, but still a great actress.
Mr. Martin - i choose matt damon for this role, a bit different i know, but he is someone who again is not a very expressional actor, as you see him in all the bourne movies, he doesn't even flinch when his lover is killed. so again my choice
The Maid - i'm casting as Rove Mcmanus, a bit odd i guess you could say. But i think he would add a different dimension to the performance.
The Fire Chief - who else but Tom Cruise, my fire chief as a top gun Maverick still actor and performer and so i have cast him for the role.
Very different group of people. Imagine the budget you would need to hire all these people to work for you. But it could be quite successful.
if i was asked to direct my own production of The Bald Prima Donna i would you cast... Mr. Smith-billy connolly -because he is a good actor and comedian and he is irish so contrasting "we are english" Mrs. smith-Magna szubanski -because is humerous and seems to br random at times and talks alot. mr. martin-a young boy-because it wouldnt make any sence to be married at an age like this. Mrs. Martin-robin williams -because of Mrs. Doubtfire and humerous Mary the maid-chris lilley -because he plays a good girl as j'amie in we can be heors (i suggest you youtube it or hope you watched it) The fire chief- glen robbins (kell off kath and kim) -for he thinks he is hot stuff, and humerous The clock- Rowan Atkinson (mr.bean) -because he is verry vague.
umm okay.i agree with danielle that chris lilley would be an excellent character to usehowever i think it wuld be interesting putting him as mrs smith.He is experienced with acting like an elderly women from we can be heroes and can pull off any act.
mr smith- mr bean i rekon he wuld be hilarious to watch. he doesn need to speak to be laughed at as his mannerisms are so clever and absurd in their own little way.
Mrs martin- meredith from greys anatomy. her character is so open yet so mysterious at the time i think her character as well as dereks character as mr martin wuld be interesting seein them perform in their own individual way yet the theme line of " do i really know u" applies in both story lines.
Imagine you have been asked to direct your own production of The Bald Prima Donna. Who would you cast as each character? Consider actors whose work you are familiar with, and why they would be suitable for these particular roles.
If I were asked to direct my own production of the Bald Prima Donna, I would cast Bette Midler in the role of Mrs Smith, as she is slightly eccentric, but is able to be serious and ‘house-wifey’ in a way that is absolutely hilarious. I decided to use her based on her performance as Bobbi Markowitz in the movie “Stepford Wives” and also her portrayal of Brenda in the movie “First Wives Club”. She was very funny in both of these films, and I think it would be even funnier to see her in The Bald Prima Donna playing Mrs Smith, because this character has some random, but entertaining lines and actions, and I think Bette Midler would do it well.
As Mr. Smith, I would cast Barney the purple dinosaur. As a child I loved watching Barney, singing his “I love you, you love me, we’re a great big family” song, and it would be entertaining to see him (meaning, the actor inside the barney suit) playing a “serious” character, like Mr. Smith.
I would cast John Heder as the Mr. Martin, based on his performance in “Napoleon Dynamite”, this is because when I read his first lines, and saw that he spoke in a monotonous way, I thought of Napoleon, and pictured Mr. Smith as a major nerd-type, boring and plain, but comical at the same time.
As Mrs. Martin, I would cast Anna Faris. She is entertaining in Scary Movie 1-4, and also in “Just Friends”, and she often plays a dumb or vague character. This is why I would use her for Mrs. Martin, because Mrs. Martin seems to be quite a dull, vague character, not knowing who her husband is, for example.
In the role of Mary the Maid, I would have Will Ferrel, based on his portrayal of Buddy in “Elf”. This is not because of the characters resemblance to Mary; they couldn’t be more different. I chose him because he has maid some funny movies, and I think it would be good to see him in a female role, and what he would do with the role of Mary.
I know this has been said before, but I too would use Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) as the fire chief, because as a human being and an actor, he is a comical genius, and I believe the fire chief, though a small role, is a comical one that requires a talented comedian, such as Rowan Atkinson to play it.
My choices for these characters are quite diverse, yet I think together these actors and actresses would put together a very entertaining show of ‘The Bald Prima Donna’.
Yes, I'm still reading all your responses! Loving them. I think Miss Mac and I would make a torrid twosome in a Theatre of the Absurd performance. Can you imagine?!!
well.. im reallllly bad with names so most of the actors people have chosen i dont really know who they are.. but i reallyyy agree with pip for jeffory rush (the mr bean guy) as he is the most awkward and weird man who would play an excellent part for mr martin in the 'very extraodinary' scene. i also think jim carrey would be a great part for mr smith as he looks the same as how i picture mr smith in true life- tall, skinny, and random. haha
i cant really think of any women who i can picture being a part in the play...
"Imagine you have been asked to direct your own production of The Bald Prima Donna. Who would you cast as each character? Consider actors whose work you are familiar with, and why they would be suitable for these particular roles."
Mr smith: for some reason i think he should be asain only because theyre speaking in english accents and it would be funny and random and everyone loves an asain :)
sorry i'll do the rest tomorrow night gotta leave urgent ha
wow i think everyone has had such great ideas for their own casts and i think mosth of these castings would be the most absurd and hilarious thing ever!
..but after john cleese's bizarre and often crazed performances in faulty towers i can somehow just imaging him really playing up the whole english idea at the beginning but then by then end being absolutely crazy and joining the train procession on stage so i think he would score a role as Mr Smith.
and not sure if anyone has already mentioned it but i think the actress who play Professor Umbridge in harry Potter would be brilliant as Mrs Smith because she could also play up the English hidea at the beginning and i think she would be perfect for performing sone random acts of violence aswell as involving herself in the mayhem near the end of the play.
i am unsure who to cast as the Martin's in my version of the Bald Prima Donna but i definitely think it could be two very perculiar and subdued characters so possibly Maggie Smith for Mrs Martin and bill Neighy (not sure how to spell it but from love actually) for Mr Smith.
for the fire chief i agree with many people who have suggested Rowan Atkinson ...and to top of the cast i would cast Dame Edna as the maid just for a bit of English glamour and a laugh!
When i published this it obviously didn't work sooo here i go again!
Mrs Smith - I would have Marcia Cross as Mrs Smith because I think she is such a clean, perfect woman and she is almost boring in the sense of her perfection and i can imagine her reflecting on her day to her shallow husband.
Mr Smith - I would use Mr Bean. He is the complete opposite to Marcia Cross so i think this could be interesting as a married couple, and he is also so absurd and hilarious.
Mrs Martin - I would use Kim off Kath and Kim (sorry i cant remember her real name..) but actually acting it as her character Kim because she is so self obsessed does not relate to this character in any way which i think would be clever.
Umm Fire Chief - I would definetly use Jim Carrey. He is the funniest actor and he is so strong and physical when he explains things so I think with the monotonous stories he would have to tell he would perform them hilariously.
Maid - Yep i know everyone has said it but Magda Szubanski would be so good for this role, she is a really good actress and can you imagine her as a maid?
65 comments:
hmmm i would say jeffory rush would play a good mr smith
the guy who plays mr bean should be mary or one of the female characters for a laugh. Although it could be a bit TOO absurd for someone who is meant to represent all people, becuase most of us arent transexuals
sorry its really short becuase i'm going to sleep
goodnight all
"Imagine you have been asked to direct your own production of The Bald Prima Donna. Who would you cast as each character? Consider actors whose work you are familiar with, and why they would be suitable for these particular roles."
well....
Mrs Smith: Toni Collet
This is because, (I don't mean this badly), I personally think she looks rather ordinary. She is no dought a very good actor although there is something about her that seems a bit quirky.... i can't relaly describe it. She has a knack of looking a bit frazzled sumtimes, yet very oridinary. An extremely good example of this is inthe movie 'COnnie and Carla'! IF anyones seen that movie, I think they'll agree with me that she does a magnificent job of looking frazzled and hilarious... and like a man! haha
ok, just hen i thought how cool would it be if the director put a whole policital spin on it all! but then i relalized, i'm the director, so i'm going to start again, but with a slightly different twist....
Mrs Martin: Hillary Clinton. This is because shes a polition, and everyone know that politions don't make mcuh sense when they're speaking!
Mr Martin: Bill Clinton
This is again because he is a polition and everyone knows they don't make much sense when they're speaking. And also, because he is actually married to Hillary (tying real life into the play kinda thing)
Mr Smith: George W Bush
This is because he's a polition and everyone knows that politions don't make much sense when they're speaking! Also, the scene where Mrs & Mr Martin are trying to remember where they know each other. (where in real life people do the same thing: trying not to know Bush! =P)also, he pretend that he's the ruler of hte house, when in hte play he doens't appear to hold a lot of power.... think about the connection to real life....
Mrs Martin: Bronwyn Bishop
This is becsaue she's a polition and everyone know sthat politions don't make much sense when they're talking! I met her once and she seemed extrememly fake and i think she would suit this role.
Mary the Maid: John Howard
The maid to Mr Smith, need i say more?
ok, now i relaise that of course these politions would not actaully perform this, but i tlikes the idea anyway, and we could just get some fill in look a likes.... anyway
xx
kk night all
xx
Claire, I laughed out loud at your John Howard comment!
Mr R.
Well, for my upcoming play I have decided to take an interesting spin on the type of actors I am choosing to play the roles of the main characters in The Bald Prima Donna. One of the themes of this play, relating to the clock chimes, is that the time in this alternate universe, symbolising our lives does not matter as nothing significant ever happens. Another aspect which is portrayed in the conversation between Mr and Mrs Martin, in which they figure out that they think they live in the same house with the same child and are therefore a couple, which is then proved to be wrong, is that today we are so caught up in other things that we don’t even know the most significant people in our lives. This would then lead the idea that it does not matter who the people around us are because everyone is insignificant to us or at least all significant to the same low level as one another. Whoever is reading this at the moment is most probably thinking about what an idiot I am because I have already written like a quarter of a page and have not mentioned anything to do with the actors I would choose. But don’t worry I’m getting there. Due to this last reason about the lack of significance we have for people and also the little amount of attention we pay to the people around us to a point where we don’t even know who they are, for the roles of Mr and Mrs Smith and then of Mr and Mrs Martin I would choose to cast two pairs of twins. Perhaps some of the ideas would have to be changed for this to work to its full potential, i.e. the Mr and Mrs, but then again maybe not. This is an absurdist play after all, so why not confuse the audience as much as possible. Through casting twins in these roles it would display the above themes and aspects of this play perfectly because it would show that everyone would be at the same level and no one is really significant because they are not unique. I might even try casting quadruplets in the roles to further illustrate this point. I don’t really have any particular twins or quads in mind to play these roles but they would have to have the qualities of a straight face, bland expression, simple look, amazing focus and (duh) a double. I don’t know if any of you saw the America’s Next Top Model season with the twins but I think a look like theirs would work well in this context. So, wish me luck with my play...
Georgina - I love the twins idea.... wouldn't it be awesome if they were quadruplets! Even madder! The other option would be to costume everyone identically..
Claire - love the political stance - you are really saying something about Mary the Maid's role..mmmm
Pippa - great idea about Rowan Atkinson as Mary - but wouldn't he also be hilarious as the Fire Chief?
Some great work girls - I am really enjoying reading your comments! Where are everyone else's ideas???
Remember a haddock in a paddock is better than a crab in a lab
Miss Mac :)
i agree with the whole Toni collet as mrs smith thing i think she'd also be good at Mrs Martin because i dont think the two characters have much difference between them as i view them as just ordinary English women and i think Toni Collete conveys that "look" and "style". Mr Smith i house have Hugh Lawrie ...i think thats how you spell it , the guy who plays "House" because he would just be perfect as he has that layed back quirky stle of acting that seems almost effortless and that's how i view Mr Smith to be ...not really interested but a clever witty remarks sort of man.
Mr Martain i'd have as they guy who playes mr bean ..Rowan.. can't spell his last name. After reading the other comments it occured to me that he does actully come across as an 'absurd' actor hahaha and the audience would find it funny to see him play a character that has no emotion and speaks in a monotone. I think when casting for a play like 'The Bald Prima Donna" if it was a goal to give it higher popularity and stage it for a young audience ...it would be great to have extremly well known actors ..play a contasting role to what they are usually cast for. anyway..that is all ...i used everyone elces ideas but i thought they were just great..exceot for my hugh lawrie idea...i can't get over the idea of how great he's be for that role haha
Breana xx
hmmm..thats a trickey one mr Rutherford..
well i think that i would put Robin Williams as Mrs Smith (following his great performance as Mrs Doubtfire) alongside Steve Martin as Mr Smith-- a good couple dont you think??
Then i would put Will ferrel as the fire chief, and Cameron Dias as the Maid.
Whoopie Goldberg as Mrs Martin and Eddie Murphy as Mr Martin.
I have chosen a cast with a strong comedic background as i feel they are the best kind of actors to perform a Theatre of The Aburd performance. And have put some males as females as i think it will add another comedic aspect to it.
over and out
xoxoxox
THIS IS THE THIRD TIME I HAVE RETYPED THIS BLOG! SERIOUSLY!
ok, so i was doing my other drama homework which was getting a bit tedious and i was thinking about this question... and for some reason, the whole cast of playschool came into my head.
you know, monica, colin, noni, simon, john, bernita, trisha... all the CLASSIC playschool crew who have now been overtaken by those jokes of people that like to call themselves hosts... pfft, pathetic effort! the people who hosted the show when we were little, who taught us how to make those lame plasticine animals and create a story... anyway
i decided Monica would be Mrs Smith. she never stops talking and i always loved monica. mr smith can be colin, the man with the guitar, god he was cool, but he was almost always being taken over by a more dominant female, who quite frankly, wouldnt shut up.
mr and mrs martin would be played by John and Bernita, remember, the two older people... John had the animation with the plasticine man... i remember strange things, if you were in my class you would know that... as they were the elder hosts, i almost immediately thought them to be more Mr and Mrs martin figures, and the recognition scene couldnt happen between younger people, well at least i dont think so.
noni can be mary the maid. good old noni, she always liked playing dress ups and was never the same person twice when it came to story time, and the section of the play when mary says "my real name is sherlock holmes" got me thinking about her.
let me see, the firechief... SIMON!
i just found an old picture of him actually, and as a FIREMAN! how very extraordinary, and what a strange coincidence! he fits really well, physicality and all... i always found him quite strange, but he was great when it came to story time!
these people arent actors per say, they were never in many "productions", apart from the daily episode, the odd Playschool Live show, and the annual christmas album, but i think that giving the Bald Prima Donna a more childish setting would add a whole new meaning to absurd, dont you think!
we could set the whole thing in the old playschool studio! or maybe im getting a bit ahead of myself...
http://www.abc.net.au/children/play/birthday/images/simonburke_monicatrapaga.jpg
copy paste that into the bar and look at the picture... simon the fireman... classic
xlauren
http://www.abc.net.au/children/play/birthday/images/simonburke_monicatrapaga.jpg
wait, that didnt work
heres the right link
http://www.abc.net.au/children/
play/birthday/images/simonburke
_monicatrapaga.jpg
sorry, it didnt work... AGAIN
there you go. have a look. i think its funny.
xlauren
OK...first i just want 2 say that was a really good idea by Claire, it’s so true!...just a few ideas
Mrs Smith: Emma Thompson (after her crazy professor Trelawney in Harry Potter) because she always seems so out of it in the play. Maybe it was just the hair Emma Thompson had in Harry Potter but the always being lost idea just seems to fit perfectly... (Or maybe Drew Barrymore after 50 first dates)
Mr Smith: Bart Johnson (he plays Troy Bolton / Zac Efron dad in High School Musical)...all he cares about in high school musical was basketball and in the Bald Prima Donna, all Mr Smith cares about is his newspaper...well its close enough
Mr Martin: How about Johnny Depp? He can play the forgetful wacky character (like in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) or...sometimes his attitude towards Mrs Martin can be seen as a bit suggestive and I think Johnny Depp could do this part well too.
Mary: Julie Andrews...and she could sing her whole part about spending the afternoon with a man and drinking brandy and milk; as well as Donald and Elizabeth and Sherlock Holmes... (just not the opera style!)
Fire chief: I really like the idea of Rowan Atkinson being this character. It would be just HILARIOUS!
I'm not sure who to have as Mrs Martin but I think that is alright for now...
Imagine you have been asked to direct your own production of The Bald Prima Donna. Who would you cast as each character? Consider actors whose work you are familiar with, and why they would be suitable for these particular roles.
As the director of my own production of The Bald Prima Donna, I would cast actors that have a strong comedic background because I believe that humor is a major part of Absurd Theatre and comes from understanding the illogical and sometimes incomprehensible actions of an Absurd performance. Also, I believe comedy adds to the idea of ‘absurd’.
The actors that I would cast are:
As Mr. Smith, I would cast Dustin Hoffman because he is an amazing actor and he especially caught my attention in the movie, ‘Rain Man’, where he played Raymond Babbitt. I thought he would be fantastic as Mr. Smith, especially where Mrs. Smith is going on about her day and Mr. Smith is just sitting there, reading the newspaper, clicking his tongue and not paying any attention to her. What a great actor!
As Mrs. Smith, I would cast Judi Dench because I believe that Mrs. Smith needs to be older and wiser. I see her character as a nagging wife who always complains and nags to her husband. She is more posh and talks about everybody else’s life when it’s none of her business.
As Mr. Martin, I would cast Robin Williams, because he is also another amazing comedian/actor. I definitely see him in the part where Mr. and Mrs. Martin are talking about whether or not they have met before and where.
As Mrs. Martin, I would cast Glenn Close because I believe that this character is also a little bit more serious than her husband, Mr. Martin. Glen Close was fantastically absurd in the movie, “Stepford Wives”, where she was a fake housewife. I think she would be great as Mrs. Martin.
As the Maid, I would cast Queen Latifah, because she is hilarious. Her character in “Bringing down the House” is the character I believe would be great as the maid.
I definitely agree with Miss Mac in saying that Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) would be hilarious as the Fire Chief. I can just imagine him playing the role now; how funny would he be! Another fantastic actor!
i just quickly browsed over the previous entries and found claire's appointment of John Howard as Mary the Maid very funny and clever!
My cast would include:
Mr Smith - Michael Caine (minus 20-30 years!!). he is a distinguished actor (and english at that!) and could pass off the role of the sometimes disinterested mr smith quite well.
Mrs Smith - renee zellweger. she has the english accent to go, she can be dressed up to look in her 40's and she would also do a good job of drivelling on in the first scene (talking about being english and mayonnaise etc) just think of her role in bridget jones and the amount of time she kept talking in it!
Mr Martin - Johnny Depp. he is good at adapting to different roles and looking like very different people(eg: a rowdy pirate in pirates of the caribean, or happy and slightly mysterious man in willy wonka and the chocolate factory). he would do well in this role as mr martin, particularly in the scene of mr and mrs martin meeting because he can be very funny in more suttle way than some other actors.
Mrs Martin - Kate Winslet. she is english and looks english and is a skilled actor who would have the necessary skills to perform Mrs Martin well.
Firechief - Michael Caton. he is a very funny man and would bring life to the stories that the fire chief tells. i think particularly funny would be when he says the line 'the cock aped the dog'. he would also add an australian touch!
ok wow this is so long im gonna go now..
The idea of directing my own production of the Bald Prima Donna sounds very exciting, but which actors would I cast as the various characters?
I thought I’d go a bit absurd and have all the female roles played by male actors and male roles played by female actors.
Richard Griffiths (Uncle Vernon Dursley) striked me as being the perfect Mary the maid. Griffiths is a well known stage actor, recently taking out the lead role in the highly acclaimed play “The History Boys”, as well as being a superb screen actor, taking out the role of Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter movies. Griffith will hopefully change the image of Mary the Maid, and also add a comic element to the play.
As Pip and others have said earlier, Rowan Atkinson (aka Mr. Bean) would have to be a perfect actor to cast in an absurdist production of the Bald Prima Donna. I would probably cast him as Mrs Smith, because he would say her dialogue very matter-of-factly with a dead pan face, which is a particular style of his acting, creating comedy.
Next I would cast Bill Nighy as Mrs Martin, in many of his screen performances, particularly in Stormbreaker, he too, like Rowan Atkinson, can deliver his lines very matter-of-factly, with a dead pan face. This would hopefully show a likeness between Mrs Smith and Mrs Martin, as in the end Mrs Martin takes Mrs Smith place.
Seeing that my first three actors I chose are all British, I think there needs to be some Australian representation in my production. Several actors from Kath and Kim come to mind. Gina Riley (Kim) would be Mr Smith, and Jane Turner (Kath) would play Mr Martin. It would be interesting to see how they interact not only with each other but also with the “typically English” actors.
Now let’s not forget Magda Szubanski. We all know of her amazing acting skills both on the screen and stage (Spelling Bee!) I think Magda would fit the part of the Firechief very well.
Well there you go. It might be hard to imagine Richard Griffiths, Rowan Atkinson, Bill Nighy, Gina Riley, Jane Turner and Magda Szubanski all in the same production, but anything’s possible in theatre of the absurd.
laters
There are so many characters in my opinion there are aloot of actors/acresses that could fit the roles of the characters in the Prima Donna. For Mr Smith i think rove live would fit right in as he would be good at all the tongue clicking and would make it extremly funny. For mrs Smith i think Barbra Srisand would fit right in as she would be the exact opposiote of an english woman.
For Mr Martin i would have to agree with pippa that Mr Bean would be the perfect actor as i can imagine him reapeating the "How extrodinary, how very amazing" line in so many ways. The best person i think to play Mrs Smith would be Goldie Horn as i think she would add to the cleaverness of the play.
As for mar i totally agree woth clair in saying that John Howard is the perfect candidate. As for the fire chief would have to be Johnny Depth as seen in Porates of the Carribean he can talk for hours about nonsence.
xx
Mmmmm…let’s see! If I was the director of the Bald Prima Donna I would choose renowned comedians who are well known in the eyes of the media and in the eyes of the public. This way it would be more comical and more absurd!
These would be the actors I would allocate to each role:
Mr. Smith- Steve Martin: because he has a very silly personality and he has the look of a typical English man. He may also be a very caring man and I pictured Mr. Smith to be like this in contrast with his wife. (Mrs. Smith pulls out a dagger) “Why are you spitting fir like that, my little roast chicken? You know I only said it for fun.”
Mrs. Smith- Glenn Close: who played the part of Cruela Deville in the movie 101 Dalmatians. I pictured Mrs. Smith to be very “two-faced”, specifically because of her random outbursts of violence! Hence Glenn Close would be suited for this role because she is good at playing evil characters. She also has “look” of an English woman.
Mr. Martin-Mike Myers: because he is good at adapting to any form of character and his comical background would make this role especially funny! He would also have the ability to make “the scene” between Mr. and Mrs. Martin (“how extraordinary…what a strange coincidence)” very funny without it being boring!
Mrs. Martin- Magda Szubanski: I would choose Magda because she is a very funny actress and I viewed Mrs. Martin as looking like her. She would also be particularly funny in the scene about meeting Mr. Martin and she would be great at absurd theatre!
Mary- Lisa Kudrow: I would allocate the role of Mary the maid to Lisa Kudrow from the American TV series Friends. She would be perfectly suited to the role because her humour is silly and impractical...which is how I pictured the maid! And this would be especially funny on the line “My real name is Sherlock Holmes!”
Fire chief- Jim Carey: I think Jim Carey would be perfect for this role because he is very exaggerated and extremely over-the-top! I pictured the fire chief to be like this because of the way he tells stories and I also saw him as having a sense of humour because of the content of his stories!
Bald Prima Donna: Carl Barron…just for a laugh!
Xx bec
Mr Martin- Chris Egan
He is a young actor and would be more funny and easier to understand due to he is young like us and we could undersatmd what he means more.
Mrs Martin-Bec Cartwright
would fit this well as she can act older and have more say in what she wants to say but it will br funny as sh will say something young and make it come out as an older person.
I think they are some interesting choices Jess. It would be particularly absurd to have younger actors play these traditionally older characters, and could make for an effective contemporary production. Thanks for your contribution!
Mr R.
I agree with Jess that it would absurd to have young, Aussie actors playing an old English couple - you could go even absurdier by casting little children or something. I also reckon Australian actors could be used effectively in the beginning when Mrs Smith is talking about the 'English' meal they just had - it would be really funny and absurd if the actors used really bogan Australian accents.
vovo and out
well...i personally dont no most of the actors everyone has put done, so im really unsure, i agree with bec quinn becasuse jim carrey would obviously be helarious no matter what he does, i randomly think will farrel would be really funny in any character but maybe the fire chief or mrs smith or martain, this is mainly because i think his really funny, ummmm i really agree with mr rutherford when he said how jess' idea about using a young cast of actors, but that made me think really young, and i also thought of how georgina mentioned twins so maybe mary-kate and ashely from full house, they were cute and funny and it would create a really different atmosphere on the stage, there my ideas so far, all these comments are really hard to live up to
MR SMITH - carl barron
carl barron is such a typical austrlian bloke that it would be completly obsurd if he played mr smith who is an english gentlemen
MRS SMITH - dame edna whatever he/shes name is
i think this would be funny because it would be completly obsurd seeing that dame edna is a cross dresser and would also cometly blow the whole idea of the english women. dame edna and carl barron as a couple would be so obsurd and something im sure no one would have ever seen before
fire cheif - well, brad pitt was the first idea that came into my head just because him in a fireoutfit but i think someone that would suit the charecter more would probabally be DONKEY from shrek. neadless to say that he is an animated donkey he talks for hours and hours and also has an ego
MRS MARTIN - "elle woods charecter" in legally blonde
so dumb and you could add a really dumb spin to her charecter when all the lines of " how extrodaniary but i have no recalection.."
MR MARTIN - harry potters uncle cant remember his name
his quite large and sorta just sits there so this could add absurdism in the whole scene with the awkrd "hmms"
very weird answers..
it'd be a good laugh to see kath and kim in there somewhere.
good australian actors with a strong accent would make it all the more funny to watch.
i like everyones ideas
so im going to put them altogether and make one single cast.
first of all
Mr. Smith - Steve Martin: his personality is outgoing and many people of many ages can still find him funny. Also i agree with bec that he has a very tipical English looking personality.
Mrs Smith - Im not to sure about his role but i think it would be hilarious to see her be a him, such as Mr Bean.
Mr Martin - Carl Barron: He is hilarious. He is someone that can keep a straight face but everyone who listens to him talking for even less then a minute cant. It would be great to see him in this.
Mrs Martin - Magda Szubansk: Judging from the play we all saw the spelling bee, i think eveyrone would have a big laugh watching her play this role. I find her hilarious of kath and kim and also able to keep her focus very well, even though she gets put as such unusual roles.
goodbye fellow classmates
hmmm i would have to say adam sandler should be in there somewhere as Mr Martin maybe
his voice just came to mind when i was remembering our drama lesson reading over the scene with him and Mrs Martin (how extraordinary... what a strange coincidence) also because he is a hilarious actor with the ability to adopt all kinds of roles.
ahhh for Mr Smith i was thinking the comedian carl barron, I dont know if thats allowed but for an aburdist play he would fit right in, especially because of his crazy and hilarious facial expressions, body language and gestures.
Owen Wilson also came to mind for either of these actors again he can adopt any role and has got to be one of the funniest actors
Kate Winslet and Renee Zellweger for either of the female roles (Mrs Martin or Smith) would be great because they both have alot of expereince acting a variety of characters and have english accents which could add to the effect.
thanks miss mac and mr rutherford
cya year 10.
emma
i would like to see a more comical version of the Bald Prima Donna as i think it will intrigue the audience more rather than thinking "great more repition." Therefore i think that it would be great to see comedians like Robin Williams play Mary the Maid and possibly Steve Martin playing Mrs Smith i also like Brit's idea of Elle Woods i would place her into the postion of Mr Smith.
After all it is absurd.
ooohhhh i like this question... now there are endless possibilities but i would have to say Rowan Atkinson would have to be in there somewhere i agree with pippa. hahah very nice. yes he is such a good comedian and he fits in so well with the absurdist theatre scene. i would have to put Lucille Ball as either Mrs Martin or Mrs Smith because she has great physicality and facial expressions.
Jim Carry HAHAHAHAHHAHAH just imagine the one liners hahah he would be great as the fire Chief. hahah
I'm not sure if this name is correct but Lisa Kudrow like she is in"friends" i think she is great especially when she does the "smelly Cat" hahah she just strikes me as a maid.
Will Farrell need i say more.. "Anchorman" OMG FUNNIEST MOVIE EVER he would be good Mr Martin or Mr Smith or even the fire chief. i mainly went through the list of comedians in my head only becuase i thought this sort pf play would need some funny faces and i wouls also have a lot of fun on set with these actors.. hahaha sooooo many jokes.. heheh
chio
okay i think it would be good to cast a lot of comdey actors for the bald prima donna because its an absurdist play and they would all bring their unique comedic styles together to produce such a funny and entertaining production.
Mrs Smith-i think gina riley (from kath&kim) would be good because she discusses things in an interesting and funny way, just like her character as kath in kath and kim.it would be interesting to see a typical australian woman in this play.
Mr Smith- i would cast maybe Johnny Depp because he is really talented with the the way he says things and interprets dialogue and i think he would be able to make simple things much funnier.
Mrs Martin-I'd love to see the lady from legally blonde who works in the nail salon Jeniffer Coolidge. Because she can act so vague and naive just like Mrs Matins character.
Mr Martin-Jim Carey would be good as he is good at physicality and facial expressions and he could tell Mr Martins stories really well.
Mary the Maid- i would like to see Magda Szubanski because the way she carries herself on stage and he comdey style is very unique and entertaining.
Fire Chief- either Carl Barron or Adam Sandler because of their funny voices and their ability to be able to tell stories and make everyone interested in what they talk about.
Anna xx
i think an entirely female cast would be really interesting. It would enhance the effect of the character and the constrants that don't exsist. It would just be wild to see that.
Mrs smith- Rosanne Barr.... like how funny would that be
Mr Smith- sooki from gilmore girls, im not sure what that actors name is but she would bring something special to mr smith.
Mrs Martion- Amanda Bynes, her experience in impromtu would make this really interesting.
Mr Martin- Keira Knightly
Fireman- Ellen Degeneres... lesbian fireman, i think so.
Maid- if marilyn monroe was alive this would be hers!
Ok, this is a hard one...
Mr. Smith:
i would probably say Jeremy Stanford for this role. He has done a lot of theatre work in the past and can definitley play a diverse range of characters. he would be good at playing Mr Smith because he would be able to make the most interesting event or object seem totally commonplace and boring.
Mr Martin:
Maybe Terrence Stamp. He's English, he's polite and he is the best fit for the appearence of Mr Matin in my mind. Although hes a lot older then Jeremy, we could just draw some wrinkles on him to match up with Terrence. Terrence is also a fantastic actor with extraordinary and amazing focus. this would be usuful to him in the silences, adn the repititoin of the lines in the play.
Mrs. Smith:
Helen Bonham Cater would be great in this role. She can play anyone from Anne Boleyn to Bellatrix Lestrang. She has tallent coming out of her ears, and i just think she would do a goos job next to Jeremy.
Mrs.Martin:
Sally Field. I love Sally Field she's probably one of my favorite actors. She can play anyone she wants. I dont really need to explain.
Mary:
Genevieve Lemon. she would be good at this because she can be funny, and is a really talented actor. i think she'd do a good job at confusing the audience about the Martins.
Fire-Chief:
Benny Hill. this man is just simply funny. he could really turn his stories into a good laugh. he would also look pretty funny in a fireman suit.
I think these people would do pretty well at these roles. What does anyone else think??
I'd probably choose actors who don't really care what other people think. Thats sounds pretty bad, but since the play is packed with non-sequiturs it gives me the impression that the characters don't really care what the other people are saying. They need to be almost arrogant or rude to get these parts as they picture themselves higher or more important than others because they don't listen to what anyone else has to say.
Mr Smith: Sorry for all the Tom Cruise fans but i think that he would make a respectable mr smith. In an interview with one of the reporters from aca i got the impression that he was a little rude and protective.
Mrs Smith: Lindsay Lohan. This girl just doesn't learn from her mistakes. I'm sure many people e.g. her family have talked her issues over with her, but it doesn't seem to get through. This is the same as all the non-sequiturs in the play; people say things and it doesn't register.
Mrs Martin: Helen Mirren. Don't like this woman at all. When she received the oscar for her role as the queen she made some really arrogant comment about how it was no suprise that she won this award.
Mr Martin: Michael Jackson. Had a brief actor career and like Paris and Lindsay, needs to think a little before he acts. He seems to some up "absurdism"
Mary: Paris Hilton. The same reasons as lindsay lohan
Fire Chief: Even though Anthony Mundine doesn't act (although he was on Big brother) i would say that he would make a good fire chief. I wouldn't give him one of the bigger roles as he lacks a little intellectually. Who licks their contact lense honestly!!!
These choices are a little strange but i think it would make us laugh (at them, not with them)
Ashleigh,
I loved your choices and justification for Mr and Mrs Smith. Very clever! A stint in theatre might just give Lindsay the career boost she needs, haha.
Mr R.
Thgere are heaps of really good ideas here, i especially like the carl barron, kath and kim and micheal jackson ones.
well i'm going to take other people's ideas and include rowan atkinson becasue he is the typical english man and he would bring so much laughter to the play.. but to be absurd i would cast him as a woman and have him play either Mrs Martin or Mrs Smith just for fun. also, becasue i'm watching thank God You're here at the moment and i couldn't think of anyone else, i would cast Hamish as the other female role (skull, skull, skull, haha). anyway.. this is becasue he's so funny and i think could play an english woman really well and get the whole absurd thing across. Also, i would get women to play the male charcaters to emphasise the absurdity of the Bald Prima Donna. i think Magda Subanski would play an old fat english man rather well and yeah going to take georgia's idea and say kath from kath and kim becasue she is the complete opposite of an english woman and this adds to the absurdism!!!
This is hard! Everyone has had great ideas so far.
For Mrs Smith I would have Britney Spears. Everyone knows how absurd her life has been at the moment and so I think she would be great. Both she, and Mrs Smith are seen as a little shallow, especially when Mrs Smith says that when you hear a door bell ring there is nobody there.
For Mr Smith I would have Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Carribean style just because he is not the typical person for the role and so it would be interesting. And Britney Spears could also use his sword to try and stab him!
For Mr Martin I would have Santa Claus. Random and absurd? Thats the point!
I love Tatters idea about Whoopie Goldberg being Mrs Martin but I would get her to act out the character with a more funny but absurd touch.
For Mary the Maid I would have Renee Zellweger but I would get her to act it out with a Briget Jones Diary style.
For the Fire Chief I would have John Heder (the guy who plays Napoleon Dynamite) because I found this character so random and absurd. He asks if the Smiths have a fire in their house. First of all you would know if you did and you have to call the Fire Brigage, they don't come to you. I also think John Heder would be a great Fire Chief as the random meaningless stories he tells would be hilarious if acted out with Napoleon Dynamite style actions and voice.
And by the way Claires comment about the John Howard being the maid was hilarious!
I really like everyone’s ideas so far.I think if I was to direct The Bald Prima Donna, I would cast:
Mr Smith: I would have to say as well Rowan Atkinson because he is simply just weird and absurd. He is just really funny to watch. In Mr Bean, Rowan does not speak a lot and he is still interesting to watch, which is why he would be good for this role because he was still be funny through the silences.
Mrs Smith: Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall from Harry Potter) because she plays an uptight English teacher in Harry Potter, and Mrs Smith seems to be a bit of the same.
Mr Martin: Johnny Depp because he is a bit vague and I think that he would suit this play because when I read it, I pictured the characters being vague and unclear on what they were trying to say. He has also played many weird characters so I think he would suit this very well.
Mrs Martin: Nicole Kidman because she is great at adapting to any role and I think that she would be good during the ‘recognition’ scene.
Mary: Magda Szubanski because I can really imagine her saying some of the lines that Mary said in the play, like, “My real name is Sherlock Holmes” and running off the stage. She is a fantastic actor and I think she could really take on the role as Mary very well.
Fire Chief: Probably Bec Flynn cause she was hilarious when she acted this part out in class and I can’t really think of anyone at the moment who would suit it more than her.
well, i would try and make each character as absurd as possible
or mix and match odd characters.
I think it would be great fun casting and seeing the auditions!
well...
I was thinking maybe Dave Hughes would play Mr Smith because he is so loud and out of place - considering the setting and the era. He is bound to get a good laugh with his screams and odd facial expressions! (including the speedyness and running out of breath!)
And then for Mrs Smith i was thinking of casting the lady who plays Lucy in the program 'I Love Lucy'. She is quite a character (funny, a tad crazy at times - yet she looks quite ordinary) and although she fits the era and setting, she is completely in contrast with Dave. That would be a great combination I think!
Like they say, opposites attract!
Well i definately agree with many people here in saying the Rowan Atkinson (mr bean) would be the best to cast for the fire chief!
He plays Mr Bean so well and with his very odd mannerisms and contrasting thoughts and ideas he would match up quite well with the character of the fire chief.
As for Mr and Mrs Matin I would say ( agreeing with Georgie's ideas) that they should be identical twins!! haha 'i beg your pardon madam but it seems to me, if im not mistaken, that ive met u somewhere before' - look in the mirror!! Well you could cast both girl twins or both boy twins! I dont have any actors in mind but i think I would lean a little closer to the boy twins.
And finally the maid, Mary. Well i thought Lisa Kudrow would be a GREAT one! she is such a good actress and can loook so confused and out of it! But i also think Queen Latifah (thx Goldie) would be great fun as well! haha i could just see her coming on stage and she could even have (and i dont mean this at all in a racist way) but she could have a african american attitude. like 'dont mess with me' 'hmmm'. lol
really a good mixture of actors and actresses here but togeter i think they would create a really hilarious absurdist play!!
p.s. i had to make a new account because i forgot my passowrd...
i was nicky_ferendinos in the first two blogs and i shall now be nicola_ferendinos...
sorry
okie dokie
actors hmmmmm this is kinda hard OMG i just had an idea
for
Mrs Martin - lauren graehem i think her name is...lorelai from gilmore girls:) hehe shes totally hilarious, random and she would definately fit the character of mrs smith as she could show that she isnt really with it and completely random:)
the firefighter - hahahahaah totally random BUT alf from homeandawway i do not know where they came from but it would be fun fun funnny becoz if you watch h&a hes random and weird and he would play a great firefighter hehe
Mr martin - tom cruise because well no offence to anyone but i find him extremely boring haha so yeh thats why lol
Mr Smith - i rekon freddie prince jr haha i think he could act that part well, well i hope so anyway:)
Mrs Smith - uma thurman hehe shes a hilarious actress and i think she would play the part extremely well :) GO UMA GO
the maid - definately amanda bynes she is hilarious completely random and yeh go watch her movies and you'd seeee why and i can imagine amanda running around singing "caught fire" "caught fire"
if i was the director of the bald prima donna i would put the whole highschool musical cast in it and have them randomly break out into song and dance at moments in the play.
i just think it would be funny to play the characters polite and constrictive "english" mannerisms contained while perhaps doing a (i like to say 'burlesque', but i dont think thats appropriate) type of dance. if this type of dance is unsatisfactory then how about we put them in a ballerina outfit, prancing around the stage while keeping a straight face. however that may be altering the script and i dont know if im allowed to do that.
i would have aspects of the play where characters double up, and objects are physicalised by the actors. i would also have times of the play where there would only be two actors playing, perhaps, 4 characters.
i would do this simply to explore the effects of empty (negative) space and filled (positive) space. i wont go through the play naming which character should be played by who, because i would make it that while on stage, actors would switch roles of the characters.
"Imagine you have been asked to direct your own production of The Bald Prima Donna. Who would you cast as each character? Consider actors whose work you are familiar with, and why they would be suitable for these particular roles."
It's be great if Chris Lilley did a version of the Bald Prima Donna. He could play all the characters. Mr G could be the maid, Jonah could be Mr Smith, Ja'mie could be Mrs Smith and Mrs Martin, Ricky Wong could be Mr Martin and Daniel Sims could be the fire chief.
I'm sure it would be incredibly confusing and hard for Chris Lilley to act..But it's be hilarious too.
Bec
i would love to direct the roduction of the bald primma donna, not only would it be fun and hilarious, but you could do so much with it!
i would love to cast Rown Atkinson also known as Mr bean as Mr Martain, as although the lines of dialoge are hilarious, he would bring a natural energy and funniness to the production!
His facial expression would be tremendous and would be so good to work with such a talented man!
xx
i would love to direct the roduction of the bald primma donna, not only would it be fun and hilarious, but you could do so much with it!
i would love to cast Rown Atkinson also known as Mr bean as Mr Martain, as although the lines of dialoge are hilarious, he would bring a natural energy and funniness to the production!
His facial expression would be tremendous and would be so good to work with such a talented man!
xx
this would be really interesting..
personally i would put Chris rock in as Mr.Martin and i think Carl Barron would make a really interesting fire cheif, as he is quite abusrd in himself.
haha this is a good question. personally i would like to see some comical characters in there to throw it all around and have a few laughs. so i would put kath and kim in there. i think that they would pull off the fire cheif and mary roll quite well. I would also put Paris Hilton in there jsut to see how she goes in a real absurd and illogical play. Because it is absurd.
hi all =]
ok lets seee
Mrs Smith - bree from desperate housewives because i think she would be funny to see very poised and english and then have a random act of violence.
Mr Smith - Robbie from everybody loves Raymond because i imagine Mr Smith as rather slow and big and a little dopey and unaware of his wifes existence.
Maid - Anne Hathaway because i could see her playing a maid who deep down inside knows more than she should or will admit to knowing.
Mr Martin - Eddie Murphy because i think he'd be funny to watch playing a slow long line such as the how "extradinary scene".
Mrs Martin - I would say genuiiine...because its her name also. But when it comes to suiting the part i think maybe Kirsty Alley because i think she could bring a different aspect to the rather odd character of Mrs Martin.
The clock - i would really want to be played by one person and one person only (rather than actually having a clock) and that is Jim Carrey...need i say anymore?
The fireman - i have to agree with riarne and go with John Heder...Napoleon Dynamite would certainly be an entertaining way to play this character.
i just had an idea while looking over this 4 my essay...how about will smith as mr smith? or even mrs smith haha ... for obvious reasons...(ie last name lol)
Fireman: a man off The Bachelor, who thinks he's hot stuff!
Maid: Jim Carry (but in girl version)
Mr Smith: Karl Barren.. the comedian.
Mrs Smith: kim from Kath and Kim.
Mr Martin: Adam Sandler
Mrs Martin: Reese Witherspoon
Also now im going to try and match the characters to Brigidine!
Fireman: Rebecca Flynn
Maid: Emma McRobie
Mr Smith: Taylor Marshell
Mrs Smith: Dani Ashworth
Mr Martin: Kate TG
Mrs Martin: Hannah Goddard
what a brilliant question
i would definatley pick the two most absurd people I know as Mr& Mrs Smith
and they would be DiAnna McDonald and Mark Rutherford
yep they are definatley insane.
Haha ok seriously, I was just reading Pip's comment abotu Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) I reckon he would bd really good as Mr Smith, he has that English look about him.
Did anyone ever watch The Vicar of Dibley? Well I am thinking of Alice off that show to be Mary the Maid.
And then for Mrs Smith, not sure about that one, I cannot think of an actress REALLY suitable to her.
I imagine Mr Martin with a really thick light brown moustache, haha are there any of actors like that? oh no wait.. remember the guy off Sabrina the Teenage witch, the school principal, I reckon he is a good Mr Smith, and then Sabrina's eldest Aunty Helda as Mrs Martin.
Ok brilliant theres another question done
and if Mr Rah Rah is reading this...
we miss you heaps!
come back!
okay so if i was going to direct my own production of the bald prima donna.. well after reading some of the other comments, i'd have to say that i love the idea of having a man play a woman's role, especially the idea of Rowan Atkinson playing Mary the maid. After seeing him as Mr Bean, everyone knows that he would bring alot of character to the role.. i think he could do it so well and it would be hilarious seeing him in a frilly apron.
For the fire chief i was thinking someone really big and bulky, who would come across as really stupid, like Arnold Schwarzenegger because he has been in alot of movies as well playing a fair range of characters; father to terminator etc. and he is experienced so i'm sure he could handle the role.
For the Martins and the Smiths, i love the idea of making a political statement but i do agree with the fact that there is probably no way on the planet that any politician would agree to that, but if anything was possible then hey..
maybe for the men people like Johnny Depp, Mike Myers, Jack Nickolson or Adam Sandler. I think that any of these men would be really good for the roles; as i have already mentioned before, that they are experienced in a range of different roles, but i thought i might throw in an older, extreamly accomplished actor (Jack Nickolson) just for some variation, i love his comedic stance but also he could bring alot of emotion and depth to the role. For the women i love the idea of getting kath and kim up there but also for a non-comedic role Cate Blanchett or Charlize Theron could be great
Ohh wow directing The Bold Prima Donna that’s tricky but I would have to say-
Mrs Smith- Kim (from Kath and Kim) because she would be hilarious and well suited to this role.
Mr Smith- I like how Bre thought that Hugh Laurie would play Mr Smiths part as he would be laid back reading the newspaper and have clever witty comments.
Mrs Martin- Kath (from Kath and Kim) also because she would be hilarious and well suited to the role.
Mr Martin- I like how Bec Quinn thought that Mike Myers should play this role and yet again it would be funny to watch and be entertaining.
Maid- Jim Carry, once again due to the comedian style.
Firechief- Carl Barren, comedian.
I chose this type of cast due to the fact that the play is quite boring as nothing much happens and with having comedians playing the roles would make the play interesting to watch .
Imagine you have been asked to direct your own production of The Bald Prima Donna. Who would you cast as each character? Consider actors whose work you are familiar with, and why they would be suitable for these particular roles.
Mr and Mrs Martin: Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand play a married couple in Meet the Fockers. Together they are perfect, very quirky and outrageous. I think they would do a brilliant job acting Mr and Mrs Martin, especially in the train scene.
Mr and Mrs Smith: Mathew Perry and Uma Thurman. I think seeing Mathew and Uma work alongside each other would be interesting. Mathew has a more casual acting style whereas Uma has a more serious acting style. Put them together and it could be very absurdist.
The Fire Chief: Adam Sandler, again an actor with great acting skills and presence. Adam Sandler would be suitable for the part because he has always played a random kinda guy in his movies, so as the walk on fire chief I think he’d do a great job.
The Maid: Owen Wilson is such a comedic actor with great acting skills. The maid, obviously that is a female role I think it would be very absurdist to be played by a male.
Mr Martin: I would definitely have to go with Hugh Laurie. I know he’s already been said as mr smith but I would put him as mr martin just coz I could see him fit perfectly in the whole how very extraordinary and what a strange coincidence conversation. I would have to cast him as how he used to act in blackadder though, not as his house sort of character, and he’d definitely have to keep the English accent for it, not the fake American one. I was actually thinking of him before I read any of the other blogs and I thought my idea was very original until I got to bre’s. So disappointed.
Mrs Martin: For this role I’d have to put Tim McInnerny dressed as a woman. He’s another guy off blackadder who used to do a lot of work alongside Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Laurie. I think he and Hugh together would make the very extraordinary scene hilarious.
Mr & Mrs Smith: I think for these two I would repeat mr & mrs martin’s actors again. This would add an absurd twist to the casting and since the two couples are pretty much repeats of each other I think it could work.
Fire chief: I can’t go past Rowan Atkinson for this role. I know everyone else has said it but he just fits so perfectly that I can’t come up with anyone else.
Maid: I would cast Miranda Richardson in this role. She played Rita Skeeter, the journalist, in Harry Potter. I think she would be great at this role coz she’s a really good English actress and she has that sort of quirky sense of humour.
!I would pick commedians for my characters, because in my oppinion, if someone boring were to act out the script, you'd fall asleep. Commedians would give the random and illogical dialogue a funny spin. I would cast Dylan Moran (Bernard Black off black books) as my Mr. Martin, because 1. he is always drunk and it would be funny to watch the scene where he doesn't remember his own wife. it could be said that he is too drunk to remember. I agree with Katarina, Steve Martin would play a great Mr. Smith because he is quirky and funny ina subtle, old man kind of way. For Mrs. Smith I would have to say Judith Lucy. Her tone is so sardonic and sarcastic that every time i hear her say something minutely funny i cant contain my laughter. She would be illogical as an ordinary english person, being an australian commedian, but thats the brilliance, its so weird, its perfect. For Mrs. Martin, I would have to say Dame Edna. She/he is great at acting like a lady, and she/he's already so absurd she was born to play it!
For the fire chief, Peter Hellier (rove live). It would be a battle of the comedians to try and out wit each other. It would be very interesting to see in my oppinion. And lastly but definately not leastly, for the maid, the answer is, pork. kidding! but seriously, i think, for the maid, Tamsin Greig. Another Black Books actress, she is laidback, calm, yet slightly insane. I dont think ive ever seen her act a part that doesnt involve wine. She would be hilarious as the maid, because she would be so out of place. This is how i would cast my play. Gonna do my essay now. bye!
Hmmmm directing me own production of the Bold Prima Donna.
What a fantastic idea.
But what a hard question.
Okay well the characters that need to be posted would be -
Mrs Smith
Mr Smith
Mrs Martin
Mr Martin
The Maid
FireChief.
Mrs Smith - i would cast this as Marcia Cross. When Mrs Smith was first introduced into the play, my immediate thought of her was a perfect housewive, and as marcia has proved in her work in desperate housewives as an excellent perfect housewife, she would play this role excellently.
Mr Smith - Pierce Brosnan, quite a good looking guy for someone his age if thats acceptable to say. He also always seems very calm and collected which was my impression of Mr. Smith, as well as someone who might be slightly older. A good adition i would say.
Mrs. Martin - this one was more tricky, but i've chosen Julia Stiles, this is an actress who plays roles quite well that often have a more tempermental and sort of sulky temperemnt at times, and her face is one that is quite non-expressional, but still a great actress.
Mr. Martin - i choose matt damon for this role, a bit different i know, but he is someone who again is not a very expressional actor, as you see him in all the bourne movies, he doesn't even flinch when his lover is killed. so again my choice
The Maid - i'm casting as Rove Mcmanus, a bit odd i guess you could say. But i think he would add a different dimension to the performance.
The Fire Chief - who else but Tom Cruise, my fire chief as a top gun Maverick still actor and performer and so i have cast him for the role.
Very different group of people. Imagine the budget you would need to hire all these people to work for you. But it could be quite successful.
Enjoy it.
if i was asked to direct my own production of The Bald Prima Donna i would you cast...
Mr. Smith-billy connolly -because he is a good actor and comedian and he is irish so contrasting "we are english"
Mrs. smith-Magna szubanski -because is humerous and seems to br random at times and talks alot.
mr. martin-a young boy-because it wouldnt make any sence to be married at an age like this.
Mrs. Martin-robin williams -because of Mrs. Doubtfire and humerous
Mary the maid-chris lilley -because he plays a good girl as j'amie in we can be heors (i suggest you youtube it or hope you watched it)
The fire chief- glen robbins (kell off kath and kim) -for he thinks he is hot stuff, and humerous
The clock- Rowan Atkinson (mr.bean) -because he is verry vague.
30.8.07
this is an intersting question..
umm okay.i agree with danielle that chris lilley would be an excellent character to usehowever i think it wuld be interesting putting him as mrs smith.He is experienced with acting like an elderly women from we can be heroes and can pull off any act.
mr smith- mr bean i rekon he wuld be hilarious to watch. he doesn need to speak to be laughed at as his mannerisms are so clever and absurd in their own little way.
Mrs martin- meredith from greys anatomy. her character is so open yet so mysterious at the time i think her character as well as dereks character as mr martin wuld be interesting seein them perform in their own individual way yet the theme line of " do i really know u" applies in both story lines.
Imagine you have been asked to direct your own production of The Bald Prima Donna. Who would you cast as each character? Consider actors whose work you are familiar with, and why they would be suitable for these particular roles.
If I were asked to direct my own production of the Bald Prima Donna, I would cast Bette Midler in the role of Mrs Smith, as she is slightly eccentric, but is able to be serious and ‘house-wifey’ in a way that is absolutely hilarious. I decided to use her based on her performance as Bobbi Markowitz in the movie “Stepford Wives” and also her portrayal of Brenda in the movie “First Wives Club”. She was very funny in both of these films, and I think it would be even funnier to see her in The Bald Prima Donna playing Mrs Smith, because this character has some random, but entertaining lines and actions, and I think Bette Midler would do it well.
As Mr. Smith, I would cast Barney the purple dinosaur. As a child I loved watching Barney, singing his “I love you, you love me, we’re a great big family” song, and it would be entertaining to see him (meaning, the actor inside the barney suit) playing a “serious” character, like Mr. Smith.
I would cast John Heder as the Mr. Martin, based on his performance in “Napoleon Dynamite”, this is because when I read his first lines, and saw that he spoke in a monotonous way, I thought of Napoleon, and pictured Mr. Smith as a major nerd-type, boring and plain, but comical at the same time.
As Mrs. Martin, I would cast Anna Faris. She is entertaining in Scary Movie 1-4, and also in “Just Friends”, and she often plays a dumb or vague character. This is why I would use her for Mrs. Martin, because Mrs. Martin seems to be quite a dull, vague character, not knowing who her husband is, for example.
In the role of Mary the Maid, I would have Will Ferrel, based on his portrayal of Buddy in “Elf”. This is not because of the characters resemblance to Mary; they couldn’t be more different. I chose him because he has maid some funny movies, and I think it would be good to see him in a female role, and what he would do with the role of Mary.
I know this has been said before, but I too would use Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) as the fire chief, because as a human being and an actor, he is a comical genius, and I believe the fire chief, though a small role, is a comical one that requires a talented comedian, such as Rowan Atkinson to play it.
My choices for these characters are quite diverse, yet I think together these actors and actresses would put together a very entertaining show of ‘The Bald Prima Donna’.
Ellie,
Yes, I'm still reading all your responses! Loving them. I think Miss Mac and I would make a torrid twosome in a Theatre of the Absurd performance. Can you imagine?!!
Mr (Not-Mark) R. ;)
well.. im reallllly bad with names so most of the actors people have chosen i dont really know who they are..
but i reallyyy agree with pip for jeffory rush (the mr bean guy) as he is the most awkward and weird man who would play an excellent part for mr martin in the 'very extraodinary' scene.
i also think jim carrey would be a great part for mr smith as he looks the same as how i picture mr smith in true life- tall, skinny, and random. haha
i cant really think of any women who i can picture being a part in the play...
"Imagine you have been asked to direct your own production of The Bald Prima Donna. Who would you cast as each character? Consider actors whose work you are familiar with, and why they would be suitable for these particular roles."
Mr smith: for some reason i think he should be asain only because theyre speaking in english accents and it would be funny and random and everyone loves an asain :)
sorry i'll do the rest tomorrow night gotta leave urgent ha
-alex
wow i think everyone has had such great ideas for their own casts and i think mosth of these castings would be the most absurd and hilarious thing ever!
..but after john cleese's bizarre and often crazed performances in faulty towers i can somehow just imaging him really playing up the whole english idea at the beginning but then by then end being absolutely crazy and joining the train procession on stage so i think he would score a role as Mr Smith.
and not sure if anyone has already mentioned it but i think the actress who play Professor Umbridge in harry Potter would be brilliant as Mrs Smith because she could also play up the English hidea at the beginning and i think she would be perfect for performing sone random acts of violence aswell as involving herself in the mayhem near the end of the play.
i am unsure who to cast as the Martin's in my version of the Bald Prima Donna but i definitely think it could be two very perculiar and subdued characters so possibly Maggie Smith for Mrs Martin and bill Neighy (not sure how to spell it but from love actually) for Mr Smith.
for the fire chief i agree with many people who have suggested Rowan Atkinson ...and to top of the cast i would cast Dame Edna as the maid just for a bit of English glamour and a laugh!
When i published this it obviously didn't work sooo here i go again!
Mrs Smith - I would have Marcia Cross as Mrs Smith because I think she is such a clean, perfect woman and she is almost boring in the sense of her perfection and i can imagine her reflecting on her day to her shallow husband.
Mr Smith - I would use Mr Bean. He is the complete opposite to Marcia Cross so i think this could be interesting as a married couple, and he is also so absurd and hilarious.
Mrs Martin - I would use Kim off Kath and Kim (sorry i cant remember her real name..) but actually acting it as her character Kim because she is so self obsessed does not relate to this character in any way which i think would be clever.
Umm Fire Chief - I would definetly use Jim Carrey. He is the funniest actor and he is so strong and physical when he explains things so I think with the monotonous stories he would have to tell he would perform them hilariously.
Maid - Yep i know everyone has said it but Magda Szubanski would be so good for this role, she is a really good actress and can you imagine her as a maid?
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