I'm going to take a slightly different direction today to riff on two Broadway actresses who seem to take a lot of the same roles, even though in my mind they're totally different. The two ladies are Rebecca Luker and Laura Benanti. (Gosh, I just realized that if Luker were to go by Becca or Becky, their initials are inverse of each other!)
Now, Benanti replaced Luker as Maria in "The Sound of Music" on Broadway, and Luker was just named to replace Benanti as Claudia in "Nine" on Broadway (which, as an aside, can you believe that they're talking to Jenna Elfman to replace Jane Krakowski?!?) They've also both tackled the same role in "Wonderful Town" -- Luker in a studio recording, Benanti at "Encores!"
Now, I think Benanti is a wonderful actress with a beautiful voice. Luker, however, in my opinion, can't act her way out of a paper bag. Granted, the last show she was in on Broadway was that terrible revival of "The Music Man," but still...
Benanti was born in 1979. Luker does not reveal her age but is old enough to have two ex-husbands. Luker is blonde. Benanti is brunette.
They're just so different. So why do their CV's keep overlapping like this? I assume it's just a conspiracy to piss me off.
Posted by Jon at August 13, 2003 03:10 PM | TrackBackTheir voice types are so similar. They're both lyric sopranos. Luker, however, was trained in opera while in school at the University of Montevallo. There is a huge difference in age (Benanti is 23 and Luker is 42) but Luker's stage looks are still capable of being that of a 20 year old. As for Luker's acting...she's phenomenol. There's no way that a musical theatre actress would last so long in NY if she didn't have the talent to go alond with it. As a reminder...She was Sarah Brightman's understudy in Phantom (where she later took over the role), she originated the role of Lily in Secret Garden, received Tony noms for Showboat and Music Man, and followed Mary Martin and Julie Andrews in the ever-so-popular role of Maria in Sound of Music. I think you may have been too critical on her. Maybe you aren't totally impressed with her work, but like I said before someone is. The proof is her steady work on Broadway and in prestigious theatre venues since 1987.
Posted by: J at November 11, 2003 08:53 PMI agree with J. I love both Laura and Rebecca BUT Rebecca is my personal favorite. I think Laura will grow more and more as an actress the older she gets. I had the privelege to see both Laura and Rebecca in NINE. I never even noticed Laura on stage until her number (Unusual Way) at the start of Act II. However, I was drawn to Rebecca from her first entrance until her last. So, in closing, I do feel that Jon was a little tough on Rebecca. If she wasn't Broadway caliber she wouldn't be able to work in NYC...especially for almost 10 years.