Cameron Dallas as Aaron Samuels in “Mean Girls: The Musical”
I remember when his casting was announced after the previous actor, Kyle Selig, took an LOA. It caused controversy within the theater world, as he is not an actor, singer or dancer, yet he was cast over actual Broadway trained thespians who went for the role. Instead they cast a social media influencer.
My first thought was “since when does Broadway/theater do stunt casting?” and it was known he was only cast because he has a massive following and they thought his casting would bring in new young people to see the show who may have not been interested prior. He was terrible. Reviews and fans tore him apart. Supposedly his fellow cast mates resented him a bit, and the ones who had to act/sing opposite of him hated it. He would forget lines, miss steps and never once hit a note correctly.
Thank God Covid came and stopped the show from its new misery. A bunch of videos were all over YouTube but have since been scrubbed off the internet. It’s hard to find now.
But seriously, has there ever been stunt casting in Broadway before this?
| by Anonymous | reply 10 | August 24, 2021 11:06 PM
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R2 she’s an actual pop star though and can dance.
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | August 24, 2021 9:55 PM
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Carly has a very thin, soft voice and small range but she does well within her small range, and she has a pretty voice. She also can dance. She worked hard to achieve success.
Cameron Dallas became famous off of Vine videos. You can’t compare.
I liked Carly in Grease Live!
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | August 24, 2021 9:58 PM
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Broadway musicals are known to occasionally cast celebrities (typically from the areas of television, film, or pop music) with little theatre experience. Celebrities are often cast for short engagements of a few months, with the hope that the draw of a recognizable name will boost ticket sales and extend the lifetime of a show's run. Producers Barry and Fran Weissler are said to have pioneered the trend, beginning in the mid-1990s with their 1994 revival of Grease. The role of Betty Rizzo was originally played by Rosie O'Donnell (then best known as an actor on television and in film), and during the production's four-year run, was played by a series of celebrities including Debby Boone, Sheena Easton, Joely Fisher, Debbie Gibson, Linda Blair, and Brooke Shields.[3] The Weisslers' revival of Chicago which began in 1996 has been especially noted for its casting of celebrities, such as Melanie Griffith, Wendy Williams, and Jerry Springer, with commentators pointing to this as a reason for the show's extreme longevity (still running as of 2019, it is the second longest running show in Broadway history after Phantom of the Opera).[4][5]
In an interview, Barry Weissler attributed the success of stunt casting to its effectiveness with tourists visiting New York City who are less influenced by reviews and more interested in seeing "a star that they know". For this reason, celebrity casting is especially prevalent during the summer, due to the higher volume of tourists.[4]
Watch a very believable high schooler portrayal:
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | August 24, 2021 9:59 PM
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Saw this and loved it! Ate too much at Junior's beforehand which I would not recommend though...
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | August 24, 2021 10:02 PM
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R7 you saw it with Cameron???
| by Anonymous | reply 8 | August 24, 2021 10:08 PM
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“According to Broadway.com, Dallas’ run in Mean Girls ends on Feb. 9. That still gives you plenty of time to see him on Broadway—even if you plan to just laugh at his performance”
Ouch.
| by Anonymous | reply 9 | August 24, 2021 10:08 PM
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He can't sing but he can sure give a hummer.
| by Anonymous | reply 10 | August 24, 2021 11:06 PM
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