jamesanthony
10-30-2004, 12:25 PM
It just occurred to me that a lot of the older shows that I enjoy seeing had actors in them who had extensive experience on stage and especially in musicals, therefore they were able to take their acting jobs in sitcoms to a whole other level. Norman Lear cast most of his shows with these types of people so did the people who did Soap, Golden Girls, Different World and a bunch of others. Dick Van Dyke was this type of performer, his sense of timing clearly came from a theatre background. These types of actors can make even mediocre to poorly written material entertaining. I'm thinking of an episode of Good Times when Robert Guillaime shows up as a wino character named Fishbone who fakes his own funeral. The writing was awful, but Guillaime was very entertaining in the show regardless. The same is true of the Jeffersons actors after that show had been on the air way past its prime.
Who are some actors in current sitcoms who have theatrical backgrounds especially musical theater and what do you all think of these people's performances in their series? I would NOT include pop or rap video performers because a singer who makes a video can stop and reshoot the scene, a stage performer has to go out on stage and belt or perform and there is no room to edit or reshoot a flub.
Who are some actors in current sitcoms who have theatrical backgrounds especially musical theater and what do you all think of these people's performances in their series? I would NOT include pop or rap video performers because a singer who makes a video can stop and reshoot the scene, a stage performer has to go out on stage and belt or perform and there is no room to edit or reshoot a flub.