How Many Ushers Should Be on Broadway?

Let me pause to take a break from my normal stream of hypo-hetero posts to talk about one of my not so secret loves. The theatre.

R+B star Usher is set to take on the role of Billy Flynn in the current Broadway revival of Chicago. Billy Flynn has been played by a cacaphony of celebrities and not-so-celebrities including Richard Gere, Wayne Brady, George Hamilton, and dare I mention the late, great Jerry Orbach (of later Law & Order fame). Usher may suprise me, but from what I understand his acting chops aren't Broadway caliber.

In the business this is referred to as "stunt casting". When a producer wants to get attention for a particular show, they will often cast a someone of LA-style or minor TV celebrity in a role. Sometimes this proves successful (American Idol's Diana DeGarmo is heard to be an excellent Penny in Hairspray) other times lukewarm (Julia Roberts' mumbling performance in Three Days of Rain), and more often than not a complete failure (Alec Baldwin in anything).

Basically, I applaud any strategy that will sell tickets to live theatre. However, I personally know about 100 actors who are more qualified for the role than Usher Raymond. We'll have to sit back and wait for the inevitable reviews.

(Since I don't want Usher's abs all up in this blog, I've found a picture of him with a hot girl. Enjoy and proceed as usual.)