Sorry, Miuccia Prada Does Not Clothe Extras!

Miuccia Prada, the Italian fashion designer who turned Prada and Miu Miu into fashion powerhouses, is assigned to work on costumes for the Metropolitan Opera's upcoming spring production of "Attila" by Giuseppe Verdi.

But when she met the extras cast for the non-singing parts, she groaned at them and said, "I cannot clothe them! I need models!"


Poor extras. They will never be good enough for Miuccia Prada so they are being replaced. According to the opera company, the casting "is at the discretion of the creative team. Due to a change in concept, the Met is in the process of recasting" some of the extras.

The way it shows, the production is giving more importance to Prada's clothes and not to the actors who are supposed to give life to the story.

The non-singing extras (or supernumeraries, in theatrical terms) are women who have been cast months ago and have been probably preparing for their roles for quiet some time already.

One bad day, Miuccia Prada comes to visit Manhattan and when she takes a glance on the women extras, she realizes she hates their curvy figures. The extras are instantly deemed inappropriate - for the clothes, not for the roles.

Met is now reported to be hunting for models in an effort to recast some of the extras.

For all the drama, an observing source could only said, "Employing models is ridiculous. Being a supernumerary is about how you move, not how you look."

Casting Choice Dismays Blind And Deaf Actors

Casting choice for the role of Helen Keller in the Broadway revival of the play "The Miracle Worker" dismays blind and deaf actors.


The newest revival of the play will still focus on Helen Keller's relationship with her teacher Anne Sullivan. The producers seem to have the perfect cast in Abigail Breslin, a 13 year-old Oscar nominee. However, the casting decision has prompted blind and deaf actors to complain that the early life of blind-and-deaf hero Helen Keller should also be played by a member of their community — a real blind-and-deaf child actor, that is.

"We do not think it's OK for reputable producers to cast this lead role without seriously considering an actress from our community. I understand how difficult it is to capitalize a new production on Broadway, but that to me is not the issue. There are other, larger human and artistic issues at stake here," says Sharon Jensen, executive director of the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts in an interview with the New York Times.

But the show's producer, David Richenthal, explains that the production was unable to find a blind or deaf child actor with the "star power" to bring in enough of an audience to justify the show's large budget:

"It's simply naïve to think that in this day and age, you'll be able to sell tickets to a play revival solely on the potential of the production to be a great show or on the potential for an unknown actress to give a breakthrough performance. I would consider it financially irresponsible to approach a major revival without making a serious effort to get a star."

To give support for the blind and deaf community, the producers hope to find a blind or deaf actress to play Abigail Breslin's understudy, stressing however that they will not make any promises.

The original Broadway production of "The Miracle Worker" was in 1959, which starred Patty Duke as Helen Keller. Later TV and movie versions of the play had Patty Duke, Melissa Gilbert, and Mare Winningham for the role of Helen Keller. None of these former child actors were real-life blind and deaf.

Katie Holmes Prepares For Her Stage Debut

She may be a veteran actress on film, thanks to her popular teen-drama series Dawson's Creek and her left and right movie projects after, but the lovely Katie Holmes is just a fresh face in theatre and stage acting. And so for her debut on stage, Katie Holmes prepares by among other things, getting accustomed to a new haircut.

Katie Holmes star in “All My Sons,” a drama about a businessman whose factory supplied defective cylinders and caused the death of 21 pilots during World War II but whose business partner went to jail instead of himself. Katie will portray the fiancée of the businessman's son and the daughter of the businessman's partner.

The endearing Hollywood actor aka Mrs. Cruise aka Katie Holmes' All My Sons project will officially open on October 16 through January 11 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre.

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