It surprises me the number of reviews and comments that were "bored" by the repetitions of "At the Ballet" and "Dance 10, Looks 3". That's how auditions are structured and how casts are chosen (discovered?).
I've worked in theatre and been around many auditions and table readings. The miracle of the casting process is that there's always that actor who stands out from crowd. The later callbacks in ELS are riveting in showing just how true that is even when a role has been winnowed down to four or five actors from tens, if not hundreds. There's still that one person whom the role has taken possession of, was there any doubt that Charlotte would get "Cassie", Jason would get "Paul", and Yuka would get "Connie"? And that Rachelle is just too angry to play a role that takes freshness and optimism? A great look at "Life imitating Art" in auditions for a musical where "Art imitated Life". Go see it.
I've worked in theatre and been around many auditions and table readings. The miracle of the casting process is that there's always that actor who stands out from crowd. The later callbacks in ELS are riveting in showing just how true that is even when a role has been winnowed down to four or five actors from tens, if not hundreds. There's still that one person whom the role has taken possession of, was there any doubt that Charlotte would get "Cassie", Jason would get "Paul", and Yuka would get "Connie"? And that Rachelle is just too angry to play a role that takes freshness and optimism? A great look at "Life imitating Art" in auditions for a musical where "Art imitated Life". Go see it.