Elfman: Not a Broadway Swinger

Wed., Oct. 15, 2003 7:10 AM PDT by Sarah Hall

Jenna Elfman is not sitting on cloud Nine.

The former Dharma & Greg star was supposed to join the cast of the hit Broadway musical on October 7, replacing Tony winner Jane Krakowski in the role of Carla, a swingin' Italian vixen who descends from the ceiling suspended by silk.

But Elfman's understudy, Sara Gettelfinger, has been taking the stage instead, fueling rumors that Elfman had been fired.

Officially, producers and Elfman say she needed more time to prepare for the role, but the New York Post quoted insider production sources saying, "She can't cut it."

By October 10, Gettelfinger's name had replaced Elfman's in all Nine ad copy and commercials, and on Monday, the Roundabout Theater Company, producer of the show, announced that the would-be star would not be appearing.

A diplomatic statement from Roundabout artistic director, Todd Haimes, per the Associated Press, said that Elfman "would not have had a proper preview period performing the role of Carla."

As Carla, Krakowski won rave reviews for the show-stopping number "A Call From the Vatican," performed while hanging upside-down from a swing.

But despite working long hours with Nine composer, Maury Yeston, Elfman was apparently not able to polish her vocals to Broadway standards in time. According to the Post's insider sources, she couldn't sing the song with both feet planted on the floor, let alone perform it while dangling in the air.

Not that Elfman's throwing in the towel. "Nine has a very beautiful, complex and challenging score and I want to make sure that I have enough time to prepare so that I can develop the quality of performance that I demand of myself," Elfman said in her statement. "Being on Broadway is a dream of mine and if I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it when it's right and I'm ready."

The show's director, David Leveaux, said working with Elfman had been "exhilarating," and that he would welcome her into the production "at a moment that feels right to her." Whenever that may be.

Other new Nine cast members, who succeeded in preparing for their roles on time, are John Stamos, taking over for Antonio Banderas in the lead role of Guido Contini, and Eartha Kitt, as Liliane Le Fleur. Krakowski, meanwhile, will move on to take the role of Sally Bowles in Cabaret.

It's not curtains for Elfman; she'll soon be appearing on the big screen in the Warner Bros. flick Looney Tunes: Back in Action, alongside Brendan Fraser and Bugs Bunny. The film opens November 14.