Profile for JimCo

I conducted Patti on Broadway in ANYTHING GOES. We got along very well, but before I took over, I went to the show. The producers were concerned that all of the tempos had gotten way too fast. We took care of the problem. The problem is that when things are so fast, you can't understand the lyrics. I had done the road company with Leslie Uggams, and took over the Broadway run. She is an amazing performer, but as the run goes along, she tends to push tempi. She was fine about making adjustment...

Aaron Tveit looks like an all-amercan boy, and has a fabulous voice! The original engineer was a British white man, Jonathan Pryce. He wasn't Asian originally.

She is incredibly versatile. I saw her in SHE LOVES ME in Chicago as Amalia and she was glorious. She is indeed an incredible talent. I don't know how anyone can't see that. She can do anything with her voice and she is a wonderful actress!!!

Patti is Patti in everything she does. You never forget that it's Patti Lupone. That is not to say that she is untalented. She isn't.

THE MASTER was pretentious, long. The acting was very good, but the movie was big yawn.

Why was she replaced with Judy Kaye in TALES OF THE CITY? I heard that she was not a team player, and Judy Kaye certainly is. I know from personal experience, having done SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM, WINDY CITY, THE MERRY WIDOW and ANNIE GET YOUR GUN with her. I think Betty Buckley is a fabulous talent, but she is very hard to work with. When she did GYPSY at Paper Mill, there were lots of problems, missing shows, and lots of other things. We would see a lot more of her on Broadway and TV if she...

I also am rooting for CHAPLIN. I haven't seen it, but the fact that its is an original piece of work and not a revival is a plus. Plus, from what I have heard, and the people that I know who have seen it, the audiences really love it. I sometimes think that we theatre people can become jaded and stop rooting for each other. Every show doesn't have to be perfect to be successful. We do it for the audience!

Dorothy Loudon had her own brand of comedy. It was steeped in realism. Her performance in ANNIE was the funniest performance by a woman I have ever seen on Broadway or anywhere else. I had the pleasure of working with her when she replaced Angela Lansbury in SWEENEY TODD. She was an original, that's all there is to say. It's too bad her performance in ANNIE was not preserved for all to say. I'm pretty sure it exists at the Lincoln Center Library for the performing arts. What a joy she was!

My favorites are Sweeney Todd, and A Little Night Music. Having worked on them both for years, they wear better than any other shows. Just my opinion, but I never tire of them.

3 out of 4 stars is a good review. 2 stars would be mixed!

Do we need another revival of this play? I loved the revival of CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, because the casting was brilliant. I don't think the casting for this is anywhere near what it should be. Just my opinion. This will be the fourth revival...first with the great Rosemary Harris, then Jessica Lange, then Natasha Richardson, and now this one. Rosemary Harris was brilliant, the other two were okay.

I saw the original, and I really can't believe that they are reviving it. It was horrifying. I am very glad that I saw it, and I will never the Richard Eder review in the Times in speaking of the choreography: " Debbie Allen should waste no time in returning to her television career!" I love Debbie Allen, but that has always stuck with me. Yes, Betty Buckley was amazing, but the plastic tarp with the pig blood on it was too much. OY!!!!!!!!!!

Donna McKechnie! She was brilliant in the Paper Mill Production!

Titanic Seesaw Ballroom

Dated, dated, dated! Why do we need another production of this show? The rehearsal footage was very uninspired. Great voices, but that staging!

I think that George or Betsy would definitely talk to you about the show. I know the story that Betsy tells about going to the callback. She was there with Glenn Close and Meryl Streep, and was positive one of them would get it, and was floored when she got it. Hal Prince loves Betsy, but she struggled with the role. I'm not sure where she is now, as I haven't heard from her in years. Best of luck, Jim Coleman

He also conducted the revival of RAGTIME.

I saw it originally on Broadway, the final performance. Betsy Joslyn and George Hearn are friends of mine from SWEENEY TODD. I think the score is very good. The whole thing felt really disjointed, and as much as I love her, Betsy was miscast and knew it. It was too big. The production was huge in a huge theatre, the Mark Hellinger, and the story is very intimate. I feel it would have fared far better as a chamber piece. Best of Luck!

I have worked with Rosalind and she has been wearing turbans for years! She doesn't like her wig hair!

I have worked with Rosalind and she has been wearing turbans for years! She doesn't like her wig hair!