MY FAIR LADY Revival Back On For Next Spring?- Page 15

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 12:09am

I would love to see Kelli in Kiss Me Kate.  I just recently watched a video of her in MFL and I love her, but she's just not really right for Eliza.  She can sing it beautifully, but she's very mature and I don't believe her to be a cockney flower girl at all.  She's lovely, and is a brilliant Nellie and Anna, but she's just too poised and polished to ever be believable as a young gutter-dwelling pile of rags.  When she transforms she doesn't feel like a young girl either, she feels like a beautiful grown woman.

If she gets cast in Kiss Me Kate, Laura Benanti gets cast in MFL, and Sweet Charity transfers we could end up with a Tony race of Laura Benanti  (MFL), Jessie Mueller (Carousel), Kelli O'Hara (KMK), Sutton Foster (Sweet Charity), and maybe even Amber Gray for Hadestown (if they decide to transfer).  It would be quite a year for lead actresses.

[Soaring29]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 12:14am

CarlosAlberto said: "Kelli O'Hara is 41 years old. She is simply way too old to be considered for the part of Eliza Dolittle in MY FAIR LADY - and I'm not trying to be insulting it's just a fact. 

She's more appropriate for the role of Lili Vanessi in KISS ME KATE. 

 

The part of Eliza Doolittle in the original production of Pygmalion in 1914 was originated by an actress named Mrs. Patrick Campbell, who was 49  at the time. I personally feel that on stage, Kelli can still play this part. She looks beautiful, youthful, and also has the maturity and strength that the part requires no matter how old the actress is. People forget that the role of Eliza is NOT your typical  pretty little ingenue character  at all- She's loud, rude, obnoxious, multi-dimensional,  and strong.   Age doesn't matter as much with the role  in my book, as long as it's not too big of a stretch.  For a character like Julie Jordan, that needs a  young  actress with  natural naivete and innocence to play convincingly, I'll say (and have already said previously) that Kelli is wrong for the part. But for Eliza, no not yet. 

 

[BakerWilliams]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 1:06am

Can someone even imagine a spring with Kelli O'Hara in Kiss Me, Kate, Laura Benanti in My Fair Lady and Jessie Mueller in Carousel? The college theatre gays and old show queens would all collectively die.

[Soaring29]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 2:43am

Ha Ha, I love that BakerWilliams! If it wasn't enough in 2015 to have Chita, Kelli, and Kristin  all competing in the same category!  That most certainly was an embarrassment of riches!  And if  Sutton Foster  gets in the mix, it'll be crazy!

Updated On: 4/17/17 at 02:43 AM

[dianamorales]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 12:21pm

I don't know if it's been mentioned on here, but what about Ashley Park??? She's cute and sassy and fun and of course her voice is perfect for it. Plus non traditional casting. What's not to love?

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 12:42pm

Has Bartlett Sher ever done non-traditional casting in any of his productions before?

[Broadwayfanboy44]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 1:35pm

Maybe this is just me, but I would love to see Aaron Tveit play Higgins and Annaleigh Ashford play Eliza 

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 1:44pm

Broadwayfanboy44 said: "Maybe this is just me, but I would love to see Aaron Tveit play Higgins and Annaleigh Ashford play Eliza 

Dear Jesus why lord please he knows not what he says

 

[ozjust4]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 1:48pm

Broadwayfanboy44 said: "Maybe this is just me, but I would love to see Aaron Tveit play Higgins and Annaleigh Ashford play Eliza 

 

Courtney, take your break

 

[Valentina3]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 1:49pm

BakerWilliams said: "Can someone even imagine a spring with Kelli O'Hara in Kiss Me, Kate, Laura Benanti in My Fair Lady and Jessie Mueller in Carousel? The college theatre gays and old show queens would all collectively die."

Let's not forget there's a rumored Sweet Charity transfer with Sutton Foster, and there were definite talks about a Kristin Chenoweth (and Jennifer Holliday) led Best Little Whorehouse revival coming in 2017-2018. Whoever they find for Once Upon A Time revival is likely going to be a primary contender as well. Unless I'm mistaken, there was some interest in bringing back Secret Garden as well after last year's concert production but I doubt that's happening since we haven't heard anything since.

Updated On: 4/17/17 at 01:49 PM

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 4/17/17 at 4:09pm

There's a production of The Secret Garden in Seattle that's planning to go to other regional theatres before it makes it to Broadway.

[Greenfinch4]

Posted: 4/24/17 at 12:32am

There's a video up of Lisa O'Hare singing 'Wouldn’t it Be Loverly' promoing their run starting soon in Chicago!  https://t.co/Oj7fTMERCV 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 4/24/17 at 12:40am

She is STUNNING! Thanks for sharing, Greenfinch4!

[Greenfinch4]

Posted: 4/29/17 at 1:09am

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo-Flash-Lisa-OHare-and-Richard-E-Grant-Take-the-Stage-in-MY-FAIR-LADY-at-Lyric-Opera-20170428

Photos released from the Chicago production! Lisa O'Hare looks stunning! 

and video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Weq_nSKIz7Y

Updated On: 4/29/17 at 01:09 AM

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 4/29/17 at 1:42am

Word is that the female lead will be an unknown and Higgins will be a star of some sort that is associated with television or film. 

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 4/29/17 at 2:31am

That production looks magnificent and Lisa O'Hare looks and sounds stunning.

As much as I love the idea of unknown actresses getting chances, I just think that there will be more power to the production if a young seasoned stage veteran who knows how to command a broadway stage were cast.  Look, I know that Julie Andrews was an unknown, but good luck finding another Julie.  That woman was born with stage presence.  Laura Benanti, Phillipa Soo, Ashley Park, and Lisa O'Hare would all be stunning and would stand on their own in way that would be entirely different and independent from Julie Andrew's performance.  I feel like if they find a new actress, they will constantly be promoting her as "the new Julie Andrews" a la this Miss Saigon revival with Eva Noblezada.  It makes it almost impossible to live up to the hype.  

That being said, please cast Bryce as Freddie on Broadway.  He's just far too perfect for the part.

[JohnyBroadway]

Posted: 4/29/17 at 12:01pm

Matt Doyle or Andy Jones for Freddy please!

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 4/29/17 at 12:10pm

Amélie is inching closer to closing, which means Phillipa Soo will be available at some point. Just saying.

[elephantseye]

Posted: 4/29/17 at 12:35pm

While I love Phillipa Soo and think she would play the part beautifully, there's something unbelievably unsettling about the idea of an older, presumably white man teaching a woman of color how to be 'civilized.' Same thing goes for Denée Benton.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 4/29/17 at 12:54pm

elephantseye said: "While I love Phillipa Soo and think she would play the part beautifully, there's something unbelievably unsettling about the idea of an older, presumably white man teaching a woman of color how to be 'civilized.' Same thing goes for Denée Benton.

Yeah I've always thought this.  I think Soo would be alright because she's kind of ethnically ambiguous to a certain extent, but yeah, I am a bit skeptical as to how it would seem to have a woc being "civilized" by the white man.  It may produce some unsavory and problematic themes.

 

[Valentina3]

Posted: 4/29/17 at 1:53pm

Unsavory, yes. But isn't that sort of the point? The original material always made me question what makes "classy" classy. The show exploits our societal ideas of "civilized" and "class", adding race here would potentially make for a more current interpretation if done by a strong team.

[BWWMatt]

Posted: 4/29/17 at 1:57pm

Updated On: 4/29/17 at 01:57 PM

[BWWMatt]

Posted: 4/29/17 at 1:57pm

With Sher at the helm, I also wonder if casting a woman of color could add a layer of commentary about imperialism, British or otherwise. Shaw was never one to shy away from social and political satire and commentary, after all. 

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 4/29/17 at 2:00pm

Valentina3 said: "Unsavory, yes. But isn't that sort of the point? The original material always made me question what makes "classy" classy. The show exploits our societal ideas of "civilized" and "class", adding race here would potentially make for a more current interpretation if done by a strong team.

 

"

Yeah.  I definitely see your point.  It might actually create some interesting commentary the more that I think about it.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 4/29/17 at 2:02pm

The racial question is a really interesting one when it comes to casting a character like Eliza in My Fair Lady. May I be blunt, though, and say that I don't think Phillipa Soo is that outwardly "racial" of an actress? (My sincere apologies if I'm using poor language to describe this sentiment.) I actually didn't even know she was of Asian descent until I looked her up after seeing her in Hamilton. Racializing Eliza would be less problematic with an actress like her than, say, a Denée Benton, you know? Soo would inherently raise those thought-provoking, "unsavory" questions without making the content itself unsavory, in my opinion.