Rosie was a b*tch about the whole Grease thing in general.
When she was getting to close to leaving, I believe she said "This show will close without me." And then they got Brooke Shields, and she even got to replace Rosie's awful vocals on the Cast Recording.. frankly, Brooke sang the role a heck of a lot better than Rosie.
My problem is that Rosie O'Donnell nearly always plays Rosie O'Donnell -- I can see her getting some easy laughs as Mme. Thenardier, but I can't imagine her actually creating the illusion that she's a rural French inn-keeper. She'd far more likely seem like Rosie O'Donnell deposited by time machine and bad luck in the village of Montfermeil in 1823.
"Sweet summer evenings, hot wine and bread /
Sharing your supper, sharing your bed /
Simple joys have a simple voice:
It says why not go ahead?"
If this would have come up 5 months ago I would have thought that Rosie would be a horible choice. That said, after seeing her in Fiddler (where she actually acted) and in that tv movie (which also showed her acting rather well) I think this is a great choice. I believe her voice has actually gotten better since Grease (it was actually good in Fiddler) and that she could easilly handle the singing part of the show. If this is turns out to be true it will be just one more reason for me to buy a ticket (even though I will if she isn't in the show)
David walked into the valley
With a stone clutched in his hand
He was only a boy
But he knew someone must take a stand
There will always be a valley
Always mountains one must scale
There will always be perilous waters
Which someone must sail
-Into the Fire
Scarlet Pimpernel
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
To Kill A Mockingbird