Though I adore Jan Maxwell, I feel like she isn't right for this vocally. I'm not intensely familiar with Mame, but she sings (and belts) quite a large amount of material in the show, correct? Though Maxwell isn't a bad singer, I don't know if her strengths are primarily vocal, at least not for the demands of this role.
I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose was all along.
Not at all, Gaveston. We have a great deal of respect for the state of the Siberian theatre.
(I'M JOKING!)
Not to worry, henrik. One of the things I love about L.A. is that its residents have a sense of humor about their city. Where else would people adopt an ironic song like Randy Newman's "I Love LA" as the unofficial civic anthem? (Of course, the other theory is that Los Angelenos are so dense we didn't understand the irony.)
And I'm afraid I have no print sources re: Herman, but I have sources. It's even been discussed here.
I apologize for lack of clarity, jv92. I didn't mean to fault you as one might fault a newspaper reporter for inadequate sourcing, I was genuinely asking how you know what you know.
I myself posted that Herman had told "a mutual friend" that he wrote the role of Mame with Judy Garland in mind. The name of the friend doesn't matter and I wasn't asking you for any greater specificity. I even understand that sometimes sources can't be identified. I was just curious, since Herman has given approval for a staged reading of MAM in the fairly recent past.