Question re Laura Benanti and MFL

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 7:40am

Lauren Ambrose was cast as Eliza in the LC My Fair Lady revival. We now know that Laura Benanti had asked Sher could she be considered for the role when he was initially casting the show, and she offered to audition for it etc. But she then backed out of the audition because her daughter was still young etc and then she eventually played the role taking over from Ambrose. My question is do you guys think Benanti would have been the first choice for the role if she had done the first audition and had the situation been different? 

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 8:03am

Perhaps she may very well have, had the situation been different of course. I mean, it was never a secret that Laura considered Eliza a role she really wanted to play. Now, of course this is pure speculation sine we don’t know the full ins and outs of the story. But, maybe she had second thoughts about going back to work just yet, and wanted to spend a little more time with her time with her daughter before going back to work. Hence, she backed out. But, then again, Lincoln Center Theater did release a My Fair Lady EP with Laura singing four songs from the show (Wouldn’t it be Loverly, Just you Wait, I could have Danced All Night and Show Me.) That makes me think that the role would have been good as her’s if she felt ready at the time to open the show. 

[NYadgal]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 8:31am

Oy. 

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 8:38am

NYadgal said: "Oy."

Was that a respond to my post? Or, was it a response to the OP and the subject in general? 

[spicemonkey]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 8:53am

the understudy (alternate during Benanti's run)  Kerstin Anderson (who played Eliza in about 120 performances IIRC) and understudy shereen ahmed , etc would have had gone on even more.

 

I saw that production 7 times, i would say Kerstin Anderson was by far the best Eliza of all four I have seen. (did not see 
Heather Botts tho)

Updated On: 1/21/24 at 08:53 AM

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 9:27am

Sher and Ambrose have a long working relationship. It was always going to be her 

[The Other One]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 9:41am

Laura's musical theatre no-how, how to act a song, go from speaking to singing, land a laugh without playing for it, were all impeccable, but her accents, both Cockney and proper, were not good at all.  

That doesn't answer your question, but I wonder if this would have been different had she had a full rehearsal process.  I give Lauren the edge here because of this.  I never saw their understudies.  (I did see Higgins', and Michael Halling was every bit as good as Harry Hadden-Paton.)

Updated On: 1/21/24 at 09:41 AM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 10:33am

I saw Lauren Ambrose and Laura Benanti on Broadway (two times each) and Shereen Ahmed on tour. I thought Ambrose was absolutely radiant as Eliza - easily one of my favorite performances I have ever seen on Broadway. I LOVE Laura Benanti, and she was great as Eliza as well, but I definitely preferred Lauren Ambrose who I thought gave a more nuanced performance. Shereen Ahmed was lovely as well.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 11:30am

I saw both and didn’t care for Benanti in the role. Despite her passion for the show, I didn’t think she was a good fit for Eliza.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 12:10pm

I love Laura Benanti and was so excited to see her in the role, but despite being perfect on paper, it just didn’t work for me. She sounded lovely, of course, but she was delivering the songs like she had been performing them her whole career rather than mined fresh for an actual production. And, as others have noted, her accent work was pretty bad across the board.

On the flip side, while Lauren Ambrose may not have had as “technically perfect” a voice for the role, she sounded beautiful; acted the hell out of it; and completely understood Bartlett Sher’s vision. One of my favorite performances I’ve ever seen. Her and Sher had been trying to work together again for years after Awake and Sing, and once their Funny Girl fell through, Eliza was always going to be hers.

Updated On: 1/21/24 at 12:10 PM

[Melissa25]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 4:15pm

Benanti's "move your blooming arse" line was better.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 4:46pm

What upset Diana Rigg?

I know it was something, but can’t remember what. Maybe the “oy” stems from this.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 6:21pm

Jay Lerner-Z said: "What upset Diana Rigg?"

It had something to do with Lauren Ambrose’s changing of her schedule. We know now, in retrospect, that her father was dying/had passed and she was dealing with some vocal issues that impacted her singing. Eventually, Kerstin Anderson became an alternate for Eliza in order for Lauren to take more time each week to be with her family and rest her voice.

I thought Diana Rigg’s comments were tacky at the time, and especially so after Lauren’s post-mortem interview. She was firmly of a generation that applauded wearing yourself ragged in service of the performance, and I’m glad that mentality is fading.

Updated On: 1/22/24 at 06:21 PM

[Jay Lerner-Z]

Posted: 1/21/24 at 6:55pm

Thanks. Poor Lauren.