Um....John Travolta as Edna, Anyone?

[Matt_G]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 8:38am

Wow. Just...Wow.
Why, God, Why?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 8:38am

.....



What?!

[Aaron27]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 8:41am

Um...if they go with this it looks like it's going to be another Phantom movie destroying the movie musical.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 8:44am

I hope Marc is smarter than this. It HAS to be a rumor!

[magruder]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 8:46am

I was surprised by the news...but what exactly is wrong with Travolta as Edna? Why not?

Updated On: 2/24/05 at 08:46 AM

[Matt_G]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 8:53am

When you get down to it, nothing really. I just wanted to see Harvey's Edna preserved on film.

Updated On: 2/24/05 at 08:53 AM

[magruder]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 9:00am

Travolta still sells movie tickets, and it will be fun to see him sing and dance again. Far more terrifying, in my opinion, is the news that Mark O'Donnell and Thom Meehan are not writing the screenplay, and that it will be written by Leslie Dixon, who gave the world the execrable Look Who's Talking Now.

Updated On: 2/24/05 at 09:00 AM

[wildcat]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 9:02am

There has to be a certain amount of suspension of disbelief involved in having a guy play a woman onscreen. You believe Harvey is Edna, whereas you'd never stop seeing Travolta under the make-up. It says in Vanity Fair that the role is Harvey's.

[Craig]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 9:05am

"There has to be a certain amount of suspension of disbelief involved in having a guy play a woman onscreen. You believe Harvey is Edna, whereas you'd never stop seeing Travolta under the make-up."

Curious why you would say that. Have you seen Travolta play a woman?

I'm with Magruder. I'm surprised to see that Meehan and O'Donnell aren't penning the screenplay now...

[magruder]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 9:06am

Though the film will permit a level of make-up they wouldn't be able to achieve on stage. Travolta can camp it up with the best of them, but I think he's also sensitive enough as an actor to not play it all for laughs and try to bring some of the heart that Fierstein brought to the character.

[Craig]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 9:13am

Again I agree. You can look at his acting in Primary Colors and see that side quite well.

[RadioTV2]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 9:17am

When I saw this, I starting singing out loud "STOP, DON'T, NO, PLEASE!" This would be horrible!

On a side note, when I saw this I jumped up and down! "Fierstein recently extended his current Broadway run in "Fiddler on the Roof" through August."

Updated On: 2/24/05 at 09:17 AM

[EddieVarley]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 9:17am

While Harvey will always be the "master" when it comes to a musical Edna, I think the rumor of Travolta is inspired.

As a matter a fact, a loooooong time ago we had a thread about this, I think I said Travolta and James Gandolfini would be interesting choices for the film.

[timote316]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 9:19am

Travolta has said that he wants to do another movie musical before his career ends. And, I think he'd make a great Edna. However, no. Harvey NEEDS to be Edna. Maybe have Travolta play Wilber if he want's to be in Hairspray. Edna is off limits.

[Craig]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 9:20am

I just checked Leslie Dixon's credits (should have done that prior to variety)

She wrote the VERY funny "Outrageous Fortune" (ok.. I think it's very funny) as well as Pay It Forward, amongst others. "Look Who's Talking Now" is the real bane of her credits, but who doesn't have a dud in their career?

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 9:20am

I would so much rather see Fierstein.

[Fan2]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 9:27am

Here's another article about it:

http://www.empireonline.co.uk/site/news/newsstory.asp?news_id=16584

[WOSQ]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 9:41am

Um...Travolta playing anything approaching gender issues and questions? No.

And that's all we have to say about it, isn't it?

[seymour krelborn]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 9:46am

Although Harvey will forever be the ultimate Edna Turnblad, I think Travolta would be good in the part. I know I'm in the minority saying that,but I think we are comparing what his take on the rold might be versus Harvey's. He won't be Harvey, he'll create his own spin on the role and that could be very interesting. We'll see how things pan out..It could be a major success or a big bomb we'll just have to wait and see.

[wildcat]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 9:47am

Craig, I meant no reflection on Travolta's skill as an actor, I meant his body of work and worldwide fame have made him an icon. Unlike Dustin Hoffman in TOOTSIE or John Leguizamo in TO WONG FOO, Travolta isn't really recognised as a character actor who recreates himself for every role. I just think that for the sake of the piece itself it might be less...distracting?...to have someone in the role who isn't so readily identifiable as "John Travolta in a dress".

[yarn769fink034]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 10:07am

NOOO!!!!It would compleaty ruin the movie,remember when Michale Mckeean did it?Same deal,they need Harvey!!!OMG I will picket

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 10:22am

gosh - everyone makes such good points - and I am trying to imagine John Travolta in Drag - and the image I keep getting in my head is Patric Swayze in To Wong Foo...which was one of the worst drag jobs I've ever seen!...but I won't judge Johnny until I see him - I think he is a wonderful actor who can portray anything he puts his mind to - I LOVED Phenomenon.

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 10:23am

ok let's all calm down

Now perhaps he's "in talks" to play Edna, just like Beyonce is "in talks" to play Effie.

But this is just probably somebody's stupid mistake, because in both shows, there is another role that fits them perfectly (Beyonce for Deena, though that has nothing to do with this thread)

Travolta would be a fantastic Wilbur. I think we all can agree on that. I can see him as Edna, but I think the production team has faith in Harvey. Travolta, on the other hand, wouold be a pristine Wilbur. Looks the role, has the attitude, the voice, it'd be great.

So, with all this being good for a certain role, maybe somebody just made a stupid mistake, heard "Turnblad" and thought it was Edna.

Hopefully.

But any other thoughts on him as Wilbur?

[wildcat]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 10:30am

If you were offered cherries jubilee, would you take jello?

[Alix]

Posted: 2/24/05 at 10:55am

yeah...um...I don't even know what to say to this. It's madness I tell you. Madness!