2001 SOUTH PACIFIC TV Movie w/ Glenn Close - Brilliant! — Page 2

I had less a problem with Close as Nellie (they wisely never mentioned her age) than I had with Rade Sherbedgia whom I thought terrible as DeBeque and lacking the singing voice and the suave manner required. Te actress playing Bloody Mary totally lacked the mystery of the character but Connick was actually quite good.

The way the script was re-arranged made it much more cinematic (though making the familiar tune stack into something wildly different) but many f the changes worked.

Mary Martin had star magic and a quality on stage that was unique. She made you believe she was a 12-year-old boy (when in her 40s) and a virginal postulant at 47! (Look at pics of her on the SOUND OF MUSIC cast album: She is way too old. Even her voice sounds matronly, but the spirit comes through.) Glenn Close does not have that magic touch and while her performance is thoughtful, a younger actress would have brought more youthful exuberance to the part.

I agree the concert (with an heavily edited text) is much better performed. (Again, Reba is too old for the role but that matters less in a concert.)

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hush puppy, i completely agree (and now i feel very old...)

Well, I, personally, have never been a huge fan of Mary Martin. Ever since I was a little kid I used to wonder why this 50 year old woman who sounded like my grandmother was playing these young roles. I can't even listen to her in "The Sound of Music". So whatever magic quality she has, the only time I was ever fooled was when I saw Peter Pan (and I still used to wonder why they had a 50 year old woman playing a little boy). Maybe it was different to actually see her.

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