And the Award for Worst Dolly Levi Casting goes to...- Page 2

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/15/07 at 9:39pm

No one could be worse than Tova was at the Papermill. When she spoke to her dead husband, she shounded like James Cagney.

And please, the "Dolly" gown with a black cape and bows all over it?

We walked out.

[misto625]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 12:37am

I thought this thread was where we would nominate people for worst performances, in which case I nominate Jodi Lynne Sylvester for her regional performance in Florida

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 12:48am

If you think that's bad, wait till you hear this: the WORST DOLLY LEVI CASTING IN THE WOIRLD is definitely:

Kimberly Von Heckenfurger.

Even a name like that would not fit on the marquee. Everything about her is bad, her acting, her charisma, her singing, her dancing, her costumes, her face, HER EVERYTHING!!!!!! Kimberly has absolutely no charisma whatsoever when it comes to the role; she just stands there like a big, tall glob of Silly Putty. Heckenfurger is the worst singer, too. She doesn't even sing or say anything. She just grumbles in a really low tone incoherently. No one understands her when something important comes in, like this:

Ambrose Kemper: Tell me Mrs. Levi, what's in all this for you?
Dolly: Urrgghrhuuurrghhururgghururrrghurrrgh...

and that's all it is for the rest of the show.

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 12:49am

Okay, I confess. Kimberly Von Heckenfurger doesn't really exist, but if she did, I assure you, with the description I just gave to you, she would be the WORST DOLLY, nay, THE WORST ACTRESS in the world!

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 12:58am

Phyllis Diller played Dolly? Wow. I'd love to see clips of her in it.

I wanted to go see the Papermill production last summer because my friend Jonathan Rayson was in it, but I never made it. From what I heard, I didn't miss anything.

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 2:07am

i saw vicki clark as dolly some time ago at pittsburgh clo and she was pretty good.

agree with most about graff...zzzz...im sure she'll be fine, but i won't be anything special.

i want a revival...

with bernadette... (ducks and runs for cover for bringing this up again)

[NYC4Life]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 2:26am

If only I could have seen Carol and/or Pearl. (sigh)

[sparrman]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 9:34am

Okay, I gotta ask, what are all these opinions about Randy Graff being "boring" based on? A particular performance, like her Golde in "Fiddler" (which I didn't see but reportedly the entire show was misguided), or a long-range assessment of her work?

Just curious what she's done to leave this impression on so many. She was quite a hit in "City of Angels."

[alterego]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 10:42am

RagtimeRay - I envy you seeing all those wonderful women as Dolly. I remember years ago reading an interview with Phylis Diller where she said playing Dolly was one of the most enjoyable and satisfying periods of her career, but said she had to leave it as she was losing too much money (doing stand-up).

[philcrosby]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 10:52am

The most successful DOLLYs are always comic actresses ... the stage production is a wonderful joyous cartoon, with a lovely, but lightly touched on, emotional center. It's got to be bigger than life, or it lies there.

[WestVillage]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 12:34pm

Phyllis Diller was a phenomenal Dolly. So was Pearl Bailey. The worst Dolly I ever saw was Tovah at Papermill ... she played it so serious that the show lost all its humor. The dark version.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 12:53pm

I agree about the Papermill production and Tovah's performance. Both were abysmal.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 12:56pm

I. Love. Randy. Graff. Shut. UP.

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 1:39pm

I saw Randy Graff in the ENCORES production of DO RE MI back in 1999 and I thought she was very good as the wife of Nathan Lane as Hubbie Cram. I'm not so sure she could be the larger than life Dolly Levi, though.

I never saw Carol Channing as Dolly but I did see Martha Raye, Pearl Bailey, and Ethel Merman, all of whom were good, with Merman the best.

Updated On: 5/16/07 at 01:39 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 1:46pm

Graff did an outstanding job in the Nancy Walker role in DO RE MI at Encores! If that role isn't a larger-than-life character, I don't know what is.

As far as Dollys go, I saw Ruth Gordon, Shirley Booth, Carol Channing, Ginger Rogers, and Ethel Merman.

Ruth Gordon was hands down the best Dolly Gallagher Levi, with Merman an extremely close second.

[Dolly_Levi]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 2:08pm

I love that Merman's Dolly is getting so much love. I adore the Merm.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 2:08pm

I loved Graff in City of Angels and Les Miserables. I think she'd be a good Dolly, but I admit, my ideal Dolly would probably be Bette Midler or Andrea Martin.

[bk]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 4:31pm

Having seen many Dollys and recorded one, my favorite of them all is still Phyllis Diller. I know it sounds crazy, but she was wonderful - warm, hilarious, and touching, and she sang it well. Of course, I liked Channing very much in the original production, but the subsequent endless revivals got more "studied" and "in stone" and it wasn't as much fun. Ginger Rogers had her moments. I know someone said they liked Dorothy Lamour, but I thought she was pretty terrible. I saw Miss Rogers' understudy, too - don't remember who it was but she was excellent. Pearly Mae was also terrific in the same way Diller was.

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 4:36pm

"I. Love. Randy. Graff. Shut. UP."

Ditto.

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 4:40pm

Well, I love Randy Graff, too.

About the Kimberly von Heckenfurger thing, I think that would work so well as a standup comedy joke. I was laughing so hard at what I described. No one in the world, even Broadway, would even STOMACH a performer like Heckenfurger.

Anyone agree with me on this?

[musicalkid]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 6:25pm

When I read the thread title I thought this was a thread about the Israeli Dolly, from the 60's. Although known a s an actress with charisma and guts, the Cast recording shows, she didn't have half the voice for the part (even less then Carol), and couldn't hit most higher notes.

-added just for your interest

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 5/16/07 at 6:33pm

Josh Freilich, let it die.