Bernadette Peters & Martin Short To Team Up For I DO, I DO?

I know nothing about this show. Is it a good role for Bernadette? She can't be stopped lately!

I think they're both way too old. (Bernadette -- pregnant? Really?) But it's a lovely little gem of musical theater that I'd love to see again. It's been years since I've seen a decent production. But I'll see it with these two for sure...

Personally, I would've loved to have seen Santino Fontana and Kate Baldwin star in a production of this together.

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Rob Ashford? Ha.

I can't imagine who the music director will be if Peters is involved.... *cough* Marvin *cough*

Updated On: 11/17/11 at 03:54 PM

I hope, I hope! I think it would be a great role for Bernadette.

hushpuppy, IBDB doesn't seem to reflect this, but my memory is that not only were there alternates for matinees (at least eventually if not at first), the alternates were stars in their own rights: Carol Lawrence and Gordon MacRae.

I think Mary Martin mentions them in her autobiography.

(IBDB shows Lawrence and MacRae as replacements, but not as matinee performers.)

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ETA THE PLOT THICKENS: in her autobiography, (MY HEART BELONGS, p. 287), Mary Martin says they had no alternates and no standbys, that David Merrick thought audiences would want refunds if either star were out.

She says their original agreement was that there would be no Wed. matinee and that they would play Sat. matinees only as long as their strengths permitted. They did 7 shows per week with Sat. mats for six months and then 6 shows per week with no matinees thereafter.

On the other hand, IMDB shows Lawrence and MacRae as alternates beginning with the tenth month and replacements after a year. So maybe they DID do matinees for a couple of months before Martin and Preston left.

As one would expect of a highly competitive star (see Kirkwood's LEGENDS), Martin makes no mention of anyone else ever playing her part.

Updated On: 11/17/11 at 04:13 PM

I'm not that bothered by the age issue. (It seems to me that professional productions usually star older actors who play younger in Act I, rather than younger actors who play older in Act II. I think this is appropriate since the first act is more comic and the second more serious.)

But if it's true that Peters is having vocal problems with Sally in FOLLIES, how will she handle Agnes, who sings three times as many songs (even if most of those songs are easier to sing)?

I don't think Bernadette has had vocal issues in FOLLIES since previews. She's been sounding great.

I saw it again yesterday and besides some of the bizarre dialogue choices she still makes, she sounded fantastic.

Bernadette isn't immune to schmacting either - they definitely would need a strong director.

I'm not bothered by the age issue either (suspension of disbelief) In fact, I think it makes better sense for Bernie than Follies which IMHO she's been miscast.

The song "What is a Woman?" might pprovide a challenge if it is to seem politically correct. I mean the lyric, "That's why a woman is only alive when in love" is bound to irritate many in the audience.

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Dollypop, it's been awhile since I've seen the show, but I think the political problem you point out is all through the text (even if not always so literally). I think you either accept I DO! I DO! (or THE FOURPOSTER) as a period piece or leave it in the drawer.

I suspect an "updating" would only lead to WTF? threads like the current, CLEAR DAY thread.