Can we get MAME starring Elaine Hendrix and Lisa Ann Walter now?

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 10:19am

Lisa Ann Walter is joining Heathers and her bestie Elaine Hendrix wrapped a production of Hello Dolly last month... I've never had the pleasure of seeing the show live before, but I just need them in something together now. lol.

Updated On: 3/17/26 at 10:19 AM

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 10:28am

Who?

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 10:31am

Try Lesley Ann Warren and maybe you’d be on to something.

[darquegk]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 12:11pm

Lisa Ann Walter is one of those actors who has zero name recognition, but you see her or her credits and go “oh of course, HER.”

Pair her with Sheryl Lee Ralph for a concert or benefit show, and that team up doubles both their name recognition. 

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 12:38pm

That sounds like a sound investment. Quick, someone call their agents; I smell a hit!

[Jarethan]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 2:02pm

jimmycurry01 said: "That sounds like a sound investment. Quick, someone call their agents; I smell a hit!"

I would love to see a revival of Mame.  I still remember the date that I saw it for the first time, June 25,1966.  (It also happened to be my best friend's birthday, which admittedly made it easier to remember).  It was probably the single most enjoyable theatre performance I have ever attended in my life.  Who knew Angela Lansbury could be such an incredible talented and charismatic performer, who knew that Beatrice Lansbury, Arthur and Connell could be such a comedic trio?  Who knew that Jerry Herman would top himself (admittedly a controversial opinion), that the choreography would be so exciting, especially the title number.  

Since I have never heard of either person identified, I am not enthused., even if they would be great  I think the only way we will ever get a revival of Mame is with a big star in the lead and ideally a big 'senior' star as Vera, and that is even iffy, since I have no doubt that the 'right' revival of Mame would require a very large budget.  It is a shame, since it is such a cheerful, feel-good musical.  Re past comments re the title song being a problem, I would argue that the show reflects a time when the song would have been appropriate, and leave it at that; or 'whitewash a few select lyrics' and entertain.

[merle57]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 2:28pm

Mame with Lansbury and Bea and Jane was wonderful. I fear the show is now too dated in the references which are almost 100 years old. That Bohemian lifestyle has been overtaken by billionaire conservatives showing off. The score is still fun, but I think it is better as a memory of a classy musical from a classic period. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 2:38pm

Yeah, at some regional theatre this would be pretty epic. Both ladies are perfect for CHICAGO if you’re thinking Broadway for them. 

[nealb1]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 5:01pm

Jerry Herman said many times that he thought Catherine Zeta-Jones would make a wonderful Mame.  I completely agree.

So many have said that the lyrics and book scenes are "dated," and the same can be said for so many classic musicals.  "Carousel" with domestic violence, "Oklahoma" with Curley encouraging Judd to kill himself, "The King & I" with slavery and beating women, "South Pacific" with racism.  The list goes on and on.  All these musicals are classics for a reason.  

[kdogg36]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 5:42pm

nealb1 said: ""Carousel" with domestic violence, "Oklahoma" with Curley encouraging Judd to kill himself, "The King & I" with slavery and beating women, "South Pacific" with racism."

I don't think these are all quite in the same category. South Pacific unequivocally condemns racism - that was a main reason why Rodgers and Hammerstein chose to adapt the novel - and so I think, from that perspective, it plays at least as well today as it did back then. Carousel is a much tougher case: it certainly doesn't endorse domestic violence, but it also doesn't unequivocally condemn the perpetrator (à la Waitress) or really question Julie's choice to stay loyal to him, and the (in)famous line she speaks to her daughter near the end is both cringey and very hard to parse in terms of its message about the issue. This doesn't mean we need to avoid Carousel - it's one of my favorite musicals, in part because of its moral complexity, and I certainly hope to see another major production or two before I go - but it means that it's a tougher pill to swallow for Broadway audiences.

Having said all that, I admit that I don't know Mame well enough to evaluate how problematic it might be for contemporary audiences.

[darquegk]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 5:45pm

I've expressed this opinion before, and I stand by it: those shows are masterpieces exploring dated themes and social mores in timeless ways. Mame is a masterful but ultimately slight show that is very much of its era, and survives primarily on a mix of nostalgia and diva worship. Everything it does well, Hello Dolly does better.

Mame the musical (which bears rather little resemblance to the pleasantly barbed dark comedy of the novels) was probably a cultural escape valve for pre-Stonewall gay men of a certain era. The title character is both the fabulous diva they often wished to be (especially in a pre-trans-awareness time when assumed female identity was more a part of gay parlance), and the loving, open-minded mother they wished they'd had. After sixty years of queer liberation, openly gay theater characters, and more overt camp, will Mame still resonate the way it used to? Will it feel necessary, rather than simply cute? I'm not sure it will, hence my belief that Dolly is the stronger show.

[Kad]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 5:47pm

South Pacific, King and I, Oklahoma, even Carousel are all regularly produced. All have had major Broadway revivals in the last two decades, too, and a couple of those shows have had major NY concerts as well. The only thing preventing them from being produced more is the cost of mounting them.

Mame notably does not get produced as frequently. 

Updated On: 3/17/26 at 05:47 PM

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 5:48pm

The 1966 Broadway musical MAME features several dated plot elements centered on 1920s–1940s social norms. Key dated aspects include the caricature of the butler Ito, the intense focus on social class and "traditional" upbringing, outdated gender roles, and a rushed romantic subplot involving a Southern gentleman. 

• Racial Stereotypes: The character of Ito, Mame’s butler, is often cited as a racially stereotypical depiction of a Japanese man, common in older works but outdated today.
• "Traditional" Upbringing Focus: The central conflict revolves around Mr. Babcock trying to enforce a rigid, Protestant, wealthy "traditional" upbringing on young Patrick, contrasting with Mame's eccentric, bohemian lifestyle.
• Class Consciousness: The subplot with the Upson family emphasizes class anxiety, with them representing white-bread conformism in contrast to Mame’s artistic, diverse circle.
• Gender Roles: The plot includes dated views on marriage and women, with Agnes (a pregnant secretary) seeking an unwed mother's home.
• The Southern Gentleman Tropes: Beau Burnside's quick marriage to Mame, his sudden death, and his role as a wealthy protector are seen as archaic plot devices.
• Hitchhiking: Young Patrick is able to hitchhike from his school to New York City safely, reflecting a different era. 

[Kad]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 5:49pm

Oh no he’s learned how to use ChatGPT

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 6:49pm

Kad said: "Oh no he’s learned how to use ChatGPT"

p*uck dat. A simple Google search. Stick to the basics, mon ami. None of this ChatGPT bulls**t. 

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 7:01pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "The 1966 Broadway musical MAME features several dated plot elements centered on 1920s–1940s social norms. Key dated aspects include the caricature of the butler Ito, the intense focus on social class and "traditional" upbringing, outdated gender roles, and a rushed romantic subplot involving a Southern gentleman.

• Racial Stereotypes:The character of Ito, Mame’s butler, is often cited as a racially stereotypical depiction of a Japanese man, common in older works but outdated today.
• "Traditional" Upbringing Focus:The central conflict revolves around Mr. Babcock trying to enforce a rigid, Protestant, wealthy "traditional" upbringing on young Patrick, contrasting with Mame's eccentric, bohemian lifestyle.
• Class Consciousness:The subplot with the Upson family emphasizes class anxiety, with them representing white-bread conformism in contrast to Mame’s artistic, diverse circle.
• Gender Roles:The plot includes dated views on marriage and women, with Agnes (a pregnant secretary) seeking an unwed mother's home.
• The Southern Gentleman Tropes:Beau Burnside's quick marriage to Mame, his sudden death, and his role as a wealthy protector are seen as archaic plot devices.
• Hitchhiking:Young Patrick is able to hitchhike from his school to New York City safely, reflecting a different era.

"

The only thing that is somewhat concerning here is Ito. He is a very small role and it could easily be edited to be less offensive. Everything else listed here is history. 

[darquegk]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 8:11pm

I saw a high school production that made an interesting choice with Ito: he was dressed in realistic Asian clothes and spoke his lines not in Engrish but in untranslated Japanese, which the other characters all reacted as if they understood completely. It became about the unexpected eccentricities and wide knowledge base of the bohemians, not about “silly yellow man can’t talk English.”

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 8:47pm

For your viewing pleasure, here’s a 1994 production of MAME starring Juliet Prowse and costumes by Bob Mackie:

 

[kdogg36]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 9:05pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "p*uck dat. A simple Google search. Stick to the basics, mon ami. None of this ChatGPT bulls**t."

It's clear that what you quoted was the AI summary at the top of almost any Google search. Saying that it's not ChatGPT is making a distinction without a difference.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 9:22pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "For your viewing pleasure, here’s a 1994 production of MAME starring Juliet Prowse and costumes by Bob Mackie:

Sorry, but you just lost anyone here who is under 70. 

"

 

[pmensky]

Posted: 3/17/26 at 10:19pm

I agree that this is for Catherine Zeta Jones. I think she is the one person who could play Mame at the level the role requires and also meet the box office demands of a big Broadway revival. Her kids are grown, but I don’t see her moving her eighty two year old husband to New York to do eight shows a week at this particular point in their lives. However, if she were to find herself single within the next decade, I could see her wanting to return to her roots to take this on. Broadway loves a narrative, and a return under that kind of circumstance would result in a big embrace from both the community and the audiences.