Carolee Carmello and Penny Fuller in Reading of "The Book of Merman"

I found this interesting tidbit on Rick McKay's Facebook page. This sounds like an exciting development. (I asked for his permission to repost this. )

Just saw a reading of THE BOOK OF MERMAN with pal Jamie DeRoywritten by Richard Sabellico and starring Carolee Carmello, Penny Fuller, Max Von Essen, Burke Moses, Jeremy Benton and a slew of talented folk. Also great to run into Harvey Evans, Jack W. Batman, Mark Sendroff, Riki Kane Larimer, Richard Riskin, and many more. Fascinating telling of the Merman saga with a staggeringly good Carolee as Ethel Merman. I don't know why I am surprised as she can seemingly do anything, starring on Broadway in PARADE, KISS ME KATE, URINETOWN, SCARLET PIMPERNEL, MAMMA MIA!, and on and on. She must have belted out 15-20 Merman hits beautifully today as well as carrying the show dramatically - while never becoming a parody, which is easy to do with Ethel. She was ably assisted by the legendary Penny Fuller as Merman's best pal, Benay Venuta and Max von Essen as an ex-actor/now-documentarian chronicling Broadway legend, Merman. I identified with that character a bit - and hey, if I am going to see someone similar to myself on stage I certainly wouldn't quibble with the casting of handsome and talented Max von Essen! Jeremy Benton, who I just saw in CAGNEY, is back playing multiple roles again - I guess when you're that talented everyone in the business is going to cast you to play everyone in the business - and he plays everyone in Merman's life this time, including Fernando Lamas! But, the entire cast is great, all playing multiple roles. Great to see Burke Moses, powerful as Bob Six, as well.

Fascinating concept, which I won't reveal here, as it was a reading and I don't want to give it away, but wishing well to all - as I am sure there is a huge audience who would love to hear this great score of hits from the Gerswhins, Porter, Berlin and everyone else in the Great American Songbook - and would love to see Merman back onstage. And if Carolee can become MERMAN and blow us all away in a small, fluorescent lit rehearsal room with only a piano, I can only imagine what she can do in a theater with an orchestra!

I HATE the title, but hope to goodness this has a life on Broadway. Hopefully a well deserved Tony Award for Carolee.

This sounds much better than Merman's Apprentice, which featured original music. If you're going to do a Merman show you need the songs she helped make famous. And I'd see Carolee on anything. Hope this has a future. And I agree, the title is terrible.

The title sounds like a parody musical or a cabaret act. A pun on the title of another famous and currently running musical just is bad branding.

Love this idea! Carolee is perfect.

She is perfect! Her caption is hilarious, I would pay anything to see this.