Casting news for Encores! CALL ME MADAM? — Page 3

I believe I called "Carmen Cusack" several posts back. My arm is sore from patting myself on the back. (Not that my remark CAUSED the casting, of course. I'm not that narcissistic. (Shut up!))

Given the adulation showered on Cusack here, I think she's a big enough star to fit the needs of the show. I guess we'll see whether she has the comic chops. In BRIGHT STAR she only got to sing about the dead baby.

(ETA I saw Cusack in LA in BRIGHT STAR. She was a revelation, even though I thought the show had too many dead-baby songs by half. Her acting in the first flashback sequence where she transformed into a teenager left my jaw on the floor. That, of course, has nothing to do with the schtick of CMM, but I wouldn't bet against her playing almost anything. If I lived in NYC, I'd be in line for tix instead of typing this.)

Updated On: 1/8/19 at 08:11 PM

GavestonPS said: Ethel Merman, Benay Venuta (Merman'sperennial understudy), Elaine Stritch (Merman's standby two decades before smoking and drinking destroyed her voice (granted, in an interesting, "character" way)), Tyne Daly (no Merman vocally, but she sings in the same style), Karen Morrow (the last Sally Adams I saw). These are the sort of "beltingbroads" who have played the role and are right for it."

Hey, GavestonPS, I hope you don't mind me questioning one thing you wrote. This is fairly minor, but I thought it was important enough to mention (obviously), even though it does seem a very minor thing for me to bring up when posting here again for the first time in a long time. As far as I know, Benay Venuta was never Merman's understudy or standby in anything. Maybe there's something I don't know about. She was Merman's replacement in Anything Goes, but not her understudy or standby even in that. Vivian Vance was the understudy, and she did go on for Merman at least two or three times. She was then the understudy for Venuta in New York and then on the road. (Vance later understudied Venuta in the play Kiss the Boys Goodbye.)

These are the Merman understudies I know of (several of whom went on to be stars):

Take a Chance — Gertrude Niesen

Anything Goes and Red, Hot and Blue! — Vivian Vance

Du Barry Was a Lady — Betty Allen

Something for the Boys — Betty Garrett

Annie Get Your Gun — Marjorie Knapp, replaced early in the run by Mary Jane Walsh

Call Me Madam — Nancy Andrews, replaced by Elaine Stritch

Gypsy — Jane Romano

Gypsy tour (and possibly final week or two of the Broadway run) — Betty Bruce

Annie Get Your Gun revival — Eileen Rodgers

Hello, Dolly! — Bibi Osterwald

I can't find any info on a couple of the early shows. As for Happy Hunting, it was reported in the press that the producers did not hire an understudy for Merman, having found it would be cheaper to have insurance to cover possible canceled performances if Merman had to miss than it would have been to hire an understudy. I don't know if it's true, but that's what was reported.

Updated On: 1/27/19 at 04:50 AM

I was there tonight, and although I am rarely critical of Encores productions, I found this outing to be a little lacking.

Jason Gotay and Lauren Worsham were delightful; both It’s a Lovely Day Today and (shockingly) The Ocarina were highlights.

I had some reservations about Cusack’s casting and sadly some of my fears were realized. Hostess with the Mostes’ On the Ball didn’t really land and some of her belted high notes were strained throughout the evening. She wasn’t without her charms (and her costumes were knockouts), but she didn’t have the necessary bulldozer skills to truly pull it off.

Call Me Madam isn’t a well-rounded piece of theater. It’s a star vehicle, tailored to Merman’s specific skill set. By casting outside the mold, things never fully coalesced.

The orchestra, as always, was wonderful.

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What was the running time? Thanks.

Is Carol Kane in this enough to justify buying a ticket just for her?

Thanks for the reviews so far! Was anyone else there? Still undecided whether to snag a last minute ticket for tomorrow.

I see the NY times agreed with me.

I went tonight. Thought it was a fun evening although of course it doesn't compare to the amazing movie adaptation.

Full review here:

https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2019/02/la-fille-du-regiment-vive-la-france.html

The Russian website VK has Call Me Madam film easily downloadable. It's a wonderful film.

Facts are facts, nobody, and arguments are arguments. I never even look at the categories based on how many times the poster has posted. And since I don't read every thread, I don't make any assumptions about how long it has been since someone else posted.

To me the post stands on its own, nobody has to "earn the right" to correct me or disagree with me.