Casting news for Encores! CALL ME MADAM?- Page 3
Casting news for Encores! CALL ME MADAM?
#50!
Posted: 1/8/19 at 5:59pm
Well, I did call it. Like Cusack but help but feel a little disappointed after all this hype hahaha.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
#51!
Posted: 1/8/19 at 8:11pm
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.)
#53!
Posted: 1/13/19 at 4:50am
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.
#55!
Posted: 2/6/19 at 10:35pm
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.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
#56!
Posted: 2/6/19 at 10:37pm
The direction was very presentational and lacked flair and originality. Thus the performances were sort of nudge nudge wink wink 2 dimensional. The actors were caught somewhere in between musical comedy and farce. Some nice vocals though. I would have preferred a lead with a larger stage presence and personality. The book is a bit creaky and I longed for Annie Get Your Gun.
Updated On: 2/6/19 at 10:37 PM
mamaleh
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/04
SomethingPeculiar
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/15/14
#58!
Posted: 2/6/19 at 11:33pm
mamaleh said: "What was the running time? Thanks."
Just under 2.5 hours including intermission and a lengthy curtain speech by Jack Viertel, followed by a video talking about City Center's legacy. (Though maybe that was only for the first night)
The score sounds fabulous, and I thought Cusack was divine. She's not a bulldozer like Merman, but she could charm the husk right off of the corn. And let's get Ben Davis back on Broadway in a good role soon -- what a gorgeous baritone voice.
LightsOut90
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/2/14
dave1606
Broadway Star Joined: 12/8/07
#62!
Posted: 2/7/19 at 10:44am
I saw this last night and found it to be delightful. I thought Carmen was a delight and loved her voice. I know she isn't merman but I thought she made it work. She's such a charmer and I'd go to a party hosted by her any day!
I also thought Jason Gotay was quite charming and Worsham did great work. Carol Kane and Darrell Hammond only have one scene, but it is a very fun one and Kane's pronunciation of Lichtenburg really cracked me up.
Overall I found a lot of charm in this show and the score sounded glorious. I'd say it is well worth seeing in my opinion!
#64!
Posted: 2/8/19 at 2:40am
nobodyhome said: "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 doesseema 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...."
Of course I don't mind, not at all. On the contrary, I appreciate the correction.
I remember reading the two women were friends at the time of the ANNIE GET YOUR GUN revival in 1966, but I know Venuta had her own role. I probably got the ANYTHING GOES replacement confused with understudying.
Please feel free to correct me whenever I err. : -)
#65!
Posted: 2/9/19 at 12:50am
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
#68!
Posted: 2/11/19 at 9:38pm
GavestonPS said: "Of course I don't mind, not at all. On the contrary, I appreciate the correction."
Thanks, GavestonPS. I thought you'd be OK with it. You're very easy-going. Not everyone is. But after not having posted here for some time, I felt a bit odd about coming back with something like that.
#69!
Posted: 2/12/19 at 12:46am
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.
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