Christine Ebersole as Norma Desmond??? — Page 2

WBAF, Bite your tongue!!! Keep Doyle away from "any show I like." Thank you.

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She played Mame in the Papermill production, and she was terrific (although Kelly Bishop stole every scene as any respectable Vera should). Sunset Blvd at the Papermill would seem like a good fit.

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I know that Rose is considered one the greatest stage roles for women, but Christine has this ability to get deep into the psyches of strong, emotionally fragile women. When I picture Rose--and maybe this is just from my over-exposure with Bernadette's and Bette's performances--but I just visualize Rose as storming around the stage yelling and screaming, and Christine seems to be capable of so much more than that. Unless she could bring something completely new to the table, I'd rather see her take on the next great female stage role, whatever that may be. It seems that Rose is this character that is sort of a milestone for every actress to reach and get the opportunity to play--but we do have a future of musical theatre, and Christine is so versatile that I'd like her to create her own roles. Actresses like Bernadette and Patti -- who are around that mid-50s age range, like Christine, seem to be pigeonholed into reviving "classic" roles, when what I'd really love to see is some new roles written for women in their 50s, so that these enormously talented women can introduce us to great new roles. I mean, there are only so many times a new production of GYPSY can be launched (we're doing it every 12-15 years or so as of late) before one performance of Rose will begin to look an lot like the previous ones. Something that makes me excited about this Spring for instance, is how Donna Murphy, who is also in that same age range, is going to create a role in a new musical. I'd like for new roles to not only be written for the young girls, but for the great accomplished women that we already have.

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Updated On: 12/4/06 at 10:08 AM

WBAF, I appreciate what you're saying, but keep in mind that it is experience and maturity which finally make it possible for an actor to take on a particular role. It is especially difficult for "older" women to find roles that are challenging and well-written. That is one of the loveliest aspects of GG. It's written about women of a certain age who are not ingenues or "fresh faces." These women are complex and not always "pretty."

I'd rather see actors of depth and accomplishment perform "classic" roles than see them wallow in obscurity waiting for "the right role" to be written for them. Also, actors wait a long time to "grow into" roles. There's a reason that many actors see playing someone like Willy Loman as a crowning jewel in an already highly respected career.

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That's very funny, Best!

Does anyone remember Kevin Kline in the movie Soapdish? He was a washed-up has-been playing Willy Loman at a dinner theatre.

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