Did Betty Buckley, Judy Kaye or Priscilla Lopez audition for Evita?- Page 2

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/27/12 at 9:57pm

Leadingplayer is right. Meryl Streep was interested in the film version of Evita, not the stage show, as far as I know. Yes, Oliver Stone was set to direct with Streep as the star. But SHE was the one who had reservations about being able to sing the role, so she actually went to Sting's private island (not making this up) recording studio, and recorded a full demo of the score in 1989. As far as I know, no one other than Stone, Webber, and perhaps a few others behind the scenes ever heard these recordings.

They were thrilled with the results ... and then something happened. I'm not sure what, but she ended up walking away from the project. That killed the whole thing (ncluding Stone's direction). Still, when it came time to go into production, they ended up using his screenplay anyway.

Updated On: 5/28/12 at 09:57 PM

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 5/27/12 at 10:07pm

I can't imagine Meryl Streep singing the higher notes of the score in the original key...and I don't think she could have sang it as good as Madonna in the lowered keys.

Laugh if you want...but I think Madonna sang the score very well and looked damn good on screen.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/27/12 at 10:13pm

I have no idea what keys Meryl used on the demos. I did hear she worked very hard on them, and the "powers that be" were thrilled with the results.

Then ... nothing. She moved on. Why, I don't know.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 5/27/12 at 10:17pm

I do remember from Patti's book that Meryl also wanted Norma Desmond...and drama followed too.

I do hope Mama Mia! isn't her last stage/screen musical.

My favorite of her onscreen singing was "He's My Pal" in Ironweed.

[Leadingplayer]

Posted: 5/27/12 at 10:29pm

Actually they wanted Meryl not vice versa. ALW and Co. pursued her aggresively. Meryl wasn't to keen on it but at the last minute agreed to attend the workshop performance since she was already in Scotland to see her son in a play. Her being there caused Patti great anxiety since she thought Meryl was after "her" part.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 5/27/12 at 10:55pm

I thought Streep backed out of the film Evita over a salary dispute.

Anyhoo, Leadingplayer, I think you're a bit confused. Streep's son was born 2 months after the show premiered on Broadway so she couldn't have seen him in a play in Scotland or anywhere during the workshop stage. LuPone said Streep was after the part then, but I think she was only in contention for the movie.

[broadwaybabytn]

Posted: 5/27/12 at 10:58pm

StageManager2, I think LeadingPlayer was talking about SUNSET BOULEVARD.

[Gaveston2]

Posted: 5/27/12 at 11:23pm

According to LuPone's memoir (which is a questionable source), the movie stars listed (Streep, Margaret, Dunaway etc.) were indeed interested in the role because it was the lead in a hugely anticipated musical. However, Prince, Webber, and Rice were soon discovering that almost no actresses could sing the role, and so actresses of LuPone's rank, which at that time meant steadily working but generally unknown, were allowed to audition and were essentially the finalists at callbacks.

It would make sense, though, that they didn't know vocally what they were getting themselves into because the concept album, though a big seller, wasn't such a phenomenon in the US as it was in other countries. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" was a big hit, but it's not like everyone in America knew "Buenos Aires," "A New Argentina" or "Rainbow High." So when Streep and the Hollywood stars met with the production team and saw the score, it's likely that none of them actually auditioned because they saw the E's, F's and G's they had to hit and knew they couldn't do that.

wickedfan, you are right that the concept album of EVITA wasn't as well-known among the general American public. But there wasn't a singing actress or musical theater fan in NYC who hadn't memorized it.

The part was that coveted. I know I coached several friends to get them ready for auditions long before auditions were publicly announced. So, yeah, we all knew the concept album, even before the London production opened. And the general consensus on the street was that a relative unknown would get the part because the vocals were so demanding.

I'm sure you are right that few if any bankable stars could sing it. But look at Prince's history: he prefers to make stars rather than use performers who are already well-known. Or as with the stars of COMPANY and FOLLIES and ALNM, he preferred stars of yesteryear who are making a Broadway "comeback".

So it's anybody's guess whether no star could sing it or that was just Prince's excuse.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 5/27/12 at 11:29pm

Wow, what a clusterfrack of misinformation.

Except Best12bars and a couple of others, y'all need to read what others have been saying--those listed actresses/singers were interested in the FILM VERSION, NOT the stage version.

Liza Minelli was actually in talks to star. I'm sorry but she would have been totally wrong for the part!

As for Madge, even though I too prefer the songs sung in the original key, I'm sure the lowering of them for the film was twofold: make adjustments for Madonna's limited range and adapting it to another medium. I saw the film version on the big screen several times when it first came out and most audiences got noticeably tired of all the in-your-face singing. I'll never forget this one dude sitting in front of us would audibly pout and moan every single time a new song started. You can only imagine how frustrated he was by the end, lol. Having wall to wall singing AND in the original key...on the big screen for hours? Are you effing kidding me? LOL.

That said, I am not a fan of Madonna's Eva. Not so much the voice; I actually think she never sounded better. It's her incredibly stale acting that killed it for me.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 5/27/12 at 11:45pm

Oh, Gaveston, I'm sure NYC actresses new the score like the back of their hand. I was referring to the movie stars like Ann Margaret and Faye Dunaway may not have known the album as well. Again, this is assuming that they actually pursued the role.

And My oh My, I know Liza Minelli was in talks for the movie, as was Olivia Newton John and as best12 has said, Meryl Streep. But I have a playbill from '79 (which show specfically I can't recall, I'll check it again), but there is a page for "Ask Playbill" with a reader asking who Patti Lupone was because they had read that Meryl Streep was in talks for the role and didn't know who Lupone, who had just been announced, was.

[Leadingplayer]

Posted: 5/27/12 at 11:50pm

"my oh my"


No. The actresses were looking at the stage version:

Here is an article from 1979 People
Evita---People

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 12:01am

Hal Prince: "The role calls for a white sound, a pure sound that cuts through screaming crowds—like Patti's."

Que triste.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 10:52am

From Wikipedia
It says Michelle Pfeiffer was close to getting the film.


Discussion of the film production began soon after the original 1978 London production was staged. Several actresses were considered for the role of Eva Perón. At one point, Lloyd Webber favoured an actress of Spanish descent to play the lead role and suggested Charo. Then Meryl Streep was offered the role, but production was delayed. Meanwhile, Madonna had been campaigning for the part, but when Parker was ready for filming, several people objected to Madonna playing the part. When director Ken Russell was attached to the project, he favored Liza Minnelli, who spent some time researching background and locations in Argentina. Cher, Barbra Streisand, Glenn Close, Olivia Newton-John, and Michelle Pfeiffer were rumored to have been involved. Pfeiffer, who recorded a number of demo tracks, was almost cast, but Parker wanted to shoot the picture on location, not in Pfeiffer's preferred Hollywood sound studio. Patti LuPone was not offered to reprise her Broadway role as Evita. As an actress in her forties she was deemed too old to play the part of Eva Peron, who died at 33. When Madonna was announced as the lead, Patti LuPone was asked to play the role of Eva's mother, but she declined.[1] English singer/actress Billie Piper and Irish singer Andrea Corr had minor parts in the film at what was the start of both their careers.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 11:02am

Both of Michelle Pfeiffer's demo tracks are on youtube.

I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-Pw604VFK8

Buenos Aires
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piouco3T5-M

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 11:16am

Thanks!

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 11:35am

I think it's laughable that they ever considered Liza Minnelli for "Evita". She is completely and utterly wrong for the role, but it goes to show you that even casting directors, producers and directors have rotten taste.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 11:38am

Not to mention her age...I don't think she could have pulled off Eva on film at her oldest, 33!!!

[sklabam]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 12:05pm

You gotta admit though, this thread is an amazing time capsule of opinions, facts and myths. Love it. My top five shows for certain.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 12:53pm

For the record, Dunaway did the dreary (if visually evocative) TV film. She looked good. She would not have gone on to do the same role with music. She can't sing.

LuPone was obsessed with Streisand, and mistakenly claims in her memoir that Streisand had recorded "Don't Cry for Me..." Which never happened. One of the facts in the book that wasn't checked.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 1:28pm

Actually I'd be really interested to see Liza's interpretation. She was obviously too old at the time of filming, but in earlier years she could have been an exciting choice.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 3:27pm

I wonder around what time period Liza was being considered for the role, if it was in the 80s, she was around the same age Madonna was when she played the part. However, I agree she's the wrong type for the role, I feel Liza has a vulnerability on screen that is at odds with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's take on Eva Peron as a strong, manipulative social climber. Someone like Faye Dunaway--before she became a mockery of herself--would have been more of a natural choice (if you ignore the singing), before she became camp she was absolutely brilliant.
Also, I take everything on LuPone's book with a grain of salt, the woman has quite a healthy ego and I'm not surprised that she has some sort of complex about women like Meryl Streep, Glenn Close and Barbra Streisand.

[Sister George]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 3:29pm

Early 80's

http://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/19/movies/is-it-time-now-to-cry-for-evita.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 3:43pm

Wow, that was such an interesting article, Sister George, thanks!
I had no idea how close Meryl Streep had come to playing the role, I'm so curious about this great demo that she apparently made. One can only imagine how electric she would have been in the role! It could have been one of her great performances.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 3:53pm

The other finalist besides LuPone was an actress named Bonnie Schon who had worked with Prince on Side By Side By Sondheim and Lloyd Webber in JCS-- Bonnie was also the "other" finalist for the original London Production but lost out to Elaine Paige. I don't think Schon ever ended up playing the part- I imagine she may have been a little perturbed.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/28/12 at 4:09pm

Liza was definitely rumored before Meryl, who was offered the part in 1989 (that year specifically). I was working for Second City then with close friends of hers. My info was "one degree of separation," in other words, not citywide hearsay. Her friends were impressed with her flying over to this island where Sting had his studio to record the score. She really wanted to try it out and see if she could do it. Webber and Co. were thrilled with the results, but then she moved on to other projects. I never heard if it was over money or just that Meryl herself decided she wasn't good enough to do it and declined. But apparently, she recorded the whole score, a full demo. I wonder if anyone ever heard it outside of closed doors.

Perhaps that's why she went to an island to do it. LOL

Updated On: 5/28/12 at 04:09 PM