Did Elaine Stritch ever play Vera in "Mame" on Broadway?

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 2/24/08 at 6:06pm

This isn't a thread to say that she would have been perfect in the role, but rather did she ever play the part.

IBDB says no, but someone who replied to a post of mine on "the forbidden website" says that his parents saw her and he has the playbill to prove it.

It's petty (I know), but ibdb.com does not list that as one of her credits, so I was just wondering if this individual is mistaken by telling me this.

[SDav 10495]

Posted: 2/24/08 at 6:13pm

According to the nifty new BWWDB:

Mame
[US Tour, 1st National Tour, 1968]
Vera Charles

So Playbill is probably legit, but not from Broadway.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/24/08 at 6:15pm

Yeah. It was a national tour. Not Broadway.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 2/24/08 at 6:15pm

Thanks!

[PUPPETMAN]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 12:35pm

It was a national tour, but a second one, not the first. Saw it here in Buffalo. Mame was Janel Blair.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 1:23pm

Ladies and gentlemen... Elaine Stritch:

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 2/25/08 at 1:46pm

I checked IBDB, BWIDB, Best Plays from 66-72, and Theatre World from 66-72, and can't find her in New York

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 10/9/11 at 12:35am

[threadbump]
I know people who swore they saw her on Broadway as Vera somewhere between 1966 and 1969. Anyone else know if she was indeed in the NY production? Updated On: 10/9/11 at 12:35 AM

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 10/9/11 at 12:39am

^ If she did play it, it would have been for maybe a week. I know she and Janet Blair did tour together, but I am 99.9% positive she never did it on Broadway.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 10/9/11 at 12:56am

Re: that pic...
I'd hit that.

[LW2]

Posted: 10/9/11 at 1:21am

ditto, CPD. Ditto big time

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 10/10/11 at 7:34am

No, Elaine Stritch never played Vera in MAME on Broadway.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 10/10/11 at 9:44am

I believe there was a production, not sure if it was a tour or summer stock, with Elaine Stritch and Bea Arthur where they swapped roles every night.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/10/11 at 11:03am

That's not true, Goth. You're the only one who's ever said that was true.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 10/10/11 at 11:37am

Except for the movie, I don't think Arthur ever played the role again after she left the Broadway production. Arthur apparently had been considered for the role of Mame when they were still having trouble casting it. Or at least Gene Saks was trying to make them consider her.

Perhaps Goth is thinking of the story Stritch has told — which may or may not be true — that she and Garland would joke about alternating as Mame and Vera.

Stritch did later play Mame in stock after having played Vera on tour with Janet Blair.

The two main Broadway Veras after Arthur were Anne Francine and Audrey Christie.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 10/10/11 at 1:05pm

"That's not true, Goth. You're the only one who's ever said that was true."

Maybe Stritch had been tippling when she told me that or maybe she got mixed up and said Bea Arthur when she meant someone else. But that's what I heard from the Stritch's mouth. She has been known to fudge the truth just a wee bit.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 10/10/11 at 2:03pm

I'm sure you were drunk when she told you that, Goth.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/10/11 at 3:10pm

She has been known to fudge the truth just a wee bit.

As have you, you know...

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 10/10/11 at 8:50pm

Is the Janet Blair you all are talking about the same Janet Blair that played the mom in Disney's "The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band"?

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/10/11 at 11:22pm

Janet Blair sings "What Is This Thing Called Love?":

http://youtu.be/pkNGeFWIe3w

[wildcat]

Posted: 10/11/11 at 2:17pm

Janet Blair also replaced Dorothy Collins as Sally in FOLLIES at the Shubert in L.A.