"Dolly" Reconceived

[wildcat]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 11:21am

Susan H. Schulman is directing a "reconceived" HELLO, DOLLY! at Stratford, Ontario from May 7. The set is inspired by "Victorian train travel and tiffany glass" (Sounds like any number of productions of THE MATCHMAKER to me). Hope it isn't as misguided as her "reconceived" MAN OF LA MANCHA which almost defeated Anthony Warlow and Caroline O'Connor in Australia a couple of years ago. Still, we live in hope.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 11:24am

I'm not a fan of Schulman's work. She just doesn't "DO IT" for me.

I love me some Hello Dolly! though.

I'm doing a production of Hello Dolly set in a bomb shelter.

I don't really think Hello, Dolly! is crying out to be reconcieved.

[morosco]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 11:45am

I agree with BobbyBubby. Of all the shows that could be tweaked and reconceived, DOLLY is not the one. It's a delightful piece of fluff that offers no opportunity for reconceptions.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 1:06pm

I'm no fan of hers either, and she should leave well enough alone.

[MusicMan]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 1:12pm

Susan H.(for hack) Schulman should keep her mitts off musicals, period.

[sparky310]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 2:12pm

couldnt agree more..her sense of comedy is not very good and all her choreography is to mechanical and worse.predictable..

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 2:25pm

Wait, Bomb shelter? That was a joke, right? I just have to check!

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 2:27pm

No, we're touring the midwest with it next year!

Yes a joke; inspired by that production of Oklahoma set in a bomb shelter (I kid you not. THey got shut down, obviously)

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 2:40pm

Oklahoma in a bomb shelter? What in the world?

I remember in college, every directing student seemed to have his "thing"- One guy wanted to do 'gender reversed' casting (Dolly in drag), another guy wanted everything staged contextually (Dolly performed in a feed store), another always had to reset the time frame (I remember his passionate defense of a modern day setting of Cabaret).

I'm glad there are some directors out there who just want to try to do what's best for the show and the audience.

Why would you ever perform Oklahoma in a bomb shelter?

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 2:46pm

It was some comment on America, I can't remember. I have to dig out the old article from some magazine. They added text too.

[RockyRoad]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 4:06pm

Wasn't there a big fight a while ago about a man playing Dolly?

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 4:09pm

Harvey should play Dolly.

[morosco]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 4:11pm

Dame Edna would be a fun Dolly Levi!
Updated On: 5/6/05 at 04:11 PM

[mikelg80]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 6:22pm

im sure a man played Dolly in London, years ago. might be wrong though. Ive seen a production where a man played Dolly, i kinda liked it.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 6:28pm

Danny LaRue played Dolly in London a few years ago.

Dollypop is next in line.

[mikelg80]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 6:34pm

Yeah i saw Danny La Rue, just not in London.

[Jon]

Posted: 5/6/05 at 7:10pm

In the cast of Stratford, "reconceived" means "we're not going to just copy the original sets and costumes".

Indeed, they can't really copy the sets, since they are doing it in their Festival theatre, which is a deep Shakespearean style thrust stage.

I hear that Stratford's peoductions of MY FAIR LADY (2 years ago) and FIDDLER (3 years ago) were absolutely stunning.

[alterego]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 12:47am

Dame Edna nearly was Miss Hannigan in the original Australian Production of Annie (197. A few years ago (drag performer) Lily Savage did Hannigan in London.

[rawleygirl]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 1:38am

In the new version, Dolly and Horace are dykes and they try to adopt Ermengarde. How the fur flies!

[WISHIHADATONY]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 1:15pm

Gower Champion's production of HELLO DOLLY! is one of the greatest treats anyone can have in their lifetime. Having said that, I love HELLO DOLLY! and I would enjoy seeing it, even "reconceived." As long as the treasued masterpiece of Gower Champion's original production staging continues to be revived to delight generations of theatergoers to come.