Eliza? - My Fair Lady Revival 2018- Page 19

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 8/19/17 at 3:17pm

It is Ms. Ambrose. 

[NYadgal]

Posted: 8/19/17 at 3:21pm

I hope that's not true.  

[Princeton2]

Posted: 8/19/17 at 4:15pm

RippedMan said: "Why are they focusing on names? They obviously don't need a name. They could the whole show with unknowns and it would still do well. 

 

"

Surely the same could have been said about The King and I, and look how that turned out 

[BWWMatt]

Posted: 8/19/17 at 4:39pm

brian1973 said: "All of these Benanti/OHara messages are hilarious. They are TOO OLD and not doing it. They have cast an *unknown* as Eliza and are about to sign a name as Higgins. The show will be a huge sell out with whoever is doing it anyway given this teams pedigree."

At this point it would be surprising if it wasn't Lauren Ambrose, but just to be clear, she is neither "young" nor "unknown."

She will be 40 when the show begins performances, as year and a half older than Benanti and just short of two years younger than O'Hara. 

And while she is by no means a household name, Ambrose is not an "unknown." A long career on stage and screen, including two Broadway productions and an entire-cast Drama Desk Award. That said, I don't believe that she has ever done a professional musical, at least not in New York. 

Updated On: 8/19/17 at 04:39 PM

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/19/17 at 6:22pm

For what it's worth, I also heard a rumor that it was Lauren Ambrose, and the person seemed pretty certain. But to be fair, it could still be false, and the rumor could have originated from an unreliable source. 

I don't have any opinion about Lauren Ambrose one way or the other. I'm not familiar with her work in the least. But the one thing I will say: she may be 40 but I think she looks significantly younger, at least in the photos I've seen of her. I think she could easily pass for a young woman of around Eliza's age, especially in large a Broadway house.

[Whateverjsays]

Posted: 8/19/17 at 8:23pm

Wasn't it just announced that Lauren Ambrose would be returning for the next season of the X Files? Wouldn't that create some sort of scheduling conflict, if it is her that was cast?

[Itonlytakesajourney]

Posted: 8/19/17 at 8:27pm

So, so far Benanti and potentially Ambrose are out? I'm rooting for (a pipe dream at best) Phillipa or Denee; since they're both not going to be in any roles come Spring. If they want a young and talented newcomer, Denee is any easy option, and I'm sure she'd love that role. Does anyone have any other info on Anne Hathaway?

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 8/19/17 at 8:38pm

^Ambrose is not out.  It's probably going to be her.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/19/17 at 8:42pm

I doubt THE X FILES would prevent Ambrose from starring as Eliza. Reports specify that the number of episodes in which Ambrose is set to appear remains unknown, and the show premieres in early 2018, so Ambrose might have filmed most or all of her scenes by the time the show opens. So she is hardly out of the running (if there's any truth to the rumors she auditioned).

After the Benanti fiasco I am not believing any of these rumors. I will say Ambrose is an incredible performer, and she'd likely make for a brilliant Eliza.

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 8/19/17 at 8:57pm

GeorgeandDot said: "^Ambrose is not out.  It's probably going to be her.

 

"

Are there others they are considering still?

[Robbie2]

Posted: 8/19/17 at 9:14pm

broadwayboy223 said: "GeorgeandDot said: "^Ambrose is not out.  It's probably going to be her.

 

"

Are there others they are considering still?

 

"

So I'm wondering ...why all the Lauren Ambrose attention? From what I've heard vocally her voice is not suited for Eliza and really have no desire seeing her if she's cast!

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 8/19/17 at 9:52pm

SmoothLover said: "It is Ms. Ambrose. 

That would be disappointing. If they aren't going to go for an age-appropriate unknown, I'd rather see Laura Michelle Kelly or Lauren Worsham. 

 

[lemiz3001]

Posted: 8/19/17 at 10:12pm

I can tell you it's officially not Hathaway and Firth. 

There was quite a struggle to MFL on Broadway for a long time due to legal troubles. Once the Lerner & Loewe estates were in order, about 5 or 6 producers jockeyed for position to get the rights last year. Part of the reason we've been hearing about Hathaway & Firth is because they both confirmed that they would only appear in MFL if Lincoln Center got the rights with Bart directing, which is a big reason why LC's production got approval.  

Later in the year they both dropped out (What I heard was Hathaway left due to scheduling conflicts and Firth decided not to continue without her). Hope that clears things up.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/20/17 at 1:26am

While I think Firth would be great, I don't think we need Anne. 

I want to hear an actual SINGER/ACTRESS in the role. 

[wendy72]

Posted: 8/20/17 at 6:00pm

I'm usually a lurker on here but I know first hand that Lauren Ambrose has a beautiful classical soprano voice, and she is an incredible actress, and looks much younger than she actually is. She will be an exquisite Eliza in my opinion, if the rumors are true. Again, she has a GORGEOUS legit soprano, and I think would be an absolutely love(r)ly choice for the role. 

[CallMeAl2]

Posted: 8/20/17 at 6:07pm

I know it's only a rumor, but I've got to ask - is there something going on between Sher and Ambrose? An affair? Blackmail? In what universe do you cast the same actress as Fanny Brice and Eliza Doolittle? Is she the secret love child of Julie Andrews and Barbra Streisand? Is she some musical comedy phenom that amazingly has never been on stage in a Broadway musical?

Updated On: 8/20/17 at 06:07 PM

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 8/20/17 at 6:12pm

If it's indeed Ambrose I wonder if we will get that Funny Girl revival after MFL 

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 8/20/17 at 7:06pm

Lauren Ambrose is an incredibly special actress with a dazzling range. It's funny to see people making weird comments about Bart Sher's affinity for her when he's worked with Kelli O'Hara upwards of five times. This is a guy who stays incredibly loyal to actors he loves. That shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.

It's not "amazing" that she's never been on stage in a musical. She's a classically trained singer, yes, but she's also had an incredibly busy film and television career. It's quite the concentrated decision to commit a year of your time to doing a musical on Broadway. When she was going to do FUNNY GIRL, she talked quite openly about how she's always wanted to do a musical on stage but the timing had never worked out for her before. She lives a very normal life in Massachusetts with her kids. Any concentrated stage work really requires a total uprooting of her life.

If it's true that she's Eliza, I couldn't be more thrilled.

And for what it's worth, THE X-FILES will be done filming by the end of the year. MY FAIR LADY doesn't start rehearsal until February. The two are nowhere near conflicting.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 8/20/17 at 9:57pm

Jake Gyllenhaal had never been in a musical before LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS and not only did he received glowing reviews, but he went on to give a gorgeously sung performance in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE that matched Mandy Patinkin's brilliance. 

As others have said, Ambrose has a training as a singer and has performed live before. Just think of the fact that her audition for FUNNY GIRL was impressive enough that Sher cast her over vocal powerhouses like Stephanie J. Block and Leslie Kritzer. I can't imagine she would audition for MY FAIR LADY if she can't actually sing the role. And for anyone who's not familiar with Ambrose's genius skills as an actor, do yourself a favor and watch SIX FEET UNDER. I saw her in EXIT THE KING and she is a natural on stage. If she ends up playing Eliza by some random chance (random in the sense that she wasn't in the conversation until very recently), she's going to surprise a lot of people who are skeptical about her ability to embody the role. I still wish she had done FUNNY GIRL as I thought it was one of the most exciting, surprising casting choices in recent memory.

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 8/20/17 at 10:18pm

I appreciate that some of you are fans of hers, but unfortunately I've found her to be the weak link in everything I've seen her do.  I understand that everyone has different opinions; that's just mine.

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 8/20/17 at 11:25pm

It was announced on television this last weekend that Ambrose was playing the part so why are some folks on here still referring to the information as a rumor?

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 8/20/17 at 11:32pm

I've never liked her much and her singing has always felt sloppy to me.  I've never heard her sing classically, however.  Also apologies if this comes across as a bit rude, but she's a bit plain.  She's pretty, but I don't believe that she would be turning any heads at the ball.  Honestly, if they were going to go with someone around the age of forty, I would have preferred Benanti or O'hara.  It's just odd casting to me.

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 8/20/17 at 11:46pm

Bart has a good eye and the ability to think outside the box so it certainly is a choice that will get a lot of chatter which is good in the theatre world; publicity wise.

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 8/20/17 at 11:52pm

SmoothLover said: "It was announced on television this last weekend that Ambrose was playing the part so why are some folks on here still referring to the information as a rumor?

 

"

I'm sorry, what? Where is the source for this?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 8/20/17 at 11:57pm

I can't imagine it would be announced on TV and NO ONE on Broadwayworld would pick it up. 

 

Also, The King & I is a WAY different show than My Fair Lady. MFL is such an easy sell. I don't think King & I is as easy a sell.