HELLO, DOLLY! Previews — Page 29

Um, if you've seen Bette Midler in concert, you've seen The Divine Miss M persona. That's who she is in performance AND she acknowledges it during every opening number and throughout. She generally just calls herself "The Divine."

Auggie27 said: "Saw Jane Morgan at the Shady Grove Music Fair. Whether she copied Channing or not, she was not much of an actor, and certainly not a comedienne. a "Dolly" without a Dolly who's reason to see the show just doesn't work. People complaining that Bette is too much Bette in the role -- or some version of that critique -- seem to forget the very reason she is ideal: she's bigger than life, and capable of giving a performance that's a centerpiece. If you don't have that synergy -- that alchemy -- of actor and role, why do "Dolly?" It has nothing to do with the charms of the piece, but everything to do with a musical comedy built around a star.



"

There are people complaining? Probably sourpusses that can't get a ticket.

If folks want to see a naturalistic Dolly they are better off watching "The Matchmaker." I adore Shirley Booth's work in the 1958 film but the script was pared down. Dolly is offstage for a lot of the play and it can be a slog if Malachi, Aunt Flora and the other forgotten supporting roles aren't played with zest. Kristine Neilsen couldn't save the dull 2016 production at the Goodman despite a charmingly understated performance.

vegas2 said: "I have not seen Midler in concert. So I stand by my statement that I have not seen the "Divine" persona. I have always seen her play characters. And that is what she is doing here."

Well, yes, but if you haven't seen one of the things being compared, you can't really say whether it is a unique character or that same character being brought into Dolly...

vegas2 said: "BrodyFosse123,

Regarding your "Um":

I have not seen Midler in concert. So I stand by my statement that I have not seen the "Divine" persona. I have always seen her play characters. And that is what she is doing here.





"

I am confused. In your fist statement you said you had seen her perform before. She has only done one play recently and the rest is concerts. So if not in concert.. what were you referring too?

Add me to the list of people who thought she did a great job of staying in character as Dolly. As someone who knows her work mainly from movies and TV, I was expecting her to be more Bette Midler-ish, for lack of a better term, than she was. Of course she brings her distinctive voice and certain mannerisms to the role, but I thought it was surprisingly restrained.

Updated On: 4/17/17 at 11:47 AM

I did not say I had seen Midler perform live. I have seen much of her film and television work, where, in my opinion, she has performed a wide variety of characters quite well. I had forgotten, also, that I had heard a recording of at least part of a concert performance many decades ago, so perhaps I have heard the persona even if I haven't seen it.

Nonetheless, I don't think one needs to see an actress perform in her own persona in order to judge whether she is performing in-character in a play or musical. Most actors rarely perform in their own personas, yet we have no difficulty judging whether they are in character. One can judge an in-character performance by assessing whether the performer's tone and style are consistent with the script, the time period, and the performances of those surrounding them, and whether they are reaching for laughs or audience responses in a way that takes us out of the unfolding story. A serious and talented actor or actress has no need to do this unless the script itself is dreadful. Hello Dolly may be a bit creaky, but I wouldn't call it dreadful. So it seems to me that Midler is working the role exactly as she should.

But go see the show and judge for yourself. So far, those who have seen it seem to agree that Midler is being respectful of the character and the show. Dolly's character breaks the fourth wall, so Midler must do so as well. She does so very selectively, and shows a lot of restraint. I think she is taking her job very seriously.

During the performance I saw, when Kate Baldwin made her first entrance behind Beanie Feldstein, there was some applause in the audience. After it subsided, Beanie took the opportunity to slip in a very humorous "Thank you!", as if they had been clapping for her. Has this happened at any other performance? I'm assuming that the cast has a certain amount of leeway with regard to ad libbing, in order to deal with what I can imagine will be very enthusiastic crowds throughout Ms. Midler's run.

Updated On: 4/17/17 at 03:53 PM

She also did that two weeks ago.

CT2NYC said: "During the performance I saw, when Kate Baldwin made her first entrance behind Beanie Feldstein, there was some applause in the audience. After it subsided, Beanie took the opportunity to slip in a very humorous "Thank you!", as if they had been clapping for her. Has this happened at any other performance? I'm assuming that the cast has a certain amount of leeway with regard to ad libbing, in order to deal with what I can imagine will be very enthusiastic crowds throughout Ms. Midler's run.



She did that when we saw it as well on the 12th!

Looking forward to seeing the show on the last preview performance!

Just curious--is there a Wednesday matinee this week?

I noticed that the online ads are starting to use Ben Brantley quotes early. Has that ever happened before for the other shows using review quotes early before the show opens?