HELLO, DONNA! - Murphy begins performances — Page 3

Ahh, thank you, Robbie! I just assumed Bette Midler's name would be attached, as it is on most everything else. But I'm glad to hear Donna Murphy got her own billing page!

Also eagerly anticipating reports from tonight. When people asked me for a show recommendation, I suggested seeing this production with Donna. The seats you can get with a discount are really great so, to me, it's a no brainer for people who don't want to spend hundreds.

theminutepast said: "Intermission now. Donna Murphy is doing a fine job, if a little lacking in star power and overpowered by her very funny costars. She received boisterous and extended entrance applause but did fumble and have to repeat a few words (threshold and Cornelius) and struggled to open the umbrella during "Sunday Clothes." She definitely seemed more comfortable as the act went on.



"a friend txted me and said she's a bit tentative and overshadowed by her costars but in time she'll command center stage

Updated On: 6/13/17 at 09:03 PM

Give Donna Murphy a break. It was her first performance. She will settle in and get better as time goes by. I head that Bette didn't even know all of her lines on her first performance.

to be fair...Bette Midler, Tony Award and all was also supported by her excellent costars and made to look good by her costars; In my opinion Bette's costars overshadowed Bette Midler. . What carries Bette is the excitement of having a real star as in Bette doing Dolly.

Did she deserve her Tony Award? Was she really the best musical actress? No but she was the best Bette Midler that 200 bucks can buy. And that in itself is exciting. So good to have her back where she belongs. On Broadway where she did Fiddler on the roof a long time ago. So hype, excitement, chutzpah and superstardom got Bette her Tony

Patti Lupone and Christene Ebersole are doing better acting jobs and in my opinion and much more impressive.. They are just not Bette who is a superstar. And that is exciting in itself..

I agree she was tentative in the first act, but like others have said, it's her first show. And I thought act two was amazing - already more confident, and she NAILED the title number.

So as others have said, she was a little tentative in Act 1, but I think she was absolutely fantastic in Act 2 (with a minor mistake with the cane at the end of So Long, Dearie). That being said, as much as I really enjoyed her (and believe that if she had opened the production, she would have gotten positive reviews), it did make me realize how much Bette does with the role. There was a certain electricity missing. That's not to say that Donna won't find it too, but I do think she's playing the role in a more standard way. I really enjoyed her performance, but it did make me realize how much Bette really DID deserve the Tony for what she's doing.

Updated On: 6/13/17 at 10:01 PM

Looked the same to me. She looked EERLIY like Bernadette Peters in Act I because of the curly red wig under the hat.

Callum_brown1 said: "Was there anyone there expecting to see Bette?"

Yup! I heard a few different reactions, from mild confusion to outrage. A group near me tried to demand a refund, which is absurd. But Donna got a really great reception throughout the show.

I grabbed a Dolly ticket at 6pm from the box office. I was SO THRILLED to FINALLY get to see the show!! I'll eventually go back so I can see Bette, but I knew tonight was Donna's debut, and I was excited to see it.

Like I said I haven't seen Bette yet, so I can't compare the two.

Everyone in the audience went nuts when she came on to the stage. The applause lasted quite a while.

Donna was a fantastic Dolly!! I would imagine she is a bit more timid than how Bette plays the role, but it was also her first performance. Her comedic timing was excellent, and I'm fairly certain she even did some improv a few times. I throughly enjoyed her performance and was sad when it was over. She messed up a word or two here or there, but covered it well. During "So Long Dearie," she accidentally dropped the cane off of the stage and into the audience, a guy handed it back up to her and she cracked a joke. The audience was hysterically laughing. She got a fairly lengthy standing ovation during "Hello Dolly." All in all, I absolutely loved the show. The dance numbers and the incredible vocals and talent of this cast are not to be missed!!

A photo of her. She looks beautiful! :)

https://twitter.com/JustinSacramone/status/874810131854307330

A video of her first bows

https://twitter.com/ssabinamamedova/status/874808114272493568

Updated On: 6/13/17 at 10:15 PM

It's all over Telecharge when Bette is out. Is there also a sign in the box office at the Shubert, too?? Can't imagine the theater caved and gave out refunds.

ACL2006 said: "Curious if the show ended up selling out tonight & if they sold SRO.



"

I believe it was sold out. I went to the box office at 6pm, all the SRO tickets were gone. I got a side orchestra seat for $47 and it was awesome!