How was SJP in MATTRESS?- Page 2

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 9/29/12 at 3:42pm

The show IMHO should never be on Broadway. It's simply not strong enough--it has a lot of charm but that's pretty much it.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 9/29/12 at 3:55pm

For what it's worth, this production was rumored to be very problematic behind the scenes. It became very clear very early on in the rehearsal proccess that Gerry Gutierrez didn't "get" the style of the show, and his direction was increasingly difficult for all of the actors to make work.

Right before they went into tech, Gutierrez filed Michael McGrath (who was playing the Jester) and replaced him with David Hibbard, which many saw as his attempt at compensating for problems that had nothing to do with McGrath. In his Chatterbox interview with Seth Rudetsky recently, McGrath talked about the experience and how, at the time he was let go, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jane Krakowski were equally convinced they were getting fired because of how frustrated they also were by Gutierrez.

Updated On: 9/29/12 at 03:55 PM

[beltingbaritone]

Posted: 9/29/12 at 4:39pm

I think Sutton could have been a fantastic Winifred, maybe a few years back. Not sure if it would read right on her now. Then again, I know a lot of people find her to be uninteresting and/or overrated, however, we all know she has a great grasp on musical comedy style.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 9/30/12 at 11:24am

Sutton Foster would be perfect for Winifred, though I feel that by now she'd probably think it's a "been there, done that" sort of role. But I wouldn't mind seeing her take a crack at it for Encores!
It's funny revisiting old threads. I was 19 when I posted here in 2005 and was obsessed with Parker since I had just "discovered" SEX & THE CITY. Clearly, now I can definitely see why she was so entirely miscast, though I have to say the cast recording is still a guilty pleasure of mine.
Around the time that 30 ROCK was renewed for a second season, Jane Krakowski gave an interview for one of the theatre websites (BWW, Theatermania, can't remember and too lazy to google) where she basically laughed when they asked her about this revival. She said (as Somethingwicked pointed out) that it was the kind of show where everyone knew from rehearsals that the show just wasn't going to work out. I wonder if Krakowski and Parker have remained friends throughout the years, who knew they'd become so successful outside of the Broadway world?

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 9/30/12 at 11:40am

By the time this revival came along Sarah Jessica Parker was already on the rise outside of Broadway. It definitely felt more like the "rising star is returning to her roots for a brief spell," rather than the "Broadway star just on the verge of being discovered."

[beltingbaritone]

Posted: 9/30/12 at 4:44pm

Sutton's Fiona in Shrek definitely reminded me of a Winifred Lite. Still, she should at least look at a few of those songs for a concert, ANYTHING. She'd be a knock out.

[goldenboy]

Posted: 9/30/12 at 4:57pm

Updated On: 9/30/12 at 04:57 PM

[newintown]

Posted: 10/1/12 at 9:00am

Cute, boring, not funny, couldn't sing any better than Honey Boo Boo. A misfire in every aspect.

[Patash]

Posted: 10/1/12 at 1:23pm

In my book the whole idea of the play is that one look at this Winifred character and you can't imagine that she is a princess. Yes, SJP was miscast. The best Winifred I ever saw (and I've seen quite a few of them) was in Cincinnati in the early 1970s -- the great Marcia Lewis, who at that time must have weighed nearly 300 pounds. Yes, the weight thing was played to the hilt -- who could believe this "fat" girl could possibly be a princess. But her impish charm won the audience and she brought down the house! Carol Burnett played up her "homeliness" and "gangliness", but it still couldn't compare to that performance by Marcia Lewis.

[newintown]

Posted: 10/1/12 at 1:27pm

The thing about Winifred, too, is that she should make you guffaw, not just smile gently, as most of them seem to do.

Apart from Katie Finneran and Leslie Kritzer (who doesn't seem to like to be funny much anymore), young gifted comediennes don't seem to be in great supply in the theatre lately.

Updated On: 10/1/12 at 01:27 PM

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 10/1/12 at 2:31pm

I wonder if Hollywood is to blame, newintown.

Nowadays, a young Carol Burnett would be told to get breast implants, dental caps and a personal trainer.

One moderately overweight friend of mine moved to LA from NYC and was immediately told he had to lose weight. "But I play fat guys!" he protested. "They'll pad you for that," said his manager.

[newintown]

Posted: 10/1/12 at 3:48pm

True, true.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 10/1/12 at 4:03pm

There really has been an assault on the traditional character actress in recent years. Remember, we live in a world where Kelli O'Hara is getting cast as Ella Peterson in BELLS ARE RINGING and Lauren Ambrose is getting cast as Fanny Brice in FUNNY GIRL.

In addition to Kritzer and Finneran, someone like Martha Plimpton is a contemporary performer who'd be a hoot as Winnifred.

[beltingbaritone]

Posted: 10/1/12 at 5:48pm

I never watched this production, but I sure love Sarah Jessica Parker's acting in the recording.

I missed this the first go around, but I have to whole heartedly agree, Ray. It's very clear SJP was wrong for the part, but the cast recording is definitely proof of her strength as an actress. Completely miscast, and yet, she makes such endearing choices, that at least in my case, I end up liking her despite her being all wrong. Does that even make sense?

[mc1227]

Posted: 10/1/12 at 6:06pm

It makes perfect sense. You have to admire someone who puts themselves out there and takes chances. She obviously LOVES theater and regardless of her success in movies at that time and soon afterward, television, she still wanted to be part of the production. I always give an actor like that props for the effort, regardless of the end result.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 10/1/12 at 6:50pm

I think some musical theater lovers sometimes focus too much on technical perfection and miss the humanity that a performer like Parker can bring to a role.