Imelda Staunton Hello, Dolly starts tonight! — Page 2

I am acquaintances with one of her UK theatre peers and had been hearing from her for a while that Imelda had been set on finding the 'darkness' in Dolly.

It sounds very much like fighting the source material to me, but these initial reports track with what I had been hearing.

Just a question, so don't beat me up if you disagree strongly: But doesn't an older Irene raise the stakes and the poignancy? This is a story of two successful businesswomen who have made period-specific sacrifices to hold onto agency. They had no vote, likely had trouble with banks and small business startups (unmarried American woman got credit cards in their names in the 1970s; seriously, not unrelated). These are fascinating contemporary issues. Irene wearing ribbons down her back at 50ish is actually very touching. These women are peers and want another shot at what's seemingly denied them.  

The main problem with Jenna Russell is that simply she just looks too old next to the actor playing Cornelius. In terms of the character itself and the issues you raise I think it works and if anything you're right - she's a widow, it raises the stakes etc. it's the pairing that doesn't work not the individual character. 

Overall, out of many of the supporting characters though I think Jenna Russell fares well anyway though. I would prioritise the issues discussed earlier around Horace being so mean and also Cornelius' voice (which is pleasant but not spectacular in the way Gavin Creel was) before worrying too much.

Sorry to already move on and dream of something else but I really want to see someone like Casey Nicholaw tackle this with Patti LuPone in the next 5 years. That kind of thing might be more competitive with the 2017 revival.  

He wasn’t okay with Patti but he was fine with Pearl Bailey doing it?

Updated On: 7/7/24 at 01:21 PM

Interesting that she apparently sang the title song in the traditional red dress during rehearsal but people have reported she now wears a green one. I wonder why the change?

delete 

Updated On: 12/31/99 at 07:06 PM

She was okay in a show we saw her in in London awhile ago but so unpleasant at the stage door. We just politely asked if she would please sign the playbill and she said, "Will I?!" and then went and sat in her car for half an hour. Should we have said, "May you please...?" "If it pleases your grace would you please...?" If you're tired and just don't want to, just say, "Sorry, I can't." Don't be rude. We were polite and kind; we're not monsters, we're fans. Maybe she didn't like our American accents??

MrsSallyAdams said: "I believe the line "and if you tell anyone Itold you this, I’ll tell them what both liars you are" is from the source play. Shirley Booth delivered lines like thissarcastically in the 1958 film.

Betty Buckley's Dolly tour was a bit dark because she seemed so frail. Buckley was recovering from illness and her Dolly didn't seem to have much time left.

I imagine Staunton delivering "So Long Dearie" as though she planned to gut Horace like a fish."

The line about "and if you tell anybody" is also in the "Dolly" movie. Streisand says that to Cornelius and Barnaby then slams the trap door down on them. 

I'm in that sliver of the theatergoing public that doesn't find stagedoor behavior Exhibit A in measuring an actor's generosity of spirit or even attitude toward a fan base. We live in a post-Covid world, and intimate contact with anyone is a personal decision. But even before the pandemic, pausing at a stage door is not required to serve a show or embrace its admirers. Terse, perfunctory exchanges can happen when actors have reason to rush on. They do, as everyone does leaving a workplace. (And let's remember: that's what it is.) They're not obligated to do anything but the performance. After 20 years on this site, I'm still baffled by the sense of entitlement that infects otherwise normie theater audience members. 

Critics Pick from The NY Times. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/19/theater/hello-dolly-imelda-staunton.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va2FIX1N05Q

oops, I see someone posted this two messages above me~

Sorry for the repeat!

Updated On: 7/20/24 at 08:42 PM