Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London- Page 2
Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Dollypop
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
#25Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/21/19 at 8:48pmHmm... this could possibly be where I celebrate seeing the show for the 100th time.
"Long live God!" (GODSPELL)
#26Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/21/19 at 9:26pmCurious as to why it’s not the Rudin production...
I am big. It’s the REVIVALS that got small.
MarkBearSF
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/25/11
#27Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/21/19 at 9:30pm
Oh dear gawd! What's next?
Imelda as Nellie Forbush?
Imelda as Maria?
Imelda as Squidward?
SouthernCakes
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/19
#28Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/21/19 at 9:31pmGuess Bette didn’t wanna take it to London?
#29Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/21/19 at 9:43pm
MarkBearSF said: "Oh dear gawd! What's next?
Imelda as Nellie Forbush?
Imelda as Maria?
Imelda as Squidward?"
Please don't put these ideas in her head. Although, Squidward could work.
#30Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/21/19 at 11:47pm
Well, of all the productions of Hello, Dolly! that have been put on, this will certainly be one of them.
Princeton2
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/1/08
#31Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 3:53am
CATSNYrevival said: "The absence of an exclamation point is telling."
The exclamation point is there in the art work
#32Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 6:32am
Let's hope she doesn't scare Ephram off like she did with me with her "Losing My Mind"...
Unless he'll be happy to give her away.
WestEndGal
Broadway Star Joined: 6/25/18
#33Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 6:36amI think this is great casting personally and I don’t get the negativity about Imelda. Not only is she a great actress she’s also got great comedy chops. I think she’ll be fab
JBC3
Broadway Star Joined: 4/9/17
#34Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 6:43amWestEndGal said: "I think this is great casting personally and I don’t get the negativity about Imelda. Not only is she a great actress she’s also got great comedy chops. I think she’ll be fab"
Exactly. Folks over on the UK site while disappointed to not get the Rudin production are generally thrilled with this casting.
#35Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 7:27amOf course they would be but they have pretty slim pickings in terms of talent there compared to the USA.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
#36Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 10:54am
Jordan Catalano said: "What an absolutely insane choice of casting. I’ll be in town for “Sister Act” so I’m 100% going to see this but this will no doubt be the most intense Dolly Levi we’ll ever see. I can’t imagine who they’ll cast as Horace next to her."
Maybe they can get Jim Carter to do it!
A little swash, a bit of buckle - you'll love it more than bread.
JSquared2
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/23/17
#37Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 11:04am
qolbinau said: "Of course they would be but they have pretty slim pickings in terms of talent there compared to the USA."
#38Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 11:16am
little_sally said: "Maybe they can get Jim Carter to do it!"
Oh man, now THAT would be exciting casting.
ActorGuyIL
Understudy Joined: 12/12/11
#39Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 12:30pm
I just have this image of her looking skyward and screaming Ephraim? LET ME GOOOOOOO!!!!!!
#40Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 12:32pmMaybe Ephraim faked his death to get away from her.
SouthernCakes
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/19
#41Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 12:48pmI think this sounds exciting. I love Russell.
#42Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 12:55pm
ActorGuyIL said: "I just have this image of her looking skyward and screaming Ephraim? LET ME GOOOOOOO!!!!!!"
Ephram, one must not tell lies *giggles*. Now - you go your way AND I WILL GO MINE YOU ASSHAT.
PS - I'm very excited about this casting. I think she is a great actress, would love to see her do musical comedy and Hello, Dolly! is the best there is.
Caption: Every so often there was a rare moment of perfect balance when I soared above him.
Updated On: 11/22/19 at 12:55 PM
#43Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 1:34pm
Mike Barrett said: "I’m frankly too much of a Potter nut to like her and root for her so I simply cannot imagine her as Dolly Levi.
That being said, I had no idea she was in musician theatre. I wish them the best. Not a Rudin production I assume? "
She’s been in Follies, Gypsy, and Sweeney Todd just in the last few years
And she won the Olivier Award for Into the Woods in 1991 (as Baker's Wife).
I think this is great casting personally and I don’t get the negativity about Imelda. Not only is she a great actress she’s also got great comedy chops. I think she’ll be fab
Agreed. Just because she's been cast in more emotionally intense roles doesn't mean that's all she's capable of doing.
Oh dear gawd! What's next?
Imelda as Nellie Forbush?
Imelda as Maria?
Imelda as Squidward?
Yes, because that would be the logical procession regarding any actress in their 60s who has played two or more of the following roles: Adelaide (Guys and Dolls 1983 & 1996), Dorothy (Wizard of Oz 1987), Baker's Wife (Into the Woods 1990), Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd 2012), Rose (Gypsy 2015), Sally (Follies 2017). While you're at it, why would think she would accept Squidward over Spongebob, anyway?
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#44Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 3:11pm
I'd rather see Catherine Tate plays Dolly.
#45Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 3:41pm
^Or Dawn French.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
WestEndGal
Broadway Star Joined: 6/25/18
#46Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 3:45pm
qolbinau said: "Of course they would be but they have pretty slim pickings in terms of talent there compared to the USA."
*rolleyes* It’s so tiring with the jibes about the West End talent. I’m back in London now but lived in NYC for years, and have seen plenty of shows on both sides of the pond, and the talent in the West End is generally superb.
#47Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 5:41pm
qolbinau said: "Of course they would be but they have pretty slim pickings in terms of talent there compared to the USA."
*rolleyes* It’s so tiring with the jibes about the West End talent. I’m back in London now but lived in NYC for years, and have seen plenty of shows on both sides of the pond, and the talent in the West End is generally superb.
I've seen TONS of West End musicals with talent comparable to Broadway. Better in some cases, actually.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#48Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 8:21pm
I live in London. I’ve been to NYC loads of times. Of course Broadway historically and currently is much much better for musicals. I don’t find it tiring I just think we need to speak the truth. I think it’s because musicals are traditionally an American art form and the talent pool is much larger - it’s almost an unfair comparison. If we compared Europe overall to USA overall it would be a fairer comparison. Otherwise it’s like comparing a state to a massive continent.
Staunton is not Channing, Bette Midler, Bernadette or Donna Murphy. Jenna Russell is not Kelli (Bridges) or Ebersole (Grey Gardens. But there honestly isn’t many alternatives.
The USA is bad at some things and good at other things. And musicals are one thing they are consistently good at.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
#49Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London
Posted: 11/22/19 at 9:30pm
I think at times we definitely have different standards in the states. Elena Roger in Evita was almost universally hated here, and she didn’t receive a Tony nomination. I don’t think Staunton’s Rose would’ve appealed to American audiences, the filmed production gets a lot of negativity.
I think scenarios like this probably played a factor in Rosalie Craig not transferring with Company.
Videos