Jerry Herman Would LOVE a Bette Midler "Dolly" — Page 2

Stage Door Sally:

Terrence Mann is 62 and Gary Beach is 65. Nathan is the youngest of the three you mentioned...he's 57. Terrence has the grey hair too...so I'm not quite sure why you are saying that he is too young.

The problem is, Herman won't allow any staging on Broadway other than "Gower's original", which is sad, and from what I've heard, was the dealbreaker for LuPone.

I don't doubt that Patti LuPone would sing the hell out of the score, but is she charming enough for the part? I really think the lack of charm was as much the problem with Streisand as the lack of age. (Streisand is thrilling, but not particularly charming in my book.)

Shirley Booth, Ruth Gordon and Carol Channing could "play" intrusive and "exasperating", but at heart they were utterly lovable.

I'm not sure the same is true of LuPone. Don't get me wrong: I "love" her because of her talent, but that's different than finding her charming.

(Before someone else asks, I'll do it: was Merman ever charming? She was when I saw her. Not in the sense that Channing is, but Merman made up for what she lacked in warmth with one of the great instruments of the 20th century and impeccable comic timing.)

Updated On: 7/12/13 at 12:12 PM

What does Dollypop have to say about this? Dollypop?

Its funny. The prickly/"reclusive" Sondheim has become a New York theater icon and beloved by many in the community, and is attempting to write new stuff, and sunny Jerry Herman is now a semi-recluse living off his DOLLY and MAME royalties. Does anyone else find that funny?

I also think Jerry Herman's output post-La Cage has been consistently poorly received by the tastemakers/critics, telling him basically that his time has passed. The assessment of Sondheim's work has continued to rise from year to year, with movie adaptions and revivals continuing at an accelerating pace until now. Who would blame Jerry for basically saying to the theater world "who needs 'em"?

I recall being charmed by Lupone (listen to her "Sleepy Man" and not be charmed, I dare you). And I recall her making me laugh many times.

What I'm having difficulty recalling is her being charming and making me laugh at the same time.

At least not without a tuba.

Updated On: 7/14/13 at 11:44 PM

I've never met the man, but Jerry Herman and I have a mutual friend who tells me he has spent much of the past 3 decades buying, renovating and selling houses in Palm Springs and Los Angeles. The friend says he may have made more from real estate during the period than from royalties.

But he played dates with JERRY'S GIRLS for years. He didn't turn into Norma Desmond.

*****

Logan2, the "charm" I'm talking about comes from an essentially sweet and sunny nature. On Friday, I laughed until I couldn't breathe listening to Lupone talk to Seth Rudetsky about how much she hates the score to EVITA, but that's NOT the sort of "charm" that makes Dolly Levi welcome in everybody's home.

Just to be clear, LuPone is classically trained and one of the best actors in musical theater. She was imo the best thing in WORKING and she didn't even have her own number!

But being skilled doesn't automatically make one "right" for every role.

Updated On: 7/15/13 at 04:29 AM

I didn't see Patti and Seth. I heard them on Sirius Talk Radio. It was an old episode of SETH SPEAKS, from January, I believe.

Yes, we can agree to disagree, but I'm willing to wager that if Patti LuPone barged into your life and started making decisions for you, you'd run the other way as fast as you can. Oh, you'd sit still for a song or two, but then you'd run.

I don't mean she isn't appealing in many other ways, just not in the way you'd hire in a matchmaker/woman-of-all-trades.

Having missed the earlier posts on this board, I just found out who is playing Dolly on tour -- Sally Struthers. I just can't picture her in that part, but maybe it's because I'll always think of her as "Gloria," from "All in the Family." I don't know who is playing Vandergelder, but I don't think it's Meathead.

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You would lose that wager, Gaveston, but then it wouldn't be the first time you owed me money.

Barbra is the Dolly my daughter grew up with too and she absolutely loves her in it.

My problems is with the film, and not Barbra per se. She was funny and sang the hell out of the songs.

Matthau was a real problem for me. I usually love him but he brought NOTHING to the part and had ZERO chemistry with Streisand.

Marianne McAndrew as Irene Malloy had no spark and she seemed too old for Cornelius.

The two of them weighed the film down. Direction wasn't good either and the film overall really lagged. I only tune in now to watch the Hello Dolly number. Love having Louis in it.

Gaveston, I'm embarrassed to say I don't get the Margaret Hamilton joke. Was it your passenger's way of suggesting Patti LuPone isn't attractive enough, or just too witchy (i.e. not charming)?

But, let me clear it up for you and those circus friends that were stuffed inside your clown car.

I am a HUGE fan of Patti LuPone - so I would love to see her play Dolly. Because I'm such a fan, she would be perfectly charming enough for me in the role. Maybe no else on the planet, but exciting for me.

Hell, I would even love to see Dunaway in the role, even though she can't sing, is way too old, and I'm sure no one on this board finds her the least bit charming. But when I love a performer, I enjoy seeing them in anything and everything.

I've only ever seen the film version of Dolly - so I don't have any rigid rules about the embodiment of that character, besides the fact that the two most famous women to play her were Streisand and Channing. I'm not familiar with the source material The Matchmaker, so the fact that she's even supposed to be charming isn't on my radar.

When I think of Dolly Levi, I think of a loud, pushy, scheming, obnoxiously funny woman. Charming wouldn't even make my list of character traits.

So hopefully we can put this behind us and now focus on the fact that I think Christine Ebersole would be the perfect musical Medea.

Updated On: 7/18/13 at 03:20 AM