Kelli o'hara in original musicals

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 6:04pm

Besides Dracula, light in the piazza and nice work why hasn't Kelli done more original musicals.

[Hamilton22]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 6:08pm

Cause she's the poster girl for golden age broadway musical revivals. 

Updated On: 11/23/15 at 06:08 PM

[gypsy101]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 6:12pm

she was in something called the Bridges of Madison County just last year. she's been a few other originals (My Life with Albertine, Sweet Smell of Success and Far from Heaven) but generally I agree with Ham22 that she is suited for these revivals she does. She has a quality that suits them, like she's from an earlier era.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 6:30pm

"something called the Bridges of Madison County"

 

I can't.

[Hamilton22]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 6:35pm

Kelli took a risk with Bridges and it didn't really pay off. The show bombed financially and in a year where she was supposed to win her tony, Jessie Mueller sneaks out and takes it from her. So it's not surprising Kelli plays it safe with revivals that are already known to work. 

 

[gypsy101]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 6:38pm

BroadwayConcierge said: "I can't."

 

I thought my facetiousness about the "something called..." was obvious, especially since it was just last year...haha sorry concierge.

[Hamilton22]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 6:39pm

It was obvious, gypsy. I think concierge is a teenager, so he or she didn't get it. 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 6:43pm

Oh boy, sorry gypsy, I thought I was being equally as facetious as you! I totally knew you weren't that oblivious. Miscommunication of sarcasm lost over text again...

 

Hamilton22, you'd be wrong. Whatever—maybe I'd feel more ashamed by your comment if I hadn't seen some of the stuff you've been throwing around these boards lately? :/

Updated On: 11/23/15 at 06:43 PM

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 6:43pm

I think Bridges is a beautiful show. Kelli deserved the tony but she also deserved it for her Anna. I'd love to see her in an original musical but I agree she is someone who really fits the golden age revivals. I'm still waiting for her to do the Bakers Wife in an all star revival of Into The Woods. 

[Hamilton22]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 6:44pm

"Hamilton22, you'd be wrong. Whatever—maybe I'd feel more ashamed by your comment if I hadn't seen some of the stuff you've been throwing around these boards lately? "

 

RETWEET 

 

[gypsy101]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 6:49pm

lol....now that i reread everything, i can see concierge probably said "i can't" to mean that I was so hilarious that she couldn't. I agree that over text sarcasm and subtext are sometimes lost.

 

I also like the idea of Kelli as the Baker's Wife. I didn't see Kelli in King but I desperately wanted Kristin to win because I thought she was so phenomenal in 20th Century.

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 6:52pm

Kelli has originated 5 (I think) roles on Broadway.  That's more then most actors will do in their lifetime.  She's actually only starred in 3 revival roles on Broadway (4 if you count her turn in the 2001 Follies revival, but I don't consider her a star of that).

Kelli has been successful in revivals because she and her team are very savvy about the choices she makes in roles.  She doesn't just jump into every revival that comes along, despite the fact that many would love her to.  Like other posters have said, Kelli has a very lovely, clear soprano voice that is common in many classic musicals.  She's also blessed with the ability to play her age, somewhat older, or younger very successfully, which opens up many more doors for her.  On top of that, she's in demand.  If you're reviving a true classic musical, you're going to scramble for her not because she just does revivals well, but because she's a talented, successful actor.  Her name draws in members of the theater community and word of mouth about her performances is typically quite positive.

[Hamilton22]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 6:53pm

"I think Bridges is a beautiful show. Kelli deserved the tony but she also deserved it for her Anna.."

 

While I think Kelli somewhat deserved a Tony for Anna, I wholeheartedly believe Kelli won for the wrong reasons. Kristin Chenoweth's performance was in a league of it's own. Just like Kelli's performance in bridges was in a league of it's own.  Kelli should have won in 2014, just as Kristin should have won in 2015. 

Updated On: 11/23/15 at 06:53 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 6:55pm

Hamilton22 said: "Kelli took a risk with Bridges and it didn't really pay off. The show bombed financially and in a year where she was supposed to win her tony, Jessie Mueller sneaks out and takes it from her. So it's not surprising Kelli plays it safe with revivals that are already known to work. "

 

FUNNY. PhillyPinto used to make this EXACT statement. 

[Hamilton22]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 7:01pm

FUNNY. I called Philly out on his bull crap many times just like many others have. 

[gypsy101]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 7:04pm

Hamilton22 hasn't ever seemed like Philly in my opinion (i think we should never mention pinto lest we accidentally summon him)

[Hamilton22]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 7:06pm

"Hamilton22 hasn't ever seemed like Philly in my opinion"

 

Well ljay thinks I am, so it must be true!

Updated On: 11/23/15 at 07:06 PM

[musicaltheatreman2]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 7:23pm

I always think of Kelli O' Hara as "the new" Rebecca Luker in the since that when Rebecca Luker was younger and around Kelli's age she was the "go to girl" for classic musical revivals, which is not a bad thing. 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 11/23/15 at 11:25pm

Kelli O'Hara is a much better actress than Luker. After Rebecca came to attention with her very good Magnolia in the greatly admired Hal Prince revival of Show Boat, her career never fulfilled its promise. She received only one more leading actress nomination after Show Boat. I remember feeling sorry for her having to read in a Times re-review of Sound of Music that the show was better after her understudy Laura Benanti took over the role of Maria.

 

Having said that, I think that she showed in Encores' The Boys From Syracuse that she had a more playful and sexy side that she never had the chance to show.

[UnwoundFantasies]

Posted: 11/24/15 at 12:11am

Oncemorewithfeeling summed it up! 

Kelli always is trying to do something new and switch things up. Which is why she left Piazza to do Pajama Game to showcase herself in a completely different role. She went from Nice Work to Far From Heaven to Bridges of Madison County to King and I all within 2 years. These are all completely different roles. The only Broadway revivals she's done are King and I, South Pacific and Pajama Game (unless you want to count Follies in which she was only ensemble and an understudy). 

No one has confirmed she's even doing My Fair Lady and if she does, I would bet good money she'd do something different in her time between King and I and MFL, like a play or something off Broadway. She likes to switch it up after each production, though if and when Julie Andrews calls its probably best to answer. 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 11/24/15 at 12:43am

I've read in several places that she is being advised to take the Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth route of doing some television and films. I find this to be a shocking waste of talent in the actresses' prime years to appear in some usually lame and forgettable production.

 

Who needs another crime or medical prime time soap opera? Others think that they should have the right to do something other than the eight shows a week grind and that TV and films will give them a national exposure that theater can not. (Oops, almost spelled her first name KristEn. Would have gotten flamed for that.) Weekly television series are their own kind of grind. Do we need another CSI: Kansas City?

[gypsy101]

Posted: 11/24/15 at 12:57am

It's off-topic but I've admired a lot of the work Kristin did on television (mostly Pushing Daisies and her work on the early seasons of Glee). Kelli would be wise to stick to the stage however.

[UnwoundFantasies]

Posted: 11/24/15 at 2:12am

Kelli was the lead of a pilot that premiered at NY TV festival earlier this fall called the Accidental Wolf, I'm not sure how much of it has been filmed or when it will be released. But I don't think she has any major plans to stray far from theater. She's certainly in demand!

[Soaring29]

Posted: 11/24/15 at 2:46am

Kelli's extremely legit and beautiful soprano suits many older shows and it fits her sensibility as an actress as well.  However, there's no reason why she shouldn't be doing more original work. I would love to see her amazing soprano chops being honored with more contemporary legit scores like Bridges being written for her voice.  That said, I would love to see Kelli reprise her My Fair Lady role as well as play Maria in The Sound Of Music and in particular, I would  most especially love to see her do Marian in The Music Man.  Although I'd know she'd never do it, it would be spectacular to see her play Carlotta in Phantom Of The Opera. It would be playing against type, but I think she has the operatic training to pull it off.   See here:  http://thebakerswifi.tumblr.com/post/116587330568/norascharles-happy-birthday-kelli-3-3-3

Updated On: 11/24/15 at 02:46 AM