Laura Benanti: To Good For NINE?

Saw the interview. She DID come off as a bit full of herself. Heaven forbid you only get to sing one solo song in a broadway production!!!!!!!! The horror! LOL.

I saw her in The Sound Of Music. Her voice was great, but she seemed too cold as Maria.

I don't like Lupone's personality. VERY full of herself.

I would do anything to be a stage prop in a bway show let alone sing one solo!!! Man, if she really does have an attitude like the one posted above then she will be washed up by the time she is 30. I have never met her so I can't say first hand... However, I have seen her perform and she has a wonderful voice but, I agree she is not a bway legend. She was a girl from NJ who just way back in 1996 won the Papermill Playhouse Rising Star Award in High School for best leading actress in a musical.

They show the interview here. It sounds like Laura takes a suble shot at Jane with a comment about not trying to make your number the showstopper. She doesn't come off as bad as some of the print interviews I have seen.
NINE on the Early Show.

I'm going to cross post what I said over on All That Chat when this issue came up:

A couple of months ago on broadway.com, there was an article about Karen Akers in which she talks about the whole audition process for Nine. I just want to bring in a little snippet about what Maury Yeston said about Claudia (I'll post a link too):

"I later found out that they'd wanted me right away, but couldn't decide which role, Luisa or Claudia. The second callback was a meeting with the composer, Maury Yeston, who played a good bit of the score for me with surprising enthusiasm. I was enthralled, but also somewhat surprised to find myself being considered for the role of the wife (Luisa Contini), rather than the actress, (Claudia Nardi), some of whose lines I'd read at the first callback for the writer, Arthur Kopit. 'You don't want to play Claudia,' Maury said, 'She wafts in and out of the shrubbery.'"

I'm sure Mr. Yeston wasn't trying to put down the role, because it is wonderful in spite of the short stage time, but even he said the role is small.
Laura has said in numerous other places that she has gotten over the fact that she has one song. What do you expect from her? She's 23 and she's already been nominated for two Tony awards! I know that she truly respects and admires her fellow cast members--especially Ms. Chita--and the production (particularly seen from the NY Times article in last Friday's paper about the ladies of Nine). Seeing that respect has made me respect her a little more.

And yes, we're all aware of that reputation she has at the stage door, but could it be that she's shy and doesn't deal well with people?


How I Arrived on Broadway: Karen Akers

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I too saw the interview and thought she came off as a little full of herself. Regardless of the human instinct of "something better may come along" she probably could have worded it a little better or a little differently.. maybe she wouldn't have come off so pompus.

That aside I saw her perform at SITA yesterday and GREATLY enjoyed it :)

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dang i did not know she was that young 23!!!! she does not look 23 at all she looks like she is in her 30's!!! i guess it is all that makeup?? any way i think kristin chenewith looks way younger than laura benanti and kristin is like 32.

But I know many a person who would KILL to make good money playing a smaller role...... a LOT less pressure than being saddled with the lead.

I started typing this last night but wasn't sure how to explain what I saw on stage at curtain call. But here it goes...

I went to see Nine last night. Absolutely loved it and thought the entire cast was wonderful. It didn't hurt that I was 3rd row center...and truthfully being that close to Antonio was well...NICCCCCCEEEEE!

Anyway, got to know a few people around me before the show started and subsequently talked with them at intermission as well as after the show. I didn't tell any of them what I had read about Ms. Benanti, I wanted to see it for myself.

This is my honest opinion of her...she is a beautiful girl with a lovely voice. At curtain call, she came out and there were a few hoots for her...but definitely not as many as there were for Jane. The look on her face as Jane bowed to the audience was for lack of a better word...that of disgust. Now, before anyone jumps down my throat...that actually came from the couple who sat next to me who seemed to notice her "attitude" at curtain call.

At stage door, she was less than thrilled to sign someone's wall card. She sighed and said "ok" but then quickly turned and left.

Now...she could have been tired, not feeling well, a number of senarios have crossed my mind...but what I saw came across as attitude. In my 35 yrs, I have been around many a star, including Mickey Rooney, who is known to have a major attitude problem at times. So I guess what I am saying is that I have seen many different ways for people to react to their surroundings...and she just looked less than thrilled.

I immediately thought of Jarrod when he won the Tony at 25 yrs old. This guy remained humble throughout the years and to this day is thrilled to be performing anywhere.

Ugh...I guess what I read here influenced the way I viewed her last night...but I tried very hard to give her the benefit of the doubt. As a performer, she is really lovely. Having never met her, I can't say anything except that from the view of a bunch of people in the third row...she has a bit of an attitude. But I do still enjoy listening to her as well as watching her!!

Ok, that is what no sleep and a cold does to me...I ramble!!

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I worked with her on one of her first shows, and did not find her full of ego at all. She's a very talented girl and gave the best performance on stage in the Into the Woods revival. She probably shouldn't have said what she said on CBS, but at the same time, I'm kind of delighted by her honesty.

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My Own Bad Experience of the "Laura":

I went to see Into the Woods. I've loved this show for a good five years, and this was the first time I've seen it live. Laura was magnificent. Kerry's awesome. Etc. I went to the stage door. Laura came out in a ballcap. She was getting through the crowd's signatures, I stop and ask for one.

She looks at me like I have egg on my face. I start to back off, but she signed it before I did. Then she ran off after some man named Chandler. She shouted his name. Gotta love the "egg" look from actress. To tell you the truth, this was my first trip to NY and she was the rudest person I came across in that entire trip. Kerry was sooooooooo awesome. Stephen was humble. Gregg was quaint, but Laura. I will never forget that look you gave me.

Yes, I'll give you she doesn't deal well with people and confrontations but excuse me, this is the theater business and if her intent is to become a famous diva, then my god, get a class, get a pill, get SOMETHING to help you embrace people who love you and want your signature on a piece of paper. Claudia is a small role IN A BIG BROADWAY SHOW. There is more publicity being put into this show than she ever got with Into the Woods I bet. When they show Guido, who's with him? Chita, Laura, Jane, and Mary.

Updated On: 6/8/03 at 12:47 AM