#1
Posted: 5/13/15 at 7:42pm
Oh my gawd someone please make this happen. Just the thought of it gives me chills!
Laura Benanti as Diana in Next To Normal
#3
Posted: 5/13/15 at 7:53pm
She'd nail it and you know it.
#4
Posted: 5/13/15 at 7:54pm
First let's have Julia Murney, Lisa Brescia, and Sherie Rene Scott (I know Sherie did one of the readings) get a shot.
#5
Posted: 5/13/15 at 8:15pm
^ I'd also be very open to Carolee Carmello or Jenn Colella. But Benanti... I just don't see it.
#6
Posted: 5/13/15 at 8:22pm
Yes! Carolee Carmello and Jenn Colella.
I saw Jenn as Elizabeth in If/Then and was blown away.
There's a clip of Jenn singing "I Miss the Moutains" from NTN out there. She sounds incredible.
#7
Posted: 5/13/15 at 8:37pm
I love Laura Benanti but I'd LOVE to see Judy McLane (current Donna in Mamma Mia). She was Diana with the Pioneer Theatre Company https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnZHiyqeDh0. I'd love to see her with Elena Ricardo as Natalie, Jon Jorgenson as Gabe, and Alan Campbell as Dan. It can be a big ole' Mamma Mia reunion. haha.
#8
Posted: 5/14/15 at 12:35am
My initial reaction to this idea was that it was totally wrong. I was even about to reply saying how bad of an idea it was, but now that I think about it a little more, I think Benanti could be good in the role. We know she's capable of dramatic acting, not just her usual goofiness. As for the singing, she doesn't have the typical Diana voice, but it could still be great. I'd love to hear a rendition of I Miss The Mountains in her lovely mix.
I feel like any commonly-belting actress who is over 30 is at some point dreamcast in the role of Diana. I like the idea of Benanti, someone who doesn't typically belt, taking a crack at the role.
#9
Posted: 5/14/15 at 12:39am
Benanti is a fantastic dramatic actress. I'm not sure how her voice would fit the role but I think it'd be a hell of a performance.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
#10
Posted: 5/14/15 at 10:51am
I love the idea of Judy McLane. I saw her play Florence in Chess a LOOOOOONG time ago and will never forget that performance. She was sensational. When I think of her Nobody's Side, I still get chills.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#11
Posted: 5/14/15 at 1:23pm
McLane did the role regionally, and was, by all accounts, wonderful.
#12
Posted: 5/14/15 at 1:42pm
I love McLane as well. I feel like she doesn't get enough recognition. I'm glad that though Mamma Mia she has been employed for the past 10+ years, but now that it's closing, I'd love to see her in a role with a little more substance.
Also, back to dream Dianas: Stephanie J. Block.
#13
Posted: 5/14/15 at 1:56pm
Laura Benanti is a terrible idea for Diana. Diana is a role for a belter. Laura is a soprano.
#14
Posted: 5/14/15 at 8:48pm
I'd much rather see her as Francesca in Bridges. Ah...perfection!
#15
Posted: 5/14/15 at 8:54pm
Marin Mazzie was the definitive Diana in my eyes, and she has a rather strong legit soprano. She sang rings around Ripley, and her acting was superior. As good as Ripley was, I will never forget Marin in that role.
In any event, I still don't think Laura Benanti is right vocally. Carolee Carmello on the other hand...
#16
Posted: 5/14/15 at 9:07pm
Where do you want this "to happen"? Summer Stock? And I agree Missy B's voice is dead wrong for this role. Fandom can really be blinding to a performer's capabilities.
And she's doing SHE LOVES ME and playing Supergirl's Mommy. She's gonna burn out sooner or later.
Jenn Collela needs her own show, she's better than most of these belters out there and deserves a break!
#17
Posted: 5/14/15 at 10:19pm
Marin Mazzie is a soprano, but she also has a strong high belt that's necessary for this role. Benanti is a fantastic actress, and I can't wait to see her in She Loves Me, but this role would not suit her well. Personally, I want to see Heidi Blickenstaff do it- I know she's done it regionally but it would be great to see her do it in a high-profile production, or at least one closer to New York.
I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose was all along.
#18
Posted: 5/14/15 at 10:32pm
I'm a HUGE fan of both Alice Ripley and Marin Mazzie as Diana. I saw both of them in the role many times. That being said, both were phenomenal.
Marin's performance was definitely more fluid and polished, but Alice's performance was so raw. Two totally different, yet effective and poignant portrayals of Diana.
#19
Posted: 5/14/15 at 10:44pm
As someone who's suffered from long, major bouts of clinical depression, Marin Mazzie played it the way I felt it. Alice Ripley's interpretation, thought entirely valid, felt...different. But I still thought she was quite wonderful.
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