Laura Benanti to replace Lauren Ambrose in MY FAIR LADY- Page 12

[MadisonGuy]

Posted: 10/30/18 at 3:13pm

Do you think Laura will extend?  I am hoping to come to New York in August.  What are the chances she will still be performing this role?  Thanks.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 10/30/18 at 6:08pm

Little Ella is adorable!

https://www.broadwayworld.com/videoplay/BWW-TV-Laura-Benanti-Gets-Direction-From-a-Tiny-Taskmaster-for-MY-FAIR-LADY-20181030

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 10/30/18 at 6:16pm

MadisonGuy said: "Do you think Laura will extend? I am hoping to come to New York in August. What are the chances she will still be performing this role? Thanks."

August 2019? No.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 10/30/18 at 6:28pm

Just from the stories she tells about her, you can tell Laura’s daughter is an absolute riot. She’s definitely a handful, but all kids are, so at least she’s funny. That video is great.

I can’t wait to see Laura in the show. I have such fond memories of Lauren in the role and I’m sure I’ll be falling in love with this great production starring another actress I admire just as highly.

[Bwayfan292]

Posted: 10/30/18 at 11:10pm

I am so annoyed that people are giving her a hard time for not stage dooring, she literally took extra time to have signed playbills for people. Ugh.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BplNw8FBSPc/

Updated On: 10/30/18 at 11:10 PM

[7thbighero]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 12:27pm

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo-Flash-Youll-Grow-Accustomed-to-Her-Face-First-Look-at-Laura-Benanti-in-MY-FAIR-LADY-20181031

she looks gorgeous in those costumes

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 1:23pm

Great pictures! Although she definitely wasn't wearing that dress in the second picture when I saw her last week!

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 5:04pm

Harry Hadden-Paton's hair piece looks thicker than before.

[lesmizsaigon]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 5:53pm

ScottyDoesn'tKnow2 said: "Harry Hadden-Paton's hair piece looks thicker than before."

 

It flopped around more than usual. Also was he wearing fangs during curtain call? Cute! 

[BeNice]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 6:27pm

Just saw the matinee.

(Forgive me if I am committing musical theatre blasphemy. I don't want to take away anyone's excitement over seeing her. I think her performance brings a lot of people joy.)

I just love this show so much so I was a little sad that some of the nuance of the text and themes seem a bit lost now. I really do not want to compare the two actresses, but after today, it did made me appreciate Ambrose' interpretation a little more. 

Ambrose let herself be vulnerable, sensitive, and we really saw how the men in her life affected her which made her blossoming arc to "Without You" so fascinating to watch. For whatever quibbles I had about her voice and her being new to musical theatre, I left the theatre really thinking about her, the themes of class, morality, etc. I always felt like Ambrose' Eliza was a Lady but just born to the wrong station. It was always within her to want to better herself (she prided herself on being a "good girl" and her desire to learn seemed so genuine and the stakes so real and high.

Today's Eliza was a little tougher and I never felt like she couldn't take care of herself and improving her station was not as an important matter. For whatever reason, I was always aware of an actress playing the role of Eliza instead of being Eliza (yes the slightly self-conscious accents didn't help.) Obviously she nailed the comedy of the Ascot scene and looks stunning in every costume, but I didn't feel empathy for her journey, as I wasn't quite sure what this Eliza wanted so badly or if she even really needed it. 

Anyway, that is my two cents. I just want to soak in this revival while it's still open because I do think My Fair Lady is a close-to-perfect musical.  

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 7:17pm

More opinions of Benanti's accent, please.

 

[Skip23]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 7:17pm

I have to agree.  (saw the matinee too)

There wasn't much of an arc in Benanti's performance.  Tough in the beginning and tough in the end.  The point of the show is that Eliza is blindsided by this man.  Didn't see this today.  SPOILER And why does she need to walk out through the audience?  This ain't "I Am What I Am"!  WE GET IT!!!


Higgins is also somewhat of a sap in this production.  Flouncing around the stage.  And "...Accustomed...Face" goes nowhere.  It's supposed to be a realization that she has enchanted him.  Here it's more of a song and dance full out declamatory number.  Misses the point.

Also:  for a show about diction, it was sorely lacking in several actors, primarily Benanti.  I couldn't understand half of what she was saying and I was center.  Besides the strange accents (they are very clouded) she tends to rush everything and swallow many lines.  "Move your blooming arse" was garbled and rushed.  No laugh today.

And it seems like she's protecting her voice constantly.  No push or color.  Safe notes and careful delivery.  Bland and boring.

Sorry I missed Ambrose.

Butz was out this afternoon.  Understudy was serviceable.  Although I don't think anyone could rescue that curious drag "I'm Getting Married..." number.
 

Rosemary Harris was a breath of fresh air.  One of the only pros up there.

Updated On: 10/31/18 at 07:17 PM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 7:41pm

Skip23 said: "Rosemary Harris was a breath of fresh air. One of the only pros up there."

Comments like this really rub me the wrong way. Out of that entire cast, you REALLY thought only one person was professional...?

 

[Skip23]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 7:44pm

Yeah.  In fact, I did.  You got a problem with that?  :)

 

Obviously!

 

 

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 9:00pm

Very difficult role with multiple accents. Julie Andrews had a lot of problems with the accents and she had a long time to learn them. Very little rehearsal time. No rehearsal with leading man. Reviews are unfair until she’s had several weeks to settle into the role.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 10:26pm

BeNice said: "Ambrose let herself be vulnerable, sensitive, and we really saw how the men in her life affected her which made her blossoming arc to "Without You" so fascinating to watch."

As the days have gone by since I saw Benanti in the role, I do keep thinking about how unchanged I felt her Eliza was by the time we got to "Without You" with her. For Ambrose's Eliza, it felt like we had reached the end of an extraordinary arc for the character. With Ambrose, the vulnerable, ambitious, tender Eliza that we started off with in "Loverly" had evolved into a woman of immense resolve, dignity, and strength. A woman no longer seeking a change in her station, but who is now grappling with how to come to terms with a man who has changed her life profoundly and yet challenges her core. As I said before, I was nowhere near as moved during "Without You" by Benanti's Eliza, who did not really seem to have been as affected or changed by everything that had happened until that point. It really bothered me that she gets emotional and almost mocking of Higgins during "Without You." Maybe she started off the show too strong...?

[DollyGallagher1964]

Posted: 10/31/18 at 10:51pm

I’m afraid I must disagree with the above posters in their negative assessments of today’s matinee. I found both the show and its leading lady to be absolutely enchanting! I felt I was taking part in something really quite special, something almost magical - everything a great afternoon at the theatre should be!

I’ve long been a lurker on these board, but haven’t yet had the courage until now to willingly jump into the lion’s den and actually post something on here. You all have sharp claws - Jungle Red!

But I had to come to the defense of Laura Benanti, whom I thought really quite extraordinary! And, no, I promise I’m not a shill from the production (although I assume an accused shill, much like a trapped spy, would likely say the same thing).

Ms. Benanti’s singing was excellent, of course, and her comedic timing impeccable as always. But it was in the more intimate moments of her performance that I felt her Eliza was at its most effective. There was something so tragically pathetic in her early line readings (I’m thinking particularly when she tells Higgins and Pickering how she washed her face and hands before coming to see them) that I, for perhaps the first time, realized the enormity and bravery of Eliza’s decision to forgo her life as a flower girl. In that moment, she’s putting everything on the line and putting herself and her future at the mercy of that brute Henry Higgins, who of course takes no notice of the fact that Eliza likely agonized over her appearance for hours before coming to see him. I thought Benanti played that and similar small moments quite beautifully.

Likewise, I felt the dynamic shift in behavior and temperament between Eliza and Higgins became particularly pronounced this time around. Having seen the show back in May, I feel that Hadden-Patton has definitely grown in the role (despite being gone the past two months), and that the behavioral degeneration of his Higgins contrasted quite nicely with Benanti’s poised second act Eliza.

Rosemary Harris was excellent, but let’s not kid ourselves - Mrs. Higgins isn’t Eleanor of Aquitaine. To give her high marks at the expense of others in the cast as an above poster did seems a little disingenuous to me. Both Joe Hart and Adam Grupper, the understudies on today for Alfred and Pickering, respectively, were certainly more than serviceable and were really both quite exceptional. I don’t feel the similarity in age between Eliza and her father was such a visual issue today as I feared it might have been had Norbert been in.

Overall, I was really quite moved by today’s performance, which lately seems to be my main qualification for judging a show’s success. In these grim times, I enjoy the occasional escape and this one sure was loverly!

[BenElliott]

Posted: 11/1/18 at 1:08am

I saw the show tonight and I'll post more tomorrow, but I thought that it was incredible even with some incredibly entertaining mishaps. I saw the show in April and had major problems with it, especially with Lauren Ambrose's acting choices and singing chops. I also had problems with Butz. I thought Benanti was sensational. She ups the stakes and really kills it. She's tough from the very beginning, which makes it so that the show isn't so much about a woman growing stronger, but more about a woman learning to respect herself, which I really enjoyed. Also, she's hysterical and finds wonderful humor and humanity in such unexpected places. Her performance feels somewhat timeless and vaudevillian, but in a good way. It's just a great, charismatic performance. You absolutely fall in love with her.

[BenElliott]

Posted: 11/1/18 at 10:26am

Found some time to really collect my thoughts.

First of all, last night was a prime example of the magic of live theatre. Laura tripped over her shoelaces and took a tumble in Loverly. She didn't miss a beat and stopped in the song to tie her laces and she said something like "take it away gents, I gotta tie me shoelaces." Loverly was great last night it has more color and specificity from when I saw it previews. I guess they must've made a few changes there. She also kind of fell off a chair in Show Me, but best of all, the turn table wouldn't stop moving after the Embassy ball and seemed to actually speed up. Her and Karpathy stalled for sometime before she turned to the audience and said "Hi, this was supposed to stop spinning a long time ago." They then held the show, apparently there was a problem with the Higgins house and the turntable. Instead of her clearing the stage, Laura Benanti decided to start playing games with the audience and, in full Embassy ball gown, said "guess what animal I am" and started walking around the stage like a monkey. She said something about "Happy Halloween everyone. You've witnessed me trip over my shoelaces, fall off a chair, and now I've broken the stage." The show started up after they fixed the stage, but we were all treated to nice Laura Benanti comedy break. She then came out for the final bow with neon green vampire teeth in. It was great.

Just some more thoughts,
The understudies were great and I may have enjoyed them more than the normal principles. I thought they found some wonderful moments and I thought Joe Hart was a better age for Alfred than NLB. Rosemary Harris is better than Diana Rigg (who I love) simply because I feel that she does more with the part. Harry Hadden-Patton has grown into Higgins wonderfully and him and Benanti have great chemistry. Donica is great, but, and I seem to be the only person who thinks this, I think he goes a little flat on the top notes of On the Street Where you Live. Maybe it's just because I have performed the song and I know what that note is supposed to be, but I don't think he quite hits it.

Now for the big one. I love Lauren Ambrose. I'm a huge fan because Six Feet Under might be my favorite show ever. However, from a technical acting standpoint and a technical singing standpoint, she was, unfortunately, very disappointing to me back in March. Clearly, she touched a lot of people here with her performance, but I found her a bit too internal and in a weird place between over acting and under acting. I was also constantly worried about her singing. She also didn't really get all the comedy and her performance felt low stakes in those intense second act scenes. I hate to compare performers like this, but I preferred Benanti. She takes her Eliza on a different journey, sings the pants off that score, and is both heartbreaking and hilarious. She is hammy in the part, in a good way, I think and her cockney needs a bit of work here and there, which I'm sure they're working with her on. Her post-transformation accent is very good, because it's slightly imperfect. I don't know if this is a choice or simply because her RP is flawed, but she speaks as if this is a new dialect for her, which works for me. Also, she looks stunning. I won't give too much away about her performance, but she isn't a traditional Eliza.

[natashalost]

Posted: 11/7/18 at 2:23pm

Laura Benanti, Norbert Leo Butz, and Jordan Donica all out at today’s matinee.

[kade.ivy]

Posted: 11/7/18 at 4:27pm

natashalost said: "Laura Benanti, Norbert Leo Butz, and Jordan Donica all out at today’s matinee."

She posted apologies on Instagram and said she was "having a family emergency." No elaboration beyond that. Hope all turns out well and she's back onstage living her dream soon! 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp46hNcha4F/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

[kade.ivy]

Posted: 11/7/18 at 7:32pm

Looks like Ella had an accident but is on the mend. Laura is taking tonight off as well to be with her but plans to return tomorrow. Also, Butz’s absence today was scheduled, per Telecharge. He’s out until Friday. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp5gxuCBsCy/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=14xxnx9y2zbcc

Updated On: 11/7/18 at 07:32 PM

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 11/22/18 at 1:00am

Now for the big one. I love Lauren Ambrose. I'm a huge fan because Six Feet Under might be my favorite show ever. However, from a technical acting standpoint and a technical singing standpoint, she was, unfortunately, very disappointing to me back in March. 

I don't think that you can judge Lauren off the March previews just as you can't judge Laura for blowing the accents when she had so little rehearsal time. 

Not only was it Lauren's Broadway debut, but she revealed in her interview with the Times that it was a very difficult period for her.

Early in previews, and I had a sinus infection, and I took an antibiotic that I had a really bad reaction to. I felt like I was going to throw up, and I was on a turntable that was literally spinning. I thought, If I can get through this, I can get through anything.

Little did she know that she would have to get through the death of her father. Or maybe she did know.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/22/theater/lauren-ambrose-my-fair-lady.html

There were about a hundred posts on Laura for Eliza when the show was announced and about 200 after it was announced that she would be taking over the role. I thought Laura reviews would be flying in by now. I know, she was away last week.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 11/22/18 at 1:54am

OlBlueEyes said: "
Not only was it Lauren's Broadway debut, but she revealed in her interview with the Times that it was a very difficult period for her.”

My Fair Lady was not Ambrose’s Broadway debut  She was in Awake and Sing in 2006 and Exit the King in 2009.

 

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 11/22/18 at 2:29am

Who is replacing Harry and Laura in January?