Laura Benanti to replace Lauren Ambrose in MY FAIR LADY- Page 18

[Eliza2]

Posted: 1/19/19 at 10:33pm

I was looking at tickets for late March, and pulled up a Tuesday to look at availability. There was an alert in red indicating that "Kerstin Anderson will perform the role of Eliza Doolittle at this performance."

Now, I'm sure there's just something in the coding where Telecharge has posted that message for every Tuesday, but it seems they shouldn't be saying that for the dates after Laura Benanti leaves the show unless they already know that the replacement Eliza will be missing Tuesday night performances as well.  

I've been holding off purchasing until they announce the new Eliza and what her schedule will be, but there are also lots of really good front orchestra seats available for $177 and I want to take advantage of that.

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 1/19/19 at 11:24pm

I heard that Ashley Brown was being considered as an Eliza replacement. She was very good in Mary Poppins a few years back.

[natashalost]

Posted: 1/19/19 at 11:24pm

Eliza2 said: "I've been holding off purchasing until they announce the new Eliza and what her schedule will be, but there are also lots of really good front orchestra seats available for $177 and I want to take advantage of that."

Honestly, I've been thinking about buying early, too. I think they may announce the replacement in the following weeks. However, LCT, and specifically Sher's shows, always have great replacements (ex. All the My Fair Lady replacements thus far, Marin in King & I, Laura Osnes in South Pacific, Aaron Lazar in Light in the Piazza, etc.). 

I have dreamt that Shoba Narayan is the next Eliza if Kerstin Anderson plays the role for a quick 2 or 3-week engagement, that would give her enough time to rehearse after departing the Hamilton tour but I doubt that would happen. I think Phillipa Soo is the more likely option.

[tgirl16]

Posted: 1/20/19 at 12:16am

smidge said: "tgirl16 said: "I know Laura doesnt stage door, but does she still leave signed playbills at the stage door? Has anyone gotten one, do you have to ask the stage manager? Or are you supposed to drop a playbill off before the show or something?"

She still does, I picked one upWednesday. I just walked into the stage door and there is someone in a booth who has them."

Does anyone know what time the stage door opens in the morning? I didn’t realize there was an inside door when we came but I’d like to try before a Sunday matinee if possible...

[Eliza2]

Posted: 1/20/19 at 10:38am

natashalost said: "Eliza2 said: "I've been holding off purchasing until they announce the new Eliza and what her schedule will be, but there are also lots of really good front orchestra seats available for $177 and I want to take advantage of that."

Honestly, I've been thinking about buying early, too. I think they may announce the replacement in the following weeks. However, LCT, and specifically Sher's shows, always have great replacements (ex. All the My Fair Lady replacements thus far, Marin in King & I, Laura Osnes in South Pacific, Aaron Lazar in Light in the Piazza, etc.).

I have dreamt that Shoba Narayan is the next Eliza if Kerstin Anderson plays the role for a quick 2 or 3-week engagement, that would give her enough time to rehearse after departing the Hamilton tour but I doubt that would happen. I think Phillipa Soo is the more likely option."

Oh I'm sure whoever it is will be great, but that's exactly why I don't want to buy yet. I don't want to buy a ticket for a show that will be the "day off" for the new Eliza. I think I'm just going to go ahead and get a Friday night or Saturday night ticket because those aren't likely to be performances that are scheduled off. 

[Convoy2]

Posted: 1/20/19 at 2:21pm

SmoothLover said: "I heard that Ashley Brown was being considered as an Eliza replacement. She was very good in Mary Poppins a few years back."

More false information. My unsolicited advice would be to find a different source. This “friend” you have at LCT is clearly delusional. There’s no Mary Poppins—it’s just not happening. Bury it!

 

Updated On: 1/20/19 at 02:21 PM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/20/19 at 2:26pm

SmoothLover said: "I heard that Ashley Brown was being considered as an Eliza replacement. She was very good in Mary Poppins a few years back."

Your “friend” is starting to sound like Bobby Moynihans character on weekend update that spreads 3rd hand information...

”have you heard about this? Mary poppins is replacing my fair lady. And by mary poppins I mean Ashley brown will replacing the entire show!”

[ccbway]

Posted: 1/20/19 at 11:26pm

natashalost said: "Eliza2 said: "I've been holding off purchasing until they announce the new Eliza and what her schedule will be, but there are also lots of really good front orchestra seats available for $177 and I want to take advantage of that."

Honestly, I've been thinking about buying early, too. I think they may announce the replacement in the following weeks. However, LCT, and specifically Sher's shows, always have great replacements (ex. All the My Fair Lady replacements thus far, Marin in King & I, Laura Osnes in South Pacific, Aaron Lazar in Light in the Piazza, etc.).

I have dreamt that Shoba Narayan is the next Eliza if Kerstin Anderson plays the role for a quick 2 or 3-week engagement, that would give her enough time to rehearse after departing the Hamilton tour but I doubt that would happen. I think Phillipa Soo is the more likely option."

Seems pretty unlikely since Phillipa Soo has a role on a network TV show. Pretty sure that will exclude her from appearing in any shows unless/until that series stops filming.

[RWPrincess]

Posted: 1/21/19 at 12:45am

Based on how Mary Poppins was staged at the NA and all the Disney magic involved, I cannot picture that show at the Vivian Beaumont. Plus the theater seems a bit too small.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 1/22/19 at 3:43pm

Besides that very much fake Ashley brown rumor is there any insight on who will be replacing Laura? She has under month left. I hope she extends, because that will increase my interest in the show when I come in March.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 1/22/19 at 9:49pm

cant they just continue the tradition?

Lauren, Laura, Lara

As in Pulver. She might be magnificent... and talk about a transformation into a beautiful princess!

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 1/23/19 at 1:41am

Carey Mulligan and Collin Firth please!! And then Kelli should make a stink when shes dont with Kiss Me Kate.

[HighFlyingAdored97]

Posted: 1/23/19 at 8:48am

Does anyone know if Laura is performing both shows today?

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 1/23/19 at 12:35pm

What the heck is with all this wishful thinking regarding Mary Poppins or promoting anything Mary Poppins-related? First there's this incredibly implausible rumor spread by a poster that Mary Poppins is taking over the VB when there's no indication of when MFL will be closing. Then when people explain why the non-profit Lincoln Center will NOT be producing Disney's Mary Poppins, that same poster is trying to promote that there's a rumor out there that Ashley Brown will be taking over the role of Eliza. This is strange as heck.

ETA:

On much more positive news, anybody see this wonderful tribute Benanti paid to Ambrose on her Instagram?

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs-72oNhnHI/?utm_source=ig_embed

I LOVE it. Benanti is seriously one of my favorite people to follow on IG and I fall in love with her even more by the day.

Updated On: 1/23/19 at 12:35 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/23/19 at 12:57pm

anyone know if Laura is performing tonight?

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 1/23/19 at 1:37pm

Jordan Catalano said: "anyone know if Laura is performing tonight?"

According to her Instagram, yes. Someone wrote that they were seeing her tonight to celebrate their birthday, and she commented back.

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/23/19 at 3:33pm

Shes in at todays matinee and in very fine form.

[Melissa25]

Posted: 1/28/19 at 2:38pm

Jesse Green's Review: ‘My Fair Lady,’ Illuminated With New Stars

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 1/28/19 at 2:47pm

I'm happy to see they invited the press again. A deserved RAVE for Laura and the production from the Times. 

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 1/29/19 at 10:35am

Another rave review is what Benanti deserves. I'm glad to see this production is not static and allows itself to adapt to the talent. I know that should be a given but I read about productions where that's not the case.

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 2/5/19 at 12:48pm

With less than 2 weeks left in her announced run, she's still being advertised prominently, with the 2/17 date nowhere in sight. Today, I received an email from Broadway Box with the subject line: "Get $85 Orchestra Seats to My Fair Lady - Starring Laura Benanti!" Can we expect an announcement of her extension soon?

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 2/5/19 at 1:58pm

She must be extending or there will be a short time when Kerstin Anderson takes over in-between Benanti and another actress.

[SmoothLover]

Posted: 2/5/19 at 2:39pm

My Mary Poppins source told me that Laura had extended through April.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 2/5/19 at 9:50pm

Can anyone confirm

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 2/5/19 at 10:27pm

Would you think that this was a little harsh from Jesse Green regarding Lauren Ambrose, or is this fair play?

I mean no disrespect to Lauren Ambrose, who originated the role in this revival, to say that Ms. Benanti is a more effortless vocalist; she dispatches her very difficult and wide-ranging songs with glee, whereas in Ms. Ambrose’s performance, getting through them sometimes seemed like a metaphor for the character’s struggle.

Especially considering his initial review of her singing.

The big revelation of this production is that Ms. Ambrose has a stirring voice: lustrous and rich if without the bright ping of most Elizas. That turns out to be an advantage. She delivers her first number — “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?” — very quietly and with an intense longing that digs beneath its surface charm to find its stillness and steel.

And what was revealed after Lauren had finished her run in her New York Times interview..

I dropped out of a few performances when my dad passed away about a month ago. To get to come back to the show and be surrounded by this amazing group of beautiful, feeling artists as I started the process of grieving and dealing with this new phase of life was really a gift, even though obviously incredibly challenging.

It had been a very intense time, an awful, weird time. I had this vocal problem for a little while, my voice was cutting out while I was singing. There were a few performances where I was having a crazy muscle tension thing. It was when I was going back and forth from New Haven, from the hospital. That was really stressful; my body wasn’t responding and performing the way I wanted it to. But it was amazing how supported I was by all of the people here.

Updated On: 2/5/19 at 10:27 PM