Lea DeLaria to Co-Star with Andrea McCardle in MAME — Page 3

"I happen to think DeLaria is talented. She really moved me in The Edge of Seventeen. And I happen to like her I Can Cook Too. She is just a miserable human being and alientates almost everyone she works with. She is nasty, thoughtless and self involved. Her attitude has destroyed what could have been quite a good career.

Just look at what she said to Fine Life above. It says everything."

Agree with most of this. She's quite talented but uneven, especially emotionally. She can often go out of her way to be aggressive and abrasive but can also very sweet -but you never know which Lea you'll meet on any given day.

""Seriously, that is ALL she is."

"Perhaps in Rocky Horror, and I'll take your word for it since I saw her understudy and you saw a much larger sample of Rocky performances than I did. But it's not all she is outside of that very particular show."

Actually, she did some great vocal work in Rocky, especially as Eddie, but as I said, she can be very uneven . I'd see this for the casting alone,
Tale of Sweeney Todd

'When I told DeLaria she'd done a good job after a performance of Chicago her response was "Well, yeah. It's how I make my living!"


Wow, what a great comeback for a completely obnoxious comment you gave her. What is she, a five year? Good job Lea! Next time tell her you enjoyed her performance. Big difference.

I think DeLaria is incredibly unique and talented as a jazz vocalist, but that's a very different thing than being a diverse and engaging actor. That clip of her doing "I Can Cook Too" from ON THE TOWN is a perfect example- she's doing a lot of really terrific things vocally, but that whole song is supposed to be a seduction of Chip and she barely ever looks at Jesse Tyler Ferguson the entire time. Watch it again and you'll see that she's so caught up in doing her own thing that it's like no one else is on stage. Some people don't mind that level of self indulgence, but I find it incredibly distracting.

This is all to say nothing, of course, for how inappropriate she is for Vera on a multitude of levels.

---

Technical question: has this thread been corrupted somehow?

First, my post disappeared. I thought it had been deleted due to content, so I rephrased and asked my question again.

Now the new post appears twice, but not in succession. The duplicates are actually on different pages, with several other posts in between.

Anyone encounter this before?

"That clip of her doing "I Can Cook Too" from ON THE TOWN is a perfect example- she's doing a lot of really terrific things vocally, but that whole song is supposed to be a seduction of Chip and she barely ever looks at Jesse Tyler Ferguson the entire time. Watch it again and you'll see that she's so caught up in doing her own thing that it's like no one else is on stage. Some people don't mind that level of self indulgence, but I find it incredibly distracting."

I noticed that in the clip also -- but was unaware of it when I saw the show. But I think the real question here is "have you ever heard of a director?" Surely she was DIRECTED to perform the number that way? On the off chance she wasn't, then the real question becomes -- "does she always refuse to do what the director says?" And by the way, it wouldn't be the first successful comedy number to be aimed at the audience more than the appropriate character! But again, I consider that a directing issue.

I also adored Delaria in On the Town in the park, and was surprised that she wasnt nominated for a Tony. She got all of the best reviews, actually the only good reviews. Now I can see how that performance, when transferred indoors, could be over the top. Of course, that whole production was pretty terrible other than DeLaria and Fergusen and Mary Testa.

I would be interested in seeing this, however, if traffic to Bucks County wasnt so horrible. It seems like a trainwreck, but a fun one.

I think McArdle will have more of a problem playing Mame. I have not seen her in much, but fun and warm are not words I'd use to describe what I did see. Her voice is thrilling, but that's about it.

---

Delete

Updated On: 3/11/13 at 10:37 AM

You so lack self-awareness that if I were to respond to this or any of your similar presumptuous and unevolved thinking, you would call it an "unprovoked attack."

You. Don't. Know. Me.

Cast who ya want. MAME is bloated and doesn't work.

---

Thanks BorstalBoy!

---