MY FAIR LADY Revival Back On For Next Spring?- Page 16

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 4/29/17 at 2:10pm

^I think what you mean to say is that she's racially ambiguous, and yes I agree with what you're saying.

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 11:15am

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Laura-Benanti-Would-Give-Left-Pinky-to-Star-in-MY-FAIR-LADY-Revival-20170504

No surprise here, but it's telling that she says she has "a feeling they're going to be going a different way."

[ScottyDoesn'tKnow2]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 11:51am

I have a stupid question, but how "unknown" was Julie Andrews when she did My Fair Lady? I know she had stage experience before and was performing since she was young, but was she really that unknown to the theatre community? I mean of course she was unknown compared to Rex Harrison, but outside of that I mean.

[BJR]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 12:39pm

BroadwayConcierge said: "https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Laura-Benanti-Would-Give-Left-Pinky-to-Star-in-MY-FAIR-LADY-Revival-20170504

No surprise here, but it's telling that she says she has "a feeling they're going to be going a different way."

I had the same thought. It's an assumption, but that sounded to me like the clues she's gotten so-far seem to suggest that.

And we had said as much, since they apparently cast him out-right but are going to audition Eliza's. It's not as if Sher doesn't know Benanti's work.

 

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 1:05pm

I agree it sounds like Benanti or her team have already made calls and have been told it probably won't happen. Maybe they're still in the "seeking a movie star" stage of casting that almost every show goes through and until Anna Kendrick, Anne Hathaway, Carey Mulligan, etc etc have all said no then they'll start talking to broadway names. Or maybe they want a complete or relatively unknown.

Andrews had starred in the Boyfriend on broadway to great success. She was doing the show when she first auditioned for My Fair Lady so she wasn't really known.

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 1:23pm

She's such a class act. While there's tons of great Eliza candidates, I want the role for her so badly.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 5:42pm

As others have said, Sher has been open that he wants to go through the audition process to find Eliza. Benanti may audition as part of that process (she wants the role so badly I imagine she'd be willing to,) but considering how established she is, the odds are against her. Everyone involved knows what she can do. They could have offered it to her outright and haven't.

I imagine this will be a lot like the process that went on for Sher's doomed FUNNY GIRL where all the people you'd expect were seen (Stephanie J. Block, Leslie Kritzer, Shoshana Bean, Nicole Parker, etc.) with the awareness he'd probably want a more left field choice.

Updated On: 5/4/17 at 05:42 PM

[A0326T]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 7:27pm

Philippa Soo?

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 7:30pm

...Phillipa Soo is now officially available...

JUST SAYING.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 9:36pm

I love Phillipa Soo, but I don't see her as an ideal fit for Eliza Dolittle. There's a certain poise and aloofness to the two performances I've seen from Soo that would be at odds with the pre-transformation Eliza and that would make the post-transformation less impactful. It's exactly the same reason I simply can't stand Audrey Hepburn's performance in the movie--easily one of my least favorites, maybe even my least favorite, of the classic movie musical star turns.

Such a shame about Benanti. I get Sher, but when one of the greatest performers of her generation also happens to possess unmatched comedic skills and a stunning soprano infused with personality, why not cast her in one of the most awaited revivals of the past fifteen years? Again, I'm sure he'll find a great person and whatever, maybe even the next Cynthia Erivo--but much like it will always be a real shame that no one ever cast Jane Krakowski as Dot in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, it will always be a real shame that Sher isn't building this revival around Benanti much like he did with Kelli O'Hara and THE KING & I. Maybe Benanti can replace whoever gets the lead just to say she played the role on Broadway.

[pupscotch]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 9:45pm

Are they still aiming for a star for Higgins? Because depending on who they get for him, my view on who should play Eliza would change greatly. You can't have a 26 year old actress like Phillipa Soo playing Eliza alongside a 50 or 60 year old Higgins. Although I'm not sure Soo is right for the role, I'd LOVE to see Benanti in it. Ashley Park is also a wonderful idea, although she too is very young.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 10:02pm

I'm still hoping for a Laura Benanti and Colin Firth production.  I truly believe that they are the two best choices for those roles.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 10:30pm

pupscotch said: "Are they still aiming for a star for Higgins? Because depending on who they get for him, my view on who should play Eliza would change greatly. "

Bart did reveal in an interview with Broadway Box that he is currently focusing on finding a Henry Higgins first before he turns his attention to Eliza.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 10:41pm

I thought Colin Firth was set for Higgins

[HeleneIsASlut]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 11:04pm

pupscotch said: "Are they still aiming for a star for Higgins? Because depending on who they get for him, my view on who should play Eliza would change greatly. You can't have a 26 year old actress like Phillipa Soo playing Eliza alongside a 50 or 60 year old Higgins. Although I'm not sure Soo is right for the role, I'd LOVE to see Benanti in it. Ashley Park is also a wonderful idea, although she too is very young.

 

"

I was also thinking Ashley Park for this. I'm really hoping for Benanti, but Park would be great. She has that stunning soprano, and great comedic timing just like Benanti. I would love to see someone that couldn't be the father of the actress playing Eliza. Colon Firth would have been exceptional 10 years ago, in my opinion, but now....

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 11:13pm

If they were to cast someone at Park's age (yes she would be fantastic) it may be best to have someone younger like Benedict Cumberbatch play Higgins.  If Firth were to be cast along someone so young, it would have a major ick factor.

[Soaring29]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 11:15pm

I think Benanti is definitely talented, but not a stunning soprano by any means and her timbre actually resembles more of a mezzo soprano then a soprano's. . Her  MT soprano  work is not really my cup of tea most of the time and I find her singing  merely average. She obviously has a strong instrument, but not stunning by any means.  

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 11:18pm

Soaring29 said: "I think Benanti is definitely talented, but not a stunning soprano by any means and her timbre actually resembles more of a mezzo soprano then a soprano's. . Her  MT soprano  work is not really my cup of tea most of the time and I find her singing  merely average. She obviously has a strong instrument, but not stunning by any means.  

 

Mkay.  Whatever floats your boat, honey.

[Soaring29]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 11:24pm

I like her work as the Baroness in The Sound Of Music quite a lot and she has some great stuff in Gypsy , but yeah- She's just not my cup of tea. 

Updated On: 5/4/17 at 11:24 PM

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 5/4/17 at 11:26pm

Laura Benanti has an absolutely gorgeous voice, but she's so much more than that.  She is a brilliant actress, comedian, and the most beautiful woman on broadway.  She's an absolute treasure.

[HeleneIsASlut]

Posted: 5/5/17 at 12:03am

Soaring29 said: "I think Benanti is definitely talented, but not a stunning soprano by any means and her timbre actually resembles more of a mezzo soprano then a soprano's. . Her  MT soprano  work is not really my cup of tea most of the time and I find her singing  merely average. She obviously has a strong instrument, but not stunning by any means.  

 

"

Difference of opinion I guess ?? I however find her soprano absolutely gorgeous.

[froote]

Posted: 5/5/17 at 4:35am

ray-andallthatjazz86 said: "I love Phillipa Soo, but I don't see her as an ideal fit for Eliza Dolittle. There's a certain poise and aloofness to the two performances I've seen from Soo that would be at odds with the pre-transformation Eliza and that would make the post-transformation less impactful. It's exactly the same reason I simply can't stand Audrey Hepburn's performance in the movie--easily one of my least favorites, maybe even my least favorite, of the classic movie musical star turns."

I understand what you're saying as Soo is a naturally poised person, which is probably why people often think she's older than 26. I'm not sure which two performances you've seen of hers but I think her performances as Natasha and Eliza were only helped by her having that poise and she was able to let go of it slightly for Amelie. However, if Julie Andrews, the most poised individual alive, can play Eliza Doolittle effectively, then I think an actress as talented as Soo would find a way to make it work too. Audrey Hepburn was one of the best human beings we've ever had and a good actress but she wasn't an incredible talent that could pull off everything given to her.

[Skimbleshanks2]

Posted: 5/5/17 at 5:09am

BENANTI really won me over in SHE LOVES ME ... Her comedic timing is impeccable... I would see her in ANYTHING! What a talent!

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 5/5/17 at 4:39pm

Soaring29, she may not be stunning to you, but whenever I hear her sing "Will He Like Me?" or "Dear Friend" or, of course, "Vanilla Ice Cream," my life is a little better and I am, indeed, stunned and marveled by the brilliance of her voice. Maybe for people who are trained, her instrument is not as powerful as Renee Flemming, but the way she can act and emote and actually be funny while singing those gorgeous notes is unparalleled. It's what I always say about Barbara Cook's "Glitter and Be Gay," opera singers galore have performed it and probably think they can sing it better than Cook, but what Cook brings to that song is not just the gorgeous soprano but her ability to infuse the song with actual, hilarious comedy, which is why no one has ever matched Cook's rendition.

froote, I've only seen Soo in HAMILTON and AMELIE. It's not that I don't think she can let loose and be fun and funny (I thought she was funny in AMELIE and perfectly giddy and silly--in a good way--as a young Eliza in "Helpless"; it's that there's something aloof and, like I said, poised about what I've seen of her on stage and in televised interviews. And I disagree with your comparison to Julie Andrews. Yes, she is the definition of poised offstage (or at least in public, Angela Lansbury says she has quite a sailor's mouth), but if you recall, in her genius turn in THE SOUND OF MUSIC, her Maria was sloppy, unruly, and funny. Again, I'm a huge fan of Soo, I just don't see her in the part. I also couldn't see Sutton Foster as Reno Sweeney and I was very happy no one listened to my complaints because she ended up being a Reno for the ages.

I loved Ashley Park in THE KING & I, but had no idea she was so funny, she makes more sense as Eliza to me than Soo.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 5/5/17 at 4:58pm

^I definitely agree that Park is a bit more suited to the role and it would also give her, her much deserved breakout performance.

Honestly, if Park doesn't get Eliza I really really really hope that she gets cast as Carrie in the upcoming Carousel revival.  She would be brilliant.