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"Mame" heading for the Palace

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#1

"Mame" heading for the Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 3:47am

According to Michael Riedel in the NY Post....

'Keep your eye on "Mame" starring Christine Baranski at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. If this Jerry Herman musical is any good it'll move to the Palace Theater in the summer.'.


http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/66463.htm
"I've lost everything! Luis, Marty, my baby with Chris, Chris himself, James. All I ever wanted was love." --Sheridan Crane "Passions" ------- "Housework is like bad sex. Every time I do it, I swear I'll never do it again til the next time company comes."--"Lulu" from "Can't Stop The Music" ----- "When the right doors didn't open for him, he went through the wrong ones" - "Sweet Bird of Youth" ------------ --------- "Passions" is uncancelled! See NBC.com for more info.

Updated On: 5/24/06 at 03:47 AM

#2

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 5:52am

Let's hope this is true! The world is always a better place when a Jerry Herman musical is playing on Broadway.
"Long live God!" (GODSPELL)
#3

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 6:20am

Talk about a busy Best Actress in a Musical category already!

Audra McDonald, Christine Ebersole, Christine Baranski, Ashley Brown, Charlotte d'Amboise.

And the season hasn't even begun yet!


"Winning a Tony this year is like winning Best Attendance in third grade: no one will care but the winner and their mom."
-Kad

"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)

Updated On: 5/24/06 at 06:20 AM

#5

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 8:05am

Oh that would be my dream. I have been dieing to see this show! Lets cross our fingers!
"The hallmark of aristocracy is responsibility. Oh brother, that got me, that did me in!"
#6

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 8:06am

Dollypop-- That is soooooo true. I love any of Herman's work. I was fortunate to see La Cage Aux Folle (revival) twice and both times it sent chills up my spine when Gary Beach sang I am What I Am. Our College this year is doing HELLO, DOLLY as our Musical which I love! And I was once in a production of MAME as young Patrick. Truely all wonderful shows. I do like Mack and Mabel as well!! Let's hope MAME will be a hit!!
"Love the Art in Yourself. Not Yourself in the Art." -- Stanislavski
#7

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 8:07am

Darn, I was really hoping to see a concert series and then Legally Blonde...I'm not a big Jerry Herman fan...
"Are you sorry for civilization? I am sorry for it too." ~Coast of Utopia: Shipwreck
#8

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 8:20am

I will be seeing MAME on June 10 at the Kennedy Center. It begins previews this Saturday night and opens on June 1!
#9

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 8:29am

This is all a big IF. It might not be a very good production. As brilliant as Baranski is, I don't see her as Mame Dennis. I'm seeing it in a few weeks. I hope it's good (I love me some MAME), but I fear it won't be. After all, it's from the director of BARBIE IN FAIRYTOPIA!

TT
"Me flunk English? That's unpossible!" - Ralph Wiggum
#10

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 8:38am

Director Eric Schaeffer was also the director of SWEENEY TODD (with Baranski and Stokes) that was a HUGE hit at the Kennedy Center and is one of Sondheim's preferred directors. His Signature Theatre Company in Arlington is one of the best-respected in the country. And Jerry Herman is very involved with the production.

If Baranski can do a brilliant Mrs. Lovett and win a Tony for a Neil Simon farce, I have no doubts of her ability as an actress who can play MAME.

#11

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 8:45am

Actually, he wasn't the director of SWEENEY at the Kennedy Center. He directed PASSION and SUNDAY (neither of which I thought was any great shakes). I believe it was Christopher Ashley who directed SWEENEY. Schaeffer also directed (and prematurely buried) RHYTHM CLUB, WITCHES OF EASTWICK and PUTTING IT TOGETHER. The first two showed great promise, the last was a no-brainer and yet all three failed under his stewardship. He's been consigned to directing BARBIE for a reason.

TT
"Me flunk English? That's unpossible!" - Ralph Wiggum
#12

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 8:53am

"Schaeffer also directed (and prematurely buried) RHYTHM CLUB, WITCHES OF EASTWICK and PUTTING IT TOGETHER. The first two showed great promise, the last was a no-brainer and yet all three failed under his stewardship. He's been consigned to directing BARBIE for a reason."

While I would agree that Schaeffer's talents are vastly overrated (more of a "Washington Critic's Darling" if you ask me) I wouldn't consider directing BARBIE anything other than a lateral move.
#13

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 8:57am

Well after those horrible pictures of Baranski in costume on the Kennedy Center website - I don't have high hopes for this production. There are LOTS of ifs going on here - the main one still being the apparent miscasting of Baranski in the title role.
#15

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 9:02am

One of the saddest events of my theatergoing life was seeing a Saturday matinee of the '83 revival of Mame with about 50 people in the audience at the Uris/Gershwin. And Angela Lansbury (and the company for that matter) still went out and performed it as if it were opening night in 1966. Now, the '83 revival was recklessly brought to Broadway at the last minute by producer Mitch Leigh, who was trying to capitalize on the Jerry Herman renaissance with the recently opened La Cage aux Folles. But still, I wonder that if Mame didn't sell tickets on Broadway with original star Angela Lansbury in tow, how the heck can it be expected to fill the Palace with Christine Baranski?
Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.
#16

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 9:02am

Greg Barnes is doing the costumes, right? I wouldn't worry. They'll be fab. His work on DROWSY CHAPERONE is amazing.

TT
"Me flunk English? That's unpossible!" - Ralph Wiggum
#17

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 9:04am

TT- You got me and my faulty memory on the SWEENEY credit, but Schaeffer's PASSION was widely regarded as being better than the Broadway production, and his SUNDAY was a major success as well -- not to disrespect your opinion, just to present all sides of the issue. re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Schaeffer hasn't had the "big commercial success" he has been expected to have, admittedly. But I still have high hopes for this MAME, and will go hoping to be whisked away on a magical ride by everyone's favorite aunt.
#19

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 9:09am

philcrosby, as bitter as my postings sound, believe it or not I have high hopes too. It's one of my favorite shows and from the sounds of it, this is going to be a big, lavish show, the likes and size of which we almost never see anymore. My fingers are crossed so hard right now, my cuticles are bleeding. :)

TT
"Me flunk English? That's unpossible!" - Ralph Wiggum
#20

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 9:11am

"...this is going to be a big, lavish show, the likes and size of which we almost never see anymore..."

Agreed. The Kennedy Center will probably use the proper number of musicians in the pit...something even B'way doesn't do anymore.
#21

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 9:13am

Christine Baranski and TV's DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Harriet Harris would sell tickets. Bway folks would come out of the woodworks, (if not for those two but for Emily Skinner as well) and the 20million + TV audience for DH would give anything to see Wisteria Lane's resident lady of mystery, Felicia Tillman, wrap her amazing pipes around that Jerry Herman score. It'd sell a hell of a lot better than LESTAT - that I would bet the bank on.

#22

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 9:25am

I don't believe for one minute that Baranksi or Harriet Harris are big enough names to sell the show out on Broadway. And Emily Skinner is not a name at all. We need a reality check here.

What people aren't talking about surprisingly is that MAME is just not a very good musical. It has never gotten great reviews, even the first time around.

Perhaps Baranski or Harris could do fine in a Broadway revival that has major critical support behind it, but frankly, I can't see critics not tearing apart the actual written musical; which has always been not great and now can ad "creaky with age" to the mix as well.
#23

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 9:26am

This is such good news! I saw a production not too long ago and I really enjoyed it. I hope this happens!
No one is alone.
#24

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 9:27am

I have never seen the show, but I like the music. I may become a repeat customer if it happens.
#25

re: 'Mame' next tenant at The Palace

Posted: 5/24/06 at 9:33am

Seeing it in DC on June 17th and I'd love to be able to see it again on Broadway! I hope this happens.

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