americanboy99--Kelly Ground is good at both...saw her do some scenes once for a benefit and knocked them dead...she has a powerhouse voice for it and is about the same size as Patti...I think she would be great...I wish she was a bigger name in some way, but would be brilliant I think in it..
"In the U.S.A.
You can have your say,
You can set you goals
And seize the day,
You've been given the freedom
To work your way
To the head of the line-
To the head of the line!"
---Stephen Sondheim
-- "Gypsy’s the kind of show that should close when its star leaves. Not just in the case of this production, but as a general rule in regards to Gypsy. The role of Madam Rose requires a star, and every star deserves to have her own production. Each production, therefore, can be tailored and reinterpreted to showcase her strengths."
I agree with that, westcoast.
So let Mary Testa do the next revival (whenever that may be). She is divine and Lord, would I love to hear her rip through this score!
Sidenote: Anyone else upset that she wasn't offered Ursula in "The Little Mermaid". THAT would have been something to write home about.
There's a couple people who I think could sing the **** out of the score, but I don't necessarily see them playing the part.
That being said, close it when Patti leaves. It's undeniable that the appeal of this revival is Patti, and Laura to an extent. There are somany other great things about it, but Patti is the selling point. There wouldn't have been a new revival so soon if Patti wasn't in the show.
Though I think she may be completely wrong for the style and musicality of the piece, Donna Murphy is a tantilizing idea. And she's proven me wrong on the "Style" presumption before...
Side to Higgins: I completely agree!! Testa as Ursula would have been incredible casting!
Yet another in a long list of votes for Mary Testa -- someone I had the pleasure of sharing a stage with in my youth. And, she is as giving onstage as she is talented.
If Bway audiences underestimate her marquee value, then perhaps she could headline a regional production at a first rate theatre, like Goodspeed, in the hopes of taking it to NYC.
At any rate, she would be amazing.
--------------------
Brook Arts Center closed due to flooding from April 2007 Nor'easter. Watch www.brookarts.org for more info.
I wholeheartedly agree with the person who said Emily Skinner... in the NEXT revival.
Beth Leavel had never come to mind before reading this thread, but I'd be interested in that. However, I'm on the boat that thinks after LuPone, this revival should (and most likely will) close.
Beth Leavel would be a killer Rose. I would love it see her tackle the role.
And as for a reality show!? Thats a terrible idea, however it would be great if actual Broadway starts were the only competitors, like if casting decided to pick like 20 Broadway ladies/legends/stars and America voted.
I think Donna Murphy would be as no other Rose, and probably the sexiest of them all--along with Peters. Don't get me started on how much I would love to see her play this role. Testa would be unstoppable. Tonya Pinkins would be an ideal replacement. Somethingwicked--the poster on this board--has said how there should be a production with Pinkins as Rose and Anika Noni Rose as Louise...I couldn't agree more. There you have it, just throw in Nikki M. James as June and you have your replacement cast.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
Re: Donna Murphy. Without going into the ins and outs of her suitabiity for the role, has everyone forgotten what an atrocious track record she had for missing performances in Wonderful Town? Granted it's an exhausting role, Ruth doesn't begin to compare with the demands of Momma Rose. Remember also that she started her old tricks while doing LoveMusik until Hal Prince put his foot down. I wouldn't think that any sane producer would risk doing a new production for Murphy. If she wanted to record it or do a single concert version, well, okay. But a full-scaled production? No way.