OFFICIAL - Bernadette To Replace Bette! — Page 6

ray-andallthatjazz86 said: "Wow Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin would be such an event. Any word on whether Murphy would continue on? Based on interviews and having seen her performance twice it seems like she is having the time of her life and like this is the perfect gig for her at this point. I'd love to see her continue with the show in the same capacity.



I can't imagine Bernadette would want or need an alternate.

Discussing who is a "name" or not is always very interesting. There are very few stars who can sell out everything, very very few and I often think there's a good mix of star+particular role/show. People bought Nathan Lane in Addams but not Butley or The Nance. You stick Lisa Rinna in Chicago and she'll boost sales for 6 weeks, but she'd not sell our if say, she was in The Price. Jake Gyllenhaal turned a very fast profit in Sunday but Constellations didn't sell out as fast or for as high a price.

A Little Night Music is one of my favorite shows, but it's hardly going to be a tourist/bridge and tunnell (who keep shows running) smash and it's an "intellectual Sondheim show." I'm willing to bet Bernadette as Dolly will sell more tickets than she did in Night Music.

nasty_khakis said: "Discussing who is a "name" or not is always very interesting. There are very few stars who can sell out everything, very very few and I often think there's a good mix of star+particular role/show. People bought Nathan Lane in Addams but not Butley or The Nance. You stick Lisa Rinna in Chicago and she'll boost sales for 6 weeks, but she'd not sell our if say, she was in The Price. Jake Gyllenhaal turned a very fast profit in Sunday but Constellations didn't sell out as fast or for as high a price.

A Little Night Music is one of my favorite shows, but it's hardly going to be a tourist/bridge and tunnell (who keep shows running) smash and it's an "intellectual Sondheim show." I'm willing to bet Bernadette as Dolly will sell more tickets than she did in Night Music.



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Thank you! You sum up what I've been thinking.

I agree with nasty_khakis and ljay. We can't really look at Peters' name alone. It's Bernadette Peters starring as Dolly in a production that earned raves, won the Tony for Best Revival and Featured Actor, and is the talk of the town. Add Mandy Patinkin, Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, or a similar star, and I could see the show continuing to earn a profit. Scott Rudin is no fool, he's a seasoned Broadway producer, who is undoubtedly aware he'll need to advertise the hell out of the show to get through the harsh winter months. Also, comparisons to Donna Murphy's shows are moot since Murphy is not being advertised the way a full-time lead would be (though inviting critics to review her performance was a total class act from Rudin and Midler). I imagine Peters would be heavily publicized. Bernadette Peters in HELLO DOLLY is a much easier sell than Bernadette Peters in any Sondheim show.

It'd be interesting to see if the show continues to use an alternate. Midler may have set a precedent that helps attracts big names beyond Broadway veterans like Peters. If Rudin replaces Midler, it means he sees potential for this production to continue running; that means he will want to recruit a wide range of stars in the future, keeping the current model might help him do that. Hopefully once Midler's replacement is announced, we'll get word. Murphy herself may have only agreed to be an alternate for a star of Midler's caliber and for a brief run.

Her lovely but limited singing voice should do just fine in this non-demanding role, unlike Gypsy.

I'd still like to see Andrew K-B as Barnaby, or to go younger, Ben Cook.

Love Ms. Peters but it's not exciting.

Ran back to see her in A Little Night Music and it was OK. Better than Jones but neither one was near Glynis Johns. Bernadette Peters, as others have said here, won't sell tickets which is what Mr. Rudin wants to do.

Updated On: 8/24/17 at 09:30 PM

Was her split from Steve Martin amicable? Have they worked/appeared together in the years since they broke up? I know he's bringing in a play this fall so it's probably not feasible, but that would be some EVENT casting.

Updated On: 8/24/17 at 10:34 PM

Well Patti Lupone probably is big enough of a name even among casual Broadway fans to sell tickets and she could certainly sing the music.

If she were in better health, Liza Minnelli. She's the same age as Bette and she would sing it thrillingly. (Unfortunately, I think her ability to carry a stage musical is 25 years behind her.)

Queen Latifah is one of the few names who could both sell tickets and be exceptional in the role. Maybe Reba, if we're willing to forget that Dolly is from NYC. Actresses like Christine Baranski or Emma Thompson could be wonderful, but on the heels of Bette Midler I'm not sure that they'd be an event beyond the New York theatergoer.

Updated On: 8/24/17 at 11:26 PM

Don't know if she could sing the score (she may need a lot of practice) but I think Madonna would sell tickets like Bette can. She will bring in a very big audience, appealing to the same ticket buyers as Midler - something I don't think Peters can.

For after peters, though