OFFICIAL - Bernadette To Replace Bette! — Page 8

You people with these unrealistic fantasy dream casting.

Mandy Patinkin has a TV job. He was only going into COMET for 3 weeks during some production down time. He can not commit to any Broadway production for any required time frame of a few months.

Same applies to Lady Gaga, who not only just began a long World Tour but has post-production work going on with her remake of A STAR IS BORN.

Meryl Streep is now filming the sequel to MAMMA MIA! and has a handful of other films scheduled once she's finished.

Even Queen Latifah allegedly had to decline the offer due to her schedule.

Unless it's a C or D level performer, no one huge right now is available.

Also hasn't Lupone been "banned" from playing Dolly by Jerry Herman because she wanted to play it grittier or something?

GeorgeandDot said: "Also hasn't Lupone been "banned" from playing Dolly by Jerry Herman because she wanted to play it grittier or something?



What a horrible production that would be. Dolly Levi is not a gritty character, and Patti is definitely not the right actress to play her. I haven't heard of her being banned, but isn't Jerry Herman pretty particular about his shows? I wouldn't be surprised.

^ That is correct. PATTI'S revival had a director and everything (Jack O'Brien) but Herman did not approve how they wanted to deviate from the original staging.

Now Herman has apparently said Patti is "too ethnic" for the role, which makes no sense.

Brody, you're totally right, I got carried away with the Mandy Patinkin/Bernadette Peters reunion fantasy casting.

And yes, Meryl Streep is booked, but let's also remember she has said repeatedly that she only wants to return to Broadway in a new play. Hopefully, the rumors that she'll star in Tony Kushner's new play are true, though Streep has been giving excuses not to be on Broadway for decades now, which leads me to believe she doesn't find the prospect of a sustained run particularly exciting, appealing, or thrilling.

Also, I think it's time to retire the myth that Latifah will not commit to a Broadway schedule. Her comments on WATCH WHAT HAPPENS LIVE made it clear that she will do Broadway but only when her schedule allows her to dedicate herself completely to a show, which is different from saying that she refuses to do 7-8 shows/week. She'd be truly special as Dolly, but she's young enough that she can easily headline a new revival when she's Midler's age.

Did Patti herself say that Herman thinks she's too ethnic for Dolly? It's just such a baffling, weird comment. I mean, Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand are "ethnic" too and they are both iconic Dollys in their own way. LuPone would be such a force in the role. I can so see her selling the comedy.

Here are some DOLLYs from past years in different tours and regional productions - mostly familiar with TV audiences. Most got very good reviews, as did the productions themselves:



Jennifer Lewis of 'Black-ish' and other TV shows (Seattle, WA) - March, 2010

Judy Norton of 'The Waltons' (Galveston, TX, as well as tours throughout Texas years after) - 2003

Michelle Lee of 'Knots Landing' (Three city tour starting in Kansas City) - 2005

Vicki Lewis of 'NewsRadio' (Jupiter, FL) - 2012

Sally Struthers of 'All In The Family' (50th Anniversary - National Tour) - 2014

RippedMan said: "I'd like to see someone with powerhouse vocals in the role. I know it doesn't need it, but I felt like Midler's singing left a lot to be desired.



"

She has sounded great every time I saw her.

I'm actually very interested in seeing Bernadette's Dolly. I think it will be very different from what we've seen from the part before. Bette plays Dolly in her own persona, while Donna's almost like seeing Fanny Brice as Dolly (both brilliant). I suspect that Bernadette's Dolly will be sexier and kind of cutesy. Bernadette's vaudevillian style of comedy will probably lend itself very well to the show.

Also, I would love to see Harvey Fierstein play Dolly sometime. He'd be hysterical, fabulous, and would bear a striking vocal resemblance to Carol Channing.

Peters is a truly gifted comedian. Of course she has a history working with comedy giants like Carol Burnett and Steve Martin (her performance in THE JERK is severely underrated), and she has a knack for comedic timing that few can match. Her line deliveries in INTO THE WOODS are the funniest of any Witch I've seen/heard, she also found comedy in the most improbable places in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. And Peters' "Sondheim, Etc." album remains one of my all-time favorites in large part because of her jokes. I can't wait to see what she'd do with the eating scene or the scene at Irene Molloy's hat shop.

Ljay, that is just nuts! God bless Herman's heart and his contributions to musical theatre, but he says sounds incredibly old-fashioned and regressive in the worst way possible (the "too ethnic" Patti comment, his refusal to let Encores! do his shows, his unwillingness to let directors tinker with Gower Champion). Oh well, it's his work, I guess it's his right, but come on, Patti LuPone would nail Dolly.

Call_me_jorge said: "What about Ben Platt?



I'll never get tired of saying that he would be a top tier Barnaby

George&Dot: Harvey Fierstein???? Yes, he'd be great but who would expect him to marry David Hyde Pearce?

So, is this happening?

Whoopi may be a popular idea, but she just signed for another year on "The View" the end of July - so she's committed to ABC/Disney for the next full year. If Dolly is still running a year from now (and I'm sure it will be unless Peters closes the show with horrible reviews), then maybe Whoopi would be a choice if she doesn't renew once again. It will be interested to see how they handle this.