Patti Lupone as Ursala in the Little Mermaid! what do you guys think???

[musicaltheatreman]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 1:38am

with all this talk about the perfect out of this world role for patti lupone i thought ursala would be perfect for her. ursala is a big sex, loud, crazy and lusty woman everything patti would be perfect for!!!

i want emily skinner to play this role!!! which i hope she does, i just thought patti would be good in the role to!

what do you guys think??? :)

[musicaltheatreman]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 1:39am

can you imagin her belting out "poor unfortunent soul" :)

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 9:01am

I love Patti and think there is nothing she can't do - so I think its a great idea.

[Craig]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 9:26am

Would only work with a double casting for when Urusula becomes the young, attractive seductress. That's not a bash against Patti - but the "transformed" Ursula needs to be a rival for Ariel in age and beauty so that Eric is "bewitched"...

[NYCbabe3789]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 9:27am

Does anyone think they'll have two different actresses to play Ursula and her "transformed" self?

[joeyjoe]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 9:32am

hmmm, didn't they do this same thing in Evita with Patti? at the beginning, doesn't the young Evita come out of the crowd, and sing a duet with dead Evita?

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 10:34am

Ursal absolutely cries out for Lea de Laria ... and then Eden S.

[Benzy92]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 10:41am

I vote for Harvey Fierstein.

[JeffG]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 10:43am

If they are going to go with a name, ignore this suggestion. But from what I have heard of Kate Shindle at these benefit concerts - her beauty and belt would be great. Put that girl in a fat suit for the sea witch part and then let her beauty shine as the seductress. She's got that alluring but could be wicked look about her which definitely could read as evil.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 11:08am

Eric is bewitched by Ursula's spell, not her beauty. It could be a great comedy bit if she wasn't stunningly gorgeous. Considering how picky LuPone is when it comes to Broadway roles, I don't see her doing this. My choice would be Nancy Opel. That woman has some lungs!

[Craig]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 11:15am

Eric is bewitched by the voice. It's the voice he's heard before and has fallen in love with. Having that voice attached to an eligible and attractive romantic possibility, to Eric is what sends him over the deep end. I don't think Ursula ever puts a spell on Eric. I could be wrong...

[ShineOn]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 11:36am

Updated On: 9/10/06 at 11:36 AM

[Al Dente]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 11:44am

Patti can do ANYTHING.

[DivaMommy]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 1:21pm

Being quite "The Little Mermaid" fan since I was just a youngin, I can assure you Ursula absolutely puts a spell on Eric. You see his eyes change when she's walking down the beach and he's in a daze until Scuttle breaks the necklace and Ariel gets her voice back. He shakes his head and the haze leaves his eyes.

[musicaltheatreman]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 7:09pm

i also think it would be funny to not have a young actress to play the younger ursala! and i bet patti would take the role if disney is going to pay her big buck!! and plus i heard ursala has like 5 songs for the stage musical!! between Patti LuPone and Emily Skinner i think either one would make a awsome ursala!!!

i kinda want emily to play the part because i think it would give here an even bigger name than what she has now and plus she would be AWSOME in the role!!!!! :)

[lostwallflower]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 7:31pm

Ariel would have to have a realllly distinctive voice for them to pull off the voice switch well. It would have to be obvious that Ursula is using, imitating, that voice.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 8:17pm

Patti LuPone is entirely too much of a diva and entirely too full of herself to accept that role. Reading her commentary on playing Fantine in the original cast of Les Miserables absolutely disgusts me. She may be a talent, but why any producer or director would put up with such an uberb%tch is FAR beyond me.

[musicaltheatreman]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 8:53pm

please explain broadwayguy2 about the rmarks she made about her role in le miz?? what about what she siad that disgusts you?? the only thing i have heard her say about her role in le miz was that is was the perfect show with the perfect cast and thats why she did not do it on broadway.

so now i am thinking she didnt want to do it on broadway because the role was 2 small and she had already won a tony for best actress and her role in the show would be like a step down. i am right?? please tell me what the story is i am dieing to know!!1 thanks :)

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 8:58pm

she said that during rehearsals for the London production, the principals were informed that they would all have to take on ensemble roles throughout the show (with the obvious exceptions of Valjean and Javert). Ms LuPone said she informed them that she "doesn't do ensemble" and she was told that she would have to anyway. She conviently managed to miss rehearsals which would have placed her in the ensemble for scenes until she toook a vaction during the show's load in at the theatre. Whiel she was gone there was an alteration in rehearsal schedule and she was not aware. She walked into the auditorium mid rehearsal to find them rehearsing Eponine's death, which she knew to be one of the sccenes she would have to do ensemble work in. She says that she tried to duck out of the theatre without being noticed, but that one of the women on stage, who took issue with her "no ensemble" stance, saw hee and pointed her out and Ms. LuPone was forced to joi in teh rehearsal and become a member of the "Bullet Boys" on the barricade.. which she was NOT pleased with.

[musicaltheatreman]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 9:08pm

oh i did not know this. where did you find this out??? do you have any other cool stories like that
thanks :)

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 9:11pm

I found that in a letter that was posted on MS LuPone's website in repsonse to a fan's squestion.

[johny0828]

Posted: 3/2/04 at 10:52pm

i still think mary testa would be a great ursula. she's so funny on whoopi.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 3/3/04 at 9:17am

Gosh, there sure are a lot of Patti haters on this board - its a shame - because she is so amazing.

[Craig]

Posted: 3/3/04 at 9:19am

LostWall...

Or really good lipsynching!

Posted: 3/3/04 at 9:31am

I really cannot believe that anyone has not thought of the one and only fabulous SHARON MCNIGHT.

Now there is our Ursula!

End of discussion.