Patti and Bernadette NEED to perform together — Page 2

g.d.e.l.g.i. said: "Wait a minute, though...

Patti as Vera
Bernie as Auntie Mame
"Light the candles, get the ice out / Roll the rug up, it's today!"

Huh? Huh??"

Ain't NO way Patti would play second fiddle to Bernie. Patti would play a smaller part (Women on the Verge, for example), but she'd never be Vera to Bernie. They'd have to switch the roles nightly or something.

I don't mean to insult because I do love her, but I don't think Bernadette's voice would be up to singing Mame eight times a week. It seemed to me Follies was a difficult show for her, and Mame is arguably a larger role and much more vocally demanding. Patti, who is very funny, seems like she would be too broad for Vera. It's a shame that Elaine Stritch never played that before she died.

Patti as Mame could go either way, but in order for it to work, she'd need a very strong director. Peters could never sing it 8 times a week.

wonderfulwizard11 said: "When has Bernadette ever showed a flair for the kind of deadpan comedy that you have to master in order to play Vera?"

And that's why I said Patti for Vera. Make up your mind, man! :P It's not like they can't transpose the score for Bernadette.

Having said that, when I picture Bernadette as Vera, I picture her as Vera in opposition to Patti's dark crazy Mame, which may or may not occur were Patti given the role. This would allow for a different take where Vera was slightly brighter and more bubbly.

Updated On: 3/16/16 at 10:01 AM

qolbinau I always thought your love of La Peters was simply adorbs.



I feel the same way about Patti. Watching them work together would be a hoot and a half.

No no, I completely agree she'd make a GREAT Vera and heck, may even play her opposite other Mames (I know she loves working with Audra, for example), but I just meant that would be the only way to get her to play a role with only 1 and a half songs to Bernie's many. I actually would LOVE to see that, though.

A Broadway Cares Concert is really what I had in mind when I suggested this thread, and I think the ladies could have so much fun riffing on all the kinds of things suggested in this thread. Can you imagine them doing a mock rivalry "Anything You Can Do...I Can Do Better" duet? Or a medley of all the roles they "should" have played. It would be a hoot and the audience would eat it up.



And of course, I didn't mean to infer Peters and LuPone are the "most relevant" of current music theatre leading ladies, but they are, because of their long careers and the historic roles they've played on Broadway, arguably the most legendary- and certainly the two I think most theatre fans would love to see perform together.



I hope it happens someday and that the occasion isn't Stephen Sondheim or Mandy Patinkin's funeral.

Updated On: 3/16/16 at 02:16 PM

Another reason it would be unlikely for Bernadette to replace Ebersole (besides the reasons already discussed) is that, when they've considered names like LuPone, Murphy and Ebersole - Bernadette would have at least crossed their mind. They've had at least two chances to cast her now but haven't. Either they don't want her, or Bernadette doesn't want them (and I'm guessing it's more the former - she'd be crazy to pass up this opportunity).

^ I still love her!

I'd love to see them perform "The Grass Is Always Greener" from Kander & Ebb's "Woman Of The Year", with Patti in the Lauren Bacall role and Bernadette as the ditzy Marilyn Cooper character.

I doubt it would show off their voices, so maybe it's a horrible idea, but I think it would be great.

Updated On: 3/16/16 at 09:30 PM

I'd love to see them together doing something totally unexpected at Miscast or Broadway Backwards. I know the odds are next to impossible, but it could blow the roof off.



And equally unlikely, but possibly appealing would be a two-person concert/show like what Lupone and Patinkin did a couple of years ago ... only better :)

Well Betty is a little crazy...it would be easy to say LuPone just doesn't like female competition, but she has performed regularly with Audra McDonald who is hard to top for talent, so I think it's more that Patti just doesn't suffer fools.

I'm curious how LuPone and Ebersole will get along. Ebersole is definitely known for being eccentric.

Updated On: 3/16/16 at 10:59 PM