So wait, why wasn't Bernadette nominated for Into the Woods?

[BobbyBubbi]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 2:10pm

I apologize in advance if this has been discussed at length before, but I was curious as to why Bernadette Peters wasn't Tony nominated for her performance in Into the Woods? It also seems she departed the show pretty quickly, as her replacement Phylicia Rashad, (respectfully) performed at the Tony Awards Ceremony.

Did Bernadette have other commitments on the burner?

Also, did anyone see Ellen Foley as the Witch at the Old Globe tryouts? I've watched some youtube footage and she didn't seem half bad. Was Ellen going to go to Broadway or was Bernadette the first choice all along? My hunch is that they didn't want to deal with Bernadette's hefty paycheck until they had all the kinks in the show worked out. But is there any truth to that?

Lots of questions. Thanks!

Updated On: 2/21/14 at 02:10 PM

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 2:18pm

Also, did anyone see Ellen Foley as the Witch at the Old Globe tryouts? I've watched some youtube footage and she didn't seem half bad. Was Ellen going to go to Broadway or was Bernadette the first choice all along? My hunch is that they didn't want to deal with Bernadette's hefty paycheck until they had all the kinks in the show worked out. But is there any truth to that?

I don't know most of the details, but I believe Ellen Foley was fired, then they went into negotiations with Patti LuPone and finally they cast Peters as the Witch. (LuPone claims negotiations broke down over things that Peters eventually got in her contract, but didn't go into details.)

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 2:21pm

Didn't Betty Buckley factor into the story somewhere, too?

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 2:25pm

^ I couldn't remember where she fit, but I Googled and found an old thread on the topic of her involvement in the show and it seems like she was in the early workshops.

Betty Buckley Into the Woods thread

Updated On: 2/21/14 at 02:25 PM

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 2:36pm

Yeah but Foley ended up being a replacement Witch on Broadway.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 2:37pm

Ellen Foley was a replacement as Sally Smith in Me and My Girl during the run of Into the Woods (not sure of exact dates).

According to IBDB, she was also a replacement witch in Into the Woods, so not sure how she'd be hired as a replacement if she had originally been fired.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 2:41pm

If I were to hazard a guess, she wasn't so much as 'fired' as she was 'replaced by a star.' I managed to see Foley towards the end of the run, and she was terrific. She had a real hard edge...almost dyke-ish that was kind of thrilling. I had seen her as Sally in Me & My Girl not too long before, and she was so lovely! Two really different performances in the span of about a year. I became obsessed with her when I was a teen gay.

[binau]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 2:42pm

LuPone has joked that Bernadette has got all the roles she wanted. She was to play the witch; she failed an audition to replace Bernadette in Sunday; she was originally meant to play Rose in Mendes' Gypsy (although I guess she got the last laugh here), and she was interested in playing Desiree but Trevor Nunn 'never called her back'.

[BobbyBubbi]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 4:40pm

If I remember correctly from Patti's memoir, She was getting on the plane to London for Sunset Boulevard workshops/rehearsals when she got the call. An offer for Into the Woods, but she was bound by contract.

But of course you have to take whatever Patti says with a big grain of salt.

RobbieJ- I'm glad you got to see Foley! She Intrigues me. I bet she was great!

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 4:42pm

Her performance was an extension of her Meatloaf rocker days. It was kinda hot. I had seen Rashad the first time I went. She was regal and beautiful. Her being the only black person in the cast added to her sense of otherness. I've also seen the witches of Peters (from the DVD), Williams and Murphy. And not a single performance was anything like the others. I used to think it was not that great of a role, but thinking back on all the qualities mined by each of these actresses, I've changed my mind. The role is simply a jumping off point for creating something magical and scary, if the actress is willing to go there.

Updated On: 2/21/14 at 04:42 PM

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 4:46pm

BobbyBubbi right story, wrong show! PATTI mentions her in memoir that she got the call to play Fosca in PASSION right before she got on the plane for London!

[BobbyBubbi]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 4:57pm

Yes! Thank you for the correction!

Patti would have been fantastic as the Witch.

[NewSynchopation]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 5:01pm

Maybe, but nobody can beat Bernadette for the Witch.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 5:09pm

I saw Patti in concert when I was a kid in the 90s--I think it may have been in Orange County, CA. Anyway, after the show, she was signing CD's and posters and when I was a kid, I ate that **** up, so I totally waited in a long line to get a chance to tell her how much I loved her etc. I distinctly remember the... seasoned theatergoer ahead of me in line having a very engaging conversation with Patti--they were both laughing up a storm. He told her that he thought she'd be great in Annie Get Your Gun and she lowered her voice to stage whisper, looked around, leaned over the table and said "I know, right?? But, did you hear who's doing the revival? BERN-A-DETTE," as she rolled her eyes. She either didn't realize how audible she was to the others waiting in line or she didn't care.

Anyway, I love both those women, though I do think it's rather telling that Patti has not been shy about mentioning Bernadette on numerous occasions, while I can't think of a single interview in which Bernadette has even mentioned Patti's name.

I wonder if they'd ever agree to doing a show together. Not that I can think of a musical with two juicy, substantial parts for women of their age.

[Visceral_Fella]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 5:42pm

I thought that after out of town try-outs they decided to get Rashad because they wanted a star. She had a conflict so they brought Bernadette in for those few months until Rashad was available.

Updated On: 2/21/14 at 05:42 PM

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 5:49pm

I thought it was a sure thing that Betty Buckley was going into the show and then someone realized she was cuckoo bananas and called in Bernadette as a last minute replacement.

[HorseTears]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 5:54pm

I always thought it was because Bernadette left to do Slaves of New York and Pink Cadillac. I think this was mentioned in Meryle Secrest's bio of Sondheim, wasn't it?

[Emma White]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 6:16pm

Bernadette basically played the part as a favour to Sondheim. Which isn't to say she didn't WANT to play it, but she did it because he needed someone and he figured she could do it well. Her contract was therefore very short, and was basically just a "I'll play it to give you time to find a real witch" contract, and it also helped them by bringing a "name" to the production. Of course, she ended up being very good at it. Because her contract was so short and because of the nature of her contract, she wasn't eligible (I believe just because they didn't submit her).

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 6:31pm

Well Patti ended up doing Anything Goes the same season that Into the Woods opened.

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 6:55pm

This whole 'she wasn't eligible' thing is a rumor though, no? I mean, can Tony nominators not vote for whoever the hell they like... How can a performer not be eligible? Did Peters not miss out on the nomination because they put Gleason in lead?

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 6:59pm

The performance I saw her in she was ok but not that all that good; certainly not great. It wasn't just that Gleason, giving a performance for the ages, outshone her. It was that everybody in the cast was more impressive than her.

(it goes without saying that this is just my opinion; I'd like to be more specific about why I didn't find her work in ITW special enough to merit a tony nomination but it's been 26 1/2 years; of course that doesn't stop me from still remembering exactly what I loved about Gleason.... but that's another story entirely - guess I hold on to blessed memories longer and more clearly than less favorable ones)





Updated On: 2/21/14 at 06:59 PM

[Musicaldudepeter]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 7:00pm

I find Julia McKenzie more enthralling in the role on the London cast recording more so than Bernadette... Gleason was just so phenomenal and breathtaking as Baker's Wife, she outshone everyone else.

[Emma White]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 8:56pm

"This whole 'she wasn't eligible' thing is a rumor though, no? I mean, can Tony nominators not vote for whoever the hell they like... How can a performer not be eligible? Did Peters not miss out on the nomination because they put Gleason in lead?"

Well it's not secret that I have absolutely no knowledge of how this stuff works, so I'm not going to defend my recollection whatsoever, but I was under the impression that producers have to submit people for consideration, and Bernadette was not submitted. I seem to recall reading that somewhere on these boards, but I'm most likely misinformed.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 9:03pm

I saw Foley in San Diego and her performance was as Robbie describes, only more so. As henrik points out, it's been more than a quarter century, but my memory of Foley in the tryout was that she was more "hip hop" than later portrayals. As Robbie also said, she was certainly more obviously lesbian.

Anyway, I liked her and I assume they replaced her with a star to sell tickets.

That being said, I think Peters' vocal performance on the ITW OBC album is one of the most sensitive of all time. She breaks my heart every time I hear it. (This isn't to say she should have been nominated. I didn't see her in the part except on video.)

[theeatah]

Posted: 2/21/14 at 9:18pm

From what I've read, Foley came after Buckley (who did the early workshop but walked over billing and other contract terms) and LuPone (whose contracts demands, by her own admission, also weren't met). I'm not sure if Foley came on board knowing that she was filling in for Peters. I imagine that this might be the case, considering that she returned to the role. She remarked that Sondheim's closing night card referred to her as "the alpha and the omega".

On a sidenote, her pop/rock recordings are well worth checking out, particularly NIGHTOUT. She was a stupendous rock singer.