Sutton Foster / The Unsinkable Molly Brown Reading

[macbeth]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 2:57pm

Has anyone heard anything about a recent reading? Just heard something from a 'friend of a friend' about it.

[TheHappyPhantom]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 3:48pm

I'd say good for her. She's made a career of doing the worst possible shows she can find. This is as close to anything legit I've heard since Les Miz.

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 5:10pm

Dear God. One of the worst musicals of all time. Who is it that keeps trying to give it a "revisal"? It's just not worth it.

[newintown]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 5:19pm

I believe it's Dick Scanlan, the man behind Thoroughly Modern Millie.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 5:23pm

MOLLY BROWN just might work if Cathy Rigby was playing Molly and maybe Brent Barrett as Johnny.

[bwaycrazy24]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 5:43pm

Yawn. WHY does Bway need a revival of this? What a waste of money.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 6:00pm

Would love to hear the entire score sung on Broadway instead of the hatchet job version in the movie.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 6:30pm

Oh jesus.

[lovesclassics]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 7:09pm

"Would love to hear the entire score sung on Broadway instead of the hatchet job version in the movie."

I share your sentiment, Mr. Roxy. But from the article it seems as though they are truncating the score here, too. Huh?!?

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 7:19pm

(with apologies to Messieurs Boulbil and Schonberg)

WHY GOD WHY?

Why does Sutton want to do this show?
When she's already been so long at sea?
I'm treading water now but all I think
Is that Miss Foster is about to sink... as
MOLLY BROWN?????!!!!????

You don't give answers, do you pet?
But I'll keep asking and "I ain't down yet!"

Why God? Why this show?
After Millie, Reno, Jo?
There's nothing in it we won't miss!
Why must she take a role like this?

A lady sings loud of her "Own Brass Bed"
A tragic crossing and some social-climbs
A lady sings proud of a "House that's Red"
A "featured" tony - hah! - for Tammy Grimes!
MOLLY BROWN????!!!!????

Look I mean Sutton no offense
But why does nothing here make sense?

Why God? Show your hand
Why can't Sutton understand?
She seemed a gal who knew much more
I never felt confused before

Why Marc? What's your plan?
You can't help her, no one can
At least I'm sure you'll do quite well
At least as well as Harve Presnell!

WHY GOD????!!!!!???
What utter rot!
A grating score! A dated plot!
'Til now dear Molly had three fates!
Tammy! Debbie! Kathy Bates!

I liked my Mollies as they were
But now she'll be SUTTON FOSTER!!!!

QUEL HOR-REUR!!!






Updated On: 12/21/11 at 07:19 PM

[tazber]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 7:30pm

This really is a bore of a show. We must be going through the crappy musical revival phase right now.

Godspell, On A Clear Day, and now Molly Brown.

I'm waiting for an announcement of Here's Love next.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 7:31pm

What a witty ditty! from RC in Austin, Texas

[MRA]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 8:24pm

I thought the revival was being groomed for Reba. Is this no longer the case?

[fflagg]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 8:39pm

Reba is too old. Sutton is too bland. The show is too [fill in the blank].

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 8:59pm

Henrik, what a fantastic parody! Well done, sir.

But yeah, I did this show in summer stock a few years ago and it was like being in some sort of musical theater hell. Even if the stupid, cheesey, obnoxious, dated book were completely rewritten, you'd still have two other major problems: a) the score is equally cheesey and obnoxious and b) NO ONE GIVES A #&@$ ABOUT MOLLY BROWN. Except maybe a few old people in Colorado.

[ggersten]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 9:07pm

Such venom.
I really liked the movie - but have never seen the stage show. It was one of the earliest movie musicals I saw and and my mother played the record quite a bit.
Yeah, I now see how much Debbie Reynolds over-acted - but I still find the movie charming and somehow invigorating.
To each his own.

[sephyr]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 9:48pm

I've heard of this show but never have seen it. I'm interested in how it will turn out and if this means another Sutton cast recording, I'm all in

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 12/20/11 at 11:15pm

If they want to revive 50-year-old shows for Sutton, then they should take a look at IRMA LA DOUCE. MOLLY BROWN is a bore.

[NYTheatre01]

Posted: 12/21/11 at 8:19am

No more revivals PLEASE!

[dexter3]

Posted: 12/21/11 at 9:23am

Apparently the Meredith Wilson Estate (mainly his widow) have funded the rewrites and have opened the entire Meredith Wilson catalogue to Dick Scanlan in hopes that he can create a new, better show.

[newintown]

Posted: 12/21/11 at 9:31am

I heard a report that the show in its present state is a better vehicle for Kudisch than Foster - they haven't found a way to utilize her particular talents yet. Makes sense, since Molly wasn't originally written for a singer; it would be difficult to turn a Willson trunk song into a showstopper for Molly Brown, unique character that she is.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 12/21/11 at 10:22am

Actually "NO MORE REVIVALS PLEASE" could be a great name for a new musical. It might begin with a Pirandellian opening night final curtain of CHU CHEM. This a major event for the New York theater. For it's Ang Lee's long-anticipated (by, oh, at least dozens of people) revival, with a new book by Amy Tan, produced by Whoopi Goldberg, and starring Margaret Cho, Jesse Eisenberg and Mel Gibson. Performed in Yiddish, with choreography by Ping Chong.

The curtain call is interrupted by a disgruntled but savvy 12 year old aspiring dramaturg and seasoned theatergoer, our protagonist, Ruthie Reiser (a Brigid Harrington type), who stirs the equally irate audience into a frenzy demanding an end to this lunacy (the title tune begins!) as countless firstnighters and critics join in her crusade. As they take their anger to the streets and OSA (Occupy Shubert Alley) begins, the entire city hears the call and joins the ranks.

At first no one seems to know how to fill the gap for quality musical theater in New York - or any musical theater in New York. But Ruthie's mom, Rita Reiser, a one time tony nominee who gave up the stage years ago to home school Ruthie and teach her everything she knows about musical comedy (calling Jessie Mueller!) remains steadfastly supportive of Ruthie! This is tested with the arrival of big movie star Rafe Page (you guessed it, Harry Connick Jr.) on the Reisers' Hell's Kitchen stoop. Rita - (did I mention Rita's a widow who's yet to have a "Before the Parade Passes By" moment?) - has always had a huge crush on Rafe. Ever since "One Evening at the Paramus Park AMC" (a tender ballad).

Rafe and Rita meet cute because Rafe is in a rage. All his life he had dreamed of singing on Broadway and his dream was just about to come true before Ruthie ruined everything. He had just secured his New York musical theater debut in his dream role, Destry in Destry Rides Again, when "Now thanks to your daughter, Ms. Reiser, no roads lead to Harold Rome!" Of course Rita finds a romantic rival in Rafe's starlet fiancee Demi Sweet (paging Lea Michele), who, as you might have known, was to play Frenchy in the Destry revival.










Updated On: 12/21/11 at 10:22 AM

[newintown]

Posted: 12/21/11 at 10:32am

OMG, henrik, why aren't you writing for Broadway? "No Roads Lead To Harold Rome?!?" Gorgeous. I would see that (for half-price).

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/21/11 at 10:51am

I attended the reading a few years ago in Denver. Kudish did that one and Marshall was there.

Dexter, before the reading, they talked about how the estate opened the catalouge. I think it was Scanlan who talked about it. It was a very interesting story.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 12/21/11 at 12:18pm

They will no doubt alter the focus so a secondary character takes the lead so they can bring in a big time male singer that's comfortable doing ballads about heartache. I mean, it worked so well before, right?