The Next Martha?- Page 2
The Next Martha?
bjivie2
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/04
#25re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 5:46pmCarol Channing.
#26re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 5:50pm
Michael, of the difficult divas, Tovah is pretty low on the list.
And isn't Glenn Close older than her, Margo?
#27re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 5:51pmI'd rather see Ashley, who may be too old but can act the socks off of the role, instead of the TV star they'll probably get in an attempt to sell tickets, who will suck.
#28re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 5:59pmI don't think Tovah is crazy like Patti LuPone or Betty Buckley (both of the "insane" persuasion) but I remember a bunch of insiders saying there was no way she'd win a Tony Award, because she's pissed off too many people in the New York Theatre scene.
#29re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:06pmBetty and Patti both have Tonys...they haven't exactly made a lot of friends...I really hope that that is not true. But I know as well as anyone the political event that is the Tonys. They sure don't mean much anymore.
#30re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:08pm
Betty and Patti both won their Tonys before they went crazy. As did Amanda Plummer, Tammy Grimes, and Barbara Harris.
Maybe there is something in the gold they use that made these women lose their minds.
KindnessofStrangers
Stand-by Joined: 2/11/05
#31re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:09pmI don't really see Kathy Bates in this role. Granted she could do the shrill thing with both hands behind her back, but Martha needs at least a hint of the sexual allure she once possessed and Bates has none.
#32re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:09pmIm pretty sure Amanda Plummer was always crazy. Brilliant but crazy. Like mother like daughter I guess.
#33re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:11pmThe best ones are always crazy. And yes, I think Amanda Plummer came out of the womb with a firm eye on the Loony Bin. But she is truly one of the greatest stage actresses of the last 25 years.
#34re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:11pmI can't speak for Patti, but I know for a fact that Betty was so difficult on 1776 that a prominent member of that company would not allow her to audition for a show he was working on as recently as 13-14 years ago. He would not even take her calls. So she was crazy when she got to NYC.
#35re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:13pmDid you see Amanda Plummer on Broadway: The Golden Age, CRAZY!
#36re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:14pmBetty Lyn probably hit her head with a baton during one of her pagents back in Texas. Who else is crazy? I've heard Diahann Carroll is a bit loop-the-loop.
#37re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:15pmNo I didn't see her on BROADWAY THE GOLDEN AGE -- But I will never forget the moment when she read Des McAnuf's name as BEST DIRECTOR for TOMMY!
#38re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:18pm
Oh where to start...
Betty, Patty, Tammy, Amanda P, Kathleen Turner (not that these people aren't talented)...Cybill Shephard (not really theatre, but she has to go on everyone's crazy list-cause she truly is. AND she cannot sing, as much as she wants you to believe it).
Oh-June Havoc is crazier than them all-but hey, if my Mom was Madame Rose, I'd be pretty crazy too.
#39re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:20pm
What happened? I vaguely remember when she presented that award...
Do you remember when Kathleen Turner gave Ralph Fiennes the award. She was drunkety drunk, and she could not pronounce his name. Brilliant.
Updated On: 4/7/05 at 06:20 PM
MargoChanning
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/5/04
#40re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:23pm
According to IMDB, here are some ages:
Turner -- 50
Feldshuh -- 52
Baranski -- 52
Lupone -- 55
Bates -- 56
Ruehl -- 57
Field -- 58
Kurtz -- 60
Stockard -- 61
Ashley -- 65
And incidentally, Hagen was just 43 when she created the role, Stritch was 37 when she did the matinees and Taylor was 34 when she did the movie.
#41re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:25pmI half read your post Margo at first, and thought for a second you were rating them on their level of craziness!
MargoChanning
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/5/04
#42re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:27pm
It would almost be accurate. After all, no fully sane actress could play Martha.
#43re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:28pm
True...
I still say Ashley looks as good and around the same age of most of the ladies on this list, especially for being a chain smoker.
MargoChanning
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/5/04
#44re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:30pm
Frankly, I'd love to see any and all of those ladies take a crack at the role -- some might be better than others, but none would be boring.
What about Dianne Wiest?
#45re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:33pmI for some reason can't picture Wiest in the role or Bates , I don't really know why. But then again-before Turner did it, I thought there was no way she could pull it off. I have always said Stockard would be fierce in that part.
MargoChanning
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/5/04
#46re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:38pmWiest in her Helen Sinclair-Bullets over Broadway diva mode would be frightening as Martha. But more than that, there's a certain vulnerability she often conveys that she could use to really flesh out her portrayal. Just an idea .....
#47re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:39pm
That makes sense...I see the appeal of Wiest but she never really excited me as much as she seems to excite others...
#48re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 6:47pmWhat about the great Patricia Clarkson? Just a thought.
Theatreboy33
Broadway Star Joined: 5/19/03
#49re: The Next Martha?
Posted: 4/7/05 at 7:24pmId love to see Stockard take on Martha. And for that matter, when Irwin leaves, Id LOVE to see Jonathan Pryce in the role--as was originally announced over a year ago.
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