Finnernan is stated in interviews about Marge MacDougall that she was very method in her acting...not that she got drunk every show, but she wanted to make it seem real down to her "Hoooing" which explains why it wasn't just the typical who, rather it was one that she thought made a lot more sense since the character at least in her mind was a owl aficionado. With hat stated I think Finnernan is going to completely disregard all of the prior performances and research her but off..and play a mean old hag with a drug problem...so more Bates than Burnett..but unlike Bates Finnernan is a queen of comic timing so i think that it will work perfectly.
"If we just get a "louder, faster, funnier" version what's the point?"
An entertaining night at the theatre that doesn't thrust something onto the material that the material, in my opinion, cannot support.
The thing about Dorothy Loudon (or Jane Connell, whom I saw on the road) is that her style is eccentric and yes, she can be over-the-top, but there was always an underlying truth to her reactions. That's what made them all the funnier.
It doesn't remotely imply a "serious" take on the role, or that by finding truth in the situation, you've chosen not to be funny. It just means you're not going for tacked-on schtick, merely for the sake of getting a laugh, with no real connection to what's going on.
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