green waver said: "Well, I was being tongue in cheek, but to take my thought seriously for a moment-first, as i'm sure you know, Herman and Stewart wrote it with Ethel Merman in mind. She was never on my list of performers who exude warmth....
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I've seen both live and I'd say Ethel Merman is roughly equivalent to Bette Midler in the "warmth" department. They are both "great low comedians" (in Sondheim's phrase). Midler's comedy is smarter, for those who get it, but neither woman has Carol Channing's "I just want to hug every one of you" appeal, nor is either a harridan. After decades of Ethel-Merman-swears-like-a-sailor stories, she perhaps appears more strident than the characters she played on stage; we should keep in mind that Mary Martin--who played the corniest character in history in Maria Von Trapp--shared two of Merman's most popular musical comedy characters (Annie Oakley and Dolly).
I don't know why Meryl Streep would want to do it, unless they offered a movie remake or a one-night live TV "event".
Despite my remarks on Merman and Midler, I DO think Patti Lupone is too strident for Dolly. Lupone can be brilliant, but I don't believe anybody would invite her into his life in the way Horace does (along with several other characters). I know people who found her scary as Reno Sweeney!
Updated On: 6/25/17 at 05:14 AM
