Why can't Sutton do it now? Rose is always played by a woman pushing 60 when the real Rose was 29 around the time when the show starts. Granted, I'm not clamoring for a new revival, but why can't a 36-40 year old tackle it?
I think it comes down to having an actress with enough presence and gravitas to act as the catalyst for almost the entire show, something that typically comes with age and experience. I find Sutton enjoyable, but I don't think she has that quite yet.
And she has to look like a mother to the adult actresses who play June and Louise.
"Why can't Sutton do it now? Rose is always played by a woman pushing 60 when the real Rose was 29 around the time when the show starts. Granted, I'm not clamoring for a new revival, but why can't a 36-40 year old tackle it?"
Because, as much as I love her, Sutton can not play th mother of a Laura Benanti aged woman.
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/15/07
Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like she MUST play it NOW (or even at all). I was more stating that if you cast age appropriate it could work. Let's say a 40 year old (say Sutton in 5 or so years) then cast an 18-21 year old Louise, not a 30 year old like Benanti (whom I LOVED, ftr).
I'd more want her to do it just to see her win a Tony for her and watch Lupone shoot even more daggers at her.
I wonder how Jan Maxwell would do in that role.
Let's say a 40 year old (say Sutton in 5 or so years) then cast an 18-21 year old Louise, not a 30 year old like Benanti (whom I LOVED, ftr).
Because we've gotten so used to seeing older actors and actresses playing teenage/young adult characters that an 18 year old playing Louise would look like a 15 year old.
I wonder how Jan Maxwell would do in that role.
Can she sing it? If she can sing it, there will be bags full of Tonys.
Tyne Daly couldn't really sing it, and she won the Tony. Based on Follies, Maxwell is a MUCH better singer than Daly.
Isnt Kerry Butler about the right age to play Rose?
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/15/07
Well, the real Gypsy Rose Lee was 15-17 the first time she stripped. No one is sure of the real age because both her and her mother lied and changed it back and forth constantly. Heck, she might HAVE been 30 at the time for all I know. haha
I agree that we are used to seeing older, but it could still work as long as everyone else was cast appropriately. I'm not saying Sutton, Julia Murney, (insert 40ish actress here) would be definitive and blow all "grand-mama roses" out of the water, just that it could work in theory. Just like how Finch in How to Succeed is normally a man in his 30s or so and now a 21 year old is playing it and it still plays well.
And I'll personally invest $10 into a Jan Maxwell production. She can even carry the lamb in her bag!
Updated On: 7/18/11 at 09:51 PM
We should start a Jan Maxwell Gypsy petition. Those work.
Well, the real Gypsy Rose Lee was 15-17 the first time she stripped. No one is sure of the real age because both her and her mother lied and changed it back and forth constantly. Heck, she might HAVE been 30 at the time for all I know. haha
Yes, but the show is also not a strictly biographical show.
I also just can't imagine Sutton Foster ever being a good enough actress to play Rose.
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/15/07
That's why I said to insert 40ish actress, doesn't have to be Foster. CZJ or Toni Collette, for instance. Anyone you'd like. I'm more arguing the concept of age-appropriate works, not championing a specific actress even though I know I'm coming off that way.
Can Kerry Butler perform Maxwell's matinees? I'll bump my investment up to $15.
I am not sure she can sing it, but Brooke Shields would be interesting.
Also;
Julia Murney
Jackie Hoffman
Sherie Renee Scott
I think Brooke Shields would be the first to admit that she's not right for the role.
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/13/09
In the "it's too late now, but once upon a time" category I wish we could have seen Carol Burnett play the role.
Please God, no revival for at least another 10-15 years.
Harvey Fierstein
After seeing Follies in D.C., I must admit that Jan Maxwell would be perfect. She's got a wonderful voice and for my money, she's the best sung and acted Phyllis I've ever seen with Donna Murphy cutting it in real close.
I'd like to see an all black cast production, one with a younger Rose, maybe even a gender reversed production. Something more interesting that bringing out yet another menopausal diva to show us her take on it. Like many have mentioned, it's only slightly based on a true story. It's not all based on 100 % fact. For them to revive it again so soon, they'll need a damn good reason.
As for that Streisand film, one half of me loves the idea and wants to see it, but the other part of me just thinks it's a horrible idea. They really need to open it up and make it more cinematic. Not just a single camera shooting a stage again like the first two film versions. "Rose's Turn" needs to be crazier, more hallucinatory, and not just Streisand on an empty stage.
Well Louise could slip some LSD in Rose's tea (hey, that rhymes) and her "Rose's Turn" can be a psychedelic trip like we've never seen. Mr. Goldstone can morph into Satan and June can crawl out the walls trying to kill Rose and reclaim her rightful place as the star of the show.
I can't believe nobody has mentioned Nina Arianda as Louise since she seems to be the "it girl" right now. I too would love to see Donna Murphy as Rose. And why not pair her back up with Michael Cerveris as Herbie.
Well, years before it happened I thought Bernadette, but then everyone seemed disappointed. I've also thought for a long time and Greg Jbara would be great as Herbie.
I quite liked Bernadette, but yes, it isn't the most popular opinion. She really did bring some freshness to the role. I liked her fragile sexiness. It actually made her more terrifying to me. She was like some sort of femme fatale, not just a loud mouthed cartoon like we're used to. Her Rose's Turn is still one of my favorites. I just wish she had been healthier during the run of the show. Then again, I'm the guy who liked Linda Lavin in the role (or at least what I've heard of her on an old bootleg CD). I found a clip of her singing Some People on a Jule Styne special on an old VHS tape and uploaded it to YouTube. I thought she did a great job in that clip.
IMO, they both belonged on the big screen or small screen doing the role, not on stage. Their performances were more nuanced and quieter than most.
I think it's important to point out that Sutton Foster is not right for every role, nor do most people WANT to see her in everything. I use to like her a lot, but they put her in EVERYTHING now, and I would actually be okay if she went away completely...at least for a while.
Updated On: 7/20/11 at 12:02 AM
I dont know that hed do it but I loved that suggestion of Mark Rylance as Herbie. There isnt anything I wouldnt see him do at this point but I find that a really inspired choice.
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/14/07
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