Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Leadingplayer
Broadway Star Joined: 5/12/03
#1Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 6:18amAndrea Martin seems the obvious choice, but I was wondering if Lily Tomlin or Carol Burnett would work.
#2Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 7:23am
I think Carol Burnett would be brilliant, but she is 81 and 8 shows per week might be tough. (By comparison, Coca was ten years younger when she originated the role.)
I'd be surprised if Lily Tomlin wanted to do it, but I'm sure she'd be great.
I saw Mimi Hines play the role and loved her, but that was a decade ago when SHE was only 70!
morosco
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/10/04
#2Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 9:07amHarriet Harris
Auggie27
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/03
#3Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 9:34am
Harris and Martin seem solid if obvious choices. I'd love to see Catherine O'Hara.
#4Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 9:38am
There a ton of suggestions in the linked thread, including:
Annie Potts
Jackie Hoffman
Carol Kane
Judy Kaye
Mary Testa
Blythe Danner
Estelle Parsons
Carol Burnett
Andrea Martin
Link
#5Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 10:12am
Linda Lavin
Swoosie Kurtz
Georgia Engel
Linda Hunt
Jane Curtin
#6Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 10:17am
Andrea Martin played Primrose in the reading that featured Hugh Jackman, but that was several years back.
Linda Lavin is a great suggestion.
morosco
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/10/04
#7Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 10:23amI'm kinda loving the Georgia Engel suggestion.
#9Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 10:28amI'm kinda loving the Georgia Engel suggestion too!
mamaleh
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/04
#10Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 10:32amHarriet Harris or Veanne Cox
#11Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 10:34amCan we discuss this Catherine O'Hara idea more in-depth, please?
Auggie27
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/03
#12Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 11:42amBecause you agree, or don't? What I love about O'Hara's comedy is its grounding. In every Guest film, she's a dimensional person. She can sing (well enough) and has that look in her eyes, a manic sense of being elsewhere -- of being possessed -- that would beautifully serve the religious fanaticism in this woman. I just think letting the character feel real would be interesting. If you disagree, run with anyone else on the list. What a great list it is.
#13Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 11:58amMost of the women named in this thread couldn't sing the role if their lives depended on it. It's a comic soprano role in an operetta spoof. Changing the keys for her numbers so they could be growled by an old husky-voiced gal would be missing the point of the show (admittedly something that the Roundabout is rather famous for).
#14Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 12:48pmBecause Imogene Coca had such a stellar career as a comic opera soubrette.
#15Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 1:07pm
Yea, it's not that hard to sing at all in terms of vocal range.
#16Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 1:43pm
It's still a comic mezzo-soprano range, not for a belter. Many of the dames named above never displayed much head voice in their youth, let alone now in the autumn (or winter) of their lives.
The tessitura for "Repent" is C# below middle C to F# 2 above. That's 1 step shy of 2 and 1/2 octaves. It's what they call rangy. And although the voice is a comic one, the notes should be hit - it's an operetta, that's the fun of it.
#17Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 2:18pmGeorgia Engel was my first thought as well.
#18Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 2:27pm
Auggie, I LOVE the idea of Catherine O'Hara. She's one of my favorite comedic actresses and I would love to see her onstage.
That being said, I do also like the idea of Georgia Engel.
morosco
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/10/04
#19Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 4:11pm
WOSQ
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/03
#20Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 4:13pm
We could go out-of-the-box and think about Whoopi Goldberg,
or go way out of the box and go with Tyne Daly.
#21Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 4:52pmO'Hara's peculiar little voice would actually suit this role well.
Auggie27
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/03
#22Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 6:49pmI've collected three votes for O'Hara. I went back and listened to my "Mighty Wind" CD (it's a gem, honestly) and realized O'Hara could certainly carry "Repent," with adjustments, and sing it, full out. But look, too, at "Nightmare Before Christmas." She's brilliant, and her eccentric vocals -- admittedly, studio-created -- are part of that film's artistry.
#23Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 7:57pm
I think Catherine O'Hara is an interesting idea, but she is 60. If I were she I wouldn't be ready to jump into "elderly" roles.
I don't understand the Judy Kaye choice. Mrs. Primrose had a fragility about her, at least originally, which is what made her manic racing about the train so funny. Judy Kaye is a much more solid presence. She is 66, but I don't see how her voice differs enough from Chenowith to make the desired contrast.
Newintown, point taken about the vocal range, but if Carol Burnett were able, I think we'd all overlook the alteration.
#24Who would you like see play Lettia Primrose in 20th Century?
Posted: 8/22/14 at 10:17pmAnita Gillette.
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