Would HAIRSPRAY be as successful if a woman played Edna?

[zamedy]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 1:01pm

Another recent post in which someone asked why the character of Edna is always played by a man got me thinking about this. Do you think HAIRSPRAY would have been such a huge success when it opened if Edna was played by a woman? I guess my feelings are mixed. Ultimately, I think it's the great score and story that audiences have embraced over the years. But Harvey's origination of Edna in the musical version was untouchable.. and took the musical to a different level. So I guess I'd say yes, it would still be successful.. but having Harvey as one of your stars certainly helps!

And speaking of Edna.. can someone explain to me why the line "You want to be famous? Learn how to get blood out of car upholstry" is so funny? Call me stupid but I've just never understood the genius of that joke. I was watching that scene on 'that' site the other day and when Harvey said it, the audience exploded in laughter.

Thanks!
Updated On: 5/27/08 at 01:01 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 1:05pm

Because without messy bloodstains on the upholstery, murdering your spouse is soooooo much easier.

And "Hairspray" without a man playing the woman is just stupid.

It's like doing "Charley's Aunt" with a woman in the role. Why bother?

John Waters wrote the movie for a man and it would insult his creation to do otherwise (plus, I would assume his lawyers dealt with that in the rights agreement.)

[4thRowAsile]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 1:06pm

I think it is the John Water's humor. Blood in the backseat implies, well, loosing one's virginity in the backseat. Kinda part of the dicotomy of "good" girls and "bad" girls.

And, yes the part could be played by a woman, but why. It is a tribute to John Water's and Divine...should stay that way.

[into_the_woods2]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 1:07pm

i agree, considering Edna was played by a man in the movie version of hairspray, it would be disrespectful to John Waters. Plus, wow, Hairspray would not be NEARLY as entertaining

[musicaltheatrefan3]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 1:07pm

Updated On: 8/31/08 at 01:07 PM

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 1:13pm

Think Ally Sheedy in HEDVIG and you've got your answer.

[lightguy06222]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 1:18pm

yes, a woman could play Edna, but you are losing alot of your comedy, as well as your message. The theme of not judging a book by its cover, and the idea of acceptance no matter ones weight, sex, or whatever works better having a man play a woman.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 1:20pm

If it was a celebrity. I actually think Rosie O'Donnell would be pretty good in it. She doesn't need to sing or dance too well so it's perfect.

[lightguy06222]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 1:50pm

Rosie would be good..... and also grossly offended.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 2:02pm

You guys are so clueless with your comments about women playing Edna Turnblad.

Edna is a woman. Edna isn't a drag queen nor a transvestite. Edna will always be played by a male actor.

Read some bios touching on John Waters and his life-long friendship with actor Glenn Milstead (aka Divine). The role of Edna Turnblad was written for him and as an homage to his memory, will always be played by a male actor. Just a fact.

Period.

[misto625]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 2:02pm

Not the main topic of this thread, but I always thought the "blood out of car upholstery" line was a reference to the high frequency of teenage car accidents, and so if you got the blood of the upholstery, you could sell the car for a better price than you could if there was blood. I never thought of the losing your virginity in the backseat argument.

[thejcm]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 2:06pm

With the blood in the car upholstery thing, I always thought it was a joke about JFK. Don't ask me how or why I came to that conclusion, but I did. I never thought about the whole losing your virginity or even teenage car accidents. The teenage car accidents makes more sense though; especially having heard "Blood on the Pavement."

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 2:08pm

You skipped school a lot, didn't you?

HAIRSPRAY takes place in 1962. John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963.

I'm just sayin'.



NOTE: corrected, mon ami.



Updated On: 5/27/08 at 02:08 PM

[zamedy]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 2:16pm

Interesting posts. Thanks guys!


BTW... I have to admit, Rosie's name came to my mind too. But I'd totally be against it and know it would never happen anyway. Edna should and will always be played by a woman.


Updated On: 5/27/08 at 02:16 PM

[SpellingBeeFan4Ever]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 2:27pm

The role of Edna Turnblad was written for him and as an homage to his memory, will always be played by a male actor. Just a fact

Unless a High School stupidly thinks it's not right and makes it a woman.

[DrewBill]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 2:42pm

I heard the producers of "Hairspray" talk about this very issue sometime last year. If I remember correctly, they said that they did indeed think about having a woman play Edna, not for the original cast, but perhaps as a replacement. But they ultimately decided against it.

They said that in their eyes, the message of the show was inclusion and acceptance of all (genders, races, orientations, etc.). Having a man play a woman was one more way of demonstrating that on stage without having to explicitly say it.

[thejcm]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 3:54pm

Brody: I know that Hairspray takes place before the JFK assassination, I just thought it was one of those "the audience gets it but the characters don't" kind of thing. Like I said, I have no idea how I came to that conclusion but I did. :)

[blaxx]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 4:35pm

A man played it in Finland, and the Finnish production was not successful. I don't think that a man should play Edna.

That's such a smart comment. I'm so glad we have Finland to solve all of our musical theatre dilemmas.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 4:44pm

Suomalaiset osaavat tehdä seksikkään teatterin, kyllä?

[Rypm25]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 4:46pm

I seem to recall shortly before or after Hairspray opened, Harvey was on Theater Talk. Mr. Riedel asked him this very question...could a woman play the role on Broadway? Harvey said something like a woman could play it, but the show would have a different feel to it,...that said, Harvey felt that Lanie Kazan could pull it off. (if I remember it correctly...)

[Patash]

Posted: 5/27/08 at 6:19pm

I've never gotten over the matron sitting next to me during an early performance of Hairspray. At intermission she said, "You seem to know what's going on. Who's the woman playing the mother? Everyone cheered for her when she entered. Is she famous? She certainly is good." I found it amazing that anyone didn't realize that Harvey Fierstein was a man. She didn't believe me for a while.

[westcoast_wannabe]

Posted: 5/28/08 at 9:10am

It’s one thing not to realize that it was Harvey, but my Grandmother didn’t know it was John Travolta in the movie. She asked me who the woman was who played the mother.

The whole Blood out of the car upholstery thing…
I always thought it was a reference to the mob. Affluent men who would go to a small private laundress to get the blood stains out after taking care of business down by the docks. It’s interesting to hear who many different ways that line has been interpreted by people on this board.

[Patash]

Posted: 5/28/08 at 1:18pm

The best Ednas have been male as they bring a real crudeness to the character -- and make her funny, exaggerated, yet lovable at the same time. A woman playing it, would perhaps miss that edginess. But then in my book, so did John Travolta. There was nothing "crude" about his Edna, which I found a big yawn.

[Tag]

Posted: 5/28/08 at 2:58pm

They could have easily cast a woman in the role in the NEW FILM version. Travolta insisted on playing the role as authentic to being a woman as possible which I believe ruined the whole idea. Travolta was definitely the main reason the film just didn't work.

Casting a woman in the role on Broadway is something I think the producers/creators would never ever do...but I think if it were stunt cast right and marketed well, it would work. As offensive as it might be, Rosie O'donnell would be a good choice, but it will never happen.
Updated On: 5/28/08 at 02:58 PM

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/28/08 at 3:06pm

" But Harvey's origination of Edna in the musical version was untouchable.. "

It was Divine who was untouchable and Travolta's attempt at it was a travesty. I walked out after 20 minutes.

Oh-also, I wouldn't necessarily use the (aka Divine) next to the name Glenn Milstead. He was only known as Divine.

Updated On: 5/28/08 at 03:06 PM