Your Dream Revival DOLLY — Page 2

I really do like the Queen Latifah idea.

Also, I think Megan Mullally is a great choice too.

Queen Latifah doing Pearl Bailey as Dolly Levi.

Bette Midler doing Barbra Streisand as Dolly Levi

Sarah Ramirez?!!?...She's too young.

....and before you go on the "but Barbra Streisand was only 29 when she made the film" I am here to state that La Streisand transcends time, age and boundaries, so she's excluded.

Updated On: 6/1/10 at 07:31 PM

I don't think 29 is too young for Dolly- she just needs to be believable as a widow. Even a 20-year-old can be a widow.

Well, the thing is, Dolly can't be young. She's spent the last 10 years (at least) doing exactly what she did when her husband was live. She says it all in that monologue before "Before the Parade Passes By."

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^Ah, I've only seen the movie- they must have cut any reference to age so Barbra would work.

Dolly: Victoria Clark
Horace: Fred Applegate
Cornelius: Gavin Creel
Barnaby: Christopher Fitzgerald
Irene: Kate Baldwin
Minnie: Jen Cody

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I agree with Bernadette Peters - an obvious choice but there seems to be some bad blood with Jerry Herman isn't there? And didn't HE mention Queen Latifah at one time? I know he mentioned Mitzi Gaynor. I love the idea of Bette Midler. And Megan Mulally has potential.

Did anyone ever see Madeline Kahn in the role? I believe she played Dolly in a regional production in the 90s. That seems rather inspired.

I think Bernadette could do for Hello Dolly what Lupone did for Gypsy.

Can't you just see the signage?
"BERNADETTE
PETERS
HELLO
DOLLY!"

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"Not a lot of imagination in the casting suggestions for Cornelius here - a lot of attractive straight (as opposed to character) boys.

Gower Champion was brilliant to see Cornelius as a character like Charles Nelson Reilly. That's the kind of thinking that separates the mundane from the inspired.

Unfortunately, I can't think of any young, funny character men working in commercial musical theatre right now - are there any? Like a young Kevin Chamberlin, or a young Michael Jeter? Not just physically unusual, but also with a real sense of comedy and character. Anybody remember Barry Finkel?"

I would suggest myself lol, but I read too young (even though I'm not) and don't have enough professional experience. Does Christopher Fitzgerald fit your description? It's funny you say that, though, because that's EXACTLY what I've always thought about Matt in "The Fantasticks." There's nothing in the text that indicates that he has to be a typical tall/handsome leading man, yet he almost always is.

So, I was swimming laps yesterday, and an idea occurred to me.

What a perfect show to finally get the one and only Meryl Streep in a Broadway musical.

I'm thinking a "Devil Wears Prada" reunion possibly.

Dolly- Meryl Streep
Mrs. Molloy- Anne Hathaway
Vandergelder- Alec Baldwin
Cornelius- Stanley Tucci

Streep, Baldwin and Hathaway couldn't be more suited for those roles. That dream just will not escape my head. It would be so glorious. Tucci might be a stretch, especially seeing as he and Streep played opposite so recently. But I always saw his as a little young compared to Streep, and I think he'd bring a fun and quirky sense to Cornelius if he could sing it.

This show has such FABULOUS roles. What a gem!

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Tucci seems so very young to me. It was just a thought, of course, with no serious study of the script. But I'd say Tucci could read at least 30 onstage. I felt like he was more suited to be playing Streep's child in "Julie & Julia." PS- What a wonderful film.

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^ Oh Sally Brown! Too cute!!