Your favorite Momma Rose...- Page 2

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 12:33am

"4. Daly was fantastic in the role and deserved her Tony (though her speech was a bit much!) But she is not in great voice on the recording."

No worse than she ever was onstage. Onstage it didn't seem as bad because you were watching her act it. With the recording, all you have is the voice.

[BwayLeadman]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 1:07am

Maggie R., an unknown. She is a director I assist and do scenic designs for. I believe she is a reincarnated Mama Rose, you would say the same if you meet her. I am still trying to get to to put on a production of GYPSY so she could star in and I could direct.

But to go with the flow of the thread, BETTE MIDLER!!!

[AngelaForever]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 1:19am

Angela Lansbury all the way!

Not a fan of either Ethel Merman OR Bernadette Peters (*gasp*, I know, "how can that happen?")

The Tyne Daly is worth the price I paid for the CD---since it was used I got it for $6. But it's not the CD I reach for when I want to hear Gypsy.

Ms. Lansbury's "Rose's Turn" is absolutely to die for. Goosebumps!


WillParker--
Kudos! I love this:
"ugh....how can you pass up Lansbury in favor of Merman?!?! I know, I may be the antichrist for saying that but GAH....just listen to Lansbury's Rose's Turn....the woman is AMAZING..."


:

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 1:32am

I'm sorry - but Roz could most certainly sing. She had a VERY deep alto, and Rose was out of her range. Roz did great with Ruth's songs in WT. She got a well deserved Golden Globe for her Rose.

Lansbury's "Rose's Turn" is quite amazing. I also enjoy Peter's and Merman's version of the song. And I think Roz acted the hell of the song in the movie.

[PJ]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 1:34am

I've never read a transript of Tyne's Tony acceptance speech. Anyone want to paraphrase?


On Topic: I loved Bernadette's performance. She was the only one I've seen, therefore the only performance I can judge. But if we're going by cast recordings, I love Angela's.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 2:03am

ljay889 --

FYI, roughly half of Russell's singing in the movie was dubbed by Broadway actress/singer Lisa Kirk. I believe all of "Mr. Goldstone," "Small World" and the talk-singing moments of the score were Russell, most of the real, sustained singing moments were Kirk's (especially in "Everything's Coming Up Rose's" and the latter half of "Rose's Turn"). If you hear a deep resonant voice holding notes at any point in the film, THAT'S Kirk, not Russell.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 2:06am

I know Margo. Check your old PM's if you still have them - we've discussed this before.

I was saying Roz can sing based on her Ruth.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 2:07am

i absolutely loved bernadette's rose. i thought it was perfectly brilliant the evening i saw it.

[BwayLeadman]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 2:09am

I heard Angela's Rose's Turn..... no comment

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 2:20am

I have to say I love watching Russell (admittedly in Auntie Mame mode) as Rose. For me, her interpretation is completely valid (even if she didn't actually sing large chunks of the score). Yes, Russell can "sing" (she had no range but decent pitch), but obviously there's an ENORMOUS difference between the demands of singing Ruth and singing Rose.

There are old-timers who saw Merman and because of that HATE Russell in the film. I wasn't even born when Merman did the show or when the subsequent film came out, so my opinion or Merman and Russell's performances are based of the video and CDs of each. To be sure, Russell certainly did "act the hell" out of the role and deserves probably a little more respect than she typically gets for her performance. But, for me, the sheer intensity and freedom that Merman brings to the part is still completely unmatched 40+ years later.

[nystateomind04]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 2:25am

I agree about Merman's spoken line in "Some People", it's chilling.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 4:21am

"Daly was No worse than she ever was onstage. Onstage it didn't seem as bad because you were watching her act it. With the recording, all you have is the voice.."

Possibly but I had heard the CD before seeing the show and the day I saw it - the day before the Tony awards - her voice did not give out the way it does in places on the CD. (To be fair, she had missed many performances the week before the cast album was recorded.)


As for Russell, the new CD on Rhino has Russell's original tracks for "Small World", "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and 2-3 others. Even her pitch is unsteady. "Mr Goldstone" was a lively number with her racing around the room so pitch wasn't as essential. In teh move, she is great in the dramtic scenes but in some of the comedy scenes she sems to push too hard. As for her Ruth in WONDERFUL TOWN, sure she sounds fine singing those songs but they were tailored to her voice and limited range. Also she was 10 years younger then.

[Demitri2]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 7:56am

My all time favorite Rose was Ann Sothern. I enjoyed Bernadette, Lansbury and Daly and my least fav was JoAnne Worley. Never saw Merman but Sothern's "Roses Turn" was perfection.

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 2:00pm

I have to say Bernadette

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 3:43pm

I vote for Peters. Her performance was one of the best of the 21st Century IMO. It was spot on all three times I went.

(The best performances Ive seen on a stage for the 21st century include Peters in Gypsy, Pinkins in CoC, Clark in Piazza, Menzel and Chenoweth in Wicked, and Lane & Broderick in The Producers if anyone cares LOL)

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 3:49pm

Margo. On a Gypsy review on Amazon. Someone said they heard Merman would acquire a set of Roz's singing tracks and play them at parties, when the subject of Gypsy would come up.

I've heard about this. Is there any truth to it?

Also, I'm curious what you thought of Wood's Louise in the film. Updated On: 7/16/05 at 03:49 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 4:19pm

I've heard that story about Merman playing Russell's tracks several times, so I'm guessing it's true (though it might be apocryphal). Merman was very hurt by losing the role to Russell, so it does sound like something she might have done.

I've always liked Wood in the movie. Her transformation is very believable and her acting is quite strong in the final dressing room confrontation scene with Russell.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 5:26pm

You know. I can understanding Merman being upset she didn't get the role in the film. It would've been great to have had her performance to watch whenever we wanted.

I agree. I really thought Natalie made the perfect transition from tomboy to sexy stripper.

[Urban]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 5:54pm

I don't want to even mention my favorite Mamma Rose, because just reading Margo, LJay and Frontrow alone makes this one of my favorite threads in ages. Actually I swear I come here half the time hoping to read some of Margo's posts.

[magruder]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 6:02pm

For sheer entertainment value, no one beats Kay Medford's Rose.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 7:53pm

I found this very interesting. I got this off a Roz site.

However, according to Russell this wasn't true (and Brisson didn't produce the film.) She said that Warner asked her to do it, and when she protested that the role belonged to Merman, he said he would never use her, because of his experience with her in "Call Me Madam." Russell wrote "I felt she should have done it, it belonged to her, but I'd learned long ago, grab them when they come up!"

Well atleast Roz didn't have a big head about playing Momma. And it's obvious she respected Merman.
Updated On: 7/16/05 at 07:53 PM

[The Grovers Corners Yenta]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 10:31pm

I think there is one Momma Rose and one only and that is Ethel Merman. That role was for her! It is like no one else but Yul Brynner will ever be the king in the King and I.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 10:36pm

That's because Brynner made that role his own by not ever letting anyone else play it, and by never playing another role once he did play it. That's a very different scenario.

Merman played many characters, starred in many shows.

Updated On: 7/16/05 at 10:36 PM

[Marquise]

Posted: 7/16/05 at 11:15pm

I can only speak about the Rose's I've seen. I'm going to have to go with Russell (no disrespect to Merman).
Natalie Wood is my all time favorite "Louise/Gypsy". I don't think anyone can touch her in that role.

[RustyJusty830]

Posted: 7/17/05 at 1:50am

Perhaps it is because I love her so much- I thought Bernadette was stunning in the role and offered a clever and commanding performance. I saw her twice and she did not fail to impress at either of the two performaces I attended.
Sidenote: She was also a GEM at the stagedoor- So very gracious.