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| re: Hello, Dolly!: Will Donna Murphy be Bette's Replacement in January? | |
| Posted by: MattPhilly 12:30 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: Hello, Dolly!: Will Donna Murphy be Bette's Replacement in January? - Zelgo 11:19 am EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| Just thinking...had this same exact production opened in tact, but with say Murphy, or Peters, or even Chenoweth leading from the get go, what would the reaction have been? If Murphy had opened the show, would she have received the Tony? Could the production still be selling out, even if not at huge premiums? Zaks's production of Guys and Dolls in 1992 became a huge smash without big stars. Even the revival of Kiss Me Kate ran a couple of years. Both examples of exquisite productions, which Dolly is, even without Midler. Again, just thoughts. | |
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| It's been posted before but... Queen Latifah! | |
| Posted by: winters 01:40 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Hello, Dolly!: Will Donna Murphy be Bette's Replacement in January? - MattPhilly 12:30 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| She can act. She can sing She gives out warmth She has a fan base and will attract a new audience. If you want to make this an event hire Hugh Jackman or find out if Denzel Washington can sing. |
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| re: It's been posted before but... Queen Latifah! | |
| Posted by: stevemr 02:52 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: It's been posted before but... Queen Latifah! - winters 01:40 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| Queen Latifah would be inspired casting, in terms of both character appropriateness and probable box office draw. But per you suggestion, I don't think Horace can be a bigger star than Dolly. But what about someone like Ben Vereen? Can Billy Dee Williams be curmudgeonly? (I don't think the entire production would or should need to be recast a la Pearl Bailey's). | |
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| I hope Rudin continues to channel his inner Merrick with this one! | |
| Posted by: portenopete 01:00 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Hello, Dolly!: Will Donna Murphy be Bette's Replacement in January? - MattPhilly 12:30 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| I would think that Rudin would want there to be new news when Midler leaves. Regardless of Murphy's performance, there will be a sense of "been there, seen her" whereas someone new like LuPone, Peters or an even bigger, non-theatre name would guarantee more headlines. I don't think Murphy is a well-known enough name (anymore?) to guarantee a sell-out run. I'd place her below the aforementioned LuPone and Peters. From a generation younger, I'd think Audra or Kristin would be the biggest draws and even Kelli O'Hara, who would be outside the box, but she is always so surprising in what she can do and her track record with revivals is kind of unmatched. It has been a joy to follow this revival and see it live up to the hype that the announcement engendered two years ago. I would love to see it have a long life with many actresses brought in to do it. You could cast it up one side of Broadway and down the other there are so many talented people in this city. |
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| Lupone isnt selling out war paint | |
| Posted by: dramedy 01:24 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: I hope Rudin continues to channel his inner Merrick with this one! - portenopete 01:00 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| And didnt gypsy close a few months early because sales were sluggish. Follies didnt sell out with peters. | |
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| re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint | |
| Posted by: ryhog 01:41 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: Lupone isnt selling out war paint - dramedy 01:24 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| You hit the nail on the head. A lot of names are being tossed around but I have not heard one yet that is both going to sell enough tickets and also even remotely likely to say yes. | |
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| re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint | |
| Posted by: MikeR 01:35 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: Lupone isnt selling out war paint - dramedy 01:24 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| I'm not saying either of these ladies would sell out the Shubert in Hello Dolly, but you're ignoring the fact that HD is a recognized and beloved title, while War Paint is not, and Follies only is to hardcore theater fans. | |
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| re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint | |
| Posted by: ryhog 01:47 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint - MikeR 01:35 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| The belovedness is not very deep. This is not the late 60s. | |
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| re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 01:45 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint - MikeR 01:35 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| The other aspect is, and this may depend on Scott Rudin more than anyone else, is that a show shouldn't have to be standing room only and selling out million dollar premium tickets to make money or even break even. Assuming the production goes into the black with Midler still in it, I wonder what the grosses could drop to with anyone else before the show starts losing money. Clearly, there are few who will command whatever salary/percentage that Midler is getting, so there's going to be a cost savings there regardless of who the actress is. | |
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| re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint | |
| Posted by: ryhog 01:55 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint - JereNYC 01:45 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| That's the 2 sides of the coin. You can get the nut down, but you won't sell tickets. And I don't think Rudin wants this triumph to limp into oblivion. This is not a production where someone else is going to come in and be deemed a revelation. And short of the few people who can actually sell tickets at the high end but are never gonna do the show, I don't see the path. |
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| re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint | |
| Posted by: AC126748 01:42 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint - MikeR 01:35 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| But if Dolly is such a tried and true war horse, wouldn't it be selling better than it is on Murphy's days? | |
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| re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 02:30 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint - AC126748 01:42 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| "But if Dolly is such a tried and true war horse, wouldn't it be selling better than it is on Murphy's days?" The show is selling out because of the COMBINATOIN of a big film, recording, TV, and live performance star who hasn't been on Broadway in decades in a show with a very famous title that hasn't been on Broadway in years. Also, this would never have happened, but as a a friend of mine said the other day, if this production of DOLLY! had opened with Murphy (or equivalent) starring in it from the beginning, and if had gotten rave reviews, I expect the show starring Murphy would be selling much better than those performance are now, though not at Midler levels. |
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| re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint | |
| Posted by: AC126748 02:56 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint - Michael_Portantiere 02:30 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| Also, this would never have happened, but as a a friend of mine said the other day, if this production of DOLLY! had opened with Murphy (or equivalent) starring in it from the beginning, and if had gotten rave reviews, I expect the show starring Murphy would be selling much better than those performance are now, though not at Midler levels. That's kind of the point, isn't it? All the Broadway names over the years who have been speculated as potential Dollys (LuPone, Chenoweth, etc) probably would have generated respectable, even strong, box office receipts--but nowhere near the level of a Bette (or Cher or Streisand). The show itself isn't the star here. |
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| re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 03:35 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint - AC126748 02:56 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| "The show itself isn't the star here." Agreed. It's the combination of the show and the star, and particularly, that star in that particular role, which suits her just about perfectly. |
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| re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint | |
| Posted by: ryhog 05:12 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Lupone isnt selling out war paint - Michael_Portantiere 03:35 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| and which of the other names in this thread could you say that about? | |
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| re: Hello, Dolly!: Will Donna Murphy be Bette's Replacement in January? | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 12:52 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Hello, Dolly!: Will Donna Murphy be Bette's Replacement in January? - MattPhilly 12:30 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| The 1992 GUYS AND DOLLS had one star...Peter Gallagher, who was a movie name at the time. Also Nathan Lane, while not a "star" per se, was well known among regular New York theatre goers. And, of course, it turned Faith Prince into a star and brought Lane to the attention of the mainstream. The revival of KISS ME KATE had two genuine theatre stars in the leads, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie, and probably would not have fared as well without them as it did with them. |
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| re: Hello, Dolly!: Will Donna Murphy be Bette's Replacement in January? | |
| Posted by: writerkev 01:07 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
| In reply to: re: Hello, Dolly!: Will Donna Murphy be Bette's Replacement in January? - JereNYC 12:52 pm EDT 07/05/17 | |
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| You're using a different definition of the word "star" than some others in this thread. Brian Stokes Mitchell, Marin Mazzie, etc. are all in the category of theatre star. The question is whether "Hello, Dolly!" can/will survive with anything less than a big star, known to mainstream audiences. Two different nouns. | |
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