When I bought my seats at the box office, Murphy's performances were isolated, her participation entirely explained. Her filling in was mentioned in the press quite early, her photo surfaced tethered to releases, and she was interviewed.
But this event wasn't about having two leading ladies available to choose between
It was "Hello, Dolly!" reminted for a superstar, Midler. The new Bette-as-Dolly is a brand, and it cannot be "Hello, Dolly!" starring {X}, at least not yet. Running pictures of Murphy in the role in print ads -- a month after the Tonys yet -- or on the internet would invite a lot of questions the production doesn't want to answer, when the show through January is a commercial tale of Midler's return to B'way in a classic vehicle. This seems to be hard for fans of Murphy and fans of the show itself to embrace. But this production was conceived with that brand calculation.
Maybe look back at "Boy from Oz," which existed only as long as Jackman was willing to perform it. I'm not saying these shows share the same synergy, and "Dolly" is respected in ways "Boy..." never was. But it's useful. |
