Threaded Order Chronological Order
| 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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