Threaded Order Chronological Order
| A different model for Bette vs. Donna: Glenn vs. Karen Mason, circa 1995 | |
| Last Edit: Delvino 07:44 am EDT 07/09/17 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 07:41 am EDT 07/09/17 | |
|
|
|
| In the star vacation from mega-hit department. A very different kind of public discussion erupted after Mason went on for Close, and the Really Useful folks wanted to suggest that the show, not the star, was the event. Who recalls? It's all in the attached. But Close herself took umbrage, in a very different moment than the Murphy-Midler issues about b. o. being debated on these boards (and yesterday, around Shubert Alley -- I was in the neighborhood, at "Bandstand," and it was even a topic among gatherings of impromptu theater wags at the B'way Barks, spitting distance from the "Donny Murphy is Dolly" sign.) "The letter described her feelings on learning that Edgar Dobie, Really Useful's chief of North American operations, had told Variety that "Sunset" sold $724,780 worth of tickets during the two weeks Ms. Close was replaced by her understudy, Karen Mason, when in reality the show had sold only $569,720 worth: a drop of $222,876 from Ms. Close's last week in the show. "A representative of your company went out of their way and lied to try to make the public believe that my contribution to this show is nothing, that Karen's performance is equal to mine, and that my absence had absolutely no effect whatsoever on all the thousands of dollars that supposedly kept pouring into the box office," Ms. Close's letter continued. "It sickens me to be treated with such disregard." |
|
| Link | A Show Biz Effort To Make a Molehill Out of a Mountain - April 5, 1995 |
| reply to this message | |
| re: A different model for Bette vs. Donna: Glenn vs. Karen Mason, circa 1995 | |
| Posted by: MarjorieMae 08:03 am EDT 07/09/17 | |
| In reply to: A different model for Bette vs. Donna: Glenn vs. Karen Mason, circa 1995 - Delvino 07:41 am EDT 07/09/17 | |
|
|
|
| Karen Mason went on in Act II for Betty Buckley who was having major vocal trouble. I must say that she did a great job (I did return to see Betty with her voice restored and she was amazing). Mason's make-up and performance style, though, was more in sync with Close's (but with a much better singing voice), so it made for a very unbalanced show. But Mason deserves all of the raves she received. The friend who was with me even wrote Mason a fan letter. Well, Close is back, so I assume she's over this. | |
| reply to this message |
| re: A different model for Bette vs. Donna: Glenn vs. Karen Mason, circa 1995 | |
| Posted by: Delvino 08:16 am EDT 07/09/17 | |
| In reply to: re: A different model for Bette vs. Donna: Glenn vs. Karen Mason, circa 1995 - MarjorieMae 08:03 am EDT 07/09/17 | |
|
|
|
| I saw that same (Saturday?) matinee with Buckley starting, Mason finishing! It is interesting in light of Close returning to the role 22 years later, as you note. |
|
| reply to this message | reply to first message |
Time to render: 0.010509 seconds.