"The Women" was a swift turnover, without much fanfare. But I recall well that the "Seesaw" exit was complicated and messy. When the show changed hands, and Bennett was brought in and given complete run of the show, much was made of the shapely, zaftig Kazan's Gittel not being believable (to audiences? Creatives?) as a dancer. Bennett went on the record, once he took over for Sherin. Her weight figured in the role being recast. Today, I wonder if anyone would dare mention a woman's weight publicly as a reason for anything. Michelle Lee and then Lucie Arnaz on the road scored well in the role (I saw both), and both women are as unlike Kazan as one can imagine. I bet Kazan sang those swell songs well, to be sure. (Still very fond of much of that vintage score.) And nailed the New Yorker in Mosca.
Bennett got the Stewart book thrown out, and even had Robin Wagner redesign some of the sets. It was big and bright, "Seesaw," but for my money finally worked best on the road with Arnaz and a more focused first act.
A random idea I always had: I wondered if "The Goodbye Girl," a show I did not love, was something like the pre-Bennett "Seesaw" on the road. In a way, they have almost the same story. |
