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| re: truly bizarre | |
| Posted by: MockingbirdGirl 11:14 am EST 02/12/18 | |
| In reply to: truly bizarre - Chazwaza 11:01 am EST 02/12/18 | |
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| I adore Betty Buckley and I'll definitely be seeing the tour with her... BUT that being said, she is 70, and not a particularly agile 70. We are really stretching the creduility of this character casting a 70 year old... - who are they casting as Horace, James Earl Jones? Ummm... isn't Bette Midler 72? Isn't Bernadette Peters also nearly 70? So in fact, this casting is exactly in line with the standard established by this production, right? |
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| it's not the actual age really... | |
| Last Edit: Chazwaza 12:47 pm EST 02/12/18 | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 12:44 pm EST 02/12/18 | |
| In reply to: re: truly bizarre - MockingbirdGirl 11:14 am EST 02/12/18 | |
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| No, the standard established with the production is either recognizable super star names like Bette Midler or Bernadette Peters (say what you will about her ability to sell tickets she is a beloved household name with decades of acclaimed and popular work on stage, movies and tv, which can't really be said for Betty - even though she's had success in all 3, she never became a star name like BP did) who are technically perhaps too old for the character but do not appear to be or move like they are in their 70s. Donna Murphy, the only other woman to play it in this production, is only 58 and looks to be in her 40s on stage, early 50s at most. I really don't mean to sound ageist, it's much more about what they give off more than what they actually are. And as another poster pointed out, Bette and Bernadette have made a career of being fun and warm and joyful and emotional but not so much angry, like Dolly... this also makes them seem younger than they might actually be, I think. Buckley has made a career of playing monsters or stern, steely, angry, ego-driven people for the most part. I'm not saying she can't do it, she's very very talented and certainly has range, I'm saying it's bizarre casting for the national tour of Hello Dolly. And even if age were an issue, for some people it doesn't matter - like Bette and Bernadette even, and Channing in her too-old-but-who-cares Dolly revivals... I just don't think Betty Buckley is in that category with most audiences. |
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| re: it's not the actual age really... | |
| Posted by: JohnDunlop 09:33 pm EST 02/12/18 | |
| In reply to: it's not the actual age really... - Chazwaza 12:44 pm EST 02/12/18 | |
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| I have seen Bette Buckley in Concert twice a) where she sang big diva songs at Carnegie Hall; (b) quiet and more intimate songs with a touch of humor at UCLA. | |
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| re: truly bizarre | |
| Posted by: LegitOnce 11:37 am EST 02/12/18 | |
| In reply to: re: truly bizarre - MockingbirdGirl 11:14 am EST 02/12/18 | |
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| The difference is that neither Midler nor Peters built their careers on playing strident monsters. | |
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| re: truly bizarre | |
| Posted by: BruceinIthaca 12:28 pm EST 02/12/18 | |
| In reply to: re: truly bizarre - LegitOnce 11:37 am EST 02/12/18 | |
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| Well, I doubt tour audiences will be thinking of her Margaret White or Norma Desmond, to be fair. I love her voice and there is great range of emotion in her concert recordings. Warmth is not a word that leaps to mind, but I am excited to see what she does (and I saw both Channing in 95 in the Chicago stop of the tour and Midler last October). She may be closer to Streisand, but age appropriate, and a better actress overall than Streisand. I suspect it's the title that will sell tickets. It hasn't toured (IIRC) since Channing's final outing with it, over two decades ago, and the title promises a fun evening in the theatre for audiences--and tour audiences are used to having people they've never heard of, let alone someone who has some name value, like Buckley. Maybe James Avory could play Horace! And Cornelius? And Barnaby? And Minnie? And Mrs. Rose! |
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