Oh don't be daft, obviously I'm one of the musical theater devotees that would probably have seen it regardless of who was in it... and who would see a Broadway diva in almost anything. I'm talking about the mainstream audience who they are depending on spending $65-110 a pop (presumably) and filling the house in each city to make this tour as profitable as possible.
And how is it ageist to observer her actual age? Dolly Levi was originated by Channing when she was *43* ... even playing older than she was, the character is not meant to be THIS old. And yes, Midler is 72... but she is a much more spry 72 than from what I've observed from Buckley. I hope I'm wrong and that she is in better physical condition than she seemed to be before. I mean I worked with her 12 years ago and I couldn't imagine her doing what Bette did on stage even then. But again, I could be wrong.
The point wasn't her actual age, but how she comes off and her mobility as a person that age. Bette didn't seem 72 when she played it, I would have believed she was in her mid 50s. Same with Bernadette. And Donna Murphy is 58 but looks late 40s on stage still. |
