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| Weeeeeeeeeell, yes and no... | |
| Posted by: GabbyGerard 06:20 pm EDT 05/30/18 | |
| In reply to: re: I can, and I hope to see her - BillyG 05:30 pm EDT 05/30/18 | |
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| On one hand, I can definitely see what you mean when you say that Betty “hardly exudes warmth and humor.” Her work onstage—and, of course, she will be onstage as Dolly—is often characterized by a chilliness and/or melancholy. These qualities are a crucial reason why many of her performances are so hauntingly indelible. On the other hand, to “mainstream” audiences, Betty is probably most recognized for two roles that exemplify warmth: Abby (the kind stepmother) on Eight Is Enough, and Miss Collins (the kind gym teacher) in DePalma’s 1976 adaptation of Carrie. Yes, as a theatre person, when I think Betty Buckley, I first think of her epic longing as Grizabella, her baroque vulnerability as Norma Desmond, her frightening intensity as Margaret White, and her heartbreaking tentativeness as Hesione. But to television and film audiences, she’s probably most remembered as a kindhearted mother figure. I don’t, however, know that there’s anything in Betty’s filmography or long list of stage credits that suggests she can pull off the broad sort of comedy that Dolly requires. The closest thing that comes to my mind is the short-lived revival of Dear World she headlined on the West End, which was...not a good fit. I love that Betty is headlining a big show. She’s big theatre talent and deserves opportunities to have productions built around her, especially where the material is genuinely good. I’m trying to keep an open mind and reserve judgement. I hope she will surprise me. |
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| re: Weeeeeeeeeell, yes and no... | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 10:41 am EDT 05/31/18 | |
| In reply to: Weeeeeeeeeell, yes and no... - GabbyGerard 06:20 pm EDT 05/30/18 | |
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| I too am curious about what Buckley will bring to the role and am wondering if she'll be surrounded by a cast of names we know who might also give interesting, fun performances. Like others, I see that she doesn't seem like a natural fit for the role, but, as we saw with the original production and the endless tours that it spawned, this is a role that can stretch and accommodate a variety of talents from a whole spectrum of actresses. And, if we get a darker, more melancholy Dolly Levi here, I bet that Buckley and Zaks will make it work, possibly in a way that nobody expects. And, sometimes, brilliance can be achieved by taking something so familiar and spinning it in a completely new way. I really hope I can make a field trip to New Haven or Philadelphia to catch this. Or maybe, if the Broadway production has closed, Buckley's company can play a tour engagement in New York for a couple of weeks if there's a theatre available. I wonder if an actress of Buckley's stature had to audition. If so, I imagine that Zaks (and Rudin) saw something there that worked for them before hiring her. I just cannot imagine Rudin risking a national tour, even on someone with Buckley's resume, without seeing her. But, on the other hand, she is someone whose work they could be expected to know, so perhaps she's offer only. |
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| re: Weeeeeeeeeell, yes and no... | |
| Posted by: bobby2 11:34 pm EDT 05/31/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Weeeeeeeeeell, yes and no... - JereNYC 10:41 am EDT 05/31/18 | |
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| I think Betty, Patti, and Bernadette all auditioned for Woody Allen for Bullets over Broadway so maybe nobody is offer only nowadays. | |
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