LOL
I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who preferred Regine's interpretation of the role to Mary Beth Peil's, when the production came to New York. Despite the Gallic authenticity that Regine brought (she's actually Belgian, but most of her career seems to have been in France), nothing about her portrayal of Solange worked, including "Ah, Paris."
But I give Eric Schaeffer credit for trying...she might have been brilliant and launched a whole new career in America. Remember, it was in DC that he also let Linda Lavin have a go at playing Hattie as a sophisticated glamourpuss, another choice that just didn't work, as much as I love Lavin.
For what it's worth, Mary Beth Peil also benefited from a new and better staging of her number in New York and made a huge impact with it. |
