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| What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? | |
| Posted by: Zelgo 06:56 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| Murphy is a brilliant performer with two Tony Awards. Yet, after her great performances in Wonderful Town and Love/Musik over a decade ago, her career seemed to lose focus. She appeared as tertiary characters in forgettable movies and TV shows. When she returned to Bway recently, she had a one show-a-week Hello, Dolly! gig, without any name recognition, and unable to sell out performances. How did this happen?? |
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| re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? | |
| Posted by: FrankF 10:21 am EST 01/04/19 | |
| In reply to: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? - Zelgo 06:56 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| There is nothing wrong with her career as far as I can see. Perhaps she's happy *gasp* having a life. This thread is offensive. | |
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| re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? | |
| Posted by: Academician 07:31 am EST 01/05/19 | |
| In reply to: re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? - FrankF 10:21 am EST 01/04/19 | |
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| THANK you! | |
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| re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? | |
| Posted by: Academician 04:17 am EST 01/03/19 | |
| In reply to: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? - Zelgo 06:56 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| Donna Murphy is a single mother and a widow who takes a really active role in her daughter's life. She only accepts work that will allow her to be there for Darmia, who is a big focus on Donna's social media, and that also means she has to consider the money. That means picking work with minimal time commitment and maximum financial gain. In the last few years she has lost both her husband and her best girlfriend to cancer, while continuing to work. Clearly, her personal life is of greater importance to her than a demanding eight show a week schedule. I think we should admire all her choices. As far as her work in Hello Dolly goes, it has been said that the producers of the show didn't want to steal any focus from Bette Midler and refused Donna Murphy any publicity, not allowing her to do interviews or even appear in any publicity photographs in costume. It's hard to sell out shows with no pr at all. And yet those who saw her in the play said she was extraordinary, even better than Bette Midler, for some people. It should be noted that two time Tony winner Bernadette Peters was also unable to sell out the show when she went in to it. Being a good mother is more important than being a star and Donna Murphy is not the first famous actor to make that distinction. |
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| re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 05:11 am EST 01/03/19 | |
| In reply to: re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? - Academician 04:17 am EST 01/03/19 | |
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| NO WIRE HANGERS!!!!! | |
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| re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 03:40 am EST 01/03/19 | |
| In reply to: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? - Zelgo 06:56 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| She was awesome in Tangled and that’s forever. Long after she passes away, kids will watch and enjoy her work. That’s pretty cool. #fame #liveforever | |
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| re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 12:29 am EST 01/04/19 | |
| In reply to: re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? - KingSpeed 03:40 am EST 01/03/19 | |
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| "She was awesome in Tangled and that’s forever. Long after she passes away, kids will watch and enjoy her work." Yes, she really was GREAT as the voice of that character, and it seemed very obvious that the look and movements of the character were heavily inspired by her as well. |
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| re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 09:06 pm EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? - Zelgo 06:56 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| Despite what many fans think, Donna Murphy is not right for every role for a woman over 35. She is supremely talented and winning, but she can't do EVERYthing. And she has gotten to have an extraordinary career so far. But the fact that in the last 10 years or so one could have seen her in major NYC productions of Wonderful Town, People in the Picture, Into the Woods, Anyone Can Whistle, and Hello Dolly is pretty great. I always love seeing her, and I haven't felt a shortage of chances. More would be welcome, but it's not like she disappeared. She was JUST doing Dolly in a huge hit revival of Hello Dolly, as the first alternate to global superstar Bette Midler. That's pretty incredible. | |
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| re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? | |
| Posted by: Ordoc 01:24 pm EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? - Zelgo 06:56 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| Sometimes people put family before career. This is from an Oct. 29, 2016 article. Her husband, fellow Broadway performer Shawn Elliott, sadly passed away this past March. "My goal was to find work that would be a good fit with parenting my daughter," said Murphy. "My husband passed away recently, and we have to readjust to our life moving forward. I want to be very present for her. That’s been a challenge. This job kind of descended from heaven.” |
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| She should star in 'Call Me Madam" | |
| Posted by: aislestorm 11:33 am EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? - Zelgo 06:56 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| and show the young'uns how it's done. | |
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| re: She should star in 'Call Me Madam" | |
| Posted by: mermaniac 05:09 pm EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: She should star in 'Call Me Madam" - aislestorm 11:33 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| REBA ! REBA !! REEEBAAAAHHH !!! | |
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| re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? | |
| Posted by: SQ 09:56 am EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? - Zelgo 06:56 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| Though I have no proof to back it up, I am pretty sure that tertiary characters in "forgettable" or "unforgettable" movies and TV shows pay way more than starring in a Broadway show unless you are a big superstar and getting a cut of the box office proceeds. Not to mention probably less time working! . |
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| re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? | |
| Posted by: Maverick2884 08:31 am EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? - Zelgo 06:56 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| Well, she was headed to Broadway in the SITP production of ITWoods, but we all remember how that turned out. Eek. Sadly, she's one of my very, very favorite performers. So skilled. So detailed. Her "Could I Leave You" at Sondheim's 80th is a masterclass in musical theatre performance, diction, arch, and characterization all in just a few minutes. Astonishing. As someone pointed out below, she's chosen to focus on her family, which I respect entirely. However, like you (it seems), I too miss her very much from the Broadway stage... |
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| re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? | |
| Posted by: mermaniac 05:10 pm EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? - Maverick2884 08:31 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| There's your MAME !!! | |
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| Agreed -- her *details* on her choices are beautifully specific | |
| Posted by: GrumpyMorningBoy 11:25 am EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? - Maverick2884 08:31 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| I've only had the chance to see her live a few times, but my god, she is one of the most detail-specific actors I've ever seen in a musical. She's a work of art. Her DOLLY was so far outside anything I'd seen her do before (ie., Fosca), and I went, in part, just to see if she could really do that kind of broad comedy. I was shocked at how well she handled it all. It seemed effortless for her, and she knew how to absolutely HAM IT UP when the role required it. I'm so sad I missed her WONDERFUL TOWN. And I agree about that "Could I Leave You" performance. It's thrilling. - GMB |
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| re: Agreed -- her *details* on her choices are beautifully specific | |
| Posted by: bicoastal 04:23 pm EST 01/04/19 | |
| In reply to: Agreed -- her *details* on her choices are beautifully specific - GrumpyMorningBoy 11:25 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| Donna Murphy's performance in "Wonderful Town" is without doubt one of my personal favorite performances ever. She was so funny, so endearing and so human, it was sheer delight. I'm sorry you missed it! Also, since I don't have a good ear for pitch, her singing in "King and I" didn't bother me. That, for me, was the definitive production of that show (at least in my lifetime). | |
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| re: Agreed -- her *details* on her choices are beautifully specific | |
| Posted by: mikem 02:25 pm EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: Agreed -- her *details* on her choices are beautifully specific - GrumpyMorningBoy 11:25 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| That level of detail was something I also saw in Jan Maxwell, particularly in terms of physical movement. With both Maxwell and Murphy, they clearly spent a lot of time thinking about how the character would gesture and move, which is not something every actor is as detailed about as they. | |
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| One more performance that few of us saw | |
| Posted by: fredfrankg (fredfrankg427@gmail.com) 11:40 am EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: Agreed -- her *details* on her choices are beautifully specific - GrumpyMorningBoy 11:25 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| I've been a fan for some time. Her performance in King and I was plain wonderful, and in perhaps one of the most beautiful productions I've ever seen. Also like Wonderful Town, but was mesmerized by her in Lovemusik. But the best performance I've ever seen of hers was as the guest performer at the annual Garden Party hosted by The Center. I only saw her rehearsal as I was volunteering at the event that evening. She sang Cole Porter's I Happen To Like New York and it was the greatest performance of hers I'd ever witnessed. Just breathtaking. Anybody else catch it? And, yes, I wish she were performing more frequently. I'd love to see her in a cabaret setting, and if she recorded, I'd buy it. But I also understand and fully respect her priorities, and wish her and her daughter all the best. |
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| re: One more performance that few of us saw | |
| Posted by: KingSpeed 05:14 am EST 01/03/19 | |
| In reply to: One more performance that few of us saw - fredfrankg 11:40 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| Donna was terribly flat in THE KING AND I the night I saw it. I've never heard a Broadway singer sing that terribly. "Hello Young Lovers" was particularly horrible, | |
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| re: One more performance that few of us saw | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 07:23 pm EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: One more performance that few of us saw - fredfrankg 11:40 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| I'm not remembering clearly, but wasn't it at a special Encores! concert at City Center that Donna first sang "I Happen to Like New York" and brought the house down? Or was that not the first time? | |
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| re: One more performance that few of us saw | |
| Posted by: mermaniac 05:14 pm EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: One more performance that few of us saw - fredfrankg 11:40 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| I was there for "I Happen To..." and no one who was there will ever forget the electricity and tears. I made it a point to meet her and tell her so. Merman, Martin, Lansbury, Rivera, Gray-----------and MURPHY ! | |
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| re: One more performance that few of us saw | |
| Posted by: Amaliax2 04:51 pm EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: One more performance that few of us saw - fredfrankg 11:40 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| Omg I’m so glad you mentioned the “New York” performance - still sticks in my mind as one of the most moving I have ever witnessed in any performer. If memory serves— it also happened sometime right after 9/11- she brought the audience to tears. | |
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| re: One more performance that few of us saw | |
| Posted by: larry13 12:12 pm EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: One more performance that few of us saw - fredfrankg 11:40 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| Didn't see that "I Happen to Like NY" at the Center but her rendition of it at Town Hall, not long after 9/11, was one for the ages. I too have loved her in all that I've been able to see, probably most in WONDERFUL TOWN: she had EVERYthing! |
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| re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? | |
| Last Edit: AC126748 08:23 am EST 01/02/19 | |
| Posted by: AC126748 08:22 am EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? - Zelgo 06:56 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| Her career didn't "lose focus". As she's stated in several interviews, she made a decision to devote more time to her family and privileged better paying, shorter commitment film/television roles over long theater runs. She has passed on several Broadway offers in the last few years -- including WAR PAINT, which she developed -- and has said that she took DOLLY specifically because of the reduced schedule it offered. She has a teenage daughter and is now a single parent after losing her husband to cancer. Her priorities are centered around doing what's best for her family, and that's her decision to make. |
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| re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? | |
| Posted by: BhenghanSean 10:55 pm EST 01/02/19 | |
| In reply to: re: What happened to Donna Murphy’s career? - AC126748 08:22 am EST 01/02/19 | |
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| Did she pass on the offer to play Rachel Brosnahan's mother on The Marvelous Mrs Maisel..? I ask this question, because the actress who IS playing that role, Marin Hinkle, is surely channeling her inner Donna Murphy in every frame. | |
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