No one has mentioned was that some people thought the bad singing idea was just an excuse. The real problem was the ticket sales were poor for her run. Webber feared the show having a quick closing in LA after Close left would hurt the reputation for the Broadway run..
I think there could be something to that. After all they could have found another star to take the part and just kept the show running with Mason until someone with more experience was ready to step in. It seemed like they were looking for a reason to close it.
I saw a matinee in LA and sat one seat over from Christine Ebersole who was there herself. I always wondered if she was being approached or was seeking the role. (not that she was that well known at that point.)
It seemed if they really wanted to keep the show going someone with musical experience, Diahnn Carroll even, could have stepped in.
"It seemed if they really wanted to keep the show going someone with musical experience, Diahnn Carroll even, could have stepped in.'
Ms. Carroll would eventually play Norma in Toronto, but in her autobiography "The Legs Are The Last To Go" she makes it plain that she never felt Webber liked the idea of casting her.
