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| Author | Topic: Gypsy? |
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richasi12b
Registered User
Registered:
9/12/2002 | posted: 9/12/2002 at 1:12:12 PM ET
I saw Bernadette in concert in SF (Nov 2001) she sang selections from what she said would be her next venture. "Gypsy" would first play London then NYC..I don't think it ever played London.
and judging from how she sang the songs from Gypsy I don't think she is right for the role of Mamma Rose.
It is one of my favorite shows.
Bette Midler,Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Ethel Merman, and Roz Russell are strong women and were excellent. I hasten to say even Liza sounded good on David Letterman. But Bernadette is too meek for the role.
I don't think it will make it to b'way in 2003..and if it does i think it will be a mistake..She would be better off remaking "Mack and Mabel" or even a musical version of "Streetcar Named Desire" but Mamma Rose she is not.
I saw BM in SF last November 2001..She had announced she would be performing gypsy in London..I have heard nothing since...Now I hear it opens in NYC in 2003..Did she ever play London?
What was the reaction?
Personally, I love BM , but hearing her sing some of the songs from Gypsy made me cringe...She is really not right for the role. Bette Midler, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Ethel Merman and Roz Russell were great..but Beradette is a little ...well..little...and does not come off strong enough...
I have a feeling this show will never open..
I would rather see her reprise her role in Mack and Mabel..She is not strong enough to pull off the role of Mamma Rose.
|  Jenny_loves_
bernadette
Registered User
Registered:
6/6/2002
From:
London | posted: 9/12/2002 at 3:10:49 PM ET
i feel a storm brewing........
they say bernadette's wonderful..........and she is
xx Jenny xx
|  moljul
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Registered:
4/2/2001
From:
New York
Fav. BP CD: I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Fav. BP Song: Dublin Lady
| posted: 9/12/2002 at 3:21:54 PM ET
Well I must say your opinion of Bernadette's suitabiltiy for Mama Rose is not alone. But I can pretty much guarantee it will come to Broadway in the spring of 2003. I personally think she can do it if she has a very strong director. Sam Mendes is slated to direct the producton so we'll see what his capabilities are beyond the movies he is famous for and the revivial of Cabaret. I know he is really hot and has great concepts but this production will rise or fall based on how Bernadette is accepted in the part. He needs to be strong to be sure she doesn't fall back on her tendancy to get too schticky. (sp?)
Gypsy was supposed to be Bernadette's West End debut. I believe it was in January or February of 2002 that they announced it would not be starting in London and would instead go to Broadway first. Speculation has said the change was due to the events of September 11th. I doubt, if the show transfers to London, that Bernadette will accompany it.
As for your suggestion of her reprising Mack and Mabel - she is much too old to play Mabel and I don't think she would ever revisit an entire production of her past work like that.
|  Broadway_Cat_
28
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Registered:
6/29/2002 | posted: 9/12/2002 at 3:47:24 PM ET
i don't have much to add to moljul's comment...except, what does "schticky" mean??? sorry if i'm being annoying, but i dont htink ive ever heard someone use that...
*Meowz* <3 Kate
| moljul
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4/2/2001
From:
New York
Fav. BP CD: I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Fav. BP Song: Dublin Lady
| posted: 9/12/2002 at 4:53:16 PM ET
Schtick is, I believe, a Yiddish word. And I really don't feel like I'm spelling it right. It is also hard to describe but I guess it is when someone does something to get a laugh just for the reason of being silly. That is a really poor definition.
I guess I should explain my theory about Bernadette. She is naturally a very funny person and she knows this fact. While I am not an actor, I would assume actors feel extremely vulnerable when they are being the most daring in their work. They don't know how the audience will react - will they think it is funny when it's not supposed to be, will they think I'm not doing well, etc. Directors are there to give guidance to the actors and to give them the support and security they need to truly explore and be true to a character. I don't think Graciela Danielle was a strong enough director for Bernadette. While AGYG is certainly a fun musical, I think there were times when Bernadette got too "schicky" or too silly and left the character of Annie behind. It would be the director's job to tell her she went too far. And Graciella never appeared to do that.
A good example would be the documentary film, Moon Over Broadway, which was a behind the scenes look at the making of the Broadway show, Moon Over Buffalo starring Carol Burnett. During the first read through of the script, Carol played her character very broad and very schticky much like the characters she played on her own show. She had gained the love and respect of television audiences by being funny in this way. Probably by playing things that way, she felt the audience would still love her in this role. But it wasn't right for the role. Her character shouldn't have been that broadly funny. It should have been more subtle. The director spoke to her about it and she toned it down and a true character came out not just "Carol Burnett doing her Carol Burnett show characterizations". Because the director gave her the support she needed she felt more secure in trying something different, was able to stretch more and believe that the audience would still love her even if she appeared as she had never before.
Bernadette at this point in her career has so much pressure to make shows work. I mean let's face it, if Gypsy tanks, it will be blamed on Bernadette. If it is a success, she will be only one of the people credited. That is a tremendous amount of pressure to endure. So unless a strong director gives her the support and guidance she needs, I feel she might go for a laugh where perhaps it isn't appropriate (Rose isn't that funny of a character) for fear of being rejected by the audience.
I feel like I have explained this badly but hopefully you see my point. Every time an actor goes out on stage they are vulnerable to not being accepted by the audience. For them to take chances, which is the best kind of theater, they need a good and supportive director to make them feel comfortable. I hope Sam Mendes does this for Bernadette because if she feels confident, I feel she can just really nail the more dramatic Rose.
| Anonymous
Anonymous Poster
From Internet Network:
192.231.157.x | posted: 9/12/2002 at 5:34:40 PM ET
ok, so what is BM? -- in the first post ?
| moljul
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Fav. BP CD: I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Fav. BP Song: Dublin Lady
| posted: 9/12/2002 at 5:47:37 PM ET
That posts seems to have two paragraphs that are each saying the same thing. I just disregarded the second paragraph with BM in it. Assuming it was a cut and paste job that didn't go well. :-)
| moljul
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Fav. BP CD: I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
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| posted: 9/12/2002 at 6:04:38 PM ET
Because you know I like to beat a subject to death :-)
Mary Tyler Moore is another example of what can happen with a good, strong director. When she was cast in the film Ordinary People no one believed she was right for the role of the mother much like a lot of people feel Bernadette is very miscast as Rose. Mary had gained fame doing comedy roles like Laura Petrie and Mary Richards. Robert Redford, the director of Ordinary People, first went to work on getting rid of MTM's "mannerisms" that did not fit the character in the movie. These were mannerisms that MTM had developed over her years as an actress. They were partly responsible for her success and therefore part of her comfort zone. She was probably not even aware of these mannerisms because they were a part of her and something she relied on to find success. Redford got her to stop by giving her the support and encouragement that convinced her she didn't need these mannerisms to be accepted by the audience and she gave an amazing (very un Laura Petrie like) performance in that movie and received a well deserved academy award nomination. And once she saw that she could do something vastly different from what she was famous for and people still applauded her work, she became much more daring in the roles she took. Her role on Broadway in "Who's Life is it Anyway" and many of her extremely evil and controlling characters she has played in the past few years show what an amazing actress she really is. I'm not sure even MTM knew back then she was capable of playing the roles she has done. (If you want to have the crap scared out of you, watch "Stolen Babies" and her portrayal of Georgian Tann)
| Broadway_Cat_
28
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Registered:
6/29/2002 | posted: 9/12/2002 at 8:20:12 PM ET
yes yes yes moljul i completely understand what you mean about the "shtick" thing or however you spell it.
as an actor myself i can say that it takes a lot of guts and talent to take a character too far, and it is then the directors job to pull it in. but sometimes directors don't do that, and the results can be good or disaterous (sp?).
and i have also noticed that you guys seem to have a thing for yiddish words. no offense or anything.
*Meowz* <3 Kate
| moljul
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4/2/2001
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Fav. BP CD: I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Fav. BP Song: Dublin Lady
| posted: 9/12/2002 at 9:11:12 PM ET
Well I'm not sure anyone goes into a show planning for it to flop. LOL There certainly is great anticipation for this show but there was great anticipation for The Goodbye Girl and we all know that wasn't the greatest of Bernadette's Broadway triumphs. Plus there seems to be a lot of people wanting to see her fail in this show. Which is extremely unfortunate and adds even more pressure to the situation. But I sure hope the show is done well and it is a huge success!! And hopefully come Tony night, we'll all have something to celebrate. :-)
| Broadwaybabe027
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Registered:
8/11/2002
From:
FL | posted: 9/12/2002 at 10:04:27 PM ET
I don't mean to be rude or anything, but why are some of you saying that Bernadette isn't right to play Mama Rose?? Obviously, NONE of us have seen the show, so how can you POSSIBLY judge her performance when you haven't even seen it yet?? I for one (and I know Cindy agrees) can't think of another Broadway actress who could play this part as well as I know Bernadette can AND WILL!!! So why don't you guys actually see the show before you start criticizing.
Thank You
Dana
| moljul
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Fav. BP CD: I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Fav. BP Song: Dublin Lady
| posted: 9/12/2002 at 10:25:49 PM ET
I'm not a person who believes she is not right for the part but in defense of anyone who does: It's called an opinion. So everyone has a right to their opinion. I don't think anyone was judging her performance as you correctly pointed out is impossible but many people question the casting of her in the part. Though I think only one person on this board has questioned her suitability for the part many people outside of this board have questioned it. Not every actor is right for every part even if they want to play it really bad or are amazing actors. I think the part of Rose, the way it has been played in the past, is very different than anything Bernadette has played in the past or the image she conveys. And the physical look of past Rose's would be impossible for Bernadette to pull off. She is simply too small. But I think the idea is that some things about Rose will change with this revival. But the character of Rose is an icon of American Theater and many fear what will be done to this character to accommodate Bernadette.
I personally enjoy these types of discussions when everyone doesn't agree. As long as we don't start calling names or berating people for expressing their opinions.
|  Christine-NYC
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3/23/2002
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New York City
Fav. BP Song: With So Little to be Sure Of
Fav. BP Show: Gypsy
Fav. BP Character: Marie (insert last name) lol There's a few
Fav. BP CD: Bernadette Peters Loves Rogers and Hammerstein
| posted: 9/12/2002 at 10:45:31 PM ET
I just couldn't pass by this post without making a comment! LOL
I understand what the original poster meant, about Mama Rose being played by "brassy" women in the past. However, and I forget who said this (it might have been Bernadette, or someone on one of those Theatre commentary shows), it has been stated that the real Mama Rose was in fact a very petite/sweet-voiced woman who had an edge to her; she was not the "Some People" belter that Broadway and movies have made her out to be. She was just a mother who wanted her children to have what she never did (a career in show business), and that's what made her seem so pushy.
I think Bernadette will be an atribute to the real Rose... and give the show (Gypsy) a fresh sound, so that it's not just another revival for the umpteenth time.
And just to comment about Bernadette possibly being too shticky...I agree, she has a tendency to do that sometimes, but seeing how Gypsy (the version with Bette Midler) is one of my favorite movies, I must say that Bette was also a little humerous during certain parts of the film...I think it goes along with the character.
<3CMH<3
| moljul
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New York
Fav. BP CD: I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
Fav. BP Song: Dublin Lady
| posted: 9/12/2002 at 10:53:34 PM ET
Yes, Christine, I agree. This is why I think this incarnation of Gypsy will be so interesting. If they were just doing the same old thing again, I don't think the show would get much business. But if the changes are good ones, I think it would be great. I hope the real Rose (the one who is going to be protrayed) is as interesting as the old Rose. That might be where a problem could arise but everyone involved seems to think a more true characterization of Rose will still be a great character. I, too, wish people would wait to see what happens. They are judging the casting of Bernadette based on what Rose has been like in the past. But die-hard theater fans are VERY protective of Rose and don't want her changed. And as hard as it would be for any of her fans to believe, there are lots of theater folks who don't like Bernadette at all. I think for a lot of people, you either love her or you hate her. LOL
I hope she just wows them all and proves them all wrong. The show will probably have some success because Bernadette is attached to it. A lot of people will go just to see Bernadette Peters on stage but any long term success will have to come from an amazing show with amazing performances.
| Jenny_loves_
bernadette
Registered User
Registered:
6/6/2002
From:
London | posted: 9/13/2002 at 2:26:58 PM ET
I think the original poster meant "BM" as bette midler
they say bernadette's wonderful..........and she is
xx Jenny xx
| Jenny_loves_
bernadette
Registered User
Registered:
6/6/2002
From:
London | posted: 9/13/2002 at 2:28:32 PM ET
I knew I was right when I predicted a storm.
they say bernadette's wonderful..........and she is
xx Jenny xx
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