This would be fantastic! Just heard this from a friend in the biz, could it be true? It's been a long time since this show was done on Broadway, and Queen would be amazing! Anyone else hear this?
Yeah this is old. Queen Latifah as Pearl Bailey in Hello, Dolly OR Queen Latifah as Pearl Bailey in St. Louis Woman OR Queen Latifah as Pearl Bailey in House of Flowers OR Queen Latifah as Pearl Bailey in Carmen Jones OR Queen Latifah as Pearl Bailey in The Pearl Bailey Story. Take your pick.
I'd love to see an all-black production of Hello Dolly with Tonya Pinkins as Dolly, Chuck Cooper as Horace, Nikki Renee Daniels as Irene, and Brandon Victor Dixon as Barnaby. But I doubt any revival of this particular show will come around without a majorly bankable theatre/film/television star attached.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
Why all-black, AC? Because it would sell or do you think having a black star means you need to have an all black cast or some other reason? I ask because I value your opinion and to me Hello Dolly is the kind of show that easily lends itself to neutral casting.
The mention of Latifah got me thinking about the famous all-black production starring Pearl Bailey, and I started thinking of African-American actors who probably wouldn't normally be cast. The production doesn't have to be all-black, of course. The show does lend itself to color-blind casting and neutrality, to borrow your word. As I said, regardless of any factors, I doubt we'd see a major production any time soon without a wide-reaching name, so people like Pinkins and Cooper (who, I think, would be perfect as Dolly and Horace) are really just a pipe dream.
I'd actually love to see Latifah play Dolly, but as someone already mentioned, I seem to remember her stating that she didn't think she'd be up to 8 shows a week.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
Unfortunately, I think you are right about major name insistence, a Latifah, Parton, Reba, etc. But Pinkins would be so exciting and, as I've mentioned on btw, I'd love to see Katie Finneran as Dolly.
It's way too much like a Pearl Bailey "recreation" rather than a revival. How about a fresh take on the role?
If you want an African American star, I think Whoppi Goldberg would be fantastic in the part. And while she might invoke Pearl a tiny bit, hers would definitely be an original interpretation.
Other names who could be great: Sara Ramirez, Christine Ebersole, or Viola Davis
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
In Jacksonville, a production of Hello Dolly is starting this week at our dinner theatre. Starring.....SALLY STRUTHERS. A friend wants to go. I stated ..."only if you pay!"
Oh she'd be a killer Mame. I still wish herman would get in touch with dolly parton to do it, she's wanted to do it in the past and with him behind her we could have something.
I stand by my suggestion of Goldie Hawn for Dolly. She'd be absolutely fantastic.
Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
I would like to see Whoopi, Viola Davis, or Christine Ebersole in a production of The Matchmaker.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
Any color-blind casting of HELLO DOLLY has to be truly color BLIND. Logically, there would not be an African-American "half millionaire" living in Yonkers at that time. So, a multi-ethnic cast makes as much sense as an all black cast. Hispanic Barnaby? Sure! Asian Irene? Why not! It's all good!
Jon, Madame C.J. Walker was a millionaire (no half about it) at the time in Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. BTW, in 1919 she moved to a mansion just a few miles from Yonkers in Irvington-on-Hudson. At the time, the house cost a quarter of a million dollars to build.
I'd also suggest reading the epilogue of Uncle Tom's Cabin where Harriet Beecher Stowe lists many freed African Americans who, if not half-millionaires (very few Americans were back then), were quite successful in business. That was half a century before Hello Dolly takes place.
Oh Please no! She seems like such a nice person, but I just don't think she has the comic chops for this role. She has always left me disappointed....especially in CHICAGO. Just my opinion.
Listening recently to the London cast recording with Mary Martin, I was wondering if Joanna Gleason would ever consider doing this role. I think she'd be amazing.