She would be incredible as Mame! She would dance the heck out of it, sound amazing on that beautiful Jerry Herman score, look stunning, land all the humor...I'm ready for it now!
Who could play Vera to her Mame? Alison Janney? Bebe Neuwirth?
gypsy101 said: "Ms. Krakowski is in the strange position of, in my opinion, being way too young (or appears that way) to play many of the roles I think she'd kill.
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I agree. It might be because she's a career "featured actress", in the sense that she does her best work when she gets to sink into a meaty character role, and in theater that tends to not be the young sweet thing. Not saying that there aren't any young character roles (goodness knows Ilona is one) but they're just rarer.
Jane, although typically playing second fiddle, is in the same camp as Bernadette Peters. Jane will be a beautiful Cupie doll well into her 60s and this affects how she is cast.
I'd truly love to see Jane go dramatic. I'd love to see her play Mabel Normand. I'd love to see her versatility used in a revelatory way. Audiences want to see her silly and sexy, as she is a gifted comedienne. However, I long for her to play something completely opposite, sad, heartbreaking, full of pathos.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal
"I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello
Krakowski played Mabel Normand as part of LA's Reprise program to great notices, Douglas Sills played Mack and Donna McKechnie played Lottie. There were rumors going around that the production would transfer to Broadway with Krakowski in the lead, but I believe either ALLY MCBEAL was renewed or it fell through in some other way (I doubt there was much interest from investments in the first place). Herman said he would get it made with Andrea McArdle in the role instead, but obviously that didn't work out any better.
I have listened to a recording of Krakowski in the role. She is as heartbreaking, charming, vulnerable, and sweet as Bernadette Peters is on the OBCR. It's a perfect part for her and I do wish she had the chance to play it in NY. As I said in the GYPSY thread, her ability to bring pathos to a role is her secret weapon. Just watch her turn "I Resolve" into one of the most surprisingly heartbreaking moments in SHE LOVES ME. I do hope someone casts her in SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE at some point since that's a role that I feel could have been written specifically for her. She'd be wonderful in MAME too, of course.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"