Bette and character breaks

[Luvinbroadway]

Posted: 5/9/17 at 9:20pm

Count me in as Hello Dolly lover and a Bette fan for sure. I loved her but upon reflection she was out of character so many. 

1) to the audience "Pray for me" before Parade.

2) collapsing to the floor after Parade.

3) hanging on the proscenium after Dolly and panting.

I know other actors have gotten bad word of mouth for breaking character and calling out audience for cell phones and photos but not here. Same when actors break character and laugh.

Wonder if it is just Bette love or the silly plot that makes it "ok".

Still, I loved it!

Thoughts?

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 5/9/17 at 10:02pm

When a show engages the audience the actors can get away with murder.

Actors can muff lines, drop things, have wardrobe and set malfunctions, and if the audience is having fun, they can get away with all of it and the audience will cheer them on.

I think the key factor is the audience believing the actors are having fun so they are in on the fun too. And Dolly is a helluva lot of fun.

I saw Gentlemen's Guide three times, and each time the audience howled with laughter at the "spitting scene," thinking the worst of it was done unintentionally, which, it wasn't. But the actors appeared to break character because of it, spurring uproarious laughter.

It's kind of like The Carol Burnett Show when Tim Conway starts baiting Harvey Korman, and Harvey tries to stay in character but can't. The audience is soooo engaged. Laughing both at Harvey and with him and loving every minute of it. Like being part of an inside joke.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/11/17 at 3:19pm

The book already has the characters breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience directly, not to mention the shift to the courtroom scene (if this production is employing the same schtick).  It sounds like this might be more fun than the 90s revival which involved Channing delivering every line full-front directly to the audience and hamming up sight gags and dragging them out endlessly.  95% of the show is very light fluffy farce.  If it's not kept light, lively and fun, it will be a torturous slog to endure.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 1:24pm

Audiences love to feel like they're "in" on a joke, or that they're witnessing something out of place happening. They're usually willing to go along for the ride if it looks like the cast is rolling with it and not uncomfortable. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick used to go "off script" (and do the same "unplanned" bit) almost every night in The Producers during a scene involving a telephone. The audience loved it, because they thought they were seeing something special. I haven't seen this production of Hello Dolly, but that's what this sounds like to me. 

Updated On: 5/13/17 at 01:24 PM

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 1:29pm

I didn't note any "character breaks" at the performance I saw.   So, mindful that some of these bits may be new, I'm curious if these are character breaks or are they ad libs in character.  Especially, since both Hello, Dolly and The Matchmaker are scripts in which the characters "break the fourth wall" and speak directly to the audience in character. 

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 5/12/17 at 3:25pm

I think the character breaks are mostly covering for a mistake such as a muffed line. At the preview I attended there were no flubbed lines, no character breaks.

[SweetLips]

Posted: 5/13/17 at 3:42am

I loathe those so-called character breaks with the fake laughter and then 'come on we better get back to script' and usually break up again.

The majority of audiences love it--I'm the grumpy old man who can't abide it and want to get back to the script.

Also hate audience participation--so why do they always pick ME ??? A clown at Cirque du Soleil approached me once and I wouldn't co-operate so he gave me the finger--now I hate clowns !

Love TV out-takes but not for theatre--I DO have a sense of humour----somewhere.

[binau]

Posted: 5/13/17 at 8:11am

adamgreer said: "Audiences love to feel like they're "in" on a joke, of that they're witnessing something out of place happening. They're usually willing to go along for the ride if it looks like the cast is rolling with it and not uncomfortable. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick used to go "off script" (and do the same "unplanned" bit) almost every night in The Producers during a scene involving a telephone. The audience loved it, because they thought they were seeing something special. I haven't seen this production of Hello Dolly, but that's what this sounds like to me. 

 

"

Yes this is it - most of what is described in the op is happening in every performance. 

[JustAFan3]

Posted: 5/17/17 at 9:37am

I saw Hello Dolly on April 22 and Ms.Midler stopped the orchestra and said " I screwed up",  then the orchestra started  again, I believe she said something like, "oh here we go" and she continued on.   The audience LOVED it.  She also did what the previous poster said collapsing to the floor after Parade and  hanging on the proscenium after Dolly and panting.  I absolutely loved this show.  Bette Midler was awesome and I am so glad I was able to see it.

[DAME]

Posted: 5/17/17 at 1:03pm

It is all part of the fun and part of the structure of the show.  I can't wait till further in the run when more things happen and more people share stories as to what happened when they saw it.  I know it has been said in every other thread and in every board there is out there.  But I will say it again.  This is a fantastic night on broadway and playing at a much needed time for our countries soul.  Lets have more musical theater star turns on Broadway!    When they are good as this.. there is nothing like it!

[HanonO]

Posted: 5/19/17 at 1:52pm

We always called this "mugging for the audience" and unless you're doing children's theater, panto, or something very presentational like Drood it's like salt: a little goes a long way. 

One of my favorite instances of this is in Sunday in the Park with George during "Hot Up Here" when Jules complements Dot's concentration ability after she's been berated about it all through act one. 

I'm sure Bernadette must have done this too, but I saw it live with Emily Loesser and her sideward glance at the audience got the biggest laugh-applause and briefly stopped the show. The conductor had to hold the orchestra for about ten seconds before proceeding.

Updated On: 5/19/17 at 01:52 PM

[artscallion]

Posted: 5/19/17 at 2:27pm

If I'm not mistaken, the professionally released video shows Bernadette doing just as you describe.

[HanonO]

Posted: 5/19/17 at 2:49pm

artscallion said: "If I'm not mistaken, the professionally released video shows Bernadette doing just as you describe.

I'm curious if it's in the stage directions. I remember being very surprised that Into the Woods, also by James Lapine, gives absolutely no indication in the book about much of the comedy in the original production that I'm sure many of the performers actually brought to it.

 

[PalJoey]

Posted: 5/21/17 at 9:52am

 

If that's the way you feel, you would have HATED Pearl Bailey's Dolly...and for that I feel sorry for you.

 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 5/21/17 at 1:50pm

She's in a fun musical and she's having a fun time. She's not doing Medea.

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 5/21/17 at 6:27pm

^^ BINGO! to TotallyEffed!!

[Dollypop]

Posted: 6/4/17 at 9:21pm

Pearl Bailey used to break character very often when she played Dolly. At one performance she said, "I've gotta stop this. The producers want me to stay in character....the only problem is, I don't know what this character is"

At another point she had a mock argument with the conductor about the keyvshe was singing in. She quipped, "What do you know about keys? I gave you the key to my apartment Last night and you never bothered to use it"