Imelda Staunton & Jenna Russell to lead HELLO DOLLY in London

[GiantsInTheSky2]

Curious as to why it’s not the Rudin production...

[MarkBearSF]

Oh dear gawd! What's next?

Imelda as Nellie Forbush?
Imelda as Maria?
Imelda as Squidward?

[SouthernCakes]

Guess Bette didn’t wanna take it to London?

[CATSNYrevival]

MarkBearSF said: "Oh dear gawd! What's next?

Imelda as Nellie Forbush?
Imelda as Maria?
Imelda as Squidward?"

Please don't put these ideas in her head. Although, Squidward could work.

[msmp]

Well, of all the productions of Hello, Dolly! that have been put on, this will certainly be one of them.

[Princeton2]

CATSNYrevival said: "The absence of an exclamation point is telling."

The exclamation point is there in the art work

[1971FolliesFan]

Let's hope she doesn't scare Ephram off like she did with me with her "Losing My Mind"... 

Unless he'll be happy to give her away. 

[WestEndGal]

I think this is great casting personally and I don’t get the negativity about Imelda. Not only is she a great actress she’s also got great comedy chops. I think she’ll be fab

[JBC3]

WestEndGal said: "I think this is great casting personally and I don’t get the negativity about Imelda. Not only is she a great actress she’s also got great comedy chops. I think she’ll be fab"

Exactly. Folks over on the UK site while disappointed to not get the Rudin production are generally thrilled with this casting.

[qolbinau]

Of course they would be but they have pretty slim pickings in terms of talent there compared to the USA.

[little_sally]

Jordan Catalano said: "What an absolutely insane choice of casting. I’ll be in town for “Sister Act” so I’m 100% going to see this but this will no doubt be the most intense Dolly Levi we’ll ever see. I can’t imagine who they’ll cast as Horace next to her."

Maybe they can get Jim Carter to do it! 

[JSquared2]

qolbinau said: "Of course they would be but they have pretty slim pickings in terms of talent there compared to the USA."

[Jordan Catalano]

little_sally said: "Maybe they can get Jim Carter to do it!"

Oh man, now THAT would be exciting casting. 

[ActorGuyIL]

I just have this image of her looking skyward and screaming Ephraim? LET ME GOOOOOOO!!!!!!

[Jordan Catalano]

Maybe Ephraim faked his death to get away from her.

[SouthernCakes]

I think this sounds exciting. I love Russell.

[Valentina3]

ActorGuyIL said: "I just have this image of her looking skyward and screaming Ephraim? LET ME GOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

Ephram, one must not tell lies *giggles*. Now - you go your way AND I WILL GO MINE YOU ASSHAT.

PS - I'm very excited about this casting. I think she is a great actress, would love to see her do musical comedy and Hello, Dolly! is the best there is.

[Mister Matt]

Mike Barrett said: "I’m frankly too much of a Potter nut to like her and root for her so I simply cannot imagine her as Dolly Levi.

That being said, I had no idea she was in musician theatre. I wish them the best. Not a Rudin production I assume? "
 

She’s been in Follies, Gypsy, and Sweeney Todd just in the last few years 

And she won the Olivier Award for Into the Woods in 1991 (as Baker's Wife).

I think this is great casting personally and I don’t get the negativity about Imelda. Not only is she a great actress she’s also got great comedy chops. I think she’ll be fab

Agreed.  Just because she's been cast in more emotionally intense roles doesn't mean that's all she's capable of doing.

Oh dear gawd! What's next?

Imelda as Nellie Forbush?
Imelda as Maria?
Imelda as Squidward?

Yes, because that would be the logical procession regarding any actress in their 60s who has played two or more of the following roles: Adelaide (Guys and Dolls 1983 & 1996), Dorothy (Wizard of Oz 1987), Baker's Wife (Into the Woods 1990), Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd 2012), Rose (Gypsy 2015), Sally (Follies 2017).  While you're at it, why would think she would accept Squidward over Spongebob, anyway?

[darquegk]

I'd rather see Catherine Tate plays Dolly.

[Mister Matt]

^Or Dawn French.

[WestEndGal]

qolbinau said: "Of course they would be but they have pretty slim pickings in terms of talent there compared to the USA."

*rolleyes* It’s so tiring with the jibes about the West End talent. I’m back in London now but lived in NYC for years, and have seen plenty of shows on both sides of the pond, and the talent in the West End is generally superb. 

[Mister Matt]

qolbinau said: "Of course they would be but they have pretty slim pickings in terms of talent there compared to the USA."

*rolleyes* It’s so tiring with the jibes about the West End talent. I’m back in London now but lived in NYC for years, and have seen plenty of shows on both sides of the pond, and the talent in the West End is generally superb.

I've seen TONS of West End musicals with talent comparable to Broadway.  Better in some cases, actually.  

[qolbinau]

I live in London. I’ve been to NYC loads of times. Of course Broadway historically and currently is much much better for musicals. I don’t find it tiring I just think we need to speak the truth. I think it’s because musicals are traditionally an American art form and the talent pool is much larger - it’s almost an unfair comparison. If we compared Europe overall to USA overall it would be a fairer comparison. Otherwise it’s like comparing a state to a massive continent.

Staunton is not Channing, Bette Midler, Bernadette or Donna Murphy. Jenna Russell is not Kelli (Bridges) or Ebersole (Grey Gardens. But there honestly isn’t many alternatives.

The USA is bad at some things and good at other things. And musicals are one thing they are consistently good at.

[ljay889]

I think at times we definitely have different standards in the states. Elena Roger in Evita was almost universally hated here, and she didn’t receive a Tony nomination. I don’t think Staunton’s Rose would’ve appealed to American audiences, the filmed production gets a lot of negativity.
I think scenarios like this probably played a factor in Rosalie Craig not transferring with Company.

[Impossible2]

qolbinau said: "I live in London. I’ve been to NYC loads of times. Of course Broadway historically and currently is much much better for musicals. I don’t find it tiring I just think we need to speak the truth. I think it’s because musicals are traditionally an American art form and the talent pool is much larger - it’s almost an unfair comparison. If we compared Europe overall to USA overall it would be a fairer comparison. Otherwise it’s like comparing a state to a massive continent.

Staunton is not Channing, Bette Midler, Bernadette or Donna Murphy. Jenna Russell is not Kelli (Bridges) or Ebersole (Grey Gardens. But there honestly isn’t many alternatives.

The USA is bad at some things and good at other things. And musicals are one thing they are consistently good at."

She has more talent in her little finger than Midler has in her entire body mass x