Wow, LOOOVE the Kelly Bishop suggestion. I can definitely see it. If not her, then either Donna Murphy or Bebe Neuwirth. Who in the world would buy LuPone as a sophisticated New York socialite? Same problem that Debra Monk had back in the days. I love Monk but God was she wrong for Joanne.
"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"
I've heard Judith Light's Joanne, and she was amazing.
What about Kate Mulgrew????
And to haddaddy3, I could not agree more. Walsh, while a fine actress, just didn't work as Joanne for me. Granted, by the time Joanne really does anything in COMPANY, I'd completely lost interest...
"I saw Carol Burnett do it.. and she surprised me.. not as jaded or cynical as Joanne should be..but she really toned down her clown persona and did an impressive job."
Actually I was watching Putting It Together tonight and was thinking you know what this is the first version other than Elaine's that I have really really liked. Though I will say in Barbara's defense, while I hated it on the recording of Company, watching her on PBS I really really liked it actually. GO FIGURE
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The Year of Magical Thinking (8/25)
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Mauritius (11/21) Mauritius (11/21)
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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (3/9)
Kelly Bishop would be magnificent. I think Donna Murphy would do a wonderful job as well.
I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose was all along.
While I think Donna Murphy would be wonderful, she reads WAY too young. When I saw her in Wonderful Town, I thought she read early-mid thirties. She can't look that much older now
Stritch was 45 when she created the role of Joanne, Murphy turned 50 yesterday. I think she's just about right to play Joanne, I wish she had been cast in the recent revival. I'd love to hear Bishop's rendition of "The Ladies Who Lunch" but she's actually too old to play Joanne in an actual production of the show, I think.
"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"
Honestly, I don't really think Kelly Bishop has the voice for it (though she would act the hell out of it). I'm sure Murphy would knock it out of the park (I'm watching Baseball right now).
Stritch has always looked older than she actually is. It's one of the reasons she got to be Ethel Merman's standby in Call Me Madam. She was about 20, looked about 40. Same goes for Company. Stritch was 45 and had about 30 years of smoking and drinking behind her. That doesn't exactly make you look youthful.
"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.
I loved Barbara Walsh, but a big ol' YES to Kelly Bishop as Joanne.
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OK, as you can see from my avatar, I love all things Stritch. Having said that, I would love to see Kelly Bishop play Joanne, but in her own way (even though she's a little too old). That was the first name that came to mind when I saw the title of this thread, and I was surprised to see how many people felt the same.
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