Is a Toni Colette led MAME Revival Coming?- Page 4

[JayElle]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 7:31pm

I stick with it that it would not surprise me that the next revival of mame stars. Either Cher or Meryl Streep"Theatrefanboy1 said: "As much as I hope that’s true. I would think they would go with a bigger name

Cher is 75. Doubt it unless limited run.  No, not Bette, please.

[JayElle]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 7:38pm

goldenboy said: "Mame is hard musical to pull off without a funny, sophisticated, off beat Mame. Lansbury and Russel were stellar in the role."

Russell was incredible. The stature, wit, sarcasm.  LaPone???  I don't know. I love Toni Collette. I didn't know she sang.


 

 




 

 

[JayElle]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 7:40pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Someone who knows what hes talking about tweeted a rumor about a Scott Rudin produced revival might be in the works.

I thought Mr. Rude said he "was stepping back" to work on himself. He also quit the League, tho I assume he doesn't have to be in that..I don't know.  Also, after all the chaos surrounding him, will the potential cast resist working with him?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 7:41pm

Take a look at when this thread was started.

[joevitus]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 8:06pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "joevitus said: "Glad to see the Mame love. A much better show than HD. Doubt any lyrics will be re-written. And why on earth wouldn't a show that travelled all around the world not be expected to do well on tour?"

Because times change and tastes change and this is 2021, not the 1960s or 80s or even 00s. There are some really weak aspects of that musical strung together by wonderful songs and requiring a dynamite performance to pull that show across the finish line. The show does nothave the name value of DOLLY, and it requires a STAR."

Yeah I'm not buying a show that was, as you point out, highly in demand for forty years--forty very very different decades with different cultures and different moral/political traits to each of them--is suddenly "dated." Because it isn't the 00's anymore, or something. Nope.

"The show doesn't have name valule." Total nonsense.

"It requires a STAR." Dolly doesn't? But at any rate, plenty of non-stars have essayed the show, and it still works.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 9:45pm

I love Mame. But it was already dated by the 00s. And even more so now.

The show doesn't have name value. For theatre aficionados, sure, but not for enough of the general theatergoing public under 75, and certainly not for tourists. It would requires a star to both sell tickets and cover up the weak elements of the show. And Toni Collette is not a big enough one. Revivals are tougher than you think. This ain't summer stock.

These 7 shows are, to my knowledge, the only commercially-produced musical revivals that have recouped on Broadway in the past decade. 4.5/7 had a star, 4 won the Tony for Best Revival, at least 2 only barely recouped, and all have more modern relevance than MAME:

Sunday in the Park, Hello, Dolly!, The Color Purple, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Les Miz, Pippin, How To Succeed.

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 10:35pm

See I'd much prefer a MAME revival with like Cher (Vera)and Meryl (Mame)or Bette (Mame) and Christine Baranski (Vera) or Reba (Vera) and Dolly (Mame). Bernadette (Mame) and Patti (Vera)

[ArtMan]

Posted: 5/12/21 at 11:08pm

Really off topic.  If you like Toni Colette, her new movie (although filmed in 2020) Dream Horse, starts May 21.  I saw a screening two weeks ago and it's a really sweet movie.  She's very good in it.

Updated On: 5/12/21 at 11:08 PM

[joevitus]

Posted: 5/13/21 at 12:38am

"Doesn't have name value." LOL

[David10086]

Posted: 5/13/21 at 12:57am

How about Glenn Close as MAME. I honestly think she could pull it off. Or Melissa McCarthy? Not Toni Collette.

[Impeach2017]

Posted: 5/13/21 at 3:40am

lol everybody was ready to march him off the plank just a few days ago, now you're all excited about his possible new production!  

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/13/21 at 8:05am

LOOK AT WHEN THIS THREAD WAS STARTED.

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 5/13/21 at 3:25pm

And whenever this is revived, hopefully with Toni, America Ferrera MUST play Agnes.

[Owen22]

Posted: 5/15/21 at 5:48pm

Jordan Catalano said: "LOOK AT WHEN THIS THREAD WAS STARTED."

Ha!

However, I did hear he had purchased the rights to Mame at the same time he acquired Music Man (and three other classic musicals--including Night Music).  The question is what happens to those rights now?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/15/21 at 6:06pm

Owen22 said: "I did hear he had purchased the rights to Mame at the same time he acquired Music Man (and three other classic musicals--including Night Music). The question is what happens to those rights now?"

Optioning the rights to a show doesn't necessarily mean it will ever happen –– it is, as the word indicates, the option to produce it. Options lapse after X amount of time and if he isn't intending on producing anytime soon, then the agents/lawyers repping those estates will try to get the rights back if there are other interested parties.

If Rudin had contracts in place with director/actors already, the following could happen:

– Rudin could transfer everything to another producer if the estate and artists involve consent to that.

– Rights could revert to the estate and they could try to reassemble the team with a different producer (or a totally new production)

– Rudin could be an ass and hold onto everything to prevent others from producing the titles for however long the option period lasts. Though the estates would probably have legal right to try to get the rights back since he's announced he's "stepping back" and isn't making a good faith effort to make the productions happen.

 

The pairing for Rudin's NIGHT MUSIC that I had always heard was Bartlett Sher directing Audra McDonald. But these things change so often, take with a grain of salt.

I can't imagine Toni Collette in MAME is a pairing that a ton of commercial producers would be interested in...Roundabout, maybe, but we've already discussed the limitations of both the musical and the actress's name value.

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 5/15/21 at 10:46pm

Owen22 said: "Jordan Catalano said: "LOOK AT WHEN THIS THREAD WAS STARTED."

Ha!

However, I did hear he had purchased the rights to Mame at the same time he acquired Music Man (and three other classic musicals--including Night Music). The question is what happens to those rights now?"

 

Where did you hear that? Because I heard that same thing a couple of years ago now. At that time I heard he had a list of five major revivals planned as well. I had heard about Music Man with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster, A Little Night Music (which if my sources were true he had been discussing it to be Julie Andrews and Cate Blanchett... which pre-shutdown, had be planned for late 2021-early 2022). Mame was to have followed (names had been floated around but nothing had yet to have taken shape. Meryl Streep and Cher had been thrown around)

I would love to have known what the plans are for Mame and Night Music. If they are totally scrapped or if he's managed to hand them off to someone else. 

Though I do not know what the other two were I wonder if they were... Singing In The Rain, Annie Get Your Gun, A Funny Thing Happened... all I was told they All were to be HUGE names, lush "event" revivals.

[BJR]

Posted: 5/16/21 at 7:42am

Shame he is such a monster and many enabled him for so long, because those sound like wonderful revivals.

For what it's worth for MAME, it could work, you would just need a bookwriter to do a pass. What was once intended to be quite liberal 60 years ago, is now of course more offensive. But since it's baked into the heart of the show, you could get it back.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 5/16/21 at 7:48am

My dream would be Cate Blanchett (if she could sing well enough). She is a fabulous dancer and obviously amazing actress. Plus could you imagine the costumes !

[Melissa25]

Posted: 4/13/23 at 10:35am

Still waiting for Toni Colette to do do Mame but in the meantime we have Mafia Mamma.

 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/13/23 at 10:39am

I saw a screening of “Mafia Mamma” last week and can honestly say it’s the worst film of the year, so far. Unfunny, boring and horribly written. Toni deserves so much better. 

[Phillytheatreguy10]

Posted: 4/13/23 at 10:39am

She was at Fat Ham a row in front of me on Sunday. I hope she comes back to the boards she’s an incredible talent.