ANNIE: Why was Dorothy Loudon so great?- Page 2

[Gothampc]

Posted: 10/18/12 at 2:21pm

"Loudon was funnier because she threw it in as an aside on her way out."

Which shows what a class act she was. She didn't need to stand onstage and absorb the reaction. She knew that a good exit could be spiced by a great line. All these many years later, you remember the exit. Always leave them wanting more!

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 10/18/12 at 2:32pm

Thank you, Beaemma. Did my recollection serve me correctly?

[beaemma]

Posted: 10/18/12 at 6:27pm

DottieD'Luscia--Yep, that's how I remember it. She was a brilliant comic performer who had the ability to also be serious and moving. She was really a remarkable singer of all kinds of material. I have another thought about her as Miss Hannigan. Some unhappy, disappointed people, like Hannigan, are angry or just sad and pathetic on stage (and in life). Her Hannigan was the type of unhappy person who turns it into a kind of black humor attitude, much of it self-directed, all of it hilarious to an audience.

[morosco]

Posted: 10/18/12 at 8:34pm

I don't know why this just popped into my head but wouldn't Eileen Brennan have made a great Hannigan?

Update: Oops, now I read online that she did play the role in the early eighties (where I don't know) and at one performance she fell into the orchestra pit and broke her leg.

Updated On: 10/18/12 at 08:34 PM

[DAME]

Posted: 10/18/12 at 8:44pm

Did they miss the boat by not casting Harvey as Hannigan? I am rooting for Katie Finerman. I guess she has about a week to pull it together?

Updated On: 10/18/12 at 08:44 PM

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 10/19/12 at 8:42pm

After watching some Loudon clips, I think a big part of her appeal was her own amusement at her antics. When she was ridiculous, she reveled in it and let us all in on the fun.

And then turning on a dime, as others have noted, she could be equally tender, specific and heartbreaking.

A perfect comparison would be the over-the-top "Broadway Baby" Loudon did one year at the Tony Awards (I think) with Julia McKenzie's very underplayed version in SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM. Both brilliant, yet entirely different.

[Skip2]

Posted: 10/19/12 at 9:23pm

Sure Loudon was steeped in Vaudeville, playing to the back of the orchestra section, telegraphing her moves and line delivery, with exquisite timing of the lines to get the most of the comedy.

But she also had this dangerousness about her. She could just be outrageous and unpredictable and fresh and surprising.

There was the moment when I think it was Grace came to the orphanage to tell Hannigan that Daddy was adopting Annie. Loudon says in a very proper voice: "Excuse me a moment". She then gingerly tiptoes to the door of her office, steps out and closes the door. And then she screams a scream of delight with her whole body shaking and then she recuperates from the scream and leans against the door. Then she calms herself and walks back through the door to continue the transaction. It all could have been by the numbers but Loudon added a touch of unpredictability which made everything SO much more fun.

[CHOOKA]

Posted: 10/20/12 at 5:57am

I consider Miss Hannigan a 'lush' not a drunk-the type that drinks sherry out of a tea cup to hide her 'minor addiction'.To see her swigging from a hip flask is offensive and VERY unfunny.Her performance is one of disappointment and how did I end up here.Ms Loudon could make you WANT to become an orphan just to watch her every day.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 10/21/12 at 12:33am

And, Dorothy Loudon was the major talent whom everyone was waiting to get her big break. She was nominated for a Tony for the one week flop "Fig Leaves Are Falling". Her star turn as the mother in "Lolita, My Love" with her show stopper "Ramsdale, VT" closed out of town.

She took the nation by storm as Miss Hannigan, but to New Yorkers She was finally getting her due.

As for her being able to turn on a dime from comedy to drama, I remember a TV special about the Palace Theatre from the late 70s/early 80s where she played Fanny Brice and went from "Second Hand Rose" to "My Man" in a heartbeat.

[Akitarent]

Posted: 10/21/12 at 2:02am

How was Carol Burnett in the role vs Loudon?

[alterego]

Posted: 10/21/12 at 8:14am

Carol Burnett was a disappointment . Her mistake was playing the role as a drunk.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 10/21/12 at 12:01pm

Unfortunately Carol Burnett didn't find any of the light moments in the role. Kathy Bates was the same way. Both women played Hannigan too heavy-handed. I wish that in one of the filmed version, Angela Lansbury had been asked to play Hannigan. She would have brought the slightly crackpot aura that Miss Hannigan needs.

[Caring Soul]

Posted: 10/21/12 at 7:51pm

Eileen Brennan would have been great in the role on screen.

Updated On: 10/23/12 at 07:51 PM

[My Oh My]

Posted: 10/21/12 at 9:08pm

I remember being intrigued by the film as a kid but don't remember anything else beyond "Tomorrow" and fireworks at the end.

So, basically, I know next to nothing about this musical. I do have a fuzzy memory of taking my older bro's LP copy of the OBC recording out of its plastic slip and opening it to look at the pictures. I remember really liking the designs.

I must admit, that as someone who doesn't know the musical very well at all, it's very easy to reach the end of this thread rolling your eyes. At the same time, I have to remind myself it's likely because I can't relate and not because of anything being said.

BUT....I also know it can't ALL just be me, and the thought did occur to me that there is a LOT of roadblocks being imposed that are making this one role unnecessarily and unjustifiably deep and complex. Even the comedy is said to be executed in an impossibly complex manner.

Before I get barked at, I'm not calling anyone a liar. Not doubting Loudon's brilliance, which is clearly evident in the short clips posted above. Not calling anyone's idea of what makes a good Hannigan a good Hannigan baloney. They should know more than me, anyway.

But reading all these thoughts on the mystery, magic, and complexity of good performances of this character, I'd be ****ting my pants right now if I were cast in a major Broadway revival of the musical, and in that role.

Much of that being the result of not knowing if that quality being spoken about is even reachable. And if it isn't, what if it turns out it was that way because it wasn't ever really there? Meaning, people mixing in their thoughts on brilliance and performing along with nostalgia is always a reason to be wary. On the other hand, some people can't deny there was something special there and take the risk of coming off as a "purist" or nostalgia-driven romanticizer, all so they could share what the performer did for the character, the show, for their appreciation of the art form, and for Broadway. I can certainly relate to that.

Although, I feel I must ask, is Hannigan really that well written of a role? or did Ms. Loudon expand a flimsy role with her special brand of performance magic? So far, it appears it's the latter.

And how on earth do you pronounce "LOUDON"? LOL. I know, I should know as a Broadway fan. But every now and then, even the seasoned find themselves feeling quite ignorant. :S

[Leadingplayer]

Posted: 10/22/12 at 2:39am

Loudon was just one of those great comics who could make any line/scene song sound like she was saying it for the first time.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 10/22/12 at 11:59am

My Oh My, watch the below clip before they block it again.

I think what Loudon did was take a supporting role, put her special brilliance on it and made it a success. As I said previously, when Annie hit New York, it was all about the little girl with the big voice. But Loudon showed up and made Miss Hannigan a brilliant character.

Normally I don't like to dissect a performance, moment by moment, but Loudon's brilliance deserves to be noted. So here is what I like in the clip below:

the way she looks forlorn when she says "on the skids'
jacking up the side of the mouth on "sainted mother"
the wiggling on "get there"
vibrato on "die"
the jiggling on "yeah, yeah, yeah" (straight out of vaudeville)
the hip pops on "she'd repeat"
line reading on "oh god, I hate that rotten orphan" and the look after it
the "jeesh" expression on Lily's line (vaudeville)
the gesture on "ya dumb..." (vaudeville)
the energy that she puts behind every second she's in this clip
the joy that you can see in her love of the performance






Link

Updated On: 10/22/12 at 11:59 AM

[forgetmenotnyc]

Posted: 10/22/12 at 2:27pm

Good comments here & worthy of a separate discussion from the main ANNIE previews board. Never saw Loudon do the role except for the various film clips online but wanted to add that I thought Ruth Kobart was an absolute genius with the role back in '78 (as well as her work in How to Succeed & A Funny Thing...) An A.C.T veteran who ended up teaching master classes in stage comedy as well as a vocalist who approached things from a legit operatic sense - those qualities embellished her Miss Hannigan - giving it her own unique spin.

[AADA81]

Posted: 7/17/19 at 10:16pm

Sorry to naysay, but I saw  Louden in 'Ballroom' and as the replacement of Angela Lansbury in 'Sweeney Todd' and I thought she was completely over-the-top.  In 'Ballroom', her acting was at times abrasively harsh/needy and in 'Sweeney Todd', I thought her comedic business consistently interfered with the tone and structure of  the piece.  I've listened to 'Annie', which I think is wonderful, but Loudon seems like she was a handful.  I guess I don't quite get her greatness.

Updated On: 7/18/19 at 10:16 PM

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 7/18/19 at 12:53am

We all thank you for your contribution to this 7 year-old thread.

[darreyl102]

Posted: 7/18/19 at 1:03am

Sally Durant Plummer said: "We all thank you for your contribution to this 7 year-old thread."

I don't get the snarkiness. It's not like this thread was closed for comments or something. I'm sure there are more important things that you could find to worry about

[AADA81]

Posted: 7/18/19 at 1:10am

Sally Durant Plummer said: "We all thank you for your contribution to this 7 year-old thread."

I happened to see clips from Loudon's 1979 TV show that reminded me of my misgivings about her and I was curious if anyone had similar reactions.  I was looking for information, not condemnation.  But this is BWW...I should have known better.

Oh brother ....

Updated On: 7/18/19 at 01:10 AM

[Zamedy154]

Posted: 7/18/19 at 3:24pm

GIRLS! GIRLS!!  Violence is never wise...

[Skip23]

Posted: 7/18/19 at 3:30pm

Doncha love BWW?  Any chance for snarkiness is welcome at any time.

 

Loudon was great because, not only did she nail all the comedy, she added an extra wackiness/weirdness/craziness to the portrayal.  That was her trademark.  That's why she didn't work in Ballroom or Sweeney.  Too much eccentric energy for those shows.

 

But I also saw her in Kander/Ebb's Over and Over at Signature in DC, and she was able to show her crazy side.  Hilarious.  Even though the show was a stinker.  

 

 

[morosco]

Posted: 7/18/19 at 3:54pm

Loudon was also sublime in Noises Off.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 7/18/19 at 4:12pm

AADA81 said: "Sorry to naysay, but I saw Louden in 'Ballroom' and as the replacement of Angela Lansbury in 'Sweeney Todd' and I thought she was completely over-the-top. In 'Ballroom', her acting wasat times abrasively harsh/needy and in 'Sweeney Todd', I thought her comedic business consistently interfered with the tone and structure ofthe piece. I've listened to 'Annie', which I think is wonderful, but Loudon seems like she was a handful. I guess I don't quite get her greatness."

I have to admit that I agree with you.  I thought she paled next to Lansbury in ST.  I was never a big fan of Annie, which I first saw in previews, partially because I didn’t enjoy her performance.  It seemed too over the top for me.

Finally, I have to admit being so bored by Ballroom that i remembervery lityle about her performance.  I just remembered thinking it needed a star in the role, which she never was to me.