Playbilly is a thousand percent correct. Aside from Bette being far too old she is too vulgar and not nearly cultured enough. Again not the Divine one's fault, but it is what it is!
I agree. Megan Mullally is the first suggestion who is both the right age (well, she's 55) AND might sell tickets.
(Re post above: it's true Angela wasn't a big musical draw when MAME first opened in 1964, but Jerry Herman was hot off DOLLY from the previous year. There was a day when composers other than Sondheim sold tickets.)
I don't see why Mame has to be a certain age. When I first saw the Lucille Ball Mame on tv when I was a kid, all I knew was Mame was supposed to be an old broad - and she fit the bill.
Can't we vary from the source material and make Mame the great aunt of the kid? Or the Grandmother of his parents? With Mame, I don't think age really matters since she's just a relative, unlike Gypsy where Mama Rose is supposed to be the kids biological parent.
Because the story is the story. Mame is the sister of Patrick's father. She is at a certain stage in her life. To have a 70 year old play that part makes no goddamed sense.
You make no sense. Stories are altered all the time for revivals. And Bette doesn't look 70, so go take a flying leap at the man in the moon who's a lady.
I make all the sense in the world, my dear. A seventy year old Mame is a terrible idea. I know it, and Bette knows it which is why she smartly turned down the part.
I'm still wanting to see what Tovah would do with MAME. Yes I'm that sick...
Ohhh, MichaelBennett, that is indeed sick and twisted.
I love Besty's comment that Mame just needs to be somewhere in between "40 and death," excellent point. Really Midler would be better suited for Mame than she'd be for say Mamma Rose, but Dolly is her role, I can't believe she hasn't played it. From the pool of actresses who would realistically do the show, I love the idea of Mullally playing against type as Mame and not Vera, it didn't seem to work out much for Christine Baranski but there's a sweetness to Mullally (which she rarely is given a chance to display) that would make her "If He Walks Into My Life" quite touching. Donna Murphy is an ideal choice, I'll never stop mentioning her in one of this MAME threads. But someone who isn't usually brought up is Jane Krakowski, I think this could be such a juicy role for her that actually takes advantage of her talents.
"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"
Most of the people I see suggested are more like Vera. Mame is a very tough role to cast. You need someone classy yet with a little quirk.
I think ray and all that jazz's suggestion of Donna Murphy is spot on. She is classy, and has the acting and vocal chops (her dancing is pretty good, too). I think Catherine Zeta-Jones in a few years MIGHT be able to do it. (That's a big MIGHT.)
Lovebwy, the article doesn't say why she turned it down, so your confidence in your knowledge that it was her age is more of your self-delusion......dear.
Gaveston, totally agree with you in CZJ. Did anyone hear "All That Jazz" at the Oscars? I know just from that she has not taken care if her voice and could never handle Jerry's brilliant score. Also, having seen her in "ALNM", I don't think she can act the part either. (Then when I revisited the show for Elaine Strich, Bernadette NAILED it. I cryed two times: "Send in the Clowns " and Madame A's Death. But I think much the reason people don't think Bette should play Mane is the same with Bernadette, but I personally would live to see them both play the role (and now that you talk about it "Dolly", too))