Stars reviving their iconic roles.

[WaffleOnWheels]

Posted: 6/25/17 at 4:37pm

With the Glenn Close Sunset Boulevard closing today, I got thinking about other revivals that worked in this way, with the stars who made the roles iconic returning to revive them, and how often they used to happen a lot back a couple decades.

Some examples:

Merman in Annie Get Your Gun (1966)

Channing in Dolly (1996)

Lansbury in Mame (198

Mostel in Fiddler (1976)

Just for fun, what are some revivals of this caliber that could happen today?

Updated On: 6/25/17 at 04:37 PM

[The Other One]

Posted: 6/25/17 at 4:53pm

You could add Channing as Lorelei Lee, Yul Brynner as The King, Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins, Richard Kiley as Don Quixote, Jason Robards as James Tyrone and Hickey and a few others to that list.  

With recent times, it's more difficult because the shows have to be as memorable as the characters and/or their initial performers.  Nathan Lane in The Producers and Cherry Jones in Doubt are the only people I can think of who haven't aged out of iconic performances in shows that might be worth reviving.  Maybe Christine Ebersole, although Grey Gardens was no hit the first time and would probably meet the fate of the Side Show revival if its fanatics managed to produce it again.  If they wait a while, Christine might make a great Big Edie.  Jesse Mueller and Norbert Leo Butz are wonderful performers, but would she want to return to Beautiful or Waitress and would anyone want to revive Dirty Rotten Scoundrels? 

Updated On: 6/26/17 at 04:53 PM

[JBroadway]

Posted: 6/25/17 at 5:05pm

It's tough to think of many off hand, as it's a surprisingly strict set of criteria. First, the show has to be old enough to be revived today, but recent enough that the original star is still alive, and young enough to play the role. That also means that the starring role probably has to be older (like Dolly, Tevye, etc.) or "ageless" (like the Emcee). So that 10 or 20-some years doesn't make as much of a difference. OR, the original star has to have aged very well. I agree that Nathan Lane in The Producers could definitely work, as well as Ebersole in Grey Gardens. I also think Donna Murphy in Passion would be excellent, and MAYBE Ben Vereen in Pippin (it would be a different take on the role, for sure, but it could work). 

[wiggum2]

Posted: 6/25/17 at 5:07pm

Related question, If for example, Merman had revived her Rose in Gypsy, would she be eligible for the tony again? I know if she had won, she would not a la Glenn Close or Alan Cumming but could she have won the second time?

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 6/25/17 at 5:17pm

In Urinetown which SERIOUSLY needs to be revived ASAP — Jeff McCarthy as Lockstock and Spencer Kayden as Little Sally. At 87, John Cullum is too old for Cladwell, so it's Old Man Strong for him. Hunter Foster is too old for Bobby, so Barrel for him.

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 6/25/17 at 6:33pm

While I know it's very recent I would love to see Michael Cerveris, Judy Kuhn, and Beth Malone revive their roles in Fun Home. When I saw them they absolutely broke my heart.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 6/25/17 at 7:00pm

I think some of the examples are not what I would consider as iconic roles, e.g., the Urinetown cast, all of whom were wonderful, but iconic????  I also don't consider the Fun Home roles / performers as iconic, but I accept that that will be controversial. 

Definitely Nathan Lane in The Producers.  

Cherry Jones is too old to play The Heiress, which would constitute an iconic performance...maybe Doubt, which is arguably an iconic performance.  

Maybe Hugh Jackman -- who I think gave an iconic performance in Boy From Oz -- but I doubt that he'd want to do that and, let's face it, it is not exactly much of a show.  You would like to think that the show justifies revival itself.

Wicked is probably not going to close in my lifetime (I am 67), but I imagine Chenoweth and Menzel -- who represent an iconic team of sorts) could pull it off for a while yet, (the green cosmetics would help with Menzel; Chenoweth is unique and, aided by the right make-up artist, could pull it off.

I suspect that Miranda and Odom could come back in 15 years and get away with it.  (The revivals identified were 10 - 20 years after the original opening...even Channing did her first Broadway return 15 years after the original opening).

Harvey Fierstein could definitely do Hairspray for some time to come, with all the makeup to cover his aging.

I think Cynthia Irivo's performance in The Color Purple will be considered iconic; given her current age, she could probably still get away with playing Celie again in 15 years.

 

Then there is the unusual and probably unique case of Bebe Neuwirth, who came back to Chicago, but not in her iconic role.  Make it a footnote.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 6/25/17 at 7:42pm

Some that I could see being possible are:

Cynthia Erivo in The Color Purple
Sutton Foster in Anything Goes
James Monroe Iglehart in Aladdin
Nathan Lane in The Producers
Patti LuPone in Gypsy
Patina Miller in Pippin
Lin-Manuel Miranda in Hamilton
Jessie Mueller in Beautiful
Donna Murphy in Passion
Bernadette Peters in Into the Woods
Billy Porter in Kinky Boots
Sara Ramirez in Spamalot
Alice Ripley in Next to Normal
Paulo Szot in South Pacific

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 6/25/17 at 7:43pm

Sutton Foster in Millie, Little Woman or Chaperone. Victoria Clarke in Light in the Piazza. 

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 6/26/17 at 2:31am

Speaking of aging, Ethel Merman planned to tour in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN after Lincoln Center. But the reviews, while positive, commented on how she was too old for part (Annie has younger brothers and sisters in the show, or did back then).

So she dusted off another iconic role and spent 1967 touring in CALL ME, MADAM instead.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/26/17 at 10:35am

Surprised no one mentioned Joel Grey reprising his Emcee for the 1987 revival of CABARET - 21 years after he originated the role in the original 1966 Broadway production.    I'm sure this fact crossed Alan Cumming's brain when he was approached for the recent revival of the 1998 Broadway revival.   

[AC126748]

Posted: 6/26/17 at 10:44am

And no one has mentioned Hal Holbrook, who is still performing Mark Twain Tonight at the age of 92.

Also, Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal in RENT.

Updated On: 6/26/17 at 10:44 AM

[Sondheimite]

Posted: 6/26/17 at 10:49am

John Cameron Mitchell just did Hedwig again in 2015.

Ted Neeley has never left Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar.  Carl Anderson was much the same story with Judas during his lifetime.  

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/26/17 at 11:03am

John Lloyd Young was so much better when he came back to Jersey Boys (the first time; I'm sure subsequently as well, but I don't think I saw him the second time he came back) than toward the end of his run in 2007.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 6/26/17 at 3:02pm

This question reminds me of an interview I saw with Robert Preston in the late 70's. He was asked, with all the stars reviving roles, if he was going to do Harold Hill again in "The Music Man". He answered with a definitive "Absolutely NO". He said he was too old for the part. To play the part at his age would be a disservice to both the character and the show and he loved them both way too much to do that. The man was a true class act and an amazing actor.

It's too bad other stars don't have his style and common sense.

[mikey2573]

Posted: 6/26/17 at 4:04pm

Don't forget Richard Burton returned to the role of King Arthur in CAMELOT back in the 80s, until his health caused him to leave the role at which point Harris stepped in. 

[Callum_brown1]

Posted: 6/26/17 at 11:39pm

Jessica Lange did Mary Tyrone in London in 2000 IIRC

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 6/27/17 at 12:01am

Jennifer Holliday has revisited Effie several times over the years.

[gleek4114]

Posted: 6/27/17 at 2:21am

Surprised nobody has brought up Ellen Greene! She proved in 2015 that she can come back to Audrey almost 40 years later and sell it to us at the same price. 

[Sally Durant Plummer]

Posted: 6/27/17 at 3:27am

Patti LuPone starred as Evita in the original Australia production - she stated that it was dream because she could now sing the role without worry that she would blow out her voice and miss performances. Side note - when approached, she asked if they wanted to buy her performance from Broadway, and they said yes. When she arrived in Sydney, she discovered much of the choreography was done on the other side and therefore "backwards" for her. Stating that they had bought her New York performance, the staging was reversed to what Patti was used to and she received the raves she had deserved in New York.

There was a rumor that she was approached to replace Elena in the last revival, but allegedly she asked for too much money and it fell through. Judging from War Paint, she can easily sing the score still (and probably a lot more healthful than in 1979!), so a benefit concert with her and Mandy wouldn't be a bad idea.

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 6/27/17 at 4:26am

I don't think many would call these her "iconic roles," but I see no reason Streep couldn't take another go at Arkadina or Mother Courage. 

[Melissa25]

Posted: 6/27/17 at 6:45am

I love Bebe Neuwirth and paid to see her perform all three Chicago iconic roles Velma Kelly, Roxie Hart and Mama Morton.

 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 6/27/17 at 11:47am

Jeffrey Karasarides said: "Some that I could see being possible are:

Cynthia Erivo in The Color Purple
Sutton Foster in Anything Goes
James Monroe Iglehart in Aladdin
Nathan Lane in The Producers
Patti LuPone in Gypsy
Patina Miller in Pippin
Lin-Manuel Miranda in Hamilton
Jessie Mueller in Beautiful
Donna Murphy in Passion
Bernadette Peters in Into the Woods
Billy Porter in Kinky Boots
Sara Ramirez in Spamalot
Alice Ripley in Next to Normal
Paulo Szot in South Pacific

 

I think the term Iconic has a significance you are trivialiizing here.  Iconic to me is about an alchemy of performer and role to the point where the first thing you think of at the mention of, say Pippin, is Patina's performance which is in its way to becoming Broadway legend...which is absolutely NOT the case.  I think a lot of these are excellent performances, but not iconic.  Sara Ramirez did not give an iconic perfromance.  When I think of Anything Goes, I immediately think of Patti Lupone, not Sutton Foster.  (Ironically, I enjoy seeing Foster more than Lupone, but Lupone WAS Reno Sweeney, whereas Foster gave a terrific performance).  Ezio Pinza may have given an iconic perfromance, but Szot gave an excellent performance...not an iconic one.  I think a number on your list were excellent, but not iconic, in the way Joel Grey or Alan Cumming were as the emcee, to cite an example.

Probably sounding like an old fart, but overuse of certain words trivializes them.  A standing ovation used to mean something...now it is mostly an annoyance, when someone in front of you pops up to start a SO for the person who had a really good number in Act 1.

 

Updated On: 6/29/17 at 11:47 AM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/27/17 at 11:50am

I'm with you, Jarethan. People have a warped idea of what "star" means.

Updated On: 6/27/17 at 11:50 AM

[PatrickDC]

Posted: 6/27/17 at 10:31pm

Not exactly what the OP is referring to, but Jonathan Freeman reviving his film role of Jafar was kind of cool. Iconic? Maybe he's not widely known when you mention his name, but to Disneophiles it is probably iconic given the number of times he has played Jafar on film and stage, TV shows, and video games.