Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#1
Posted: 8/22/17 at 10:47pm
Current Avatar: Cynthia Erivo, bringing down the house in The Color Purple.
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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#2
Posted: 8/22/17 at 10:50pm

Until LCT confirms it themselves I don't believe it.

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#3
Posted: 8/22/17 at 10:53pm

Call_me_jorge said: "Until LCT confirms it themselves I don't believe it."

^^^

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#4
Posted: 8/22/17 at 11:34pm

This agents telling reporters to "wait till Monday" gaffe led me to believe Benanti was cast when her agents pulled off something like this. Why are they so mean? 

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#5
Posted: 8/22/17 at 11:38pm

There is no basis to this other than "hey, we heard Lauren Ambrose might be Eliza Doolittle, so let's write a short article about it!" I am looking forward to see if Monday really is the day for the MFL casting, however. 

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#6
Posted: 8/23/17 at 2:23am

Is she a big enough name though?  What has she really done since 6 Feet Under?  She was pushing obscurity even in 2011 when announced for Funny Girl.

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#7
Posted: 8/23/17 at 2:52am

She could be great.  Yeah, she isn't a big enough name I don't think, perhaps the male lead will be the big name if this is actually true.  

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#8
Posted: 8/23/17 at 4:12am

One supposes that this is a payback for the nightmare she was put through in FG.  Whether the actual role will be offered or just the publicity of being highly considered for the role we shall see.

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#9
Posted: 8/23/17 at 5:11am

It's Ambrose.  I would be shocked if she wasn't announced.  I'm extremely skeptical about her voice on top of the fact that she's 40 on top of the fact that she's not an exciting name at all.  Frankly, I don't know anyone who will be running out to buy tickets to see her.  She's just not a fun choice at all.  Hopefully the rest of the cast will be more thrilling.

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#10
Posted: 8/23/17 at 8:40am

I hope his works out for her. After that nightmare with Funny Girl. 

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#11
Posted: 8/23/17 at 8:46am

I'm just a bit confused at the casting. Granted I've only seen a few episodes of Six Feet Under but I do wonder is she too old and does she have the voice? And it's not like she is a big enough star to overcome this. I just ask myself...why her? 

"It’s the fractured quality in [Bernadette Peters'] singing voice and line readings that puts across the character as someone for whom resentment is sliding into madness." - NYtimes on Follies (2011).
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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#12
Posted: 8/23/17 at 9:02am

Please keep in mind that Lincoln Center Theater is producing this revival, so they shouldn't be as concerned from a commercial standpoint.

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#13
Posted: 8/23/17 at 9:09am

Lauren Ambrose can sing. She has a beautiful soprano voice. Do you people really think LCT would cast someone who couldn't actually sing the role? Especially someone who's not a huge name?

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#14
Posted: 8/23/17 at 9:09am

She's a great actor with a great voice - look her up on Youtube.  Sure, she's not a huge name, but I'd definitely go just to see her.  I was bummed about the FG debacle.  

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#15
Posted: 8/23/17 at 9:15am

I can't imagine any scenario where she'll act or sing this role better than Benanti (or any other number of performers) would have.  Too bad.

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#16
Posted: 8/23/17 at 10:14am

I'm not too excited about this choice either, but she can't be any worse than Olivier winning Martine McCutcheon. 

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#17
Posted: 8/23/17 at 10:16am

While I'm sure she'll be fine, it just seems like a boring choice after so much suspense about the role. Ah well.

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#18
Posted: 8/23/17 at 11:28am

I loved her in Six Feet Under. I'd see this in a heartbeat. 

"I shall stay until the wind changes."
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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#19
Posted: 8/23/17 at 1:38pm

There are certain roles that I think suffer if the person is not the right age and others that don't.  I am sorry, but I cannot see a 40 year old playing Eliza Doolittle.  A few years ago, I saw Ashley Brown as Eliza.  She was probably about 32 years old, and she seemed too old to be playing the role to me.  

I guess it won't be an issue if the lead is also too old to be playing the role...they will both be too old, but at least we won't be squirming about the age difference.  

Reflecting on it, maybe this is a prelude to announcing a Higgins who is also 20 years too old for the role.

Have to admit that I saw the Rex Harrison revival from close seats in the Uris / Gershwin, and it was almost painful.  I really can't remember anything about the woman playing Eliza, other than the fact that she was his wife.

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#20
Posted: 8/23/17 at 1:43pm

The best Eliza I've ever seen live was Sally Murphy at the Signature in Virginia, about 15 years ago. She was in her mid-forties at the time. The performer's actual age matters less than their ability to read younger and create the character appropriately.

"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe." -John Guare, Landscape of the Body
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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#21
Posted: 8/23/17 at 2:10pm

Anika Noni Rose was in her '30's when she won a Tony for playing a teenager.  Sometimes actors read younger and pull it off nicely.  

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#22
Posted: 8/23/17 at 2:12pm

Hepburn was 35. Not that I really cared for her performance, but she was in her mid-30s.

"I shall stay until the wind changes."
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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#23
Posted: 8/23/17 at 2:13pm

Taylor Trensch is pushing 30 - it happens.  

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#24
Posted: 8/23/17 at 2:16pm

Can anyone link to a good article explaining the Funny Girl "debacle"?

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Lauren Ambrose as Eliza Doolittle?#25
Posted: 8/23/17 at 2:23pm
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe." -John Guare, Landscape of the Body