RIP Kaye Ballard
RIP Kaye Ballard
Joined: 12/31/69
#1RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/22/19 at 1:10pm
She was terrific in Papermill's FOLLIES
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaye_Ballard
Niles Silvers
Stand-by Joined: 9/27/18
degrassifan
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/23/08
#3RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/22/19 at 1:24pm
Loved her in the original Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. RIP.
kofler22
Featured Actor Joined: 9/1/14
#4RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/22/19 at 1:33pm
Love her as Rosalie in Carnival! Her belting was fenomenal!
A very close friend of Carol Channing...life, eh?
Malinda5000
Stand-by Joined: 6/19/16
#5RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/22/19 at 1:58pm
Oh my dear, Ms. Ballard. I used to love "The Mother's In-Law" show back in the 60s. Saw the god-awful "Pirates Of Penzance" at the Minskoff years ago with Ms. Ballard. Linda Ronstadt was replaced by Maureen McGovern by then. terrible show but Ms. Ballard was great. SIP.
#6RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/22/19 at 2:46pm
With Carol and Kaye now gone, I fear for Liza!
Seriously, though, this is a great loss of a wonderful performer. Thanks for all the great shows!
sabrelady
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
#7RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/22/19 at 3:05pm
Wonderful performer. And another one leaves the stage... R.I.P. Ms Ballard
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#8RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/22/19 at 3:25pm
Here’s hoping TVLAND chooses to air this new documentary soon like they did with the fabulous documentary on Rosemarie.
https://youtu.be/_ksDgBjTCk8
MrsSallyAdams
Broadway Star Joined: 11/12/13
#9RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/22/19 at 3:52pm
I enjoyed her 2006 memoir, "How I Lost 10 Pounds in 53 Years." It gave me new appreciation for her career, though there was a sense of regret laced through the book. She wanted more opportunities than she found.
threepanelmusicals.blogspot.com
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#10RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/22/19 at 3:59pm
Yup. She had a beef towards Doris Roberts for getting the role of Marie in the long-running CBS TV sitcom EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, though she refused to go to L.A. to audition and expected her past work to speak for itself. From what many have said, she always thought others got better breaks than she did.
Dollypop
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
#11RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/22/19 at 4:22pm
I saw Kaye Ballard in CARNIVAL! and she was delightful. Several years later I caught a preview of MOLLY and truly felt sorry for her. Who had the idea of casting a brassy, Italian, Broadway belter as the gentle, Jewish, Molly Goldberg really was off kilter.
May she rest in peace.
"Long live God!" (GODSPELL)
Niles Silvers
Stand-by Joined: 9/27/18
#12RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/22/19 at 5:41pm
It is true that underneath the happy exterior there seemed to be a certain bitterness. Maybe because she was one of those actors who always seemed to be on the verge of being a big star and never quite made it; relegated to supporting roles. She also had a strange obsession with not being thought of as a lesbian, something she vehemently denied, even in old age. I would not be surprised, though, if those rumors may have contributed to her career stalls, especially in the past.
bwayboy22
Broadway Star Joined: 5/9/12
#13RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/22/19 at 7:37pm
Rest in Peace Kaye. I've always loved listening to her as Mama Morton in Chicago with Bebe Neuwirth in the early 90's before the revival in these clips.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VKCpvH2CUw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXUdlOyqbk8
#15RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/22/19 at 7:50pmThe only time I saw her was in a pre-B'way musical called Sheba; which opened - and closed - in Chicago in July 1974.
#16RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/22/19 at 10:16pm
I worked with Kaye twice at THE FABULOUS PALM SPRINGS FOLLIES where she was a huge draw. Because of some bad experiences in the past, it was theater policy that a member of staff was sent to accompany any cast member doing media. The Media Manager had a conflict one day, so I was sent to meet Kaye when she appeared on a local cable-TV talk show. I hadn't met her before and she wasn't expecting me.
So everything stopped dead when I walked into the taping room, as Kaye, the cast and crew all turned to face me, the intruder. It was a first for me, too, and I waited for somebody to ask why I was there; meanwhile, I swear I heard crickets chirping.
Compelled to break the tension, I finally announced in a loud voice, "I am Kaye Ballard's posse!" ("Posse" was commonly used in hip-hop culture at the time.) STILL nobody even blinked, except for Kaye, who threw her head back, howled with laughter, and cried, "Oh, thank God! I've always wanted a posse!"
Somehow when SHE said it, everybody got the joke (it was not a hip-hop crowd) and we all had a good laugh. I was told by mutual friends that sometimes the underlying bitterness got the best of her, but I never found her anything but delightful, on stage and off.
I too had spent two of my childhood years glued to THE MOTHERS-IN-LAW, so I was surprised to learn that Kaye was one of the great jazz singers of the 20th century. Check out her revival of ROBERTA (I'll Be Hard to Handle), also starring Jack Cassidy and others, from the 1950s. Also the OBCR of GOLDEN APPLE (Lazy Afternoon) and, of course, CARNIVAL!
Kaye lived on the street named for her a few miles from me here in Palm Springs. Carol Channing lived even nearer. It's a dark winter for this town, having lost two of its most beloved citizens.
BwayLB
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/18/17
#17RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/22/19 at 10:23pmI only seen her in the OG Rogers and Hammersteins Cinderella as Portia and OG Freaky Friday.
#18RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/23/19 at 7:54pm
I remember Ms Ballard not from anything but just a performer I was aware of.
From reading here about situations throughout her life I sincerely hope she had moments of happiness. To consider herself the '2nd banana' throughout her amazing career, dwelling on missed opportunities and being a closeted whatever all her life sure makes for one unhappy gal.
Be reborn today and [once trump is gone] a whole new understanding world awaits.
Recharge In Peace.
#19RIP Kaye Ballard
Posted: 1/23/19 at 10:35pm
SweetLips22 said: "I remember Ms Ballard not from anything but just a performer I was aware of.
From reading here about situations throughout her life I sincerely hope she had moments of happiness. To consider herself the '2nd banana' throughout her amazing career, dwelling on missed opportunities and being a closeted whatever all her life sure makes for one unhappy gal.
Be reborn today and [once trump is gone] a whole new understanding world awaits.
Recharge In Peace."
It was strange to read her bio (though I agree with the poster above who said it is very interesting) for exactly that reason. In the book, she frequently refers to herself as if she were a "D-lister". Yet as a reader, I was a fan thinking of Kaye as a big star.
In my experience--we were friendly co-workers rather than close friends--Kaye was generally upbeat and it was a pleasure to be in her company. If we've given the impression that she was a "downer", it was a wrong impression.
She actually had a longtime "personal assistant"--as far as I know she never acknowledged publicly that the PA was her domestic partner, though it was well known to their lesbian friends. I wasn't privy to the two ladies' private life or thoughts, but their relationship seemed happy and mutually supportive when I saw them together.
