Bebe in Kiss of the Spiderwoman

[bryan2]

Posted: 8/8/19 at 9:13am

I just heard a live clip of her in the London cast...and wondered why she did not replace Chita here in the states?? Sorry if this has been asked before. I am not a huge fan of her singing but she can dance and was pretty famous at that time....just curious           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw7ol3MZ-OQ    

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 8/8/19 at 10:42am

Wouldn’t have Bebe been doing DAMN YANKEES by the time Chita left SPIDERWOMAN in NYC? Vanessa Williams was also a much bigger name at that point- her casting as Chita’s replacement was seen as an event.

Since these things are always interesting to peeps on this board- Bebe was the only Aurora who didn’t wear Chita’s signature bob hairstyle. Bebe wore her own long hair, down around her shoulders- very 40s noir.

[jagman1062]

Posted: 8/8/19 at 3:10pm

I agree that Bebe was doing Damn Yankees when Chita left Spider Woman.  Bebe is now age 60, the same age as Chita when she opened the show, so we're ripe for a revival and I'd love to see Bebe in the role.  I believe she's had a hip replacement, so I don't know if that will affect her dancing, but then Chita had recovered from that terrible car accident that injured her leg, so...   fingers crossed.

[LarryD2]

Posted: 8/8/19 at 3:15pm

I say this with great respect for Bebe's talent and for her brilliant career: It's not likely that she will ever headline a musical again.

[Valentina3]

Posted: 8/8/19 at 4:01pm

I would love to see a Spiderwoman revival. So many brilliant performers who can play the part, by top picks would be either Karen Olivo or Amber Gray.

Updated On: 8/8/19 at 04:01 PM

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 8/8/19 at 4:48pm

I always thought Ute Lember would make a great Spiderwoman.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 8/8/19 at 4:52pm

jagman1062 said: "Bebe is now age 60, the same age as Chita when she opened the show."

This. Bebe could still do it.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 8/8/19 at 5:00pm

And of course there is always Audra, who apparently did some kind of reading or lab a few years ago. There are a lot of ways that role could be cast- I actually don’t think it’s imperative the part be cast with a Latin actress,, as Aurora in the musical seems to be a throw back to a 40s noir femme fatale, which was a an iconic figure in all world cinema. I would hope they would keep the tradition though of casting someone who can really dance.

[DAME]

Posted: 8/8/19 at 6:24pm

QueenAlice said: "I would hope they would keep the tradition though of casting someone who can really dance."

like they did with Maria Conchita Alonso?

 

[ukpuppetboy]

Posted: 8/10/19 at 2:42am

bryan2 said: "I just heard a live clip of her in the London cast...and wondered why she did not replace Chita here in the states?? Sorry if this has been asked before. I am not a huge fan of her singing but she can dance and was pretty famous at that time....just curious https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jw7ol3MZ-OQ"

I’ve been told before now that she and Hal had “creative differences” while she was in the London run. I’m not in any position to confirm or deny this but he made a fairly immediate change of topic when I spoke to him about her run in Spiderwoman once, and she has been conspicuous in her twitter silence with regards to his passing.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 8/10/19 at 11:08am

DAME said: "QueenAlice said: "I would hope they would keep the tradition though of casting someone who can really dance."

like they did with Maria Conchita Alonso?

"

For some reason I thought maybe Maria Conchita Alonso was a singer who danced well (like Vanessa Williams). Did they alter the choreography for her when she took over?  The person I am curious about is Carol Lawrence who was a vacation replacement for Chita. Did anyone see her? Carol was a dancer in her early days so I’m wondering if she was able to do the original choreography.