Dorothy Loudon - Farewell to an Icon

[TEACHEROFTHEATER]

Posted: 11/15/03 at 4:39pm

This is a major loss for the theater and a sad time for those who loved Dorothy Loudon.

Thinking of Anthony's recent "icon" column, Ms. Loudon was an icon to legions of fans. People who flocked to her club engagements treasured Dorothy Loudon, years before ANNIE.

I saw her in Annie and Sweeney Todd and wish I had seen her in Ballroom and the play she did with Katherine Hepburn.


I am happy she no longer has pain but I kinda still wish she were here.

[Dramamama321]

Posted: 11/15/03 at 9:38pm

I love watching her performances on my old Tony Awards tapes. She was an amazing talent.

[mother cabrini]

Posted: 11/15/03 at 10:20pm

r.i.p

[TEACHEROFTHEATER]

Posted: 11/16/03 at 10:15am

I am saddened that certain national newspapers did not carry a photograph of Ms. Loudon along with news of her death.

Dorothy Loudon was a great, shining star. The world is dimmer without her.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 11/16/03 at 12:43pm

This makes me very sad. What a wonderful woman. To the younger posters on this board, if you don't know who she is, please find out.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 11/16/03 at 1:44pm

I saw her Hannigan twice -- still the gold standard; Carole Burnette, as gifted as she is, had no choice but to try and copy it. Talk about (Brantley's phrase:) "a master class in musical theater performing..." her work in ANNIE was just that. And I saw her 2nd performance in SWEENEY. Following Lansbury seemed impossible -- people forget, the role seemed to BE Anglea. The idea of someone else seemed unfathomable. Loudon jumped in, and was boldly original, even at the start. No copy, yet keeping the show on balance. She went up big time during "by the sea," and made it work for her. I've always regretted not seeing her in BALLROOM, a role she purposefully chose as a 180 from ANNIE. Her "50 per cent" is still poignant.

I'm sorry she didn't get one more juicy part in the 90s on par with those others. (She would've been wonderful as the Old Lady in CANDIDE, no?) She was unique, not afraid to be big, and to work without a net -- but always full of emotional truth, too.

Updated On: 11/16/03 at 01:44 PM

[tpdc]

Posted: 11/16/03 at 2:57pm

I was lucky enough to see Loudon on stage many times. She was one of my favorite performers. I liked her Mrs. Lovett more than Lansbury's. She was a great Parthy in SHOW BOAT. She was hilarious in Kander & Ebb's OVER & OVER. I was really looking forward to seeing her in DINNER AT EIGHT. She was a real theater star and she will be missed.

Posted: 11/16/03 at 3:08pm

Does anyone know why she played in Sweeney for such a short period of time?

[Corine2]

Posted: 11/16/03 at 3:10pm

Very sad news.
I grew up in the same building as Dorothy Loudon and found her to be one of the nicest women around. She also gave great Halloween candy.
She will be missed. She was the best Miss Hannigan and was great in Noises Off and let us not forget Sweeney Todd!
The theater world has lost a legend.
(She had a very bad back and it was always giving her pain) Updated On: 11/17/03 at 03:10 PM

[tpdc]

Posted: 11/16/03 at 3:14pm

She did SWEENEY for 6 months. In spite of great reviews and Tony awards, an operatic musical about people being killed and then made into meat pies was never going to be a big crowd pleasing hit. The Tonys and the reviews helped at the box office but it was really Lansbury who kept the box office healthy. Loudon and Hearn got nice notices. A transit strike during the summer and the upcoming slow September sales probably finished it off.

[TEACHEROFTHEATER]

Posted: 11/16/03 at 4:41pm

Auggie, where on earth do you get that Carol Burnett "copied" Dorothy Loudon's performance for Annie????????????

Other than the fact they were playing the same part, I can't fathom what you are speaking of.

[TEACHEROFTHEATER]

Posted: 11/16/03 at 4:44pm

wasn't Dorothy Loudon in the film Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil?

[Auggie27]

Posted: 11/16/03 at 5:06pm

Burnette -- a class act -- said in interviews that she couldn't get the Loudon performance out of her own head, it was that brilliant. Loudon's Hannigan was definitive, and Burnette certainly took a similar approach, using many similar line readings. The role has since been reinterpreted since by very different actors, i.e. Nell Carter and Kathy Bates.

I was reminded of Bette Davis talking on Regina in "Little Foxes." Davis gave credit to Tallulah Bankhead, admiting when she started filming, Tallulah's mark on the role affected her Regina as well. Sorry if I overstated saying "copied." I think my use of "copied" came off as pejorative, when I honestly meant it as a kind of homage by Burnette.

Updated On: 11/16/03 at 05:06 PM

[TEACHEROFTHEATER]

Posted: 11/16/03 at 5:13pm

Auggie27, not at all. I was simply unaware of what you informed me.

I saw Loudon in Annie twice and never drew any similarity with Carol Burnett's performance in the film. However, when you see something, especially something you enjoy, and then need to interpret it, your interpretation will often have at least shadows of the original.:)

[rlbgbc]

Posted: 11/17/03 at 9:32am

Wow, Loudon's gone. I saw her in ANNIE, and what a treat that was. I saw a few other Hannigans also, and none of them ever measured up.

Does anyone remember Loudon doing "Broadway Baby" during the '85 or '86 Tonys? [It was the year that they saluted Kander & Ebb, Jerry Herman, Sonheim -- maybe one other composer -- with excerpts of songs, etc. performed by some of the original stars of the shows, surrounded by oversized Hirschfield drawings. On the BROADWAY'S LOST TREASURES DVD, the Rivera/Verdon excerpt from "Chicago" is that Tony telecast.]

The familiar intro to "Broadway Baby" blared forth, and Loudon scampered out in a 30s chorus girl outfit ala Ruby Keeler -- midi-blouse, short skirt, blue tights, and silver character shoes. She stopped, did a Loudon take, and said "I was up all night painting these legs!!" And then proceeded to blow the roof off the joint with the number, giving special emphasis to the lyric "If I STICK it long enough...". What a hoot.

She'll be missed, that's for sure. Updated On: 11/17/03 at 09:32 AM

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 11/17/03 at 11:21am

"Annie" was my first Broadway show and what a magical experience it was. I remembered how much the audience loved Dorothy Loudon's performance as Miss Hannigan.

I saw her years later during the Broadway run of "Jerry's Girls". Ms. Loudon was a hoot. Every time she appeared on stage everyone started laughing because you knew she was going to be funny (with the exception of her singing a torch song).

[sheekala]

Posted: 11/17/03 at 2:25pm

I've had many wonderful moments watching her and being around her, she played an important part in a close friends creative life and she was so caring, so in love with theater and always supportive of the young ones on the start of their journey in the world of show. She'll be missed, and students of Broadway should search out her work as it is like takign a master class, Brava! Miss Hannigan, where ever you are!

[sabrelady]

Posted: 11/17/03 at 3:15pm

In Memento Mori.