Marilu Henner in Chicago

[OOTI2004]

Posted: 12/7/05 at 9:44pm

Does anyone know how she did?
I was really surprised when I
read that she played Roxie for
a while.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/7/05 at 9:52pm

She replaced Ann Reinking in the revival. I've heard she was great. Updated On: 12/7/05 at 09:52 PM

[harris007]

Posted: 12/7/05 at 9:56pm

i saw her and she was outstanding impressed me alot

[OOTI2004]

Posted: 12/7/05 at 10:39pm

Wow, for some reason I didn' think she'd do good.
Thanks for the info.

[DAME]

Posted: 12/7/05 at 10:49pm

SHe was pretty good. Her dancing was just ok. I saw her towards the end of bebes run and they both seemto be having lots of fun.

[my2cents]

Posted: 12/8/05 at 12:31am

"I was really surprised when I
read that she played Roxie for
a while."


why were you suprised? was it that she was in Chicago at all? or that she could sing and dance?

she did do the national tour of annie get your gun as well.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/8/05 at 12:37am

Review :

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/1999/Jul-23-Fri-1999/weekly/11591014.html

They said she has a "pleasant soprano" voice. Now I wish I could hear sing these songs. A soprano Roxie?

[JoshuaEads]

Posted: 12/8/05 at 1:23am

She was my absolute favorite Annie Oakley EVER!! There's something so magical about her stage presence.

~Josh E

[where's my shoe?]

Posted: 12/8/05 at 1:48am

I saw her in AGYG and she was fantastic. I agree about her stage presence Josh, Very charismatic performer.

[JoshuaEads]

Posted: 12/8/05 at 1:57am

She has a gift for drawing you in, making you understand and relate to everything she thinks, says and does. It's a very rare trait in many performers nowadays. Also, her singing abilities are nothing to bawk at, either. A very pleasant, melodic voice that has the tendency to be very powerful. I really wish she'd come to Broadway and do something soon! Any suggestions? Perhaps *she* could replace the departing Ms. Applegate in "Sweet Charity"!!

~Josh E

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 12/8/05 at 6:22am

As far as singing and acting goes, she knocked it out of the park. Her dancing was so-so. Overall, an excellent performance. She was the first Roxie replacement (I believe she played the role on tour, too).

Posted: 12/8/05 at 8:21am

I saw her after seeing Bebe two or three times---so I was disappointed.

[Jon]

Posted: 12/8/05 at 9:00am

In fact, Bebe did NOT like working with her, and wes very pissed off that the choreography for Hot Honey Rag (among others)had to be simplified (Henner could not do the cartwheel). Bebe was much happier when Karen Ziemba came in.

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 12/8/05 at 11:44am

Marilu had extremely hard shoes to fill in replacing Annie. I personally didn't care for her performance the first time I saw her. She eventually began to grow on me. Yes, the choreography was simplified for her and she and Bebe were not on the best of terms but Marilu is a very kind and warm person as well. I was at a party with her over Labor Day weekend when she was in CHICAGO and she chatted me up like she had known me forever. She also turned me on to her views of a healthy lifestyle.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/8/05 at 11:51am

Well, It's known Bebe was MUCH happier with Ziemba. Bebe didn't like sharing the spotlight with another "name" actress.

But Bebe felt very bad that she got a limo home, and Ziemba didn't. So she convinced the Weisslers that Karen deserved a limo home. And Ziemba got her limo.

I love that story.

[NBC]

Posted: 12/8/05 at 1:41pm

I enjoyed Marilu as Roxie...true, her dancing wasn't like Ann's, but I liked her singing and her characerization better than Ann's, sad to say. (And the first time I saw her she was paired with Nancy Hess, so Bebe wasn't there to outshine her!) Ann had better chemistry with Bebe, of course, but she had an odd way of enunciating her lines and I couldn't always understand what she was saying. (I totally missed the I gotta pee! line until I bought the cd...)

I thought Marilu played the role a bit sexier than Ann did, too.

[Jon]

Posted: 12/8/05 at 1:45pm

Yes, Karen told me the limo story herself. I always bring it up when people generalize about Bebe being "bitchy" and unpleasant to work with. Evidently, if she respects your talent and work ethic, she's very nice to you.

[wendy72]

Posted: 12/8/05 at 2:47pm

I saw her--thought she was quite good--also Greg Jbara was Billy Flynn at the time. I did miss the choreography that was great when Ann and Bebe did it--saw that on the Tonys that year.

But I thought the show was amazing--and Bebe and Marcia as Mama Morton were terrific together. (Joel Grey was out that day.)

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 12/8/05 at 3:31pm

It's no secret that Bebe adores Karen. She once said that Karen's legs were so incredible that she should never be allowed to wear pants.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 12/8/05 at 3:37pm

Karen and Bebe have been friends since CHORUS LINE days. They have always gotten along well.

[OOTI2004]

Posted: 12/8/05 at 4:47pm

I was also thinking that she could be the
Charity replacement, but she's not all that
well known and if her dancing was only so-so.

my2cents-
I was just suprised that she was in Chicago
at all. She sounds like she would have a
very nice singing voice, but I just couldn't
picture her as Roxie or in that type of show.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 12/8/05 at 6:30pm

Love the idea of Marilu as Charity!

I saw Marilu 3 times that first summer of Chicago and really loved her. I thought she was a great fit and she had a great chemistry with Bebe...I just all that supposed offstage animosity really helped! I don't really recall any differences with the choreography except for the cartwheel (based on the times I saw it afterward). She was actually one of my fave Roxies (aside from Charlotte and Chita) because she really played up the goofy and the sexy, and played up the whole discovery of her own celebrity better than anyone else.

I think she actually is well-known, I mean she's always one of those shopping channels and the like. Don't forget her books too. And don't forget Evening Shade and Taxi. There's a recognition there, enough at least to get her doing "Roxie" on The View, The Tonight Show along with a sitdown interview (those are the ones I remember). If she has one of those Q ratings or whatever, I'm sure it's high.

[JoshuaEads]

Posted: 12/9/05 at 1:29am

I feel that Marilu would bring Charity back to what she originally was ... more in the way of Gwen Verdon. Though I was quite pleased with Christina; I really miss the older, slightly harder portrayal.

~Josh E

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 12/9/05 at 11:15am

I don't see Marilu playing Charity in the current revival (even though I refuse to acknowledge it's existence!) She is not the type they are going for. Her Charity would be more of the original Fosse version not the new "Austin Powers in SWEET CHARITY" version that is currently treading the boards.

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/9/05 at 12:13pm

i don't know why some people on here are so surprised that marilu henner can sing and dance.

she started out in musical theatre.

she's an excellent, charismatic performer and one of my favorite roxies.