O'Donnell to Star in BABES IN ARMS Revival

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:16am

"Plans are afoot for a Broadway revival of 1937 Rodgers and Hart tuner "Babes in Arms" to star Rosie O'Donnell.

Randy Skinner, recently Tony-nommed as choreographer of "Irving Berlin's White Christmas," is attached to helm and choreograph the production, which has a new book by Joe DiPietro ("Memphis").

Producers Gerald Goehring, Pat Addiss and Michael F. Mitri organized private readings of "Babes" in Gotham last month with O'Donnell, last on Broadway in "Fiddler on the Roof" in 2005, and Shuler Hensley ("Young Frankenstein") among the cast.

Although no timeline for the brewing production has been nailed down nor has fund-raising begun, producers hope to have a plan in place by the end of the summer, according to Goehring (also producing the upcoming tuner version of "A Christmas Story") and Addiss ("Passing Strange," "The 39 Steps").

New version of "Babes in Arms" retains the storyline of the Depression-era original, in which a chorine (O'Donnell) helps a group of kids put on a show in order to keep them from being sent to a workfarm. Book was originally penned by composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart..."

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118004726.html?categoryid=15&cs=1

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:21am

NOOO. Will she need to sing?

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:24am

The episode of Family Guy with God building Rosie O'Donnell, drunk, is on now.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:46am

ljay889, the character of Billie does in fact sing.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:49am

double post

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:52am

Oh! I love "I Wish I Were In Love Again."

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:53am

The word Chorine makes me think of an ingenue type...I guess it doesn't have to be though.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:57am

Get out the burnt cork!

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:29am

With that wonderful collection of songs you can't blame anyone for wanting to revive BABES IN ARMS, but the book barely holds together.

If Rosie acts as den mother to a group of very talented and very young (late teens/early 20s) performers it could prove an effective showcase.

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:55am

WHY?!?!

I mean the score (er, Rodgers and Hart catalog?) is divine, but the book... yeesh! And Rosie? Double yeesh.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 3:33am

Finding Namo, the burnt cork joke is amusing, but sort of mistaken. There was no blackface number in the original production. In fact, Rogers and Hart, being very progressive for their day (their songs were considered almost smutty) actually broke the color barrier by casting the very young Nicholas Brothers in the cast, which rarely happened on Broadway back then. To give these two amazing young talents a showcase - they had been knocking around for six years by then - was a huge leg up.

That's the good news. Here's the bad.

They wrote a song for the boys called "All Dark People Got Rhythm," which was exactly as racist as the title suggests.

In addition, the Nicholas Brothers - the most experienced actors on the stage - were barely mentioned in the program and are shown in exactly one photo in the souvenir program.

How far we've come from that....

Updated On: 6/10/09 at 03:33 AM

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 8:41am

They wrote a song for the boys called "All Dark People Got Rhythm," which was exactly as racist as the title suggests....How far we've come from that....

Actually, the original book isn't racist in the least and is unusually forward-thinking for its time. The kids are allowed to put on the show providing they get rid of "the negroes". The kids all refuse to kick their friends out of the show. The Nicholas Brothers go on and are smash hits, and the racist character gets his comeuppence.

And "All Dark People" is a brilliant song. It should remain in the show.

[Schuyler]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 10:32am

What theater will this be opening in?

[Pippin]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 10:38am

was "All Dark People Got Rhythm"'s title ever changed to "All God's Chillin' got rhythm?

I know that song as sung by Mel Torme, and it was also in a Marx Brothers movie.

Is it the same song?

Updated On: 6/10/09 at 10:38 AM

[amoni]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 10:42am

What's the problem TheActr97J? Rosie wouldn't take a picture with you or you want the part?

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 10:59am

I love Rosie and I'm very happy/excited about this news. She was great in FIDDLER and excellent in NO NO NANETTE.

[Glory]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 10:59am

Hmmmm.. I've been in Babes In Arms and we did a different version..but either way I adore the score and would love to see a good production of it. With Rosie..I don't know how I feel about this

[BroadwayBound062]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 11:03am

Why can't they get people who can sing to do singing roles...

[madbrian]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 11:04am

As much as I respect Rosie for supporting Broadway, she should do so from offstage.

Updated On: 6/10/09 at 11:04 AM

[TulitaPepsi]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 11:09am

No, Pippin. "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" is a totally different song.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 11:28am

I can't wait to tell her how much I loved her Variety Show!

[jejr]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 11:50am

Rosie - BIG MISTAKE. She actually said on you daily TV show that she gets bored doing the same thing over and over. She would start looing around the audience and not paying attention to the other actors on stage. She is NOT needed in a show. Let her produce flops (Taboo) run tours etc. but stay off stage,

[fbueller]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 12:55pm

Rosie is able to get backing to be in a project like this? She has such little fan support now. She is one of the most hated celebrities in the country.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 1:09pm

You've seen her Q ratings?

Or is that just your "sense."

[Pgenre]

Posted: 6/10/09 at 10:31pm

I'm SHOCKED!

A Rosie O'Donnell announcement and a thousand catty remarks!

Not on BWW!

A Good Nightmare Comes So Rarely,
P

P.S. Those NNN reviews made this possible, and the idea doesn't neccessarily thrill me either but we shall see.