This is the quandary I am in, darlings!!!!!!!!!! I certainly have waxed rhapsodic on here enough about Jessie Mueller--pictured above; my God, isn't she gorgeous, and wouldn't we just love to have that hair????--and I certainly have not changed my opinion. But Jessie and I have something (well, actually, several somethings, if you go by the Six Degrees principle!!!!!) in common, but I am just going to focus on one.
Thanks to the wonders of YouTube, I saw Jessie being interviewed by Paul Wontorek, in a twenty plus minute segment of "Show People." Just around the time she got her TONY nod for 'On A Clear Day,' and right before she started her current gig, "Into The Woods."
Well, during this very informative gab session, Paul asked Jessie the question most interviewers ask up and coming performers; indeed what most performers ask themselves.
What is your dream role?
Having just done one of mine, darlings,--Homer Bolton in Paul Osborn's "Morning's At Seven"-- I can attest to how satisfying it can be. I was fascinated to hear what Jessie's answer would be, and when she stated it, I was shocked!!!!!!!!!
Her dream role is Fanny Brice in the musical "Funny Girl!"
Not that that does not make sense. And not that Jessie would not be marvelous in it! I would be one of the first in attendance to cheer her on, and you know damn well if she did a Cast Album of it, I would buy it! And listen to it with rapture!!!!!!!!!!!!
But, Jessie, dear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was nine years old, when Barbra Streisand first stepped onto the stage of that packed Winter Garden house on the night of March 24, 1964, and since then I have wanted to have that same experience. At night, in my bed, before falling asleep, I would project myself into nighttime Manhattan, imagine I was inhabiting Barbra's body and having that experience!!!!!!! Which made me only want to have it all the more!!!!!!! That role was MINE!!!!!!!!!! By high school, I would spontaneously burst out into renderings of "I'm The Greatest Star!" Even now, I will suddenly break out into "If A Girl Isn't Pretty," or "Who Taught Her Everything She Knows?" And just wait till you hear MY "Coronet Man!!!!!!!!!" Though I would certainly love to hear Jessie's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But what can be done when you have not just one but two Toasts of the Town wanting to play the same exact role????????????????????????
Well, Jessie, I guess we will just have to combine somehow.
The one thing I MUST stipulate, though, is that we HAVE to play the Winter Garden Theatre. "Mama Mia!" has been thee long enough! Time to get a classic in there, even if it is a revival!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Perhaps Jessie could do the evening performances, and I could do the matinees. Or perhaps, just like John C. Reilly and Philip Seymour Hoffman in "True West," we could switch nightly!!!!!!!!!!!! When not playing Fanny I would (as long as the show is kept exactly in its ORIGINAL form; none of these film embellishments!!!!!) be happy to do the role of Mrs. Brice!!!!!!!! But what would Jessie do on her nights off???????? Wait; Lainie Kazan understudied Barbra; what was her actual role in the production???? Oh, yes, Vera, and a Showgirl!!!!!!! Which Jessie could pull off better than I!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just think, darlings, the first major revival of this show, and you get two Fannys for one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! More bang for your buck, dears!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Speaking of bang, girls, what was that line from "The Producers?"
Who do I have to fuck, to get a break in this town??????
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