What Did I Tell You, Darlings?????????? What Did I Tell You????????

       
                                     Girls, can I spot talent, or what????  Not less than twenty-four hours after writing about Jessie Mueller, who, literally, has the musical theater community of this town at her feet, asking what will  she be doing next, then I have found out!!!!!  She will be playing Helena Landless, in the Roundabout's upcoming revival of "The Mystery Of Edwin Drood," at Studio 54.

                                       Once more, Jessie is wisely positioning herself in a show where, again, she will very likely be the only reason to see it.  Because, despite my love of Dickens and Victorianism, I was never crazy over this show!  Admittedly, I saw it at the Imperial Theatre, late in the run, but, even so, I doubt with even the illustrious Original Cast, it would have blown me away.  It has only one good song, in the entire score--"Don't Quit While You're Ahead!"

                                          I don't even know the show well enough to know if Helena Landless has any numbers at all, let alone a solo.  But if Jessie is cast in the role, she must, and, honey, I want to be there when her sounds are heard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           No one just arrives in New York, like Marlo Thomas as Ann Marie on "That Girl!"  Even MERYL, and yours truly, had to cross the Hudson, though Meryl arrived by a more circuitous route known as YSD--Yale School Of Drama.

                                             Jessie graduated from Syracuse U (where I almost went, girls!!!) then went back home to her native Chicago, where she did all the classic roles--some I would have just KILLED to hear! Like Carrie Pipperidge in "Carousel."  Oh, my God, I would just LOVE to hear Jessie in the last part of "When The Children Are Asleep"--""When today is a long time ago...You'll still hear me say that the best dream I  know is..."  I am getting chills, just thinking about it!!!!!!!!!!  She has also done Amalia Balash, in  what I consider to be the most romantic musical ever written, "She Loves Me."  I can just imagine how she nails "Ice Cream" but the real test of Amalia, for me, has always been the end of "No More Candy," where she goes, "In a way, it's a little like the voiiiiice....offfffffff..........Goooooooood!"  The tears are welling up in my eyes, just hearing Jessie in my head do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                             I have a friend in Chicago, named David, who has a friend, named Joan, who knows the Chicago theater scene.  She and her family ran a theater company, and knew, peripherally, at least, the Cusacks--you know, the John and Joan Cusacks!!!!!!!!  I wonder if she knows, or knows of, the Muellers, who, apparently, are another Chicago based theater family, consisting of Father Roger, Mother Jill, and siblings, Matt, Andrew, and Abby.  I don't know what order Jessie falls in this lineup, but it is clear she is the one who has sprung forth from the nest!!!!!!  Fly, Jessie, fly, and never stop, for the pleasure that you give us!!!!!!!!!

                                            Speaking of all these classics, when is there going to be a solo CD, featuring Jessie singing some of the songs I have mentioned, and others????  Let's see... I would love to hear her on "Not A Day Goes By," "Someone To Watch Over Me,"  "Someone Else's Story" from "Chess"--any of the great musical theater songs that move not only I, but so many!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               Please, Jessie????????????????????????????????

                                               And would you sing--just for me--"What Did I Have?"

                                               What bliss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!