'Bye, Tony!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                     
                                                        Now, girls, I know it is Thursday morning, and, of course, that means Bitch Of The Week, but, I am telling you, when my play reading group broke last night, and we heard about the all-too sudden death of James (Tony Soprano) Gandolfini, I knew this is what I would be leading off on my blog about this morning.  And now that Tony is with Mama Livia (Nancy Marchand) in Heaven, you better believe they are keeping an eye on Earth, to see that that Carmella (Edie Falco) does not run things into the ground!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                         Did you know James made his Broadway debut as Steve Hubbell, husband of Eunice, the upstairs neighbors of Stanley and Stella, in the 1992 revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire?"  Stanley and Stella were played by Alec Baldwin and Amy Madigan, while Timothy Carhart played Mitch. Aida Tuturro (any relation to John????) played Eunice, and James Gandolfini also understudied the role of Mitch in that production. This was where Jessica Lange tried to play Blanche, to little success, because she simply could not project Williams' poetic dialogue on the stage. Like in the revival of "The Glass Menagerie," where she was a disastrous Amanda, the words barely reached row one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                          But the subject here  is James Gandolfini,  not Jessica Lange. Did you know, darlings, he also appeared in the iconic--immortalized by Rod Steiger--role of Charlie Malloy--in the flop Broadway adaptation of "On The Waterfront," with Ron Eldard as Terry, and Penelope Ann Miller as Edie Doyle?????????  It only ran from May 1 to 7, but Gandolfini made an indelible impression.  I know, because I actually saw him in it!

                                                            By the time David Chase cast him as Tony Soprano, (a part turned down by Ray Liiotta, and thank God!!!!!!!!  I mean, what could he have done?  He did better having his brains devoured at the dinner table in "Hannibal!!!!!!!!!!") this guy had knocked around stage and movies. He was ready, and he delivered.

                                                             "The Sopranos" did wonders for the Mafia, and New Jersey.  They know how to take care of their own, and solve problems.  I've got some problems I would like solved, dolls!!!!!!!  But I do not want to end in cement, like Hoffa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                  Three Emmys and eight seasons later, James went from Tony Soprano to "God Of Canage," on Broadway in March of 2009, proving he could be more than a Mob boss!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                    Too bad he never got to work with MERYL!!!!!!!!!  I think it was just a matter of time, loves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                                       Rest In Peace, James! 'Bye, Tony!   You both shall be missed.
                                                                        Bada Bing, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!