Posted by Younger Brother 2013-02-02 16:00:48
I was just watching The Sixth Sense and like I always do, teared up at the 2nd to final scene (thank you, Toni Collette) and was wondering, does anyone think we'll see Toni back on Broadway anytime soon? I think if 9 to 5 held around long enough for a replacement cast, she would have made a great Violet. Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by henrikegerman 2013-02-02 16:03:51
Love her. Hope so. Would also like to finally see her get that big part in a movie musical she richly deserves - like, for instance, the Baker's Wife.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by Jordan Catalano 2013-02-02 16:04:31
What the hell did she ever do to you to suggest putting her into that God awful mess of a show?
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by dramamama611 2013-02-02 16:10:45
^ That was my thought.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by somethingwicked 2013-02-02 16:13:38
Collette just signed on to do a television pilot for CBS. Between that, her constant film work, her horrible experience with THE WILD PARTY, and the fact that she predominantly lives in Australia when she's not working, I'm sad to say the odds of her being back on Broadway anytime soon are slim.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by Younger Brother 2013-02-02 16:15:15
"horrible experience with THE WILD PARTY"
Not sure I've heard this story before. What happened?
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by henrikegerman 2013-02-02 16:19:03
"What happened"?
don't know the details, but the answer to what made Collette's - and perhaps much of the rest of the cast's - WILD PARTY experience unbearable was: Mandy Patinkin.
***
btw, Toni was delightful in HITCHCOCK.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by ArtMan 2013-02-02 17:18:14
When she was in The Wild Party I had to stage door for her (big fan) and of course, the great Eartha Kitt. I didn't bother even approaching Mandy. I had heard the stories and did not want to get read by him. Well, when I approached Toni, early in the run, she seemed suprised that anyone would want her picture and autograph. I said to her, "but you're Toni Collette". She answered, "big deal". She was so funny, we both laughed at it.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by ray-andallthatjazz86 2013-02-02 17:24:06
Wasn't she ready to do BILLY ELLIOT right before US of TARA was picked up to series? Maybe at some point something will spark her interest, she truly is one of those wonderful but hugely underrated actresses. But I agree, no to 9 TO 5, she'd be wonderful as Mame.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by henrikegerman 2013-02-02 17:37:00
Toni as Mame is a match made in heaven and, unlike many it seems, I think she could sell it - literally as well as figuratively.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by GavestonPS 2013-02-02 18:01:05
I don't know how big she is in terms of box office. (In my house Collette will always be a superstar because of MURIEL'S WEDDING!)
But what excellent casting to put her in MAME!
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by GlindatheGood22 2013-02-02 22:00:44
Just started watching United States of Tara and had no idea she was Australian until I watched the video of her winnin her Emmy. I think she'd be a great Diana if the Next to Normal movie ever comes around.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by Gothampc 2013-02-02 22:15:31
Revival of "The House of Blue Leaves" with Toni as Bunny!
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by RippedMan 2013-02-02 22:47:20
She would be a great Diana, if not a very obvious choice.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by Mrs Mangel 2013-02-02 22:48:00
Another vote for her as Mame. And Rachel Griffiths as Vera.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by Michael Bennett 2013-02-03 00:45:03
I really do like Toni Collette but I do it find it a little bit interesting/amusing that she is so endlessly suggested on this board for some of the most challenging roles in the musical theatre- all of this presumably based on a performance she gave in an ensemble musical over a decade ago. I'm not at all convinced shed actually sing these roles as well as many of you are fantasizing,- but I can think of a number of straight roles shed likely be wonderful in. I'd love to see her as Maxene in Night of the Iguana.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by wildcat 2013-02-03 02:18:11
She played Petra in NIGHT MUSIC in Sydney before she did WILD PARTY. She does have a strong legit voice.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by henrikegerman 2013-02-03 08:34:11
She's also sung on screen in Cosi and in Connie and Carla. And she has a band.
And, if I recall correctly, Marshall said that she gave a phenomenal audition for Chicago.
But the reason I think of her as ideal for Mame has less to do with her musical creds and more to do with her acting, comic flare and sophistication, likability, joy, and presence.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by GatorNY 2013-02-03 10:48:00
I never knew until today that there were 2 Wild Parties. You learn something new every day.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by chanel 2013-02-03 17:46:32
Mandy was mean to poor Toni. It made the papers. Eartha spoke out against his antics too. I hope it didn't soil Toni's perception of the Broadway experience in general. I'd love to see her back.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by SueleenGay 2013-02-03 17:50:46
How about the next revival of Virginal Woolf in about 10 years?
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by Dubliner 2013-02-03 17:52:37
I'd love to see her take on Fosca.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by J52 2013-02-06 17:34:49
I still insist that Toni Collette should have been cast as Roxie in the film version of Chicago (she and CZJ would have made a much more incendiary pair than whatshername) and/or Mrs. Lovett in the film Sweeney Todd (does anyone else find HBC'd poor diction to be insufferable??)
PS: I know we only know her musically from TWP but don't forget she also sang in that movie with the Greek Wedding woman!
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by AC126748 2013-02-06 17:41:14
She would be a great Diana, if not a very obvious choice.
Not an obvious choice? I remember people constantly suggesting she do it both on stage and in the hypothetical film version. Not to mention the fact that she's already played a very high-profile character with mental illness.
I would welcome a stage return from her in anything, play or musical, comedy or drama--name it and I'm there.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by ray-andallthatjazz86 2013-02-07 12:45:27
I do it find it a little bit interesting/amusing that she is so endlessly suggested on this board for some of the most challenging roles in the musical theatre- all of this presumably based on a performance she gave in an ensemble musical over a decade ago.
What an uncharacteristically condescending comment from MichaelBennett. As others have explained her, there is a reason people trust her singing. The NEXT TO NORMAL connection makes a lot of sense given her rock band, and Mame is not Momma Rose and Collette clearly has the range for it, same for Roxie Hart.
J52, while I'm sure Collette would have worked as Roxie (so would have Charlize Theron who was apparently cast when Nicholas Hytner was set to direct), there was something about casting someone so different from Catherine Zeta Jones as Roxie that was a brilliant touch from Marshall. Zellweger played up the trashy part of Roxie so well and it's a performance that for me only improves the more I watch it. And I actually think her and Zeta Jones have the perfect Roxie/Velma chemistry. Now SWEENEY TODD is a completely different case, it's outrageous that Collette didn't get cast, she would have been a killer in the role.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by Michael Bennett 2013-02-07 13:35:51
Ray-I'm not meaning to be condescending at all- merely pointing out that much of the enthusiasm here in the suggestions for casting her in musicals are based on fantasies of performances she's never given or rumours of strong auditions she has given that nobody but a very select few have ever witnessed.
I'm simply trying to temper a little levity in the argument.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by somethingwicked 2013-02-07 13:44:20
Michael Bennett, to be fair, you're acting as if we have a very thin basis by which to judge Collette's musical ability. THE WILD PARTY isn't the only thing she's ever sung in. Between that, the work she's done with her band, CONNIE & CARLA, and countless other times she's sung publicly, I think there's more than enough evidence of her abilities to justify the lengths to which people suggest her for major musical roles.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by Michael Bennett 2013-02-07 13:54:09
Somethingwicked- I agree with that- and am not really questioning her talent or her ability to potentially handle many of these roles- it's just an observation that I am fascinated by- Kate Winslet is given much the same aggressive suggestion for stage musicals on the board, though neither woman seems to have expressed much real interest in performing on Broadway in musicals. I just wonder if its more the fantasy many of us have for seeing a movie star we love and think has actual musical talent on Broadway over their complete suitability for some of the roles they are suggested for.
As for Collette and Patinkin; it wa an unfortunate experience but doubtful one that would turn off a performer from forever returning to Broadway. If Collette doesn't ever return it's more likely that she prefers the flexibility of film to the riguors of 8 shows a week, which is understandable. A lot of stars feels that way.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by artscallion 2013-02-07 14:08:24
If anyone wants an example of Patinkin's ego, watch Sunday in the Park with the commentary turned on.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by Gothampc 2013-02-07 14:21:05
"I still insist that Toni Collette should have been cast as Roxie in the film version of Chicago (she and CZJ would have made a much more incendiary pair than whatshername)"
Don't get Toni started on whatshername. Toni thought that she should have starred in "Bridget Jones' Diary" and not whatshername. You want to see Toni go berserk? Mention how good whatshername was in BJD and you'll see berserk Australian style.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by somethingwicked 2013-02-07 14:33:30
Assuming this is an accurate quote...
The 32-year-old actress tells The Scoop, "I was doing Wild Party. I was offered Bridget Jones's Diary at the time, but couldn't do it because I didn't know how long Wild Party was going to play. Then the Chicago lot said, 'We want you to do this, don't take anything else. We want to put you on tape just as a formality. Catherine Zeta-Jones is really excited to work with you.' Then Bridget Jones's Diary came out and I guess the Weinsteins had their way."
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Toni-Collette-Bitter-Over-Renee-Zellweger-10327.shtml
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by henrikegerman 2013-02-07 14:43:54
It's all very strange because I don't think of Toni and Renee as being so similar that they would have been likely to have gone through these reversals of fortune over the two same coveted roles.
Have to say though, as big a Collette admirer as I am, I happen to love "whatshername" in Chicago.
"I just wonder if its more the fantasy many of us have for seeing a movie star we love and think has actual musical talent on Broadway over their complete suitability for some of the roles they are suggested for."
I think you've got it half right, Michael Bennett. Casting is always to large degree about the fantasy of seeing something in someone that is very well suited for a role. It's both chemical and alchemical. And it's not an exact science, one can be proven wrong about how good someone will be as anything.
Collette is a very endearing performer and has given so much pleasure to so many people, including myself, that we picture her in things which might bring out her very best. On top of which, many, including myself, believe that she has long been on the brink of making a greater impact in the right role than she has ever done before and long to see her do just that.
But that doesn't mean we are interested in seeing her in a role irrespective of her suitability for it. To my mind she seems a particularly inspired and appealing choice for Mame, as she does for The Baker's Wife. But that doesn't mean I'm particularly interested in seeing her as Charity or Mrs. Lovett (although it's quite possible she could be quite good at them). And while I agree that she might make an excellent Diana, envisioning her in that role doesn't provide me with the same kick of imagining what she would bring to Mame.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by Michael Bennett 2013-02-07 15:00:55
And the irony is that I think it was the success of Bridget Jones that made the Weinstens push for Zelweggers casting in Chicago. if Collette somehow correlates losing those roles to being tied to obligations doing stage work, that could be your real answer why she's never returned to the theatre...
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by Gothampc 2013-02-07 15:44:33
"I was doing Wild Party. I was offered Bridget Jones's Diary at the time, but couldn't do it because I didn't know how long Wild Party was going to play."
Did she sign an "entire run" contract? I thought that stars usually knew whether they were signing a six month contract or a year contract.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by artscallion 2013-02-07 15:56:37
Even if she signed a one year contract, WP could still have closed at any point. But if it didn't she was tied to it for a year. If it closed in a month she would be free. But, as she said, she had no way of knowing if it would still be running when they wanted her for BJD.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by ray-andallthatjazz86 2013-02-08 08:19:04
I'd be more on Collette's side if she was criticizing the Weinsteins for casting someone who was completely inappropriate for the role. I know she gets a terrible reputation on the board but Zellweger was fantastic as Bridget Jones and Roxie Hart. I do think she has been screwed out of a better career in some ways, I still think it's a real shame that she didn't get in at the Oscars for MURIEL'S WEDDING or THE HOURS.
I definitely see MichaelBennett's point that Collette simply doesn't seem to be interested in doing a Broadway show, which is a real shame.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by alterego 2013-02-08 08:43:15
Wildcat, you beat me to it.
Toni Collette back to Broadway?
Posted by henrikegerman 2013-02-08 08:47:15
I agree that Renee was fantastic in both roles.
But while the headline makes Collette out to be bitter and possibly catty, if you look at her actual quote it reads much more like an account of what happened without any vitriol and possibly one delivered in a very good-natured way.
