Bette Midler Talks Prospects of Starring in MAME, HELLO DOLLY! on Broadway

Legendary entertainer Bette Midler begins a three week run of her solo show, I'LL EAT YOU LAST: A CHAT WITH SUE MENGERS at Los Angeles' Geffen Playhouse beginning tomorrow, December 3rd.

In an interview with yesterday's Los Angeles Times, the award-winning actress, who of late has called Las Vegas home, talked about the possibility of taking a star turn on Broadway in one of theater's most classic musicals, namely "Mame" or "Hello, Dolly!"

While the singer admits she is a great match for either lead role, she shared her trepidations about taking on the challenges they would entail. "These shows are great big bears," she shared. "It's a lot of new people, and I'm not good anymore at remembering who is who."

She adds, "I would be nervous about that and I would also be nervous about the social media part of it. I don't like to put myself in harm's way."

Midler finished her Broadway run of I'LL EAT YOU LAST this spring, starring as the legendary Hollywood agent Mengers in her first Broadway appearance in almost 40 years. Written by John Logan, I'LL EAT YOU LAST was directed on Broadway by Joe Mantello.

Read the interview in full here!

Midler began her legendary career as an entertainer in 1965, in New York, where she developed the trademark act that would make her one of the most renowned talents of her generation. Her debut album, 1972's The Divine Miss M set her on the path that has led her to earn Grammys, Emmys, Golden Globes and Academy Award nominations in a career that has spanned over 40 years. She has toured the world, sold millions of albums, published two books and appeared in over two dozen films, including The Rose, Beaches, Ruthless People, Hocus Pocus, First Wives Club and For The Boys.

In addition to her work on stage and in films, Bette has made her mark in television, with the Emmy Award-winning CBS special of Ol Red Hair Is Back, and several HBO concerts, Live at Last and Art or Bust, and the Emmy Award-winning Diva Las Vegas. In 1992 she starred in the CBS television adaptation of the musical Gypsy, for which she won both a Golden Globe and the national board of review award for her performance.

In January 2009 she concluded her sold-out Vegas spectacular The Showgirl Must Go On, at Caesar's Palace, with over 200 performances. In 1994, she returned to New York after nearly 20 years in Los Angeles, and started the New York Restoration Project, a non-profit organization devoted to bringing abandoned and neglected parks, gardens, and open spaces in all five boroughs back to life. NYRP includes the beautiful New Leaf Cafe in Fort Tryon Park as part of its success, and is committed to helping restore parks and gardens devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

About I'LL EAT YOU LAST:

The creative team of I'll Eat You Last includes three-time Tony Award winner Scott Pask (scenic design), Academy Award winner Ann Roth (costume design), three-time Tony nominee Hugh Vanstone (lighting design), and Drama Desk Award winner Fitz Patton (sound design).

Sue Mengers was an American original. She was the first female "superagent" at a time when women talent agents of any kind were almost unheard of. She came from near poverty, a refugee from Hitler's Germany, and worked her way up through pluck, charm, and a legendary wit. In that uniquely American way, she invented herself; and when the career she wanted didn't exist, she invented that as well: "Superagent." It was a term Hollywood all but coined for her. By the 1970's, she represented almost every major star in Hollywood and went on to become the town's most renowned hostess.

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