If I were a rich man... I would buy out the producers of Fiddler on the Roof and shut it down immediately. That's because according to an AP article, Rosie O'Donnell has joined the cast of the Broadway revival. This comes as frightening news for those of us who suffered through Riding The Bus With My Sister, a TV movie where Ms. O'Donnell went to great lengths to shatter our eardrums with her obnoxious portrayal of a mentally challenged woman. We can only imagine what sort of disaster awaits unsuspecting Fiddler audiences -- I full on expect a complete and total butchering of "Sunrise, Sunset."
For those of you lucky enough to have missed Rosie's seminal role of Beth in Riding The Bus With My Sister, feel free to enjoy her subtly nuanced performance here.
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Comments (23)
In the words of Whitney Houston- Hell to the no!!!
1 of 23 | Posted by Leah3t | Posted on August 8, 2005 10:37 AM
Get some class. Her performance in Riding was AMAZING. You really need to get a grip on reality (no pun intended). Are you jealous of her fan base, her success or the fact that you will never be anything more than a speck on the blip of bad reality journalism?
2 of 23 | Posted by Shawn | Posted on August 8, 2005 11:36 AM
I was gonna, but EXCUSE ME I HAVE TO USE THE BATHROOM.
3 of 23 | Posted by British | Posted on August 8, 2005 11:40 AM
Shawn - I am very jealous of Rosie's fan base. I only wish I could have an army of righteous, middle-aged, and generally dumb people idolizing my every move.
4 of 23 | Posted by B-Side | Posted on August 8, 2005 11:42 AM
I saw Harvey in Fiddler last January and he was wonderful. Pairing a famous out (and activist) actor with an equaly out (and activist) lesbian in a classic show is a gutsy move. I'd like to see it, but have to convince my partner to see Fiddler for a 3rd time our next trip to NYC. We decided to wait for the reviews...
5 of 23 | Posted by Dennis | Posted on August 8, 2005 11:45 AM
FWIW, I think it's the polar opposite of gutsy. I see it as the epitome of the "gimmick casting" that is ruining Broadway...a trend Rosie helped start when someone decided that "Grease" could extend its run with an abrasive, unlikable, uneasy-on-the-eyes screecher playing a singing sex poodle simply because she was a proven commercial commodity. Get ready to see "playing to the back row" redefined since playing an ethnic part is going to allow her to mug and gurn even more than she usually does.
6 of 23 | Posted by Mike | Posted on August 8, 2005 12:29 PM
To be fair Shawn, Rosie really did Suck in that bus movie. I mean really, it was laughable.
I just can't imagine her in Fiddler. I'm guessing she would play the mother, so doesn't seem like a Rosie roll.
7 of 23 | Posted by Genevieve | Posted on August 8, 2005 1:03 PM
Rosie sincerely loves Broadway and has done a lot for broadway and new york for that matter....wait for the reviews before you cast aspersions on her performance.
And as for ROTBWMS = like the queen of tv movies, Valerie Bertinelli was such a beacon of talent that Rosie pales in comparison? Yeah, I doubt it! You get what you pay for buddy.
8 of 23 | Posted by sandra | Posted on August 8, 2005 1:19 PM
I think y'all are missing the point here. As butch as Rosie is, surely she is gonna be the lead?!
If I were a lesbo, dada dada dada do.
Mike nailed it - stuntcasting.
9 of 23 | Posted by Ed | Posted on August 8, 2005 3:04 PM
Rosie can't sing. She simply cannot stay in tune. So how is it gutsy or laudable to stunt-cast her in a classic musical? It's not. It's just what I said, a stunt. There are so many talented actresses who can truly sing who don't get a shot at Broadway because they aren't famous already and aren't politically correct to cast as a gay activist. If she could act and sing on par with Broadway stars, it would be okay, but she can't so it's not.
10 of 23 | Posted by callygirl | Posted on August 8, 2005 3:08 PM
I meant to say that Rosie is politically correct to cast because she is a gay activist, not that she's being cast AS a gay activist! Last time I checked, Fiddler did not have a gay activist character!
11 of 23 | Posted by callygirl | Posted on August 8, 2005 3:16 PM
Callygirl -- it could, though! Get me rewrite! He's not a sheygetz -- he's a she-male...
12 of 23 | Posted by BigMax | Posted on August 8, 2005 4:05 PM
Oh, it's undoubetly stunt casting and because of Harvey. But it's bring in a big name or close the show; recasting with any of the talented out of work actresses in NYC wouldn't do any good for the show.
We're not rushing to buy tickets, but if she gets good reviews I'll likely try to see it. Golde doesn't really sing that much; the acting is much more of the role.
13 of 23 | Posted by Dennis | Posted on August 8, 2005 4:09 PM
so how long do you think it'll take before the show closes?
14 of 23 | Posted by floopeygirl | Posted on August 8, 2005 4:50 PM
And how many of you would have the guts to give as much of your money, time or talent to help Broadway? Success or not, at least she's trying!
15 of 23 | Posted by 1RoseyPosey | Posted on August 8, 2005 5:04 PM
Floopeygirl,
It was supposed to close in January (though it's odd to announce a closing date 5 months out) and they're hoping casting Rosie could make it run longer.
It's a great production; I saw Molina and Fierstein and liked both equally. One could sing better, one could act better. Harvey and Rosie have been friends for about 20 years, so hopefully that'll help portray a 25 year marriage.
16 of 23 | Posted by Dennis | Posted on August 8, 2005 5:39 PM
Sandra: Rosie sincerly loves broadway? Hunny, she produced the Boy George fiasco Taboo, don't you remember? Anyone who would put that show out there HATES broadway and should get a koosh ball off the forehead.
17 of 23 | Posted by katie | Posted on August 8, 2005 10:00 PM
Well, I would love to see any of you people, sitting there in your little computer chairs, slamming a performance you haven't even seen yet, have the balls to put yourself out there like that. She deserves two things: 1. credit for doing this, and 2. the courtesy to wait until she has at least DONE ONE PERFORMANCE. Jeez. If half of her fans show up, it will sell out. Suck it up.
18 of 23 | Posted by Trina | Posted on August 9, 2005 7:10 AM
Dennis, doesn't Golde sing Sunrise, Sunset? That will be an interesting one!
19 of 23 | Posted by callygirl | Posted on August 9, 2005 7:20 AM
Of course if half of Rosie's fans show up, it'll sell out. And since they are incredibly, incredibly easy to please ("Oh, look at that face she made!" "I just LURVE that funny accent!" "I think she just winked at me! ME!"), they'll eat it up and come back more than once. It's the cynicism behind that kind of stunt-casting (appropriatenss for the role be damned) that I find so galling. Rosie should stick to playing mentally-challenged people and annoying sidekicks.
I wonder what she'll write in her blog about this?
back 2 broadway
fiddling w / harvey
gay man + gay woman = wow
bring ur earplugs
might b loud
20 of 23 | Posted by Mike | Posted on August 9, 2005 8:43 AM
To quote Rosie in "Riding The Bus" (& for your Emmy consideration!): "SOMETHING'S WRONG! SOMTHING's WRONG!"
21 of 23 | Posted by Rosie's Tosies | Posted on August 9, 2005 9:05 AM
Well, I just made the mistake of watching ROTBWMS clip - vomitosous eruptus.
The thought of her singing in Fiddler is equally as nauseating. She is a vapid, self-ingratiating fat pig
22 of 23 | Posted by Liz | Posted on August 9, 2005 9:08 AM
"SOMETHING'S WRONG! SOMETHING'S WRONG!"
23 of 23 | Posted by Rosie's Tosies | Posted on August 10, 2005 1:54 PM