I almost mentioned Mary Martin in The Sound of Music in my earlier post because I anticipated just such a reply. :)
When Mary Martin created the role of Maria, she was a huge star and it was a different time. We know that the creative team was well aware that she was considerably too old for the role.
Yet having said that it was a different time, in recent years, it seems like more and more we are getting actors playing characters considerably younger than they are. Winifred, though, is a very different role than Alice Van Guilder. Except for Julie Banko, who is 35, everyone mentioned in this thread as a possible Alice is over 40.
Joey Heatherton was a good dancer, yes. In 1969 she toured as Claudine in Can-Can for both the Kenley circuit and the Music Fair circuit, getting sole above-the-title billing in both. Not that she seems to have ever been on the level of a Verdon or a McKechnie, but she was pretty good. |
