|
Nell
Carter (1948-2003) was introduced to Broadway in two
consecutive flops: first, opposite Peter Allen in Soon (1971),
which ran for three performances, and then in Tom O'Horgan's production
of Dude (1972), which ran for sixteen. But it was her
Tony Award-winning performance in the hit musical revue Ain’t
Misbehavin’ (1978) that really shot her to stardom, and
Carter was so grateful for this opportunity that she appeared in a
revival of the show that opened in 1988 (only ten years after the
original production). After leaving the bright lights of Broadway
for a starring role on TV's Gimme a Break!, she came back in
1997 to play Mrs. Hannigan in the 20th Anniversary revival of Annie,
as well as appearing in the 1999 concert My Favorite Broadway: The
Leading Ladies, where she sang an Ain't Misbehavin'
evergreen. She was also known for playing such roles as Dolly Levi
in Hello, Dolly! and Bloody Mary in South Pacific, as
well as appearing in the film version of Hair, and on
Broadway in Don't Bother Me-- I Can't Cope and Jesus Christ
Superstar. |
