Mister D: Who’s surprised??? Love the show, but after the “Bette,” fiasco I’m not sure Bette wants to return to a TV show and the the grueling hours.
New York Post
MAMA EVITA: LUPONE GETS MATERNAL ON ‘BETTY’
By ROBERT RORKE
This week, one of the “national treasures” of the American theater comes on “Ugly Betty” and the casting actually seems inspired. Broadway diva Patti LuPone is playing Mrs. Weiner, mother of Marc, the ultra unctuous assistant to Wilhemina Slater. Marc is of course played by the delightfully droll Michael Urie, who had a lot in common with LuPone. They both graduated from Juilliard (though LuPone was in the first graduating class and Urie received his degree three years ago). Urie, 26, was thrilled to have her play his mother in a script that calls for Marc, who has kept his homoexuality a secret from his mother, to ask Betty to pass for his date. Things go from bad to worse when the suspicious Mrs. Weiner invites herself to dinner at the Suarez home and Betty’s whole family has to play along with the charade.
Though LuPone was not the first choice to play the part (Bette Midler turned it down), Urie had nothing but praise for his fellow alumnus. “Patti LuPone is the epitome of class and talent. She was everything and more that you hope to find when you meet one of your personal heroes. It was so fun to talk about Juilliard with her. The entire crew was enchanted by her, and by the end of her time, it was like ‘This Is Your Lifel.’ All of us huddled around my computer watching Patti’s [theater ]performances on YouTube.”
UGLY BETTY
Thursday, 8 p.m., ABC
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