Midler on playing characters: “Those kinds of characters that are larger than life — driven, overbearing — those kinds of characters don’t come along very often. Even in the theater. And since good parts are at a premium, I’m no fool — I want to play as many of them as I possibly can. Every actress who calls herself an actress wants in her heart to play Lady Macbeth. And every musical-comedy person wants to play Mama Rose.” (1993, Hartford Courant)
