Disney Voice Actors Discussions- Jodi Benson

[carolinakid]

Being the voice of the REAL Ariel, she should rightly distance herself from that fake Little Mermaid !

[UmbrellaFish]

Being the voice of the REAL Ariel, she should rightly distance herself from that fake Little Mermaid !

She’s literally in that . You’d know that if you watched half the things you criticized.

[carolinakid]

I know that, Einstein. That’s why I said she should rightly distance herself from that in which she had a blink and you’ll miss her “cameo”. I didn’t need to see that stinker. Jodi’s “cameo” was all over this site as well as D23 and other sources that cover Disney. Sorry to have triggered you, my friend! I’ll try to be more careful..... and there’s always the handy dandy block feature this site so generously offers....
Have a magical day!

[UmbrellaFish]

And you have a Disney day!

[carolinakid]

Thanks, Brelly!
You take care!

[twihard]

I know that, Einstein. That’s why I said she should rightly distance herself from that in which she had a blink and you’ll miss her “cameo”. I didn’t need to see that stinker. Jodi’s “cameo” was all over this site as well as D23 and other sources that cover Disney. Sorry to have triggered you, my friend! I’ll try to be more careful..... and there’s always the handy dandy block feature this site so generously offers....
Have a magical day!

did you read her book? She doesnt even mention the new movie in that so I think that shows her true feelings on it that it wasn't even worth bringing up. Best part of the book is that she refused to do it with Disney. It's not a Disney publication but one based on her faith group.

I recommend reading her book. The mermaid stuff wasn't that interesting cuz most of it is online but it was everything else I loved learning about her. Her Broadway work (never knew she was tony nominated for best actress), how she struggled finishing her degree cuz of work, her musical interests, etc. What shocked me was learning that during her most prolific period of work, playing Ariel, was also when her personal life was going all wrong.

She goes mum on what went wrong but if you read between the lines, it sounds like she may have had an affair or an emtoinal affair since she and her husband were living apart for work and barely saw each other. Also sounds like her husband responded by having one too. Glad they are all better now. She talks a lot about the problems they were having but doesnt explain exactly what it was but the vibes I was getting seemed like she strayed.

I loved learning about her faith. I think God is mentioned on every page which even as a person of faith can take sometime getting used to because her particular view of religion is that you need to bring God into everything you do. To me it sounds very overwhelming but it sounds like it brought her peace when she needed it so maybe her way is the way to go??? Loved learning about her kids but what made me cry was the story about her niece who was lost to cancer It shocked me to learn that even a woman of Jodi's strong faith in God almost lost her religion and became confused when that happened cuz she couldn't understand why God owuld do this. It makes me feel better about times in my life when I've felt lost or confused and that it's okay to feel this way as a human.

Liked hearing about Paige O'Hara as well when they became friends. Someone needs to tell Paige to please write her own book.

[carolinakid]

I said before that all Jodi fans should check out the Broadway cast recording of Crazy For You. It’s an all Gershwin show based on his Girl Crazy. Ginger Rogers played her role on stage and Judy Garland played it in the 1943 film.
Jodi’s songs are fabulous!

[twihard]

I said before that all Jodi fans should check out the Broadway cast recording of Crazy For You. It’s an all Gershwin show based on his Girl Crazy. Ginger Rogers played her role on stage and Judy Garland played it in the 1943 film.
Jodi’s songs are fabulous!

Thank you for the recommendation!

I follow her on Instagram and her daughter is now in muscial theatre as well. I don't remember what musical she's in right now

[UmbrellaFish]

Jodi Benson is performing the title role in Hello, Dolly! for a limited engagement in Orlando this summer

https://playbill.com/article/put-on-you ... ello-dolly

If I lived in FL I’d totally check this out. It’s only two performances, I think, but now that her kids are grown I wonder if she might commit to more theatrical performances in the not so distant future? I’d love to see her in The King and I or South Pacific— I think she could still play those roles.

Also— the performances will benefit “Give Kids the World” which is a very neat place. It’s a small theme park in the Orlando for sick kids and their families to visit for free. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_Ki ... ld_Village

[carolinakid]

I’d love to see Jodi in Hello, Dolly! this summer!

Although she looks younger than 62, I think she could pull off the lead roles in Applause, Gypsy, Mame and King and I.
Personally I think she’d be too old for Nellie Forbush who is supposed to be early to mid 20s, but that’s just my opinion.

[UmbrellaFish]

Yeah, I concede she’s a little old to play Nellie as written but it’s been played by many women in their 40’s and 50’s. But I understand what you mean. I feel like she’s more suited to R&H musicals than something like Gypsy or even Mame. It’s too bad things didn’t line up in such a way that we could have seen her play all the classic ingenue roles.

Come to think of it, Jodi Benson would be a lovely Fairy Godmother or even Mother Superior…

[Disney Duster]

Jodi was the Queen in a Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella concert. I saw a clip on YouTube. I bet she'll be great in Hello Dolly. I wonder if she would have been a great Cinderella, or would be a good Fairy Godmother or Mother Superior as has been suggested.

[Escapay]

Jodi Benson is performing the title role in Hello, Dolly! for a limited engagement in Orlando this summer

https://playbill.com/article/put-on-you ... ello-dolly

I've got a ticket for one of the shows, will report back here again to share my review after seeing it. Casting Jodi in an Encore! Performing Arts production has been a real coup for the theatrical troupe; they've built up a wide talent base from Disney Entertainment cast members and have performed full-scale productions of shows such as Aida, Ragtime, Hairspray, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Cabaret, Head Over Heels, Sordid Lives, and Spamalot. Every time I see one of their shows, I'm consistently floored by the sheer level of talent on that stage. So I am definitely looking forward to seeing Jodi as Dolly Levi, especially opposite several Encore! performers that I've seen in some of their past productions.

Last year, Jodi performed as Rose (opposite her daughter Delaney as Louise!) in a two-night-only production of Gypsy in Ft. Myers, Florida. It did not get much media coverage beyond her social media, a couple articles announcing it, and a review by Aaron Wallace, who felt compelled to write his article because, in his words, "what Jodi Benson did on that stage simply cannot remain exclusively in the memory of a few hundred Floridians."

A small group of us made a weekend trip of it to see the show and explore downtown Ft. Myers. It was an amazing show, one which has fully cemented Jodi as the definitive Rose portrayal for me. I still get chills thinking about how she handled not just every number, but familiar lines from the libretto that have been burned in my memory. The way she played both the loving mother and the calculating manager, the shrewd businesswoman and the naively optimistic dreamer, the woman who foisted the career she wanted onto her children. It's a true shame that little remains of this tour de force performance beyond press photos. There are no sound board audio recordings, no video clips surreptitiously taken from the audience, nothing except for the collective memory of a roomful of gasps as we all marveled when she optioned-up and turned "Rose's Turn" into the most desperately-needed nervous breakdown ever heard.

Alby

[UmbrellaFish]

Escapay, enjoy the show! My excitement for your review almost outweighs my jealousy for your getting to see it! lol I think Dolly is a great character for Jodi to play, I can imagine that her audiences will be filled with Disney fans and the love that gushes out during the title number will just be electric.

Now that you mention it, I do remember news reports about Jodi and her daughter doing Gypsy but I never read any reviews. Thank you for sharing Aaron Wallace’s. It sounds incredible. I have to admit, imagining “Ariel” doing Rose’s Turn feels a little jarring at first but from yours and Aaron’s reviews it seems we have all missed out on Jodi not performing more of the musical theatre canon over the last 35 years. Well, it is promising that she’s doing more of these kinds of projects now!!

Aaron Wallace also praises Jodi’s daughter Delaney, I wonder if she will someday “inherit” Ariel? I would like that better than some rando coming in.

[Disney's Divinity]

Wow, I would've liked to see Benson's version of Gypsy. Hard for me to imagine her in the role, and I always think of Bette Midler as my go-to for that one, but it must've been impressive.

[PatchofBlue]

It did not get much media coverage beyond her social media, a couple articles announcing it, and a review by Aaron Wallace, who felt compelled to write his article because, in his words, "what Jodi Benson did on that stage simply cannot remain exclusively in the memory of a few hundred Floridians."

I'd heard about Jodi's Gypsy performance with her daughter. Well, I'd heard that it was happening. When I accepted that I would never get to see it, I guess I kinda tuned it out. But I live for reviews like that, when you know that an artist has really made their mark on their audience.

What little I have seen of Jodi outside her Ariel work has been phenomenal. I'm obviously the first to proclaim all that she's accomplished with Little Mermaid, but she also deserves to celebrated as an artist in her own right.

[Disney Duster]

I am incredibly jealous of you, Albert, and Aaron! That Jodi would be your definitive Rose must mean she was, well, amazing! So she probably will be as Dolly as well. Enjoy the show! And then please tell us about it!