# Who's the best Mama Rose? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 8, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-best-mama-rose/316197 "2005-08-08T22:06:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-best-mama-rose/316197/1 "2005-08-08T22:06:29Z")
My one copy of GYPSY is now unplayable (or, in gay lingo, “we’ve got an S-297 emergency- a Sondheim 2-9-7, Code Saffron”) so I’m going to replace it. I haven’t decided which one though. So, the Mama Rose recordings available include The original- ETHEL MERMAN (a bit grainy and campy though) -The movie- Rosalind Russell (the harder notes were dubbed) -the first revival- Angela Lansbury -the second revival- Tyne Daly -the TV remake- Bette Midler -the most recent revival- Bernadette Peters Who’s your pick for the best Mama Rose? ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-best-mama-rose/316197/2 "2005-08-08T22:29:24Z")
The first Broadway show I ever saw was Tyne Daly’s Gypsy. She was excellent. I could see Bette being good, too. I’m a little surprised Liza never played the role… ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-best-mama-rose/316197/3 "2005-08-08T22:51:38Z")
I’ve heard Merman, Russell, Lansbury and Midler and overall I give the nod to Midler, but Roz kicks her ass on “Mama’s Turn.” But when it comes to Gypsy, all must kneel down before Faith Dane as Mazeppa. _ **Kneel down before Mazeppa!** _ ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-best-mama-rose/316197/4 "2005-08-08T22:57:48Z")
I of course meant “Rose’s Turn.” Please don’t take away my homo card. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-best-mama-rose/316197/5 "2005-08-08T23:00:58Z")
The only two I’ve heard are Midler and Russell. I’m not sure, however, how much of that is because Midler is better(or at least more to my taste) and how much of that is because I saw Midler’s performance when I was young and impressionable and fond of Bette and therefore found most differences between that version and the movie version with Russell to be better in Midler’s version. Certainly I thought Midler _looked_ more like Mama Rose should look- but we may be back to the “the version I saw first is the best” circularity. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-best-mama-rose/316197/6 "2005-08-08T23:04:49Z")
There is a missing sentence in my above post. This sentence should read " I like Midler’s version much better" It should go between the first sentence and the one that says “I’m not sure . . .”. You being bright dopers, you probably figured that out already, but for the sake of anyone who couldn’t. . . . ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2005, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-best-mama-rose/316197/7 "2005-08-08T23:30:34Z")
Bernadette Peters. Because she is sexy, and being so, she made Rose sexy. And there are definitely sexual yearnings in Rose. Besides, the Mazeppa in the Peters revival was the cousin of a guy I work with. And she _uumph_ed. And she _uumph_ed. And she _uumph_ed _uumph_ed _uumph_ed. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-best-mama-rose/316197/8 "2005-08-09T00:19:13Z")
I’m a huge Bernadette Peters fan… I’ve seen Tyne Daly do the role live. Still, this is a role that Ethel Merman defined, and I think everyone else does it in her shadow. ---
**Author:** ![supervenusfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@supervenusfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supervenusfreak)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-best-mama-rose/316197/9 "2005-08-09T00:36:41Z")
Roz is my personal favorite, but Bette was great too. Why limit yourself to one? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-best-mama-rose/316197/10 "2005-08-09T03:44:07Z")
I love Merman. I have to. I’m a gay man. And she was the original Mama Rose. I love Angela Lansbury. As Mame Dennis. As Mama Rose, not so much. I never heard Tyne Daley’s version, so I have no opinion on that one. I love Bernadette. She _is_ the modern Merman, as far as ubiquity, range and importance to Broadway go. And her Mama Rose is great. However…I really think that Midler takes the prize in the Mama Rose sweepstakes. She conveyed the brassiness and chutzpah of Rose Hovak perfectly, even more so than Merman. Plus, her Herbie sings. Very well, too! ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-best-mama-rose/316197/11 "2005-08-09T03:45:27Z")
Oh, and Roz is great as well, for someone who didn’t usually do musicals, but I’d have to put her just above Lansbury in the ratings. Now, Roz Russell as the musical Mame…that I’d pay to see. ---
**Author:** ![sulamith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@sulamith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sulamith)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-best-mama-rose/316197/12 "2005-08-09T05:13:30Z")
The Merm, of course! And I’m a straight white woman. There was nobody like her. Bette Midler is my close second, but haaaail yeah, Mama Rose will always belong to Ethel. She owned that part. ---
**Author:** ![Feydeau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Feydeau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feydeau)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-best-mama-rose/316197/13 "2005-08-09T06:49:16Z")
I, too, ask why don’t you get them all? I vote for Bette, although I did see Bernadette on Broadway and she was good. But I prefer Bette.