Playing flamboyant Mame Dennis in the musical version of Patrick Dennis’s comic tribute to his bohemian auntie is not exactly opening a new window for Leslie Uggams.
After all, she has a history of being associated with the songs of composer-lyricist Jerry Herman. She appeared on Broadway in the retrospective revue, Jerry’s Girls and played Dolly Gallagher Levi in Hello, Dolly! at a Houston amphitheater. And at an all-star tribute to Herman at the Hollywood Bowl, Uggams stopped the show with her rendition of “If he Walked into My Life,” the11 o’clock stunner in Mame.
Still, getting the call to come to The Wick Theatre and play Mame both came as a surprise to Uggams and a sweet vindication. You see, she almost played the role originated by Angela Lansbury on Broadway — and later by Celeste Holm, Ann Miller, Janis Paige and Jane Morgan — but was vetoed by the Dennis estate to head the show’s tour.
It was certainly not Herman who was the naysayer. “We had talked about this some years ago. Jerry thought I would be a terrific Mame, but at the time the (Patrick Dennis) estate was not rushing to have an African-American playing the role,” says Uggams with her usual candor. “Because I think they felt that when you go to the South, it was a whole big thing. And I thought, ‘Really?’
“But I think it’s funnier. It’s a double whammy. A Yankee and a chocolate drop.”
If you stay in the business long enough — and Uggams’ career spans more than 60 years — you can usually grab the roles that eluded you earlier. “Jerry thought that since I’d sung so many songs from ‘Mame,’ I’d probably be good in the role,” she says, during a rehearsal break at the Wick’s Pompano Beach facility. “So I thought it was interesting that I was cast this time. I thought, ‘Yeah!’ ”
Not surprisingly, her image of Mame is rather unconventional. Uggams sees the character as “a combination of Josephine Baker and Bricktop. Because she’s like a pied piper, she’s got a joy for life, people love being around her, she’s always optimistic. Then all of a sudden, she’s forced to be a mother,” inheriting her orphaned nephew, “something she never expected to be.”
Uggams has originated roles on Broadway ranging from her Tony Award-winning star turn in Hallelujah, Baby! to Cleopatra in Her First Roman, and appeared in the replacement casts of Anything Goes and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Sometimes she reconceives the role to become an African-American and sometimes her skin color is irrelevant.
As to her approach to Mame Dennis, Uggams says, “I wouldn’t say we’re turning her into an African-American. She’s a woman of the world. That’s why I liken her to Josephine Baker. She’s traveled. She came from not the best beginnings, but she’s re-invented herself into a person that people just want to be around.
“It’s not like I’m trying to do ‘Roots.’ But hey, you can’t deny that there’s a black woman on that stage. It’s little old me, doing Mame. And it’s my job to make sure I keep the integrity of what the show is about.”
MAME, The Wick Theatre, 7901 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton. Through Sunday. Tickets: $58-$62. Call: (561) 995-2333.