In The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4 finale, Midge’s storyline converges with the legendary star Tony Bennett by way of Lenny Bruce. And while the Emmy-winning series has been renewed for season 5, it was recently announced the coming season will be its last. With only one season left to go, it will be interesting to see how Rachel Brosnahan's Midge comes out on top in the end—especially considering that she just turned down the opening slot for Tony Bennett, one of the biggest names in show business.
In recent seasons of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Midge has shot to fame and subsequently crashed back to reality. She toured with the fictional star Shy Baldwin throughout season 3, until her jokes revealed too much about Shy's personal life, leading to Midge being fired. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4 finds Midge licking her wounds, performing from the stage of a dingy strip club; a move that offers her full authority over what she says, but no track back to success. That is, until her friend, lover, and fellow comedian Lenny Bruce arranges for Midge the career-making opportunity of opening for Bennett—an opportunity she ultimately turns down.
Bennett’s appearance (by way of off-screen references) is not the first time the period dramedy has referenced real-life celebrities in the show. Midge was inspired by Joan Rivers, and both Luke Kirby’s Lenny Bruce and season 3’s Moms Mabley (played by Wanda Sykes) are based on real-life comedians. However, Tony Bennett’s character in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is more than simply a nod to history. Bennett’s association with Lenny Bruce went further than mere business acquaintances, with the two forging a strong friendship in real life. Furthermore, Tony Bennett’s own views on show business—specifically the distinction of being a headlining act—offer some reflection on Midge’s journey in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
In an interview with Variety, Tony Bennett’s son and long-time manager, Danny Bennett, says, “Tony and Lenny were good friends... Like my dad, Lenny was uncompromising. A new appreciation for Lenny would be welcome these days, understanding the politics of who we are now and all elements of free speech." Indeed, it is Lenny’s uncompromising spirit that is so vital to the character in the show, with Lenny and Midge meeting while both are incarcerated in defiance of censorship. However, much of the comedian’s defiance is yet to come—in history and, perhaps on the show as well—as his infamous exercising of free speech would set off a slew of arrests beginning in late 1961.
Bennett’s uncompromising attitude speaks to Midge’s character as well. After her misstep with Shy Baldwin, Midge takes further control of her life and career by proclaiming that she will, henceforth, only take headlining gigs—a career move that Bennett himself lived by. As reported by Variety, “Bennett famously said that ‘if you don’t take risks you are relegated to a life of mediocrity,’” which very much seems the heart of Midge’s storyline in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. However, Bennett differed from Midge in that he knew when to make exceptions.
In his 2016 memoir, Just Getting Started, Bennett wrote about the few exceptions he made to his rule by opening for Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Frank Sinatra, saying, "I have no problem playing second bill to royalty – Duke, the Count, or the Chairman of the Board. They have elevated me in every way". This is the basis of the argument between Midge and the fictional Lenny Bruce on stage at Carnegie Hall in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 4 finale when he tells Midge she should have made an exception in Bennett's case, as Bennett was and remains the type of “royalty” that can only elevate careers.
All episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel are available on Amazon Prime.