In 1966, Lansbury took on the title role of Mame Dennis in the musical "Mame", Jerry Herman's musical adaptation of the novel "Auntie Mame". The director's first choice for the role had been Rosalind Russell, who played Mame in the non-musical film adaptation "Auntie Mame", but she had declined. Lansbury actively sought the role in the hope that it would mark a change in her career. When she was chosen, it came as a surprise to theatre critics, who believed that it would go to a better-known actress; Lansbury was forty-one years old, and it was her first starring role. Mame Dennis was a glamorous character, with over twenty costume changes throughout the play, and Lansbury's role involved ten songs and dance routines which she trained extensively for. First appearing in Philadelphia and then Boston, "Mame" opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway in May 1966. "Auntie Mame" was already popular among the gay community, and "Mame" gained Lansbury a cult gay following, something that she later attributed to the fact that Mame Dennis was "every gay person's idea of glamour ... Everything about Mame coincided with every young man's idea of beauty and glory and it was lovely."