Theatre Talk: In Our Own Little Corner

[Milburn Stone]

But of course the realities are all against it. A 40-piece orchestra with a massive mixed chorus for a commercial run? Actors dream of it, producers long to do it, but the numbers always knock it out. The audience for it just isn't huge enough to keep the theater open...I'd better come clean and say that I don't like the revival recording at all (if you're referring to the one with two pianos) -- I'm glad if others can enjoy it, but for me the elimination of an orchestra is fatal.

 

I can see how the two-piano version would fail to satisfy as a recording. That production happens to be the one out of all of them that I've actually seen, and every time Spiro Malas sang "I Don't Know Nothing About Her," I sobbed. So I thought the production worked on stage--but that was no doubt in large part due to the score being part of a full dramatization of the book, which the recording doesn't present. I can only imagine how I'd receive the show in a theater with full staging and full orchestra.

[bosawks]

I thought Sophie Hayden was genius. One of the truly underrated Broadway performances.

[Rinaldo]

As someone whose research speciality is the analysis, restoration, and publication of orchestrations for musicals, don't ever expect me to be impartial about productions that eliminate the orchestra as if it were a negligible nuisance.

 

Yes, Sophie Hayden as Rosabella was remarkable, a re-invention of a role that actually worked and was true to the text. She could be this chain-smoking worldly gal without losing the appeal that would charm Tony on sight, and while remaining the person who can sing these ingenue-y songs. Laura Benanti managed a great deal of this as well, in the context of Encores; that duality is very much in her wheelhouse.

 

As far as preservation of her performance goes, we do have most of Scene 1 of the show, from an earlier Encores gala program of various scenes. This one has Laura Benanti as Rosabella and Emily Skinner as Cleo.

[DisneyBoy]

I finally got to see a bootleg of Emma Stone in Cabaret. Had very much wanted to see the show since I'd only seen the movie...in the end it's Alan Cummings and the rest of the cast who wowed me. A really terrific production, and I enjoyed it more than the film (which is good in its own way but has a less tight story).

Emma seemed a bit too skiddish and hyper as Sally. I had a hard time forgetting it was Emma Stone trying on a Broadway experience, sadly. And while I know Sally isn't supposed to be a great vocalist, Emma's lack of control made it hard to enjoy what she was offering up.

The ending was incredibly powerful. I had chills and was really freaked.

Watching clips of Natasha Richardson as Sally kind of makes me think the show must have been astonishing with both her and Alan bringing the gravitas and drama. I hope I can someday see a full video of Natasha in the role...

[aradia22]

 

I finally got to see a bootleg of Emma Stone in Cabaret.

Oh my God, where did you find a bootleg? Message me. I agree that Alan Cumming was the one who really shone in that production.

[Kris223]

For anyone in the D.C. area, Kiss Me Kate at The Shakespeare Theatre was terrific.

[aradia22]

I saw Tappin Thru Life with Maurice Hines. (Blah, blah, tell you more later.) It's great. I think you'd all really enjoy it. It's more of a concert than a show with a story. It's a concert with anecdotes. But the music is all great. He picks a lot of Broadway songs that are also standards (I've Grown Accustomed to Your Face, Luck Be A Lady, etc.) as well as regular standards (Honeysuckle Rose, etc.). The show consists of a lot of tributes (Lena Horne, Frank Sinatra, his brother, his parents, etc.). It's not really trying to reach huge emotional depths but I did tear up at times. He's a consummate performer and unquestionably a star. He has this ineffable thing about him. I felt privileged to be watching him and I couldn't help but think that he deserved a bigger audience though I think the show worked well in that space. The tapping was great. Really fast and energetic and kind of hard... they pounded the ground. Maurice sang pretty well (I think his lower register sounds great but he used it sparingly) and his tapping is fantastic. I'm not 72 and I was tired just watching him. It's more of a concert though. More songs than dance numbers. One of my favorite parts was his band of divas. They were all women. No one made a big deal out of it. They played the drums and the piano and the trumpet and the sax, etc. and they were flawless. Seriously, so good. I think the music was calibrated a little loud at times but other than that, I loved it. It was almost as good as the band at After Midnight which still stands as my favorite instance of a band playing that kind of music but here each of the divas got more time to show off and damn are they talented. They more than rose to the occasion and I can't believe they do that every night.

Saw The Barber of Seville for the first time in the theatre this afternoon. English translation. Pretty good. The English translation didn't bother me too much (compared to Die Fledermaus and The Merry Widow) because the story is silly and simple and it was a matinee with a lot of families in the audience. Isabel Leonard is so beautiful and a fairly good actress. I also liked the Figaro. My opinion of the other actors varied from song to song but all in all it was a fun afternoon. I'd like to see The Marriage of Figaro now.

Listened to Brigadoon for the first time. I was going to listen to Flower Drum Song but I realized Spotify only has the Broadway albums (why, Spotify!?! And why won't you let me download the albums I have on my computer? Grr...). It's a good score. I can see where the Gene Kelly/Cyd Charisse movie failed to capture that now. It's also a good album to have on a playlist. It's easy to listen to (in a good way).

[Rinaldo]

Which recording of Brigadoon did you hear? A quick check of Spotify suggests that it has the film soundtrack, the original cast recording, a 1988 London recording, and the studio recording with Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy. The last of these is the best in my opinion (it has all the songs in their complete form at least, which the OCR does not), but -- here I go being That Guy again -- the EMI Classics studio recording (with Rebecca Luker, Judy Kaye, Brent Barrett) is a clear standout among all recordings of this score, because it's the ONLY one that includes the important ballet music, which forms such a big part of the show, and which stuffs a CD to bursting point. Anyway, I'm glad that you liked the score!

[aradia22]

Rinaldo, I went with the studio recording with Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy. I decided to move on to Skyscraper (1965). It's great! It's not the best sung... or the best written music... but it's SO charming. I'm surprised more of these songs aren't performed in cabaret acts. I'm not sure if I would like the show but it makes for a great listen as an album. I'd love to see Encores do it.

[Rinaldo]

(Another nice thing about the Jones-Cassidy recording is that you get the great Susan Johnson, also the original Cleo in Most Happy Fella.)

 

Yes, Skyscraper has its appeal, definitely. It's often on the "someday" lists that people talk about for Encores!, because while "charm" is a risky proposition for a commercial run, it can be just right for a one-time presentation like theirs. 

[Charlie Baker]

Stunned to learn the very gifted Marin Mazzie has been battling cancer, receiving the diagnosis when she was doing the Encores Zorba.  Wishing her well.

 

Good NYT article here:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/31/theater/marin-mazzie-on-cancer-and-songs-in-the-key-of-life.html?smid=tw-nytimesarts&smtyp=cur

[aradia22]

Charlie, I make it a point not to cover illnesses or deaths in the TNRs because I feel like it trivializes those issues to put them under my silly headings. I recommend checking out Jason Danieley's post on the subject on his blog. They both seem like really lovely people.

[Charlie Baker]

A wonderful 2016 and as much theater as you want, Theater Talkers.

[Milburn Stone]

Yes, Skyscraper has its appeal, definitely. It's often on the "someday" lists that people talk about for Encores!...

 

With Van Heusen's Broadway scores (more than with most composers), I can sense him saying "this is the song that Sinatra or somebody might sing," and "these are the songs that nobody ever is going to sing."

[Rick Kitchen]

Going to see Pippin tomorrow in downtown Sacramento.  John Rubinstein, who originated the role of Pippin on Broadway, plays the King.

[SomeTameGazelle]

I finally got to see a bootleg of Emma Stone in Cabaret. Had very much wanted to see the show since I'd only seen the movie...in the end it's Alan Cummings and the rest of the cast who wowed me. A really terrific production, and I enjoyed it more than the film (which is good in its own way but has a less tight story).

Emma seemed a bit too skiddish and hyper as Sally. I had a hard time forgetting it was Emma Stone trying on a Broadway experience, sadly. And while I know Sally isn't supposed to be a great vocalist, Emma's lack of control made it hard to enjoy what she was offering up.

 

 

 

 

We saw Michelle Williams last year and it seemed like her Sally was terrified of performing, which seemed odd if it was a deliberate choice. Even if Sally isn't the best singer, surely she should seem as if she thrives on being onstage.

[Rinaldo]

I have a feeling I may have said this in this thread before, but as someone who's studied and taught musicals for a while now, I've never bought this "Sally Bowles is a mediocre performer, therefore the actress playing her shouldn't sing well" business (I don't mean here -- it's said a lot in articles and books). Singing is the medium by which musicals convey their emotional truth to us, it's not a detail in a documentary. Plus (in the stage show, through not in the movie), she has "plot" songs as well as diegetic onstage songs; it makes no sense for her to do the former badly, as if Sally is an inept conversationalist. I want Sally, like any other musical theater character, to sing as well as possible (in accordance with character and style, of course -- I don't mean that I want everyone to sound like Joan Sutherland). Her lack of stardom in cabaret, if it's felt to be essential, can be conveyed deliberately, like any other acting choice, not through inadvertent amateurishness. She can seem overeager, or cold, or whatever.

[aradia22]

Holiday TNR is up. Here are your highlights

• "Tonya Pinkins, who is currently starring in the title role of the Classic Stage Company production of Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children will depart the production Jan. 5, 2016." (I don't want to bring all the drama of the BWW thread here. I will say that I saw the play. I didn't write about it here but it was not very good. I also saw Invisible Thread that day but decided not to write about it either. I'm glad I got to see Tonya Pinkins in a show but the acting was very uneven and you could feel the troubles of the production in what was presented on stage.)
• An industry reading of Death — The Musical will be presented Jan. 14-15, 2016, in Manhattan. The new musical features book, lyrics and music by Paul Gordon. The cast will be headed by Gabriel Ebert with Megan McGinnis, Sarah Litzsinger, Beth Leavel, Kate Reinders and Leigh Ann Larkin. (Not too much interest in this production but some great casting. I like many of these people. Not sure about Paul Gordon. I really like Daddy Long Legs because I feel like his style fits that show but it's a bit odd to have people constantly monologuing all their thoughts in his other shows and he does a lot of book adaptations of authors with strong voices of their own that get swallowed up in the same-y ness of his style.)
• Feinstein's/54 Below's "54 Sings" concert series will continue Jan. 7, 2016, with a concert version of Kiss Me, Kate. The performances will feature the talents of Robert Cuccioli, Lesli Margherita, Danny Gardner, and Carole J. Bufford. (I'm conflicted because I love the Brent Barett/Rachel York taped production but I've never seen a proper production. This would only be a concert but I'd love to see Lesli as Lily/Katherine. But it's difficult to justify $50+ for a night out for a concert version of a show just to see one person. Even if I do love the show.)
• Galavant returns 1/3/16 (I will probably watch. Will I enjoy it? Who knows.)

[aradia22]

I decided to treat myself to a little amazon shopping trip as a Christmas gift. I picked up some books and CD's. One of them was Judy Kuhn's Just in Time. I decided to listen to it to make sure it's working properly. It's Judy Kuhn so it certainly doesn't sound bad but I don't think I really love her voice in this kind of cabaret style. It's the same way I don't really want to hear Kristin Chenoweth's country music or Idina's pop music. A lot of the songs drag and don't sound as joyful as they should.

 

The songs that sound more like straight theatre songs are lovely. I liked "Who Are You Now," "Hey Look, No Cryin,'" "I Said No," and "Look at You, Look at Me." (What is Sweater Girl and what is Sis Hopkins?) The arrangement of "You'll Never Get Away From Me" has its moments but I'd rather hear it sung straight. "The Music That Makes Me Dance," "The Party's Over," and "Everything's Coming Up Roses" picked up by the end but they're not my favorite renditions of any of those songs.

 

Does anyone know how to download these songs so Spotify will recognize them? Still miffed that I can't play Doctor Zhivago, The Visit, Heathers, Violet, and Anastasia without popping those albums in.

[aradia22]

I popped in Andrea Burns' A Deeper Shade of Red next. Happily, both albums play fine. Not that I'm unhappy to have the Judy Kuhn CD but I'm really thrilled with this time. At times Andrea Burns' voice is a bit sharp/brittle in her higher register but for the most part she picks fantastic songs and sings them wonderfully. Definitely recommend this one.

[aradia22]

I had to break out the good headphones for Daddy Long Legs. It sounds great. Not as good as Paul Alexander Nolan in the theater but great and Megan McGinnis' voice sounds bright and gorgeous.

[Charlie Baker]

I would listen to Judy Kuhn sing the phone book, so I think I like Just in Time more than you do, aradia.  I agree with you about some of the arrangements. Her Laura Nyro album, the title of which escapes me at the moment, is poppish, too. But I like Nyro's songs very much, and again, love the voice.  And I second your Andrea Burns endorsement.

Afraid I am of no help when it comes to Spotify.

[bosawks]

Judy's most recent album, "Rodgers, Rodgers & Guettel" is fantastic.

My personal favorite of hers, although I highly recommend downloading "Yolanda" from the Broadway Lullaby Project album. Just pure voice in that song if you love Judy.

[aradia22]

"Rodgers, Rodgers & Guettel" is on Spotify. It's next up in my queue. I listened to the first song and I already think I'm going to like it better.

[Rinaldo]

I've liked Judy Kuhn for a long time, I have both the Styne CD and RR&G; I honestly haven't played the former much in the 20 years I've owned it, the latter considerably more. But I find that I prefer to hear her in a theatrical context reacting to others.

 

Her 1987 feat of appearing in two original casts' vignettes on the Tony Awards remains unmatched, I think: first, earthy belting in the closed Rags, then high soprano in Les Mis. She's effective on the OBCR of Chess, and I loved her in the Encores! Strike Up the Band. But I liked her best of all in She Loves Me in 1993, part of a chain of bad luck with recordings: she left She Loves Me when it transferred for an open-ended run and thereby didn't take part on the cast recording (Diane Fratantoni replaced her); the reason she left was to be in Sunset Boulevard, but she left its cast as it moved to Broadway (maternity leave, if I recall right) and thus Alice Ripley made the recording.

[bosawks]

Judy's in Sunset but not in She Loves Me, which is tragic, for those of us who saw her it was a gift.

Rinaldo, I will defer to you in everything except, possibly, Judy Kuhn recordings....

Edited January 3, 2016 by bosawks

[Rinaldo]

Judy's in Sunset

Sorry, I shouldn't have relied on memory for that bit. Yes, it was the LA production that got recorded. Kuhn didn't move to Broadway with the cast, but no new recording was made after the cast changes.

 

Judy Kuhn is also terrific on the recording of the Menken-Rice oratorio/concert/whatyouwill King David -- if you can find it (I believe copies have become rare).

[bosawks]

Ironically who is Bathsheba to her Michal.......Alice Ripley.

Although, Judy gets the much better song.

Edited January 4, 2016 by bosawks

[aradia22]

Had a fun night out at The 39 Steps. I don't know when these actors joined the company but the show still feels as fresh as when I saw it years ago (with other actors) at New World Stages. Yes, it's a bit cheesy and silly but I knew that so I just let myself go with it and laugh. I think it's my third closing night counting the Side Show revival and Africa My Beautiful. The producer made a speech thanking everyone involved and then we all put on our clown noses for a photo. He implied they might be going back to Broadway but that seems like a long shot with how often they're on discount/comp sites. Oh, well. Great night out.

 

I know I said I was going to listen to Judy Kuhn's album but I am choosing to listen to The King and I revival with Kelli O'Hara instead. For those of you also listening on Spotify, use the good headphones. Kelli sounds great. Still not convinced this is a British accent but it her voice sounds really lovely on this album. I think Ken might sound better than he did in the theatre but I don't like it. He's... singing more and it doesn't sound bad but I liked the Rex Harrison talk-singing he was doing during the performance better.

Edited January 4, 2016 by aradia22

[Rick Kitchen]

I saw Pippin at the California Musical Theatre in Sacramento yesterday.

 

Cast:

Leading Player - Gabrielle McClinton - http://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Gabrielle-McClinton/

Fastrada - Kate Wesler - https://www.backstage.com/katewesler/

Berthe - Sabrina Harper - http://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Sabrina-Harper/

Lewis - Erik Altemus (he created the role in the revival on Broadway - http://www.broadwayworld.com/people/erik-altemus/

Charles - John Rubinstein (the original Broadway Pippin) - http://www.broadwayworld.com/people/john-rubinstein/

Pippin - Brian Flores - http://www.ibdb.com/Person/View/502430

Catherine - Bradley Benjamin - http://www.broadwayworld.com/people/bradley-benjamin/

 

The revival has reimagined the entire shore as a circus/magic show.  The players are acrobats and magicians, and they do a tremendous job.  So much goes on behind the main actors, it's really fun to watch.  My favorite bit is, in the second act, after Pippin has stabbed Charles and has changed his mind, we see Charles with a knife in his chest, Pippin reaches behind him, and you can see his hand going through Charles's body and pulling the knife out the back.

 

I can't imagine Irene Ryan (Granny from The Beverly Hillbillies) doing the acrobatic stunts that the actress who played Berthe does in this production.  :)

 

Brian Flores has a really nice voice, I enjoyed him, although I haven't yet heard a single performance by anybody that can hit the high note at the end of "Corner of the Sky".

 

I didn't really care for Gabrielle McClinton's performance because she cam across as too "theatrical".  Now maybe that's what they're going for, but it wasn't a natural performance.

 

One of the players is a giant named Dmitrious Bistrevsky.  His acrobatics were outstanding.

 

 

I had problems in the first act with the guy sitting to my left who kept trying to take over the whole arm rest.  He kept setting his arm on top of mine, and I had to keep pushing him off.  Finally, at intermission, he switched with the woman he was with, and the second act was much more comfortable.

 

[aradia22]

I saw Clever Little Lies tonight. 4 person cast. Pretty, basic living room set. Unremarkable sets for the other scenes. I did not like the panels/videos as transition. Pretty good performances all around. Kate Wetherhead gave the most natural performance. The play balances comedy with drama but I always felt like her character was a real person whereas with the others it felt kind of sitcom-y at times. Greg Mullavey was very winning. He gets the part that's easiest to like and the most sympathetic. I think Marlo Thomas was just OK with the humor. Most of her jokes didn't land that hard in the beginning but she did nicely with the dramatic scenes later. George Merrick was by no means terrible but he plays a schmuck and he plays that schmuck in a schmucky way. The play is not written so that character is irredeemable but he's kind of locked in to playing what's there. The turn towards the dramatic makes the play a little stronger but even then it's not trying to say anything all that deep or revolutionary or complex. You very much know how you're supposed to feel at all times and I don't think it really leaves you to form your own opinions that much as an audience member. And more so than other works, this definitely feels like it's written for an older audience. You're mostly closely aligned with the perspective of the two older characters and that perspective comes through in the writing of the play. For example, Marlo's character rails against 60 Shades of Grey and the commercialization of bookstores and the growing shift towards new technology. You judge the son from the perspective of his parents.

 

I wouldn't dissuade anyone from seeing it but it's far from must-see theatre.

[aradia22]

TNR is up. Highlights!

• All of the closings: Dames at Sea, Therese Raquin, The Humans, 39 Steps, Sylvia, Hand to God, Lord of the Dance
• Clever Little Lies announces closing date
• Hamilton lottery going digital. Predictably there were some issues. Producers announced that they would return to a live lottery outside the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Jan. 6.
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is also offering a digital lottery.
• Free reading of Stephen Kaplan's The Community
• Kyle Selig has been cast as Elder Price in the Book of Mormon. His run will be 1/5-2/21.
• Kecia Lewis will replace Tonya Pinkins in CSC's Mother Courage and Her Children
• Victoria Justice (Janet) and Ryan McCarten (Brad) have been cast in Fox's Rocky Horror Picture Show. Reeve Carney (Riff Raff) and Staz Nair also cast.
• First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare will tour. (June 7-July 17: New York Historical Society, New York, NY)

Listening to Liz Callaway's The Story Goes On. It's fantastic. Also, I'm going to be recapping again soon (not Galavant) so the TNR's will probably stay infrequent for a while (maybe every 3-7 days).

[aradia22]

[Rinaldo]

 

Listening to Liz Callaway's The Story Goes On. It's fantastic. 

It sure is. The whole CD by that title, and also the particular song of that name by Maltby and Shire. I remember seeing her (then unknown to me and pretty much everyone) end Act I of the musical Baby in 1983 by performing this song, by herself on an empty stage, and it was an ecstatic experience for me and everyone in the audience. One of those moments where you think "a star is being born before my eyes."

[Charlie Baker]

I saw Ms. Calloway in Baby too, Rinaldo, and had the exact same reaction.  Her album of Frank Loesser songs is quite lovely, too, as I recall.

I don't imagine you're too disappointed not to recap Galavant, aradia. :-)

[aradia22]

It's interesting to listen to Liz Callaway after Judy Kuhn and Kelli O'Hara (as Anna). I don't think rankings are very worthwhile but what I love about her voice aside from her technical skill and ease is... well, she never sounds prim like some sopranos can be but I don't think she could ever be tawdry. She can be romantic and kind of sexy but it's like that perfect midpoint between the more classical soprano sound and the more modern stuff with the high belting. She's a great interpreter of songs and her voice just feels like the perfect embodiment of a feeling because you're not as conscious of technique. When I listen to this album, it's like I'm hearing the pure distillation of the emotion behind each song. I wish she would do another musical.

 

Btw, I love the song "Run, Run, Run Cinderella" but the wikipedia page is not very helpful besides saying there wasn't a cast album. Does anyone know how the song fits into the show? Is there more of the music on other recordings (maybe from solo artists like this one)?

Edited January 6, 2016 by aradia22

[Rinaldo]

Unlike the other two you mention, Liz Callaway never have called herself a soprano to my knowledge, and never did roles identifies as such (with both Kuhn and O'Hara did, repeatedly). But she had/has that beautiful unstrained, seemingly seamless voice from the low alto G through two octaves to the upper G (all of which "The Story Goes On" uses), and which serves her so well in everything she's done. And in an appearance with Seth Rudetsky not long ago (it's online), she did pop up to the upper C at the end of that song, just for fun and to see if she could -- she remarked that she couldn't have done it years ago, but decades of work and study have developed her access to "her soprano" as she put it.

 

Her sister Ann Hampton Callaway doesn't have a comparable stage history (aside from a run in Swing! as a band singer), but an even more remarkable vocalist in some ways, if less in others. Their live recording of their club act Sibling Revelry is one of my favorite things.

 

Like most people, I expect, I have little idea about Foxy beyond knowing one or two of the songs. I would love to see a reconstruction somewhere, some day. It's rather remarkable that it wasn't recorded -- it wasn't a success, but it didn't close overnight, RCA Victor had the recording rights, and Bert Lahr was a huge name who won a Tony for his role.

[aradia22]

TNR is up.As usual, these are just highlights. Go to the link for the full TNR. I'm writing two recaps this week (hopefully) but if all goes well, the TNR's will resume after the weekend, which is good because weekends tend to be slow news days anyway.

• Allegiance will close Feb. 14 after 37 previews and 113 regular performances. (Disappointed this couldn't find an audience. Trying the lottery as often as I can but if it doesn't work out this month, I'll have to try something else.)
• Tony Yazbeck will take over the role of J.M. Barrie in Finding Neverland beginning Tuesday, January 26 (I don't automatically picture Yazbeck and Morrison playing the same parts but glad he's coming back to Broadway.)
• John Riddle Keep It Simple will play Feinstein's/54 Below Jan. 21 (Great voice and the doubling was one of the best parts of The Visit. Anyone want to go and tell me how it is?)
• The HBO adaptation of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, starring six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald as Billie Holiday, will premiere on March 12. (WRITE THIS DOWN. We finally have a date.)
• Jeanine Tesori has added Elizabeth Swados' 1978 musical Runaways to the 2016 Encores! Off-Center season. (Don't know this show but I'm probably curious enough to see this.)

[aradia22]

 

Trailer for The Get Down. Is that Lillias White?

[aradia22]

I saw The Mystery of Irma Vep tonight. It's been on goldstar presumably since the start of its run given how often I've seen it listed so I was curious. It was cute. I don't think I'll get to see A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder so I wanted to see something similar... this was not really that. The humor was not overwhelmingly funny or clever but it was amusing enough and the audience seemed ready to laugh. I picked up on the many Wuthering Heights references. There was also a bit of Jane Eyre and I got the overt Rebecca references but I probably missed some. This is one of those satires that doesn't really stand alone from what it's satirizing. It needed more humor as lots of it was just a basic retread of plot points from these other stories that came across as dull. The best part is not the material but what the two actors bring to it. Lots of great moments of reacting and mugging and just so much work going back and forth playing all of those characters.

 

Still generally inoffensive (the bit in Egypt wasn't the most respectful but you can excuse it later) and relatively fun for a 1 hour 30 minute show.

[bosawks]

Great news, Marin Mazzie is in remission!

[aradia22]

I attended another 92Y concert tonight. Kathleen Marshall put together a pretty good program. Generally the choices were safe crowd-pleasers but within that she found an interesting mix of styles and types of songs, etc. It was a bit disappointing to not hear Santino Fontana sing Love Can't Happen and Being Alive but his replacement was good. Just not Santino. I think there were colds going around so I will refrain from commenting too much on the quality of the performances. But I'm becoming a bigger and bigger fan of Betsy Wolfe. She sang "Perfectly Marvelous" and I'm with Rinaldo on wanting a Sally who can sing. She was so charming. Ann Harada is comedic and vocal perfection. She has such a distinctive voice that it's easy to think it just comes out of her but that doesn't acknowledge all of the choices she's making. I'm not going to listen to She Loves Me until I see the show but Elena Shaddow did a lovely rendition of the ice cream song (I assume, not knowing what it should sound like). She had a lot of nice moments throughout the evening but if I'm comparing her with Liz Callaway I don't think she's the perfect vocal choice for Anastasia. There's more texture... like a breathy, folksy (think her song in Bridges) quality to her voice. She also has a pretty soprano but it's not that really clear sound that Liz has and my hope would be that they would look for an actress with a voice like that. But with shoulder-length hair I can definitely see her looking the part.

[aradia22]

Decided to listen to the OBC album of Camelot. God, I forgot how good this score is. I think it goes a bit downhill with the Mordred stuff but Andrews is perfection and Goulet just slays me.

[Rick Kitchen]

OMG, how did I not know this was a thing?

 

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Raul Esparza singing "A Boy Like That"

 

[Rinaldo]

That's great! And I haven't seen that particular one before. One Miscast that I have watched, an embarrassing number of times, is Jonathan Groff, who taught himself Sutton Foster's entire 8-minute routine for "Anything Goes":

 

Edited January 14, 2016 by Rinaldo

[Charlie Baker]

These are fun!  And another favorite, which I have posted before from the similarly themed Broadway Backwards:

 

[Rick Kitchen]

John Arthur Greene, who is in "Matilda" and played Riff in "West Side Story", was one of the auditioners on "American Idol" last night.  The judges, from their high and mighty perches, put him through to the next round, but barely, and felt a Broadway actor can't perform to the appropriate levels.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Rick Kitchen

[JustaPerson]

I hope they're not talking about vocally because all of the winners they've gone with in the past have been SO successful. 

 

I've always loved this one too:

 

Edited January 14, 2016 by JustaPerson

[DisneyBoy]

I have a feeling I may have said this in this thread before, but as someone who's studied and taught musicals for a while now, I've never bought this "Sally Bowles is a mediocre performer, therefore the actress playing her shouldn't sing well" business (I don't mean here -- it's said a lot in articles and books). Singing is the medium by which musicals convey their emotional truth to us, it's not a detail in a documentary. Plus (in the stage show, through not in the movie), she has "plot" songs as well as diegetic onstage songs; it makes no sense for her to do the former badly, as if Sally is an inept conversationalist. I want Sally, like any other musical theater character, to sing as well as possible (in accordance with character and style, of course -- I don't mean that I want everyone to sound like Joan Sutherland). Her lack of stardom in cabaret, if it's felt to be essential, can be conveyed deliberately, like any other acting choice, not through inadvertent amateurishness. She can seem overeager, or cold, or whatever.

 

We are in the same boat. If Emma had delivered a strong "Maybe This Time..." it would have elevated the whole interpretation. After all, she's singing in her own head, right? Wouldn't her voice be better, then?

 

I liken it to Lupone's "Rose's Turn". Obviously, the character isn't supposed to be some brilliant vocalist, so Patti gives her all the rough edges and makes her real. But then, in the midst of all the screaming and panting and wailing, a perfectly clear, strong "for....MeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEE-ARGH!" (which totally scared the poop out of me at the end there, and that was amazing).

 

All this to say, singing well while still being able to sound like you don't sing well is a skill that I wish more Sallys had.

 

We saw Michelle Williams last year and it seemed like her Sally was terrified of performing, which seemed odd if it was a deliberate choice. Even if Sally isn't the best singer, surely she should seem as if she thrives on being onstage.

 

Hmm...how was Sienna Miller? I imagine it must have helped to have an actual Brit playing Sally...

 

I really like Judy Kuhn but I also find her voice strangely consistent. Maybe it's the vibrato. But in the recording of Chess's "Nobody's Side" I find her as cold as she sometimes comes across in Pocahontas. Well...not cold exactly. She's human and there is warmth...but there's something so strong about her voice I find it odd. Just me? It certainly makes her unique.

 

Also...is anybody completely turned off by Pippin? I'm sorry to say it, I am, but that show always sounds and feels very "old" to me, which is strange because I'm pretty interested in works from all eras. Maybe it's the Fosse hands or something. Or the circus plus Fosse hands plus boring old coming-of-age story about a white guy. Who cares? LOL. Hopefully someday I'll see it and love it.

 

Decided to listen to the OBC album of Camelot. God, I forgot how good this score is. I think it goes a bit downhill with the Mordred stuff but Andrews is perfection and Goulet just slays me.

 

I bought the LP years ago at a garage sale and eagerly brought it home to give it a listen. It was all poppy and scratched up. Major bummer. I'll need to give a digital version a listen, I suppose. But after seeing the movie version, I'm deeply annoyed by "If I ever I would leave you..." and the title song and well...all of them. How could this version of such exciting lore be so utterly boring? I get that it's a throwback to the JFK era and that's part of the appeal, but....boy this take on Merlin/Arthur and Co. almost cuts off circulation to my head. Numbing and not fun.

 

Request: Do any of you have bootlegs? I keep visiting the same two blogs to see if anything new is up (as in, something I haven't seen before) but for the most part, I think I've worked through everything I wanted to see already. Also, I think YouTube has been much more vigilant in cracking down on bootlegs because stuff that used to be up last year is gone.

 

Interested in seeing Triumph of Love (with Susan Egan, Betty Buckley) or Annie Get Your Gun (with Bernadette Peters) or maybe the non-David Hasselhoff version of Jekyl & Clyde (because apparently, that's the only one readily available online!).

 

Or maybe a good quality Carol Channing Hello Dolly! or OBC of A Chorus Line. The one recording online of the latter is in really rough shape and bleached out....

 

Geez, I feel like such a crackhead asking for this. *rubs forearm* Gotta hit, man? I could really use a good hit! *scratches furiously*

 

EDIT: Just watched an Easter Bonnet competition with Avenue Q riffing on Lion King. Amazing. Avenue Q needs to stay on Broadway forever.

Edited January 15, 2016 by DisneyBoy

[aradia22]

 

But after seeing the movie version, I'm deeply annoyed by "If I ever I would leave you..." and the title song and well...all of them. How could this version of such exciting lore be so utterly boring? I get that it's a throwback to the JFK era and that's part of the appeal, but....boy this take on Merlin/Arthur and Co. almost cuts off circulation to my head. Numbing and not fun.

I would give the OBC a listen. It's on Spotify. If you're big into the Arthurian legend, Camelot may not be what you're looking for but if you can think about the show as a very particular piece of the puzzle focusing on Arthur's idealism and the love story/love triangle that score is gorgeous. It's part romantic melodrama (Lancelot is fun but not very complex but the story is quite sympathetic to Guinevere and of course, Julie Andrews) and part about utopia and a chivalric ideal and whether that's sustainable (spoiler alert: it's not).