Barry Bounous wrote:
>
> I became less "Enchanted" as the evening progressed (pun deeply
> intended).
I missed the show - I suppose I could have taped it, but
despite good newspaper reviews, I didn't expect anything
because I wasn't optimistic about the casting. As much as I
admire Glenn Close as an actress, I could not envision her
as Nellie Forbush for too many reasons, starting with her
strong, mature persona. I could never imagine her being able
to convince me as being a naive, inexperienced, bubbly
small-town girl with ingrained prejudices she's never
thought about before.
I really liked the
> production in many ways, but why o why couldn't the use better voices........
Why don't they use better voices, you ask! Here comes my
usual rant....because nobody in the Broadway-show business
cares about good singing, that's why. (In fact, nobody
outside the opera business seems to care about good
singing.) Because they use microphones on stage (and
screen), they cast for looks and charisma and it seems that
singing is the least important factor in the casting
decision. If a performer can sing, that's OK, but it
doesn't seem to be a job requirement any more, hardly.
Everyone once in awhile I come across a performer whose
voice is not beautiful and whose vocal technique may not be
perfect, but the performer can SING, i.e., communicate the
music through and act with the voice. As an example I'm
thinking of a wonderful actor who performed the title role
of Sweeney Todd at Signature Theater here last year (sans
electronic amplification). His name is Norm Lewis, and he's
a NY stage actor, and he doesn't have a great voice or a
classical vocal technique. But he could SING, and I loved
his singing and his performance.
OK, rant over.
Peggy
--
Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
"Music for a While Shall All Your Cares Beguile"
mailto:peggyh@i...
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