The one I always go back to is Judy Collins's rendition of "Send in the Clowns." It's such a pure rendition of a non-singer's song that so many legit singers tend to over-sing.
icecreambenjamin said: "Judi Dench- Send in the Clowns
Meryl Streep- Last Midnight
Bernadette Peters- Not A Day Goes By
Mandy Patinkin- Finishing the Hat
Patti Lupone- By the Sea
Donna Murphy- Losing my Mind
Elaine Stritch- I'm Still Here
Audra Mcdonald- The Glamorous Life
"
4 of those choices are actors singing a song from a role they were cast in. The whole point of this thread is to explore song choices from roles actors weren't cast in.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
This one is meant for laughs, but I really enjoy Carly Sakolove singing "Send In The Clowns" while impersonating multiple familiar Broadway voices. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ9YDl8xbxQ
*"Of course" because I'm clearly a huge fan of his, not because I expect his version to be everyone else's favorite too.
I'm no purist- I love Tom Waits's rendition of "Somewhere" as a jazz ballad. His voice was never rougher than there, but his tender bleeding heart was never more evident either.
For a guiltier pleasure, in terms of crooners and vocal stylists who have covered "Send In the Clowns" devoid of context, I think Tom Jones gets more than anyone that the song is about both the twilight of a relationship and the twilight of a performing career. (Although the Prince of Wales has managed the knack of reinventing himself successfully in a way that his ancestor Sinatra never fully pulled off.)
qolbinau said: "icecreambenjamin said: "Judi Dench- Send in the Clowns
Meryl Streep- Last Midnight
Bernadette Peters- Not A Day Goes By
Mandy Patinkin- Finishing the Hat
Patti Lupone- By the Sea
Donna Murphy- Losing my Mind
Elaine Stritch- I'm Still Here
Audra Mcdonald- The Glamorous Life
"
4 of those choices are actors singing a song from a role they were cast in. The whole point of this thread is to explore song choices from roles actors weren't cast in.
"
I shared my favorite Sondheim song performances. I'll post what I want.
icecreambenjamin said: "qolbinau said: "icecreambenjamin said: "Judi Dench- Send in the Clowns
Meryl Streep- Last Midnight
Bernadette Peters- Not A Day Goes By
Mandy Patinkin- Finishing the Hat
Patti Lupone- By the Sea
Donna Murphy- Losing my Mind
Elaine Stritch- I'm Still Here
Audra Mcdonald- The Glamorous Life
"
4 of those choices are actors singing a song from a role they were cast in. The whole point of this thread is to explore song choices from roles actors weren't cast in.
"
I shared my favorite Sondheim song performances. I'll post what I want.
"
I mean, yes you will - but what I am suggesting is that 1. It makes you look a little stupid that you couldn't follow the topic of the thread and, 2. It makes it boring for others (or at least, me) if you were to follow your more general criteria because I pretty much know every Sondheim cast recording, so I was hoping that people's responses could direct me to things I might not have heard (e.g., Rannels Being Alive - I didn't know he had sung it).
If you want to continue being annoying about it, feel free. It's only making you look bad.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Side note: Regarding the OP's 'criteria' for this thread; as I understood it, they preferred not mandated the performances be out of context. They even went as far as to say "happy to hear any and all favorites." Sure, it's great to see/hear other interpretations of great songs but sometimes the original version is truly the best.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
I love Julie Wilson's renditions of Sondheim, but I especially like this take on "I'm Here." She manages to convey the spirit of the song in such a straightforward manner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd3UtltqLgA
Side note: Regarding the OP's 'criteria' for this thread; as I understood it, they preferred not mandated the performances be out of context. They even went as far as to say "happy to hear any and all favorites." Sure, it's great to see/hear other interpretations of great songs but sometimes the original version is truly the best.
"
Exactly. qolbinau, your initial response was extremely rude and uncalled for.
I think my follow up response was somewhat rude and probably uncalled for, but the initial one wasn't that rude and still remains mostly true.
However, to acknowledge my error and if it makes you feel better perhaps I can record myself singing the Judge's Johanna (Mea Culpa) and see if it worthy to make any of the lists in this thread :P.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
Part of my reason for creating the thread is to discover performances by those other than the original cast member because
1) I know there are great interpretations out there and love to hear more
2) Love original versions (and prefer them for the majority of Sondheims compositions for numerous reasons) and am always curious and very excited when someone takes a great original performance and finds something more, or extra or new in a song (like Barbra with Send in The Clowns)
3) I know this board is filled with some people who have been enjoying sondheim before I was even born, and have a deep love and passion and knowledge of all things Stephen Sondheim
Appreciate all the posts, and shared a link myself to Raul Esparza's Being Alive (well known of course for his lead role in the 2006 revival of Company) during the tonys because I had not heard before and it was just stunning
I think one of the greatest values of this group are sharing things we have experienced with others who love musical theatre as much as we all obviously do.
artscallion said: "Audra McDonald's - The Glamorous Life. She's done it many times, including the 80th birthday celebration. But this particular rendition is absolute perfection.
broadwaysfguy said: "Appreciate all the posts, and shared a link myself to Raul Esparza's Being Alive (well known of course for his lead role in the 2006 revival of Company) during the tonys because I had not heard before and it was just stunning"
I think that is my favorite version of all the ones I've heard. It absolutely trumps, for me, the Original Cast version.
Darquegk, Tom Waits's version of Somewhere is an unexpected beauty, a perfect opener to a treasure of an album.
Aretha Franklin also recorded a gorgeous jazz-inflected version of Somewhere in the early 70's, highlighting her piano playing as well as her in-its-prime voice. It is beautiful (and not to be confused with the more bombastic diva version she recorded on a celebrity WSS studio album many years later).
I do think of Somewhere as Bernstein's more than Sondheim's, but of course they did both write it.
And I prefer reading about people's favorite cover versions of these songs as opposed to cast-associated versions. I took the original post as asking for those as well.
thanks for audra and nathans too many mornings-first time hearing that and it is wonderful!
agree with you that often the original version is the best and many on this board seem to agree especially when it comes to sondheim. i think another poster on another sondheim thread went so far as to say the Original cast version of every sondheim song was the best, period!
thats what makes threads like this fun, is finding those gems where other artists, whether not associated with a show or through revivals took something already great and found something new or fresh or more in a song....
Alice Ripley did an "all Sondheim" concert last year. I loved the entire show, but I think her "Rose's Turn" was the highlight for me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0olFv4dkUc4