FOLLIES Reviews- Page 8

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 9/18/11 at 10:42pm

Bernadette Peters's voice definitely sounds shot. Her "Losing My Mind" did nothing for me. I'm still puzzled about Brantley's comments about her singing in the NYT review; it sounds like he's making excuses for her not-so-great vocals.

And I was afraid for Peters during "Too Many Mornings." I wasn't sure she was going to make it through that number! That and I still have burned into my memory the performance Nathan Gunn and Audra McDonald gave of the same song at Sondheim's birthday concert - Gunn and McDonald's singing was just heavenly.

I definitely didn't feel like I was in heaven when I heard "Too Many Mornings" on Friday night. Thought Ron Raines was fine. Peters? Not so much.

[ljay889]

Posted: 9/18/11 at 10:46pm

I do believe people tend to exaggerate on Bernadette's vocal state. It does seem that her vocal performance fluctuates from performance to performance. But I agree with qolbinau, she can be in perfect voice, and people will still have a comment about it. It's definitely an acquired taste.

[NYCBound91]

Posted: 9/18/11 at 11:35pm

Just saw it today. I personally felt Bernadette's voice was just fine, but I've also never had the chance to see her live before, so I can only compare it to recordings. It's also possible that I was automatically more forgiving about it, because she's Bernadette Peters and I was excited enough about seeing her in person that I wasn't overanalyzing. Her acting, though, was fantastic.

Personally, I thought Jan Maxwell was absolutely the highlight of the show. Her acting was incredible, and I had no idea she could dance, but she definitely pulled it off well. Her "Could I Leave You" was perfect.

I think it's true that the Marquis isn't the best for sound quality. I was in the Mezz and had trouble hearing some of the lyrics, and I'm assuming it's due to dead space rather than the actors' diction. I also noticed a lot of places where the actors were ahead of or behind the orchestra, and wasn't sure if that was just due to a sound delay because of where I was sitting, or if they were actually a little out of sync. Anyone who's seen the show multiple times might have more insight on that.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 9/18/11 at 11:40pm

I do believe people tend to exaggerate on Bernadette's vocal state. It does seem that her vocal performance fluctuates from performance to performance. But I agree with qolbinau, she can be in perfect voice, and people will still have a comment about it. It's definitely an acquired taste.

I haven't seen Follies yet, but as someone who was once a very big fan of hers, I have to say I don't think her voice has aged well. Even comparing her singing in Annie Get Your Gun to now, I can hear the effort in her singing.

That being said, I haven't seen Follies, and will have a better-formed opinion [specific to that score] when I do.

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 9/19/11 at 4:04am

"Personally, I thought Jan Maxwell was absolutely the highlight of the show. Her acting was incredible, and I had no idea she could dance, but she definitely pulled it off well. Her 'Could I Leave You' was perfect."

Agreed. Jan Maxwell, to me, is the best part of "Follies." Haven't seen her perform since the revival of "The Sound of Music" and she was excellent as Phyllis.