Back Stage / Pit Voices - Why no more?

[sondhead]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 3:22pm

As I'm listening to my cast recording of The Wiz, I'm wondering--

Why does no one use pit or backstage voices anymore? It seems these days that unless people are on stage, they aren't allowed to sing which I think is a shame. A chorus as accompaniment (as an INSTRUMENT with no implied stage time) can be really effective and I don't think is as confusing as some people thing it should be. A voice can be an instrument just as much as the oboe in the pit can be.

There are some great pit voice arrangements from the 60's and 70's.. Company.. Promises Promises--The Wiz! I wish we saw them more these days and that in productions of these shows that they weren't cut or somehow worked into an onstage ensemble.

[jasobres]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 3:25pm

There are still pit voices used for "Mamma Mia!" There were also pit voices used for the production of "Brooklyn - The Musical". Matter of fact one of the voices for the latter was Manoel Felciano.

[sondhead]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 3:27pm

Yes, but in both of those aren't they just backing up dancing ensemble members? That's nothing like the pit voice usage in the shows I'm talking about.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 3:29pm

PROMISES, PROMISES at the Shubert uses 3 female pit singers.

[jasobres]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 3:30pm

No, they are literally singing from the pit and making it sound as if there are more than 5 or so people on stage. They showed behind the scenes footage of "Mamma Mia!" from the pit.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 3:38pm

There are shows on Bway that have ensemble members singing backstage during certain numbers.

[KQuill]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 3:39pm

The cut dancers sing backstage in several numbers in A CHORUS LINE.

[sondhead]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 3:39pm

"No, they are literally singing from the pit and making it sound as if there are more than 5 or so people on stage. They showed behind the scenes footage of "Mamma Mia!" from the pit."

Yes, that's exactly what I said. The pit singing I'M lamenting is another type in which pit voices have a completely independant line from the onstage ensemble singing. They are used as another instrument in the orchestra, not to help the ensemble.

I'm assuming you're talking about the original production of Promises Promises (what are the chances another major production is playing in a Schubert theatre somewhere in the US when it originally played the Schubert in NY...) and yes you're right. I actually know one of the original girls who did pit singing which excites me to no end. I particularly enjoy the pit voices in Promises Promises. So 60's.

[sondhead]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 3:41pm

Hairspray has a lot. Maybe it was just a 60's thing? If so, it's a shame. It sounds really neat.

Again, let me reiterate that I'm not talking about pit and backstage singers that help beef the onstage ensemble sound.

[morosco]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 3:46pm

The original production of COMPANY had pit singers. The 4 singers were dubbed the "Vocal Minority".

[BobPopa]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 3:49pm

They type of pit singers you are refering too are really not A)Cost effective to producers nowadays and B)Not thought of alot by modern composers, lyricists, authors

[lildogs]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 3:54pm

When I did the GREASE tour, we all sang backup from the wings for almost every song--except Sandra Dee reprise, Worse Things and Look At Me...

[TenThousandThings]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 4:06pm

A friend of mine was just offered the role of a pit singer/Glinda u/s in the Chicago company of Wicked . . . which even she thought was weird, because there are no pit singers used in other companies of Wicked.

[BrdwyThtr]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 6:31pm

But as these people are trying to get across, the pit or backstage singers nowadways are completely different from the 60's or 70's. Now, pit or offstage singers just sing the same vocal lines as the onstage members of the ensemble. Back then, pit singers had a special part written into the vocal arrangements.

[Elphie3]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 6:31pm

I did a production of "Promises, Promises" in LA and per the original production we had a vocal minority. I think they can add something wonderful to the show, if they're being used appropriately and not just as "additional voices." Honestly I think it's 1.) Aesthetics have changed and 2.) Producers want to squeeze every penny out of the show - so if you have a backround singer they'd better be dancing or something too.

[Shakespearean]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 7:01pm

Tarzan sings the opening song from off-stage, as does Young Tarzan in Act II. I've often wondered if these are recorded tracks but I pray they're not. This is live theatre not Milli Vanilli .

On a related notes, I remember the difficulties of Man of La Mancha years ago with its split pit playing from both sides of the stage. Now, everyone has a mini-camera and a screen. When I saw Wicked, every member of the pit had a little monitor of the musical director, and most shows have monitors on the mezzanine level so singers can look up... we used to have peripheral vision, and just glanced down now and then, guess we don't need that any more! It sure makes off-stage singing easier, though!

[vmlinnie]

Posted: 3/16/07 at 7:05pm

Mamma Mia doesn't use pit singers, they have booths off stage where the ensmble who aren't used in the scene can go and back up while the others are on stage.

[just_me1981]

Posted: 3/19/07 at 7:37am

Scarlet Pimpernel had a lot of choral-style oohs and ahhs, and so does Jekyll and Hyde. This kind of singing is usually done from the booth or just pre-recorded as it is much cheaper!

[danhattan]

Posted: 3/19/07 at 9:30am

There were two amazing pit singers for Broadway's THE LOOK OF LOVE. This is a perfect example of what you mean, Sondhead. They had their own vocal lines and even sang their own song. I only remember this cause they popped their heads up out of the pit. It was a very cute moment and the audience loved it.

For as much as that show didn't do well, I really enjoyed it. Was hoping they would release a cast album on this one but they never did. Surprised it never went on tour. At least non-equity! I would think the public would flock to a Burt Bacharach concert.

[theaterdude87]

Posted: 3/19/07 at 9:36am

haha I was totally going to say that they used them in BKLYN. I also know they had some in CATS.

[ElphabaRose]

Posted: 3/19/07 at 11:15am

Not exactly pit singers, but at Beauty and the Beast, there is always one male and one female swing singing in the wings, even when they are not on stage.

Also, at Tarzan, all of the singing from offstage is live.

[Mistress_Spouzic]

Posted: 3/19/07 at 12:32pm

yeah tarzan is live. i was there one night when josh had a mic problem and the show was started late and all heard them testing the mic and playing with the sound.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/19/07 at 1:14pm

But the pit singers in COMPANY and PROMISES PROMISES were also understudys. Its honestly not any different than the standbys singing in the pit for MAMMA MIA!

[Dark_Angel]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 10:01am

"PROMISES, PROMISES at the Shubert uses 3 female pit singers.

PROMISES, PROMISES is still running at the Shubert?! Damn...that's a really long run if you ask me. Is Jill O'Hara still in it?

[Elphie3]

Posted: 3/20/07 at 10:43am

I guess you could say that "Spring Awakening" has pit singers - the cast members who sit in the audience and sing...