2010 St Louis Production of Night Music with Amy Irving

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 5/23/12 at 7:07am

Anyone here see this? I recall one of the reviews saying that Irving's voice wasn't strong enough for Desiree, which seems pretty ridiculous considering that she has a much better voice than most of the actresses who've played the role.
Playbill article

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/23/12 at 8:28am

Having heard Amy sing before, I'm guessing they didn't mean "stronger" as in quality so much as "stronger" as in power. I've never heard Amy sing anything other that softly, barely above a whisper. I don't think she has a very powerful voice.

And Desiree needs strength in her voice, even more so than quality.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 5/23/12 at 8:34am

Yeah, that's a good point, best12. I still have a hard time imagining that she wouldn't be able to do a serviceable job if she was projecting her singing voice correctly, but maybe she wasn't. It's also possible that her voice has taken a bit of a beating over the years, but I'm not sure since I haven't heard her sing anything for a decade or two.

[broadwaybabytn]

Posted: 5/23/12 at 9:38am

Ron Raines seems physically wrong for Frederick.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 5/23/12 at 9:53am

Amy singing in Roger Rabbit

[AC126748]

Posted: 5/23/12 at 10:31am

In what way do you find Raines "physically wrong" for Fredrik? I can't think of a single one.

I didn't see this production, but Raines was glorious in the concert staging with Christine Ebersole several years ago.

[broadwaybabytn]

Posted: 5/23/12 at 10:38am

It's not so much a textual issue as my imagination of the character. But Raines is an imposing man, physically, and as a presence. To me, the character can't be too intimidating to Anne. Also, is there a line about his being "short, and short-sighted"?

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 5/23/12 at 10:47am

I've been thinking lately that Finola Hughes might make a great Desiree. She's been doing some of her best work ever on General Hospital lately. She looks a bit like Zeta-Jones, but she's more age appropriate for the role (well, at least if you go by what Catherine claims is her year of birth).
Finola killing it on GH

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/23/12 at 1:06pm

I didn't see it but a friend of mine did. I don't remember what he said about Amy Irving, but I know he loved Sian Phillips.

[ComingUpRoses2]

Posted: 5/23/12 at 3:20pm

I remembered seeing clips from this production a few years ago and it looked absolutely stunning. The sets and costumes were gorgeous, the orchestrations were lovely, and Amy Irving delivered a killer "Send in the Clowns." From what I saw, she was certainly miles better than Zeta-Jones. Her "Clowns" brought tears to my eyes.

I never understood why she didn't do my musicals. I remember her in a lovely, but cheesy musical version of Rumpelstiltskin from back in the 80's with Billy Barty where she showcased her voice, which was quite nice.
Amy Irving - Queen of the Castle

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 5/23/12 at 3:54pm

She was also the singing voice of Jessica Rabbit.