Accents in shows: singing vs. speaking

[broadwaybabe1234]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 2:43am

I have been currently listening to the Kinky Boots soundtrack and i was really confused by Billy Porters accent. Whenever he singings he has no British accent but when he speaks he does. For instance in the "I'm not my Father's Son" song all the lyrics are a flat american accent but then he speaks and says, "Charlie from North hampton, meet Simon from Claxton" (which i assume is in England) in a British accent.

Do you think that this is instructed of him to not sing with an accent? Is it intentional? And if it is, why? Beucase Stark Sands sings and speaks consistently with a british accent. just curious! Thanks!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 3:41am

^I disagree. I think Stark Sands also ditches his accent while singing. Annaleigh Ashford's accent comes and goes. The majority of "History of Wrong Guys" is sung with an accent, but then she continually sings "Charlie" with a hard "R."

This isn't the first time I've noticed artists losing their accents while singing though. There are a few pop artists who are actually foreign and they also seem to lose their accents while singing. I couldn't begin to tell you why.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 6:19am

I think MOST (real) accents have a tendancy to dissappear while singing. Or at least for most sounds, there are some sounds that still come through. I don't hear too many "accents" listening to the Beatles, for example.

Updated On: 6/15/13 at 06:19 AM

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 7:24am

Let's be honest, the British accents don't really exist in Kinky Boots, do they?

[John Adams]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 8:20am

^^^
that's correct.
In general, creating a realistic setting didn't come through in the production as being a high priority.
Updated On: 6/15/13 at 08:20 AM

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 8:20am

Yep, agree with "Dramamamma" about not noticing accents on Beatle songs.

[Movidude742]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 8:36am

"Let's be honest, the British accents don't really exist in Kinky Boots, do they?"

When she was interviewed by Seth Rudetsky, Annaleigh Ashford stated that the cast was working with dialect coaches for accurate accents, but Jerry Mitchell had them dial them back so they could be better understood. If I recall she claimed he told her to sound more like the Beatles, even if the accents were totally different. i think the interview is on SethTV.

[kdogg36]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 9:18am

I think MOST (real) accents have a tendancy to dissappear while singing. Or at least for most sounds, there are some sounds that still come through. I don't hear too many "accents" listening to the Beatles, for example.

I'm not sure I can agree with this as written, since everyone has an accent. Individual A's perception that Individual B "has an accent," after all, only means that B doesn't speak like A does (or at least doesn't conform to some variety that A regards as standard).

I think it's more likely that, when people are singing, it's harder to hear certain acoustic cues that alert us to their accents. I don't know why this would be the case, though I'm sure there's research out there on it.

[jnb9872]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 10:50am

Faith Salie tackled this on WNYC's Soundcheck a few weeks ago... there isn't a simple reason, but some theories range from the proliferation of American singers in global pop music and the American vowel sounds generally being rounder and more open thus more conducive to singing.

Why do accents disappear when we sing?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 10:54am

^ This. (for the most part)

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 11:09am

I'm with dramamama and others, often when one hears English singers just singing or playing Brit roles, the accent is very slight compared to speaking, sometimes hardly there at all..

[broadwaybabe1234]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 11:40am

Wow thats really interesting! i never thought of that before.

Ok then another question, why are the accents in Matlida so evident?

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 12:28pm

If you're going by the cast album of Matilda, it's because it's the London cast recording, but if you mean the current Broadway production, it's because they have been directed to be that way.

As someone mentioned earlier, Annaleigh did say on Seth's ChatterBox that in the Chicago run they were working on accurate accents, but Jerry in the midst of rehearsals told her to sound more like Mary Poppins.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 12:35pm

They are so evident in MATILDA because that is how the creatives want it to be. Based on what I have read, seen and heard, this might also be part of their problem.

[broadwaybabe1234]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 1:31pm

Ah. That makes sense. When i saw Billy Elliot in London i had the hardest time understanding the show because their accents were so thick. I could understand Matilda but the accents were still being used, unlike Kinky Boots.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 1:35pm

I for one hugely mourned the loss of accurate accents in KB to set the story in a specific time and place. That show is supposed to be about disenfranchised factory workers in a part of England that the economic boom totally missed. If they speak/sing like most folks walking around New York today, then where's the specificity of the story? Think how compelling Billy Elliott was precisely BECAUSE you sat up and took notice at the unique sound of their speech. Missed opportunity.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 2:56pm

Yes. That's one of the many missed opportunities for KINKY BOOTS, including a better cast and decent book. Absolutely love the production and score though.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 6:16pm

I as surprised by how much I loved the beautiful West End production of Whistle Down the Wind--I went with every expectation that it would be a huge disaster. But the awful Southern accents, even while singing were distracting.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 10:10pm

For some reason I notice it a lot more in children.

When I saw Les Miz in London, Young Cosette's British accent was very strong: nawt in my Cahstle on a cloud

And Eric, I also saw WDTW and yes those accents were terrible. And the children didn't even attempt accents. If you listen to the cast recording on "No Matter What" it's British all the way. Which again brings up the question, why did they change the locale to the American South when the original story was set in England?

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 10:19pm

I think either Steinman or ALW (or both) wanted to be able to use 60s Amrican music styles. Though it would have worked fine set in England (and the racial elements were, IMHO, half baked.) You're spot on though, the mix of accents with the younger children not even trying and the older actors being directed to lay them on as thickly as possible is awful. In the theatre I managed to get past it--as I said I really was impressed with the staging otherwise, but while I think it has some of ALW's better melodies of his more recent scores (and many of his usual problems) the cast album is tough going. Someone said in the horrible sounding touring production the accents were even worse--not sure how that could be possible, but...)

Les Miz is odd because I always get the sense they want the more Dickensian characters (the Thenardiers, the children like Gavroche, etc) to, well, sound like they came out of Oliver!

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 10:29pm

You're right about Les Miz. I guess it was just written into the characterizations. Master of the House is so much a British Music Hall song.

[all that jazz]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 10:40pm

Well, Alan Boubil was inspired to write Les Mis after watching a performance of Oliver, and I recall reading somewhere that the character of Gavroche specifically was inspired by the Artful Dodger.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 10:58pm

That makes me sad. As a kid, The Artful Dodger was one of my first crushes--and I've always hated Gavroche. :P But it makes sense, I know they mention seeing the CamMac revival from, I believe, the late 70s as being an inspiration.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/15/13 at 11:15pm

Patti LuPone credits her performance in Oliver as the reason she was chosen to play Fantine.

[all that jazz]

Posted: 6/16/13 at 12:03am

Vocally, I think Patti was better as Lucy than Fantine.