Actors Fund RAGTIME Concert Officially Happening March 27th! (& in Movie Theaters March 2024!)- Page 5

[binau]

Posted: 3/30/23 at 10:02am

Hate to say I am one of those people who ‘heard’ the concert but it sounded absolutely magical. We will be so lucky if it is streamed. Kelli’s voice sounds a lot stronger than I thought it would. She doesn’t quite have the bite and belt that Marin has, but it is more than made up with her glowing beautiful timbre that is subtlety different from Marin’s. 

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 3/30/23 at 10:02am

Side step from the concert: but does it annoy anyone else that on Spotify, you can't play 3 songs from the Broadway cast album, with one being "Wheels of a Dream"?

[Huss417]

Posted: 3/30/23 at 2:49pm

The Quality of the video looks very good. 

Ragtime Reunion Concert for the Entertainment Community Fund excerpts.

March 27, 2023 - Our most heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in bringing the one-night-only benefit performance of RAGTIME In Concert to life at the Minskoff Theatre! Original Broadway company members Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Peter Friedman, with Kelli O’Hara in the role originally performed by the late Marin Mazzie, led the company through an emotional evening of song and storytelling that, 25 years after it first debuted on Broadway, is sadly still deeply relevant today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8fR_CKzVpg

Updated On: 3/30/23 at 02:49 PM

[Listener]

Posted: 3/31/23 at 12:46pm

I really wanted to hear Back To Before (can't seem to find it online anywhere though) to find out if Kelli belted the ending like Marin did so brilliantly.

From that brief clip, it seems like she mixed, which is....fine, I suppose, but more gentle than the moment seems to call for.

For those who were there, how was it in person?

[binau]

Posted: 3/31/23 at 1:05pm

I just don’t think Kelli has the belt Marin has. She has a lovely voice, in many ways more pure and magical sounding than Marin. But ultimately even she does not have Marin’s exceptionally unusual voice. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/31/23 at 1:09pm

Listener said: "I really wanted to hear Back To Before (can't seem to find it online anywhere though) to find out if Kelli belted the ending like Marin did so brilliantly.

From that brief clip, it seems like she mixed, which is....fine, I suppose, but more gentle than the moment seems to call for.

For those who were there, how was it in person?"


She did not belt or mix the ending at all. She used her soprano voice. In that sense, knowing Marin's voice, Kelli's didn't have quite as much weight and probably should have been transposed up even higher for her soprano to really ring & shine. But it was still beautifully performed.

The beginning, non-belted, part was as beautiful as any rendition of the song I've ever heard.

Updated On: 3/31/23 at 01:09 PM

[Listener]

Posted: 3/31/23 at 1:14pm

Well...okay then.

I mean, I figured she'd sing it with great care and all, but...yeah, I guess I wanted to hear that strength at the end that Marin brought to it.

Makes me less sad to have missed the concert, in a way. So...when are they releasing the whole video?

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 3/31/23 at 2:21pm

Kelli sang “Back to Before” up a half-step. Honestly, I think it makes the song work for her voice. Kelli has never been known to be a belter. The higher key helps her put it in a stronger place in her head voice. It also makes the song sound all in one voice, rather than Marin’s combination of mixing and belting.

[dwirth]

Posted: 3/31/23 at 2:39pm

Kelli sang Back to Before her way - though all of us there Monday of course wanted Marin's version (which I saw twice in person and have watched 100x on video)... But when Kelli hit those last few lines, as differently sung and phrased as they were, i thought it worked... it really did - and it was thrilling in the Minskoff - and I consciously thought '"wow, she did it..." as I and the others leapt to our feet. 

[dwirth]

Posted: 3/31/23 at 2:55pm

With regards to the evening and a potential video - little editing needed (!) - as there were almost NO visible errors made by the cast on the songs - despite being decades on with limited rehearsal. (The lines were mostly read, so while some were less "acted" than others, they were right off the page...)

The ever so minor issues I caught in the song performances were a slightly weak high note or two, a reversed - but masterfully SAVED - final verse lyric, and a little bit of a late start/phrasing issue, also saved nicely . Statiscally perfect!. Fantastic, all-around. 

Updated On: 3/31/23 at 02:55 PM

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 3/31/23 at 3:01pm

I love Kelli O'Hara, but I wondered why they chose to put a new person in the role, instead of trying to bring in one or both original understudies to play the role.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/31/23 at 3:51pm

fashionguru_23 said: "I love Kelli O'Hara, but I wondered why they chose to put a new person in the role, instead of trying to bring in one or both original understudies to play the role."

They probably wanted someone whose name was on the level of McDonald and Stokes so it wouldn't seem like a "letdown" in the eyes of some people. They could have asked Christiane Noll, or any number of women who've done it regionally or on tour, or the understudies, but they went with Kelli who was a friend of Marin and was game to do it. I have no issue with that.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 3/31/23 at 4:47pm

Oh, I have no issue with Kelli doing it as well. I just thought that to continue the 25 anniversary thread, someone connected to the original company might be asked. No one will ever replace Marin in the role, but Kelli sounded like a beautiful addition 

[dwirth]

Posted: 3/31/23 at 11:53pm

Did I ever mention there were 2 empty seats in my row the entire show on Monday? Many would have done anything to get those - so sorry to see it...

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 4/11/23 at 6:30pm

This article mentions the filming of the event, and its future release:

https://observer.com/2023/04/broadway-team-lynn-ahrens-and-stephen-flaherty-on-40-years-and-counting-of-musicals/

"Their 40th anniversary as a songwriting team coincides with the 25th anniversary of their biggest hit, Ragtime. That was just celebrated March 27 as a benefit for the Entertainment Community Fund (nee The Actors Fund). 'They filmed it,' Ahrens is proud, and relieved, to report. 'So you’ll get to see it, thank goodness. I just want the world to see it. It was magnificent. Magical. I’ve never experienced anything like it. It was like lightning in a bottle—you know, an explosion of joy.'"

[Soaring29]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 12:16pm

I found this- it's an audio clip of her singing the last chunk of the song. I personally think it should have been a whole step higher than it is, Kelli isn't a belter but we have seen examples of her using a pretty good head mix belt sound which she does here but the bottom is a little too low for her in my opinion, having it a bit higher would have suited her more. It's still great though.   https://twitter.com/theatrelez/status/1640567603541278721

Updated On: 2/19/24 at 12:16 PM

[Soaring29]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 12:22pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Listener said: "I really wanted to hear Back To Before (can't seem to find it online anywhere though) to find out if Kelli belted the ending like Marin did so brilliantly.

From that brief clip, it seems like she mixed, which is....fine, I suppose, but more gentle than the moment seems to call for.

For those who were there, how was it in person?"


She did not belt or mix the ending at all. She used her soprano voice. In that sense, knowing Marin's voice, Kelli's didn't have quite as much weight and probably should have been transposed up even higher for her soprano to really ring & shine. But it was still beautifully performed.

The beginning, non-belted, part was as beautiful as any rendition of the song I've ever heard."

No, she mixes the end- the top note is a D. Click on this to see an example of a D in her soprano voice when singing the word ''me'': https://youtu.be/apnHOwWuTkQ?t=271

 

Updated On: 4/12/23 at 12:22 PM

[Soaring29]

Posted: 4/12/23 at 1:59pm

binau said: "I just don’t think Kelli has the belt Marin has. She has a lovely voice, in many ways more pure and magical sounding than Marin. But ultimately even she does not have Marin’s exceptionally unusual voice." 

 I think Marin has an amazing voice but I wouldn't call it exceptionally unusual in terms of it's sound- I would say that for someone like Merman, Janis Joplin, etc. Not necessarily better singers than most, just a unique sound.

 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 5/22/23 at 10:24am

Full audio from the symphonic concert starring Elizabeth Stanley and Nikki Renée Daniels that played in Boston last weekend is available to stream here:

https://www.classicalwcrb.org/show/upcoming-in-concert-broadcasts/2023-05-15/ragtime-at-the-pops

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/10/24 at 11:22pm

Regal Cinemas Has The Concert Listed As Screening March 13th and 17th this year!

[The8re phan]

Posted: 2/10/24 at 11:44pm

Jordan Catalano said: "Regal Cinemas Has The Concert Listed As Screening March 13th and 17th this year!"

Fantastic....... thanks so much for the heads-up jordan!

 

[Jean Prouvaire]

Posted: 2/11/24 at 12:14am

AMC too:

https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/ragtime-reunion-concert-76098

[binau]

Posted: 2/11/24 at 4:57am

Soaring29 said: "binau said: "I just don’t think Kelli has the belt Marin has. She has a lovely voice, in many ways more pure and magical sounding than Marin. But ultimately even she does not have Marin’s exceptionally unusual voice."

I think Marin has an amazing voice but I wouldn't call it exceptionally unusual in terms of it's sound- I would say that for someone like Merman, Janis Joplin, etc. Not necessarily better singers than most, just a unique sound.

"

I don't personally know anyone else who has Marin's classical technique AND ability to belt to the rafters, it's usually one (Kelli) or the other (Merman) but not both. And her wild vibrato when belting is also not something that I could easily place in someone else's voice. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/14/24 at 4:40pm

How frustrating –– the movie theater screenings are no longer happening (for now)!

"We had hoped to announce that the film version of the March 2023 25th reunion concert of Ragtime would be in movie theaters this spring, bringing this wonderful event to audiences around the country and generating support for the Entertainment Community Fund. Unfortunately, there are many moving parts to turning a live performance into a film and bringing it to theaters and we are unable to do so at this time. We hope to share this one-night-only event with wider audiences in the future."

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 2/14/24 at 4:41pm

Theatrical release cancelled - team "hope(s) to share this one-night-only event with wider audiences in the future"