Anyone else dislike... — Page 2

I'm afraid I agree with rockabyhamlet.... Ethel Merman was Broadway's top star from 1930 to 1970. 40 years. Now if you don't like her voice, that's fine but you destroy all credibility with stupid sweeping statements like that.

---

I'm gonna jump on Elphaba's side and say that I don't like Babs or Patti either. If there is more than one wrong way to rub, Barbra rubs them all and I just can't get into Patti's voice. They both have presence, I'll grant them that. They wouldn't have such legendary status if they didn't.

I love Ethel Merman though. I really do.

---

Jesus, I don't want to know what you think about Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera.

I adore Barbra - but I know quite a few people who do not. I can appreciate their opinions differ from mine, and can understand their reasons.

Now that I've added my $.02, I'm going to watch Yentl...

Oh Lord...

I dislike Babs. Her older stuff wasn't so bad, but then she became a caricature of herself. I did, however, LOVE her in Meet the Fockers. It was nice to see her have a little fun again.

I wasn't a huge LuPone fan until Sweeney, which is strange since I didn't really like the production that much. I thought she was wonderful in that show, and all the "Patti-isms" have been throen out the window.

I have a lot of respect for Mermon because of her status and the career she had. I was never around to see her perform, so I can't say she's my "favorite" performer, but she's certainly a legend in the community, and you've gotta respect what she did.

Boy, do I feel old. I saw Merman several times, not in one of her stage productions, alas, but in concert. One of my complaints about today's singers/actors/performers is that they all sound alike. Say what you will about them, nobody ever confused Merman with Mary Martin, Carol Channing, Gwen Verdon, or Judy Garland. They were unique performers and they each had their unique sound. Moreover, they had a 'presence', that indefinable quality that makes a person a star. Just to pick on a current favorite, I saw Idina Menzel recently and found her to have no 'presence' whatsoever. She just bleats out her songs at high volume and calls it a day.

People associate Merman with big, brassy numbers but forget she could sell a ballad ('They Say That Falling in Love is Wonderful', 'Small World', 'Let's Be Buddies') with the best of them. Yes, some of the Merm's exaggerated pronunciation may sound antiquated to your young ears, but remember during the years she performed, actors didn't wear microphones and she had to be heard in the last row of the second balcony. Every time I attend a show at the Broadway, I'm in awe that Merman performed Gypsy eight times a week and managed to be heard in every seat in that vast house. And what's wrong with singing clearly anyway? I saw The Color Purple Wednesday night and, even with all the amplification, I had to strain to understand the lyrics. Merman (and other singers of that era) were blessed not only with glorious melodies but clever, witty lyrics that deserved to be heard. To dismiss Ethel Merman is to dismiss four decades of Broadway's golden age. Every composer who wrote for her (yes, in those days they wrote shows FOR a performer), wrote arguably their best score for her show. Cole Porter wrote Anything Goes, Irving Berlin wrote Annie Get Your Gun, Jule Styne wrote Gypsy, and Jerry Herman wrote Hello, Dolly! all with Merman's voice in their head.

Sorry kids, (and yes, you 20-somethings are still kids), Merman is unassailable.

---

Thank you, hushpuppy.

Someone call me when a show is crafted specifically for Menzel. Then maybe I'll consider her half as great as LuPone, Merman or Streisand.

---

Whoa, lady. As you stated, you have never met either Lupone or Streisand, so statements about their "niceness" are irrelevant.

It's okay to say you don't like someone, I'm all for a difference of opinions - the fact I love Barbra doesn't mean everyone else have to like her, as well - but like others have said, you should at least acknowledge their contribution to their chosen field of profession. As it so happens, these three ladies' contribution is HUGE.

Oh and I recently saw Lupone in Sweeney Todd and couldn't take my eyes off her. She definitely has presence in my book.

---

Updated On: 11/4/05 at 11:28 AM

Though you are entitled to your opinions, I think it's just a tad naive to make such sweeping statements about Streisand, Merman, or Lupone. All three have contributed greatly to the fabric of the American Musical, and even if they aren't your cup of tea, I think their talents and contributions shouldn't be overlooked so quickly.

Merman: Anything Goes, Call Me Madam, Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy

Streisand: Funny Girl, 100's of recordings of well known and obscure Broadway songs, as well as 2 albums devoted to Broadway that brought buzz back to the artform.

Lupone: The ground-breaking Evita, numerous recordings and concerts devoted to the craft, the current ground-breaking Sweeney Todd.

These ladies contributed to the fabric of the American Musical, while performers nowadays (not all but many) are merely actors in a show. Merman, Streisand, and Lupone created change and made a lasting impact. While there are many performers today with spark, I find it hard to find more than a handful of performers who ignite the stage the way Merman, Streisand, and Lupon did/do.

---

Updated On: 11/4/05 at 11:42 AM

I enjoy when people have relevant complaints about certian performers. Most of the above posters were able to say why they did or did not enjoy someone's performance/singing style.

But, Elphaba3, to just call the names like "crap" and "LaBonehead" is sad and pathetic. So I don't see where your "opinion" is relevant. Also, how would you know if they were nice or not? Have you met them? Worked with them? I don't think so.

And yes, you are a child. Being in "your 20's" dosen't make anyone an adult. The name calling is what makes you, inparticular, a child.

---

Updated On: 11/4/05 at 11:53 AM

Mister Matt, you captured it perfectly -- thanks. I think both Merman and LuPone are (or were, in Merman's case) *theater animals*. It's just something in the bones, and it's exceedingly rare.

I'll put in my two cents.

Patti LuPone has her flaws: bad diction, unnecessary dramatic interpretation (Surabaya Johnny), but she has the ability to put over a song when she wants to. When she did Can-Can at Encores, her "I Love Paris" was wonderful.

Ethel Merman also had her flaws: never lost the Queens accent, never sang with an ounce of subtlety, but she was able to do what others weren't able to do and that was to stand centerstage, belt a song and shake the rafters. Plus Ethel has that unique gift of not having a break in her voice, it's extremely difficult to tell where her chest voice ends and her head voice begins. Nobody had problems hearing Merman in the cheap seats. Plus the woman had moxie (love the Stritch story about Merman removing the drunk).

Barbra Streisand: She has a solid voice, but makes her own rules when it comes to diction. Her problem is that as her career progressed, she sold out to the power ballads and continuously engages in vocal masturbation. Her early stuff was good, but she abandoned songs like Second Hand Rose.

---

TheatreDiva90016- You don't know me. Yes, they were childish statements. But that alone does not make me a child. Please don't judge a book by its cover. As for those three ladies, I am not denying the impact they've had in musical theatre. They're just not my cup of tea. Although I do have a soft spot for Barbra's "Don't Rain on My Parade." Someone mentioned Chita and Gwen--I think they are/were incredible dancers.