Bernadette getting out of contract?

For what reason?

I read somewhere that she was trying to get out as soon as she could because of vocal reasons. That role is probably VERY taxing on her chords or anyones chords for that matter...

But Merman was a shouter more then a vocal talent....

sorry must not have seen the posts from before.

ummm…..."shouting" is twice as hard on the voice than "singing"..

One should not have vocal problems with this role if one is suited to it..

and...

The fact that even her "half-singing" the part (in the opera world it’s called “finessing”) and constantly saving herself as if she was Lucia di Lammermoor waiting for her 25 minute mad scene has not helped her…. indicates there’s a very serious problem there…

....it all comes down to as Rose herself says:

You either got it

or ya ain't!!

tpdc is correct, Voiceanth is not. Ethel Merman, like every other Momma Rose after her, missed performances when she was in Gypsy. She burst a blood vessel in her throat or something along those lines.

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Qpidangel, Amneris,

many of us would be very curious to learn more about this. Could you kindly tell us where you heard about this or exactly where you read about this so we all could know more?:)))

thanks much:)))

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Popcultureboy, you beat me to it!

Over the last week whilst sunning and dining on the East End, I've had occasion to listen to several of the Mama Rose's. Merman's Rose's Turn is actually quite painful to listen to because you hear the absolute strain. I was very surprised to discover that the keys for Angela Lansbury (who many consider to be the definitive Rose) were drastically lowered, so much so that I'm sure those are the arrangements I will use when I play the role. I mean...there were changes in key in the MIDDLE of Rose's Turn. I find Bernadette's Rose's Turn to be the most emotionally devastating (while Betty Buckley's remains the most chilling). Although I wasn't a huge fan of the TV movie of GYPSY, I thoroughly enjoyed Bette Midler's choice to have a hot flash and the onset of menopause overtake her in Rose's Turn (watch her take that necklace off...that bitch is going through the CHANGE!). And Tyne Daly was a true force of nature who made up for a weaker singing voice with a depth of character that was truly astonishing.

Every actress that has taken on this role eight shows a week (at least on Broadway and at Paper Mill) have experienced major problems during the run. It's the nature of the role. It is Everest. And that is the one thing we forget here. We get so wrapped up in who's the better Rose that we lose sight of the fact that we have a history of women who each brought something incredible to arguably the best musical theatre role ever written.

As for Ms. Peters trying to get out of her contract, I haven't heard anything more than rumor. I shall endeavor to find out more from my 'sources'.

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Here, here, RobbieJ...you said it all.

But why should I expect anything less after our delightful experience together?

I agree with the article, actually. Rosalind could not sing at all, and even her voice double was bad. Maybe Ethel should have been cast. After all, she did originate the role, and for one would have loved to see her in that role on video, as a lot of us didn't get the chance to see Merman in the original. I also agree that she screams and strains a lot. I, personally, think she is highly over-rated, but her performance is constantly talked about, and I'd like to see how she played the role.

Robbiej, I absolutely agree with everything you said in your post, as usual. ESPECIALLY about Angie's transpositions....It is REALLY low...I had no problems singing along with her when listening to that CD. It was pretty funny. Ok, I'll be quiet now.

Cheers,
The Balladeer

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All of this thread is mere supposition. Will someone please cite the SOURCE of this idea that Bernadette is trying to get out of her contract? As I say in the classroom: "Specifics, specifics, specifics!!!!"

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