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Bernadette's or Ethel's....

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#2

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 2:21pm

Bernadette's, judging only from the recording. I can't listen to Ethel sing anything for more than 20 seconds - I get a headache.
"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy." -Charlie Manson
#4

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 2:26pm

Bernadette has done GYPSY and ANNIE GET YOUR GUN...only 2 of Ethel's shows....

Nathan Lane has only done one that I can recall, and that's FORUM. I really don't see a trend...
"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy." -Charlie Manson
#5

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 2:27pm

Not a faN of Ethel's singing at all, and Bernadette I can take slightly more than Ethel. Let's face it, Bernadette Peters isn't a great vocalist. Only Lansbury's Rose beats the other Rose's, Ethel's included. I enjoy Peter's Annie O. better than Ethel.
The truly beautiful should be lawfully restricted from wearing clothing; and the truly butt-ugly should be lawfully mandated from going naked.

Updated On: 7/9/05 at 02:27 PM

#7

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 2:43pm

I have to go with The Merm. Nobody can beat her Annie Oakley. Not even the faboo Bernie.
#8

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 2:51pm

I disagree. I actually think Peters was a miscast Annie Oakley. I think that whole revival was a waste. I miss my "I'm an Indian Too". PC Annie Get Your Gun is boring!
#12

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 3:31pm

It's difficult to say not having seen Ethel's take. Also, they have VERY different styles.
I think Bernadette puts more heart into both roles. I adored her in AGYG, but I think both ladies were a little miscast as Annie.
Bernadette was a much better Mama Rose than Ethel; but Ethel is a force to be reconned with in her own right.
"It's the little things; the details, that distinguish the Barbra Streisands from the Rosalyn Kinds."~Gilmore Girls~
#13

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 3:37pm

I think Merman is still definitive as Rose -- Peters tried hard, but she seemed totally out of her league vocally the times I saw her. Merman is STILL the only one to sing that role and make it seem effortless (Peters, Daly and Lansbury all had MAJOR vocal problems throughout their runs and missed many performances).

As for Annie, the role was written specifically for Merman and her voice (Merman was attached to the project even before Irving Berlin was hired). Peters was some weird country bumpkin cartoon on stage -- a very odd performance (Reba McIntire was much better).
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie [http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/] "The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney

Updated On: 7/9/05 at 03:37 PM

#14

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 3:41pm

I've thought of that same comparison between Merman and Peters, but never about Mostel and Lane. Good Eye!!!!!! However, I wouldn't want to see Nathan Lane is Fiddler on the Roof. At least not if he uses the same persona he's been using in everything else......
#15

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 3:42pm

I'm not a fan of Reba, but credit where it's due: She was fabulous as Annie.
#16

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 3:57pm

I find that Bernadette is a better acor than singer, but Ethel has the belt. I feel Bernadette puts more heart into everything, Ethel just screams.
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
To Kill A Mockingbird
#18

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 4:15pm

Only Lansbury's Rose beats the other Rose's, Ethel's included.

I should post this in the other thread regarding Lansbury's Rose, but I recently heard her recording of "Rose's Turn" and was shocked to find that the key changes and such were completely different. For example, the "Why do I do it" segment is higher than it should be in the song. Was it changed because Lansbury couldn't sing it as written, even after it was transposed? To me, it sounds less powerful and rather awkward.
BlueWizard's blog: The Rambling Corner HEDWIG: "The road is my home. In reflecting upon the people whom I have come upon in my travels, I cannot help but think of the people who have come upon me."
#20

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 5:34pm

They altered several of the keys throughout the show so that Lansbury could sing the songs (she still struggled, though). Nevertheless, she was, by all acounts a great Rose.
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie [http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/] "The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
#21

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 6:20pm

Merman all the way! I'm sorry, I love Bernie but when it comes to Annie and Rose she cannot hold a candle to Merman. I would have thought Patti LuPone over Bernie as Rose and she sings the hell outta some Annie too although I do not see her in the part. I also did not like the changes that were made in the revival of AGYG. I too miss "I'm An Indian Too."
"For me, THEATRE is an anticipation, an artistic rush, an emotional banquet, a jubilant appreciation, and an exit hopeful of clearer thought and better worlds." ~ an anonymous traveler with Robert Burns
#22

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 6:24pm

Bernardette can't sing...its embarrassing that some people think of her as the biggest Broadway star...when she can't sing!
"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one". -Felicia Finley-
#23

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 6:32pm

Saying Bernadette can't sing is ridiculous. She is not the best vocalist, but she can sing!

I can't believe all of the "can't stand Merman" comments.

Updated On: 7/9/05 at 06:32 PM

#24

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 6:56pm

I love Bernadette, but to me, Ethel IS Annie, as Yul Brynner IS the King of Siam and as Robert Preston IS The Music Man!
#25

re: Bernadette's or Ethel's....

Posted: 7/9/05 at 8:02pm

Ethel is "ANNIE". Not to start anything again, but Bernadette should have won the Tony for Rose and not for "Annie". IMHO,she was miscast as Annie Oakley. Many may disagree, but I loved Bernadette's Rose but I would have given ANYTHING to see the Merm do Rose. Did anyone see her perform it??

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