Broadway Performers & Vocal Rest

[MrMarkCharlieBrownCohen]

Posted: 7/9/05 at 10:19am

I've heard several musical actors saying that they save their voices all day for the show @ night. Is this something that's new? And if so, is it because musicals today demand more vocally than say, West Side Story or Oklahoma or other older musicals?
Cause I think today, shows like RENT, and others take a toll on performers. Was POTO one of the first shows to have an alternate performer (Christine) who played certain performances? Cause now you have RENT with the Roger/Mimi's opting out for matinees and such. Was there an alternate for Ethel Merman?

I just find it interesting I haven't heard much about vocal care in early Broadway shows or of any shows demanding an alternate before POTO. Am I wrong? I'd love to hear what anyone thinks about this.

[hushpuppy]

Posted: 7/9/05 at 10:36am

In the interest of full disclosure, I am NOT a performer so I don't know about vocal techinque and such. having said that, I do not agree that shows today are more vocally demanding than shows gone by. Think about shows such as 'Show Boat', 'Carousel' 'The Most Happy Fella',and 'South Pacific'. Not only are these vocally demanding parts, they had to sing them without amplification, projecting their voices up to the second balcony, eight times a week. I know there have been replacement casts for matinees for years. If memory serves, Robert Weede in 'Fella' and Mary Martin & Robert Preston in 'I Do, I Do' come to mind as two instances where different actors were used for the matinees.

[MrMarkCharlieBrownCohen]

Posted: 7/9/05 at 10:46am

Interesting! Fella & I Do I Do - I didn't know that.

And you make a good point about the lack of mic's - I forgot about that. However, wouldnt most theatres have been designed to naturally amplify? Like a Greek Collisium?

I tend to think that the more rock and roll shows of today do take a rather large toll on a performers voice more so than Show Boat did or Carousel. But I could be wrong. Maybe someone who has done both types of shows on a professional level can shed some light.

[ozbwayfan]

Posted: 7/9/05 at 11:17am

There seems now to be more of an emphasis placed on vocal safety in musical theatre performance than perhaps once there was. In many ways you probably didn't have much of a choice before the advent of the stage/body mic. Your sound had to reach the back row and thus you would've had to sing in a manner that would allow you to do so. I guess more peformers back then were classically trained, unlike today's emphasis on a rock sound, and were perhaps used to having to fill a theatre unaided. So you don't burn your voice out and end up with nodules on your vocal chords you have to treat your voice with caution and let it heal.

[grizzabella]

Posted: 7/9/05 at 1:45pm

I think performers see their voices the way athletes see their bodies to some extent. You must take care of it if you want it to last. Rock singing is, for me, anyway, a lot different from singing something more traditional. (I'm not a professional singer, but I've had some training.) Also, I think people are more aware of preventive measures than they used to be.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 7/9/05 at 1:51pm

Phyllis Newman did the matinees for Barbara Harris in "The Apple Tree" (1967)

Several actresses did the matinees for Patti Lupone in "Evita" (1980)

There was also a separate matinee cast for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" (1962)

I'm sure there are other examples.

And no, Ethel Merman NEVER had an alternate (and only missed a small handful of performances in her 40 year career).

Updated On: 7/9/05 at 01:51 PM

[John3]

Posted: 7/9/05 at 1:53pm

I know that in POTO the role of Christine is somewhat Operatic and in the Opera world a performer would perform one day and have two days rest then perform again. hope that helps.

John3