Posted: 3/23/23 at 2:44am
Disagree about Idina. I think her voice is very distinctive.
When I thought of more contemporary artists, Jessica Vosk, Anna Uzele, and Rachel Bay Jones came to mind first.
Posted: 3/23/23 at 7:19am
Beanie Feldstein
Posted: 3/23/23 at 9:46am
Amber Gray’s growl (Hadestown, Great Comet)
Sarah Stiles’s chirp (Tootsie, Steve Universe)
Josh Gad’s honk (Book of Mormon, Frozen)
Billy Porter’s rasp (Kinky Boots)
Lucas Steele’s tenor falsetto mix (Great Comet)
Posted: 3/23/23 at 10:15am
OP - can you give me a better understanding of what you’re looking for here? I think all of the actors mentioned in your first post and all those appearing in the replies have distinctive voices in that anyone reading this thread could identify them by voice alone. That’s true despite a wide range of talent from traditional to otherwise. To me “odd” has a negative connotation; I’m guessing you didn’t intend it that way.
Posted: 3/23/23 at 10:38am
For women:
Katrina Lenk, Rachel Bay Jones, Stephanie J Block, Grace Mclean (Although everybody besides Katrina falls in a similar age group to Carolee). I’ll also disagree with Idina Menzel- very unique voice.
For men:
Ben Platt, Lucas Steele, Patrick Page, Andre De Shields, Josh Gad
That’s mostly contemporary artists from the past 5 or so years, but I don’t doubt that there are more.
Posted: 3/23/23 at 11:46am
Most of the original cast of Great Comet have very distinctive voices
Posted: 3/23/23 at 2:24pm
blaxx said: "RippedMan said: "Most of the people here you’ve all mentioned are above 40. I believe the OP was asking for the “next generation.” And to be honest, I don’t think we will have a true theater legend again. Just given the current climate. Casting directors aren’t taking risks, etc."
True. If you sit through an audition nowadays with younger performers, they all sound the exact same. It's interesting how they ignore that a unique sound would make them stand out.
Broadway legends are those you'd recognize from their voices, whatever they sing and without a visual, you'd know exactly who it is. Yet, the most generic sound is where most hopefuls go to get lost in the crowd."
As an over 40 (and then some) myself, I recall one of my voice coaches saying - the best technical voices are in the chorus. Those with something unique will be the ones who stand out. Sometimes it's just a naturally exceptional voice - I would venture to say most of those mentioned had a head start with that gift. However, developing one's acting skills will add dimension to the voice itself.
As noted, a visual is often needed for the younger singers - particularly sopranos for some reason, they all tend to sound somewhat alike.
Posted: 3/23/23 at 3:25pm
It’s not the next generation, but Ellen Greene?
Posted: 3/23/23 at 7:15pm
After seeing Philippa Soo in nearly all of her recent work, I can definitely recognize her voice.
Katrina Lenk too, I forgot to mention her before
Updated On: 3/23/23 at 07:15 PM
Posted: 3/23/23 at 7:26pm
We lack any truly unique vocal style/performers these days because of how widespread BFA MT programs have become. The goal is to neutralize you so you're as castable as possible while they simultaneously yell, "Be yourself!". It's created a generation of competent performers, but rarely ever exciting. A Liza, an Ethel, an Elaine, or a Bernadette would not exist had they been sent through these camps.
Posted: 3/23/23 at 7:28pm
I think one thing that is important to mention is thst actors can start to self doubt their abilities when they have a different voice. I know for me, I sometimes try to mimic the "accepted voice type" and get frustrated be abuse I just don't sound that way. I don't necessarily want to sound that way, I just think people will feel my singing is ugly or unworthy because I'm not making a similar sound. It's really actually quite scary.
Also, I doubt we will ever hear brash, deep, powerful voices such as Ann Francine, Bea Arthur, Elaine Stritch, Phyllis Diller, and Cleo Laine (especially as she got older). Another set of similar voices we don't hear much are Millicent Martin, Mazz Murray, or Linda Hart. In fact, Linda Hart was under appreciated during her the majority of her career. SHE IS A STAR! I would have loved hear her voice do more villains. Watching her live performance of Velma scared/and enthralled tiny me at the same time. 
You may disagree, but hearing darker skinned women sing in more legit scores is often relagated to white girls, so this contributes to why Audra voice is so "unique".
Updated On: 3/23/23 at 07:28 PM
Posted: 3/24/23 at 7:42am
Phillyguy said: "Ben Crawford?"
Ben Crawford five years ago, not so much. Ben Crawford now with his odd vowel placement most likely to sustain notes, YES.
Posted: 3/24/23 at 8:01am
I’d say Idina Menzel has a very distinct voice.
Posted: 3/24/23 at 9:32am
For younger female singers, I can instantly recognize Jenn Damiano or Taylor Louderman’s voice within the first few seconds of hearing them. Each has a very distinct tone, though grounded in somewhat of a “cookie cutter” mold.
Posted: 3/24/23 at 11:49am
I wonder if the decline in "unique" voices coincides with the "prettification" of Broadway. Not only are unique voices trained or weeded out of their uniqueness in the BFA circuit, but people with distinctive looks as well. I look at the headshots of most Broadway casts, and they are 90% extremely conventionally beautiful/handsome actors. The beauty standards are quite high and I wonder if that dissuades people who might not fit the mold (not being conventionally pretty, or much shorter/taller than average, heavier/skinnier, etc.) from pursuing a career in theater. Even character actors nowadays are getting prettier than their counterparts from 30+ years ago. And compare how, say, Fiyero in Wicked is cast today to Norbert Leo Butz who, while attractive in his own way, wasn't in the male model mold of the guys who get cast today.
Updated On: 3/24/23 at 11:49 AM
Posted: 3/24/23 at 12:17pm
singer234 said: "For younger female singers, I can instantly recognize Jenn Damiano or Taylor Louderman’s voice within the first few seconds of hearing them. Each has a very distinct tone, though grounded in somewhat of a “cookie cutter” mold."
Mmm I do think for me there is a difference between being distinctive and odd. Of course I can personally hear the distinction in many of the voices mentioned to challenge my perception (eg Idina, Block) but are these truly odd the same way you can hear in Bernadette, Stritch etc? (Since the timbre is closer to that modern cookie cutter sensibility, or in the case of Audra/Kelli while distinctive the timbre is closer to classical sensibility, which I wouldn’t describe as odd).
Posted: 3/24/23 at 3:29pm
I do think Michaela Diamond and Lauren Patten have a bit of an odd/unique voice. Linedy Genao too, definitely seemed set apart from everyone else, though whether that's distinct in a good way or just poor technique is up to the listener. Eva Noblezada I'd say has a very distinct voice, especially live, but I don't know that I'd call it odd in the same way that OP is probably looking for. Definitely agree about most of the Great Comet cast though.
It seems like what you're asking might be about people who don't have necessarily "pretty" voices, but are still able to make them work for a wide range of theater roles, thus making them distinctive in that way?
Posted: 3/24/23 at 4:12pm
re: jen damiano, I feel like at least when I was in college 6 yrs ago, EVERYONE was trying to imitate her. The way she places her vowels and kinda “chews” them to me is kinda now the “standard” of the sound that most contemporary mt girlies are trying to imitate and in turn sounds kinda “cookie cutter.”
A voice I’m currently obsessed with that is super unique is Katie Thompson, especially in “Giant.” iconic.
