Can Kelli O'Hara belt?

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 2:35am

Or does she do that annoying soprano mix thing as Babe in PAJAMA GAME?

[bjivie2]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 2:43am

I actually really like her soprano mix "thing." Listening to her voice, she's probably got a fierce belt in her, whether or not she wants to let it out.

[Composer9]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 2:46am

I would call what she does in the Pajama Game a definite belt. The keys are really low, and she is using her chest voice in a lot of the repetoire. It's not a bad thing, I actually quite like it, and I would definitely call it a belt.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 2:47am

I like her soprano mix thing fine in PIAZZA, but I would hope she'd be able to do a bit more "wailing" as Babe. It's just one of those parts. I wouldn't particularly want to hear a soprano mix on Annie Oakley, Princess Winifred or Mama Rose either...

[flaemmchen]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 7:20am

It's like Composer said: she's really using her chest voice a lot, particularly on the reprise of Hey There ("You've always had such pride" gave me chills), and she does a fair amount of yee-hawing in There Once Was a Man.

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 9:19am

She most certainly can.

[cathyhyatt]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 9:50am

I've never actually heard her 'belt' but just by hearing how strong her mix is I'm certain she can do it.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 9:59am

In the Broadway.com New Years resolution thing, she said she wanted to "get in touch with her inner belt" so she could play "a kick ass Babe" in TPG, so she for sure has worked on it.

Updated On: 2/6/06 at 09:59 AM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 10:35am

i can't be sure, but after seeing it for the fourth time on Saturday night, I think they lowered the key for Kelli during part of 7.5 Cents. I guess it was a bit too high for her to belt. She definitely can belt though. Her I'm Not At All in Love is fantastic!

[robbiej]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 11:14am

Alright...I'll be the one to say it:

Not really. Gorgeous voice. Strong mix...and that's what she employs a lot throughout the show...especially in THERE ONCE WAS A MAN. The belting she does do is not particularly high.

But who cares? Whether she belts it or not, she acts the hell out of it...and that's what matters. She's wonderful in the show and has spectacular chemistry w/ Harry Connick.

And I have no problem stating how much more I liked this revival than the other revival that's opened this season.

[twogaab2]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 11:23am

Her belting in Dracula (Life After Life) was quite good. Should be good here.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 11:32am

the part i think they lowered on Saturday night (2/4) was when she sang "that's enough for me to buy: a trip to France across the seas, a motorboat with water skis and maybe even a foreign car, a charge account and the corner bar, not to mention a scrabble board with letters made of gold." it is pretty high for her to belt.

there were also a bunch of flubs on Saturday...all of which were handled very well.
Updated On: 2/6/06 at 11:32 AM

[Sporti2005]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 11:38am

judging by how strong her mix is, her belt could have a wicked tone to it. (yes, i'm from new england...i say wicked)

i would love to hear her belt.

EDIT: i didn't mean that her voice would sound like it should be in WICKED, i meant that it's probably pretty awesome.

[ShuQ]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 12:34pm

Just because she has a strong mix doesn't mean she can belt. Many sopranos end up mixing b/c it's the most they can do.

[Sporti2005]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 12:41pm

a lot of sopranos also have a strong mix because they have developed their chest voice AND have the head voice, which is why i think she could have a good belt with a great tone to it.

that's the way my voice works, anyway.

[Composer9]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 1:24pm

What she does in Pajama Game is most certainly a belt. You can hear where she switches from chest to head in When You Win You Lose. She's using chest in Hey There and when she starts in to "watch your heart" whatever, she lightens up and you can hear the Kelli from Piazza poke through. Other than that, she uses her chest and belts the hell out of everything else.

Withoutatrace- I'm glad they lowered that because it did seem a bit high for her belt, and I noticed she would kind of speak/sing it towards the end. I'm glad they addressed it because belting too high in your chest can really screw up your voice. That would be a serious tragedy.

Updated On: 2/6/06 at 01:24 PM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 1:31pm

it will definitely be better for her voice in the long run, but that section sounds so weird now that it is in the wrong key. oh well, i'm glad i saw it three times in the correct key.

and yes, when she sings "wash those hands, old girl..." you can definitely hear the PIAZZA Kelli coming out!

[GretchaSketh]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 3:56pm

Withoutatrace I thought the same thing!!! I didn't mention it but I totally noticed it!!! But she sounded great on Saturday! AS ALWAYS!

[BSoBW3]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 3:57pm

http://kellionline.conforums.com

Post your reviews!

I am glad she is getting such great notices!

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 4:48pm

gretchasketh, it was awesome sitting with you at PJGame Saturday night. glad we got to see it together!

[Sing a Song With Me]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 5:08pm

I'd like to point out it's a bit incorrect to say, because the key was raised/lowered, that it's the "wrong key." Most of the time, in a new musical, the key would be "keyed" to match the voice of the person cast in the role. It was nothing to have the song written in one key but raise it/lower it based on the needs/talents of your cast.
So Kelli's key-lowering is just following in Broadway tradition, having the song placed where it best suits her voice. I would rather hear a song lowered or raised to really fit the actor than have someone sing something egregiously wrong in their voice simply because that's the key from the 1962 cast album.

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 5:52pm

"There Once Was A Man" was definitely lower than the original cast CD.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 6:57pm

sorry, but changing the keys to songs is one of my pet peeves when it comes to seeing musicals. i was horrified when they lowered the key to "as long as you're mine" when Joey McIntyre was in the cast. just something that annoys me...i'm sure i'll get over it.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/6/06 at 7:05pm

I actually study with her teacher and they spent alot of time together( with the musical director) over the holiday on this show. Florence Birdwell does not accept anyhting but perfection so I am sure she is doing exactly what they want. Her technique is larynx- based which provides the best sound anyway. Can't wait to see her rock this role.

[Soaring29]

Posted: 7/26/16 at 12:32am

I'd say no, but she most definitely has a mix belt sound when it comes to the higher notes- In Secrets as well as Tuesdays And Thursdays from Far From Heaven as well as back when she was doing Piazza, she uses a head mix belt that carries pretty well. It's not the kind of mix belt that you hear Sutton Foster or Krysta Rodriquez do but it's still somewhat of a belty sound. That said,  soprano songs and mixy songs are definitely her strong suit and where she is most most comfortable.

Updated On: 12/24/22 at 12:32 AM