Changing Keys for Performers is So Cool

[BeingAlive44Ever]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 10:48am

Hey everybody, I've decided to dabble in hypocrisy. I'm a huge purist when I sing, I go "If I'm singing Sweeney for a recital, it's in the original key, and also same thing if I'm singing Calaf from Turandot." But, luckily, Broadway music directors and actors seem to be much smarter and less stubborn than me. I was just listening to the incredible New Broadway Cast Album of Merrily We Roll Along, a show I know very well, and this show has a history of a bunch of songs having their keys shuffled around.  Franklin Shepard Inc is actually more frequently done down a half a step than in the original key, though Daniel Radcliffe does it in the original key. I realized just recently, though, that he doesn't sing the high part in Our Time, but instead Jonathan Groff takes it. It got me thinking about how actors with drastically different voices can take on the same roles on Broadway and play them to brilliant effect because of this (and more importantly actually changing the keys of their songs). In the opera world, it's very rare that you get to have your keys altered unless the key alteration is traditional (like in a lot of castrati roles, they're often modulated up a bit and sung down the octave for tenors or baritones). On Broadway, though, it happens all the time. I mean, Doug Hodge compared to George Hearn in La Cage Aux Folles come to mind. Roger Bart in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Titus's Burgess in Moulin Rogue. Harvey Fierstein in everything other than Hairspray. Everybody other than Harvey Fierstein in Hairspray. It opens up the ability for almost any kind of voice to take on these roles and still perform them to the best they possibly can, and to me that is awesome. That's all. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 11:06am

OK

P.S.  Paragraph breaks and sentence structure are your FRIENDS.

 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 11:57am

Yeah, no. This long paragraph I ain’t reading, bro. I only see Fierstein is mentioned but have zero interest in what context. 

[MezzoDiva47]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 4:33pm

BeingAlive44Ever said: "Hey everybody, I've decided to dabble in hypocrisy. I'm a huge purist when I sing, I go "If I'm singing Sweeney for a recital, it's in the original key, and also same thing if I'm singing Calaf from Turandot." But, luckily, Broadway music directors and actorsseem to be much smarter and less stubborn than me. I was just listening to the incredible New Broadway Cast Album of Merrily We Roll Along, a show I know very well, and this show has a history of a bunch of songs having their keys shuffled around. Franklin Shepard Inc is actually more frequently done down a half a step than in the original key, though Daniel Radcliffe does it in the original key. I realized just recently, though, that he doesn't sing the high part in Our Time, but instead Jonathan Groff takes it. It got me thinking about how actors with drastically different voices can take on the same roles on Broadway and play them to brilliant effectbecauseof this (and more importantly actuallychanging the keys of their songs). In the opera world, it's very rare that you get to have your keys altered unless the key alteration is traditional (like in a lot of castrati roles, they're often modulated up a bit and sung down the octave for tenors or baritones). On Broadway, though, it happens all the time. I mean, Doug Hodge compared to George Hearn in La Cage Aux Folles cometo mind. Roger Bart in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Titus's Burgess in Moulin Rogue. Harvey Fierstein in everything other than Hairspray. Everybody other than Harvey Fierstein in Hairspray. It opens up the ability for almost any kind of voice to take on these roles and still perform them to the best they possibly can, and to me that isawesome. That's all."


cool story bro

 

[denali.fire]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 6:16pm

Yeah !  It reminds me of a James Joyce novel .

[vocalzone]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 7:45pm

For a very "accepting" community - do y'all ever take a minute to think "this person posting might have a different brain functions than mine?"  My partner is brilliant but has severe ADHD and half the time their writing style reads like a psycho path who didn't pass 1st grade.  If you dont have anything nice to say...don't say it.  Don't waste your energy mocking someone else.  Especially when they clearly were approaching a topic from a place of enthusiasm.

That being said - yes, its wonderful when songs are actually tailored to sit in a performer's sweet spot.  I sometimes hear replacements in shows and think "I wish they had dropped (or raised this key) because, sure they're hitting the notes but it is not resonating the way I know it could in a different key".  On the flip side, sometimes it is disappointing when you're expecting one thing and get another.  Like, Evita with Madonna.  Yes, it was very disappointing not to get the songs in the insanely awesome original keys. But, yes, Madonna sounds much better and stronger in a lower chestier register. 

[AOLplaybillChatOG]

Posted: 6/28/24 at 11:44pm

Not always cool. If you search OOtoobyay for footage of Scary Spice singing Another Day during her stint in RENT you’ll see an example of when tailoring keys doesnt work

[LuckyDipster]

Posted: 6/29/24 at 5:18am

BeingAlive44Ever said: "Roger Bart in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown."

Up or down?

[The Distinctive Baritone]

Posted: 6/29/24 at 11:27am

I read the entire original post in less than a minute. Some of you have no attention span (and are very rude).

[jpbran]

Posted: 6/29/24 at 11:58am

If you dont have anything nice to say...don't say it. Don't waste your energy mocking someone else.

And also... plot twist! 🤣

...half the time their writing style reads like a psycho path who didn't pass 1st grade. 

Updated On: 6/29/24 at 11:58 AM

[darquegk]

Posted: 6/29/24 at 12:05pm

AOLplaybillChatOG said: "Not always cool. If you search OOtoobyay for footage of Scary Spice singing Another Day during her stint in RENT you’ll see an example of when tailoring keys doesnt work"

It's not 2011, we're allowed to reference YouTube and not say "that site."

[MezzoDiva47]

Posted: 6/29/24 at 5:14pm

vocalzone said: "For a very "accepting" community - do y'all ever take a minute to think"

 

so the answer to this question is ‘no’

 

My partner is brilliant but has severe ADHD and half the time their writing style reads like a psycho path who didn't pass 1st grade.

 

yikes

maybe teach them the middle path

 

If you dont have anything nice to say...don't say it. Don't waste your energy mocking someone else.


i get it

u lead by example

 

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 6/29/24 at 7:07pm

Didn't they have to do that for people who would play Elle in Legally Blonde? They had to lower the key because the original key LBB sang in was way too high to be sustainable for 8x a week? Or am I thinking of just the song "So Much Better"? 

[MysteriousLady]

Posted: 6/29/24 at 7:43pm

This post is interesting and I much prefer it to the zillionth "where should I sit?" post. Of course the haters are mad when they see people discussing theater on a theater board. 

[vocalzone]

Posted: 6/29/24 at 7:45pm

My partner openly mocks themselves about it quite often - so apologies if that sentence came across as me mocking them or their/our situation.  We deal with stuff like that with self deprecating humor in our household and I mock myself and my idiosyncratic behaviors all the time.  But, the "plot twist" comment definitely gave me a chuckle.


Also - yes, Scary Spice. Never forget.  That Another Day key change was JARRING. 

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 6/29/24 at 10:09pm

Your point about switching harmonies in Merrily reminded me that in many audition notices that I've seen for Heathers, it is noted that the 3 Heathers can switch vocal lines as needed to suit the actresses.

[JBradshaw]

Posted: 6/30/24 at 1:33am

it was no jarring. 
 

i saw Mel as Mimi maybe 5xs. I loved the key change, the lighting kinda changed a bit, kinda made it all seem darker. I also loved Mel N’s black “out tonight” black pants instead of the blue and her half accent. 
 

vocalzone said: "My partner openly mocks themselves about it quite often - so apologies if that sentence came across as me mocking them or their/our situation. We deal with stuff like that with self deprecating humor in our household and I mock myself and my idiosyncratic behaviors all the time. But, the "plot twist" comment definitely gave me a chuckle.


Also - yes, Scary Spice. Never forget. That Another Day key change was JARRING."

 

[meredithchandler73]

Posted: 6/30/24 at 1:33am

Interesting to find this thread. I was recently wondering about the different takes on the song "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and started to do a search on YT:

• Ethen Merman originally sang it in C, but there are clips of her in later years singing it a little lower. (Maybe not in productions of GYPSY, but TV appearances.)
• Angela Lansbury sang it in A.
• Tyne Daly sang it in B flat.
• Bernadette Peters sang it in B. And roughly 9 years later she sang it in B flat on "Smash."
• Patti LuPone sang it in B flat.
• Imelda Staunton sang it in A.

Of course, these women have different voices and were also various ages when they played Rose and sang this song.

I think that changing keys sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. I believe I heard actress L Morgan Lee once mention that changing keys can be great, but sometimes the writers put songs in a specific key for a certain sound/feeling. But isn't always, "But Elphaba has to hit THAT note!" Sometimes changing the key will not take away or change the impact of the song. When Angie Schworer took over for Cady Huffman as Ella in THE PRODUCERS, she asked if they could lower the key for "When You Got It, Flaunt It" because it didn't sit comfortably in Angie's voice. I think they resisted at first but eventually lowered it for her. I've caught video of Angie's performance and it sounds terrific! In comparing GYPSY revivals, I don't remember anyone specifically saying, "Oooh, Bernadette isn't singing the Merman key" or "Oooh, Patti isn't singing in Bernadette's key."

Just my two cents.

[meredithchandler73]

Posted: 6/30/24 at 1:33am

meredithchandler73 said: "Interesting to find this thread. I was recently wondering about the different takes on the song "Everything's Coming Up Roses" and started to do a search on YT:

• Ethen Merman originally sang it in C, but there are clips of her in later years singing it a little lower. (Maybe not in productions of GYPSY, but TV appearances.)
• Angela Lansbury sang it in A.
• Tyne Daly sang it in B flat.
• Bernadette Peters sang it in B. And roughly 9 years later she sang it in B flat on "Smash."
• Patti LuPone sang it in B flat.
• Imelda Staunton sang it in A.

Of course, these women have different voices and were also various ages when they played Rose and sang this song.

I think that changing keys sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. I believe I heard actress L Morgan Lee once mention that changing keys can be great, but sometimes the writers put songs in a specific key for a certain sound/feeling. But isn't always, "But Elphaba has to hit THAT note!"Sometimes changing the key will not take away or change the impact of the song. When Angie Schworer took over for Cady Huffman as Ella in THE PRODUCERS, she asked if they could lower the key for "When You Got It, Flaunt It" because it didn't sit comfortably in Angie's voice. I think they resisted at first but eventually lowered it for her. I've caught video of Angie's performance and it sounds terrific! In comparing GYPSY revivals, I don't remember anyone specifically saying, "Oooh, Bernadette isn't singing the Merman key" or "Oooh, Patti isn't singing in Bernadette's key."

Just my two cents."

I meant to include Lea Salonga - singing in the key of A (in STEPHEN SONDHEIM'S OLD FRIENDS)