Deborah Gibson

[DavidMegg]

Posted: 7/15/03 at 5:06pm

What are everyone's thoughts on Deb? I've been a fan since the beginning and still am. I've seen most of her theatre work (with the exception of Cabaret) and was wondering if you think she has it, or if she's a joke... I know I'm opening up a can of worms, but regardless what is said, I won't throw away my membership card from 1987!!! :)
Seriously though, I think she's quite good. However, the roles she has done aren't really sooooooo complex or challenging...
Your thoughts??

Posted: 7/15/03 at 5:18pm

Hey David, long time Debbie fan as well, all the way back to 87 with Out of the Blue, ofcourse I was 10 at the time but anyhow.

I've seen Debbie in The National Tour of Grease as, not Sandy, but Rizzo. She was actually alright. I liked her "Worse Things"

Saw her in the National Tour of "Joseph" she was cute as the narrator but that's where I noticed she has a lisp.

If you're a fan try and get a hold of two cds

one a cd single of "Don't Rain on My Parade" (Unless you have Moonchild) It's Debbie's rendition from when she was Fanny Brice on a tour. (It has an upbeat Debbie tempo though)

two GRREASE London Cast with Debbie as Sandy
This is a GREAT RECORDING. One of my favorites. It actually is the movie rendition with all the play songs added as well.
Debbie sings Hopelessly Devoted VERY good. It's awesome. She takes notes up the Debbie signature way, and her "Look at me (reprise)" is AWESOME, AWESOME AWESOME, she starts to belt and then goes into her signature head voice at the end.
"Sandy/Danny (at the Beach)"
"Summer Nights"
"Freddy My Love" (Backup)
"Hopelessly Devoted"
"It's Raining On Prom Night"
"Look At Me (Reprise)"
"You're the one that i want"

I actually heard that Deborah was quite good in Gypsy and as Sally in Sally Bowels, but her first attempt as Eponine was not so good, lol.
Updated On: 7/15/03 at 05:18 PM

[Deannaizme]

Posted: 7/15/03 at 5:31pm

I saw Deborah Gibson in Cabaret when I was in New York in March. She had just stepped into the role (I was hoping to see Heather Laws, actually). She sang the role quite well, and I thought her acting was good too. Her "Cabaret" was one of the better ones that I'd seen/heard (comparing her to Joely Fisher, Andrea McArdle, and the other Sally I saw on the tour whose name escapes me at the moment).

Hasn't she also performed in Chicago as well? I don't think that performance was on Broadway, but I think it was a tour. I could be wrong. :)

But yes, I thought she did the role justice, and I'd like to see her again as Sally, or in something else.

~D

[DavidMegg]

Posted: 7/15/03 at 5:47pm

Yes, she played Velma twice, the first this past November at North Shore Music Theatre in Boston, the second just this past weekend at the Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma. (The Oklahoma gig was only about 4 performances... don't really get that, but....)
I saw her in Les Mis, but I was in 8th grade, so I don't really remember it much (I'm 25 now).
As for her Chicago, her acting was a bit weak, but I was surprised how well she did with the Fosse style.
My boyfriend makes fun of her all the time and says she has a lisp, but I've never noticed it. She chews some of her S sounds though... so maybe that's it - I'm no speech therapist.
But thanks for the input!
david.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/15/03 at 6:45pm

I enjoyed her as Rizzo... especially opposite Sutton as Sandy.
She was good as Cinderella, but I enjoyed Sigler more in the role.
She was a good Belle as well.

[PJ]

Posted: 7/15/03 at 8:40pm

I see her on E! and VH1 all the time talking about the 80's and I've never noticed the lisp either.

[Deannaizme]

Posted: 7/15/03 at 9:26pm

I didn't notice her lisp during Cabaret, either. :)

[BrdwyThtr]

Posted: 7/15/03 at 9:32pm

I saw her as Sally in Cabaret and was blown away! I loved her singing! I found myself anticipating every song she sang.

[Becky]

Posted: 7/15/03 at 10:00pm

I finally got to see Deborah in Cabaret after *years* of being a fan of her music/talent. When I was younger, I always respected the fact that she wrote her music (from a *very* young age) -- and I always thought she had a powerful, clean voice. I loved her early pop stuff, it was great (during that time in music). I was so happy to finally see her live, and she didn't disappoint. I had been waiting for a "Sally" to blow me away vocally, and after 5 different ladies....FINALLY.

I do have to comment on something. I happened to be at her last performance in Cabaret, and Peter Benson gave the traditional "last show" curtain call speech. However, he went into great detail about how they appreciated her positive energy, attitude, and passion for the role of Sally. He told the crowd that if they were only familiar with her as a "pop" star, then they probably had an eye opening that night. He talked about how amazing she was as a musician/songwriter -- he said she had "perfect pitch" -- and went on to describe how she writes songs by singing them in her head and writing the notes above the words on paper.....without EVER consulting an instrument. He said he'd seen it and it was unbelievable. As if all those accolades weren't enough, he talked about what an incredible person she was, and how the company was really losing someone special. I felt like she must have been a pretty neat woman to have been deserving of that heartfelt speech. It sounded like she left quite an impression.

I know speeches are often sappy and complimentary, but this one was very different. He went on and on (cracking inside jokes only she would get), and afterwards the cast kept telling him what a wonderful speech he had given.

Good for Deborah.

As for a lisp? I honestly think that term is WAY misused. I hear people throw that term around when referring to actors that (by definition) do not have a lisp. I've never noticed Debbie having a lisp.

[ChristineDaae]

Posted: 7/15/03 at 11:03pm

So many people said that she stunk in Cabaret, I thought she was great! I also got the chance to meet her and she was very nice.

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 7/15/03 at 11:17pm

WOO-HOO Long time fan as well (since 1987); I was 6 years old. I saw her twice in concert in Atlantic City back in like 1989...I met her twice back then.
I was actually watching her old concert tape the other day (yes, go ahead and laugh)...but I'll proudly admit to being a Debbie fanatic back then. I even owned a piece of furniture that was hers when she was younger. Her Godmother gave it to me when I was younger. It was a desk; and when I was cleaning out the drawers one day I noticed some writing on the inside. It was Debbie's name! I no longer have the desk though.

I didn't notice the lisp until a week ago when I was watching her judge "American Junior."

She would be great as Fanny Brice in a revival of Funny Girl.

[cabarethed]

Posted: 7/16/03 at 12:58am

Aw, Deborah. I thought she was very good as Sally. Not one of my favorites, but it was a lot of fun to see one of my 80s idols do justice to a role! She was a spunky waif, something the role hadn't had for awhile. She also could not have been nicer at the stage door. Total sweetheart. An absolute pleasure! Can't emphasize that point any further...

[PJ]

Posted: 7/16/03 at 1:28am

Deborah's also grown into a not too bad lookin' woman. I remember her being kind of nerdy looking (or atleast I thought so) back in the day. And I still have yet to notice that damn lisp people keep mentioning it. Was it noticable in Cabaret?

[Albin]

Posted: 7/16/03 at 1:45pm

I couldn't believe my eyes when I read that she was doing a tour of Funny Girl. Give me a break...

Her voice is very thin, very nasal. She should stick to what she does best: writing and singing bubblegum pop because she is out of her league on Broadway.

[Becky]

Posted: 7/16/03 at 1:55pm

"Her voice is very thin, very nasal. She should stick to what she does best: writing and singing bubblegum pop because she is out of her league on Broadway. "


There are many people who have a lot of love and respect for her voice, and would disagree with you. I'm surprised to hear you refer to her voice as "thin", for it was anything but when I saw her. I also don't think she is out of her league, and apparently casting agents don't either. Sure there are people better, and people worse, but that's just how it goes.

I'm sorry you don't enjoy her.

Posted: 7/16/03 at 2:00pm

Hello everyone.

As for Debbie's lisp. Didn't you watch American Jrs??? She had some sort of small speech empediment then. COme on, I LOVE her, but I noticed the small lisp in Joseph and You can hear it especially in the Grease cd when she says "Thandy you must sthart a new..."

Not making fun of her but she does indeed have a slight..something.

And yes she did play Velma I forgot and that was only last year, but her reviews for Sally were WAY better than they were for Velma.

[Albin]

Posted: 7/16/03 at 6:06pm

OK, maybe thin is not the right word to describe her voice.
"Whiney" would be an appropriate discription. Updated On: 7/16/03 at 06:06 PM

[Victoria Grant]

Posted: 7/18/03 at 5:08pm

Deb is truly a trend from the bubble gum 80s however I believe she can portray certain characters and then cannot. The show where she acted opposite Betty Buckley (gypsy?) was not good I heard that her and Betty did not get along.

[CourtneyM]

Posted: 7/19/03 at 9:29am

i loved her in cabaret and wished she had stayed longer. her singing and acting were both amazing. she does have a bit of a lisp but it's not bad enough where it bothers you.
also she never once lost her accent in cabaret (at least not the times i saw her) which is a very hard thing not to do, most people loose it at least once and she didn't. i really hope she comes back to broadway soon.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 7/19/03 at 10:51am

There is a difference between a lisp and having a sl syllabant s. IMHO

Posted: 7/19/03 at 1:56pm

To all, I am FAR FROM CAPPING on Deborah, I love her, but I was just saying, she does indeed have some sort of speech impediment, that sounds like lisping. :)