FUNNY GIRL on Broadway - Reviews & News Thread- Page 39

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 8:42am

Auggie - The LuPone/Feldstein comparison isn't really apples to apples. LuPone was in a show that was sung through from start to finish, so her challenge was pacing and endurance. Her voice was already amazing, it just took her time and some coaching to figure out how to make it through six shows a week singing basically for two hours straight - much of it at full voice/belting (and often pretty high). Her tone was very good to begin with and she wasn't suffering from pitch issues - it was about being in shape physically, vocally, and mentally to get through a much more grueling role than Fanny.

Understood. And much appreciated. Still, I invite anyone in this thread who has the LuPone memoir on their shelf to pull it down and re-read the (brilliant, honest)  Evita chapters.  She missed a number of performances in Los Angeles, leaving the city with her voice ravaged (she famously mentions seeing a car accident en route to SF, and identifying). And then missing multiple performances in San Francisco while she was under a doctor's care because her chords were so enflamed.. She blew out her voice repeatedly, leading to the Klausner fill-ins -- and reviews. Of course, it's not a comparable, except: a gifted singer had trouble finding a way to sing a score. It was decidedly an endurance issue, yet it's startling to read how damaged her glorious instrument became, trying to acquire the technique. And she honestly admits: "I was never out of the woods {for the entire B'way run}"  That's not my interpretation, but her words. She said she wasn't comfortable til Australia. I find this quite an educational moment, as a non-singer. 

So as different as the two performances are, and performers, I raise it only to remind us of what it takes to master the the vocals for any given role. If a gold standard singer like LuPone had trouble -- and she had ten weeks out of town -- we can appreciate that pressure on a lesser vocalist. It's not to compare the singers, but to focus on what it takes to find a specific performance.  No one has given Feldstein ten weeks away from NYC. In her defense: I would argue that she deserved them.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 9:08am

Elena Roger did not with the Olivier for Evita. She won a few years later for Piaf. She was also nominated for Passion.

For those who have never seen the Streisand TV special from 1965, this is the memory many of us have of it.

 

 

[wiggum2]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 9:38am

ATerrifyingAndImposingFigure said: "ljay889 said: "RippedMan said: "It worked for Sheridan Smith. That show was a big hit in the West End. But, this is a very American, Broadway show. So I wonder if US audiences are more critical of her singing? I guess we will see.


Elena Roger in Evita was also a hit with audiences in the West End, but her vocal performance was crucified on Broadway and she was snubbed of a Tony nomination. Broadway audiences are definitely much harder to please when it comes to vocals."

Not mentioned here, but Roger also took home the Olivier for her West End work, making her shutout from the Tonys even more noticeable."

It's been a while since I listened to the 06 and 12 Evita recordings but I remember that Elena's voice was much better in 2006 than 2012

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 9:39am

Regarding Klausner / Lupone, as I understand it, there was at least some conversation about replacing LuPone once she began having vocal difficulties with the role out of town, though if she had been replaced, I suspect the producers would have seized the opportunity as an excuse to bring Elaine Paige over. I doubt they would have elevated Klausner to the part full time.

LuPone, however was a Julliard trained actress with major craft, experience and teaching, and Hal Prince thought she could find her way into the part.  The test here is that Benie Feldstein has apparently very little training and experience headlining a play or musical.  No doubt she will improve in ways, but she also risks things like vocal damage that might take her back.  Only time will tell how she rises to the occasion.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 10:08am

Excellent points, Queen Alice. Yes, the Paige replacement rumors are included in LuPone's memoir. And as you note, LuPone had already received a Tony nomination, been on the road with the unfixable Baker's Wife. She wasn't a green novice by any yardstick. (N.B., LuPone is not terribly grateful to Prince beyond the opportunity; he tried to force the Paige performance onto her.)  Those of us who don't sing (and admire the timbre and power of the supple LuPone voice) can't fathom her having difficulty. She addresses even that, noting that her sound on the Evita recording was solid, yet she recalls being terrified of losing her voice daily. Again, the memoir should be a go-to in any discussion about finding/sustaining a role. 

Today is the first two-show day for Funny Girl. The production has taken care to require only 7 shows a week for a month.    

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 10:27am

And, reminder, Hines sang Fanny without a body mic.  What's notable about that shortened version: it's shorter, but doesn't sound any easier with that ending. 

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 10:31am

Streisand wore a body mic in FUNNY GIRL and I suspect Mimi Hines did also. Of course the amplification was much more primitive in those days than now.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 10:34am

There’s a story about Barbra’s mic during “Funny Girl”, isn’t there? It escapes me now, but I’m pretty sure there’s some famous backstage story about it…

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 10:36am

Auggie27 said:

"Today is the first two-show day for Funny Girl. The production has taken care to require only 7 shows a week for a month."

The show goes to 8 performances the week of 4/11, so it's only 2 weeks with 7 performances, which is the norm for many productions.

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 11:20am

QueenAlice said: "Elena Roger did not with the Olivier for Evita. She won a few years later for Piaf. She was also nominated for Passion.

For those who have never seen the Streisand TV special from 1965, this is the memory many of us have of it.
 

this here bears repeating...BABS is the one and only FUNNY GIRL...(sorry i thought the youtube video would also be quoted...damn!)

 

 

"

 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 11:26am

I stand corrected.

UPDATE, via discussion of her costumes: 

"Streisand was mic’d for Funny Girl on the stage—which meant all of her costumes were fashioned with a small buttonhole for a microphone to poke through. Ray Diffen, who assisted Irene Sharaff on the Funny Girl costumes, wrote that “the aerial was wound around her body, the microphone was fixed to her bra and the battery pack was taped to her leg, or the small of her back. The battery pack then was quite unwieldy, as big as a packet of cigarettes.”

Diffen further explained the technology: “all [costumes] had a small buttonhole for the mic to poke through. This had to be found by the dresser, in the dark in a hurry. It was a nightmare! In Boston we lost three outfits that couldn't be changed in time.”

Diffen described the quick-change Streisand had to make during The Music That Makes Me Dance: “we had to rig up a long evening dress under a short fur coat of leopard skin. She had to step back through a curtain of fringe, unhook the coat, let the dress fall and step through the curtain and sing.”

https://www.barbra-archives.info/newpage


 

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 12:20pm

since LuPone and her vocal issues during EVITA have been mentioned I need to ask this: In the show proper when she sings Buenos Aires she goes high for the last “Just a little touch of star quality!” but on the recording she goes way low. Why did they change it for the recording or am I mistaken and they decided to change it after the recording? 

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 12:20pm

since LuPone and her vocal issues during EVITA have been mentioned I need to ask this: In the show proper when she sings Buenos Aires she goes high for the last “Just a little touch of star quality!” but on the recording she goes way low. Why did they change it for the recording or am I mistaken and they decided to change it after the recording? 

this has always bothered me…

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 1:23pm

YettaTelebenda2 said: "Shower Singer said: "Auggie27 said: "Those of us who don't sing, and have no knowledge of how voices train -- both to land specific music and endure over a run -- would appreciate any information experts can share here.

Two narratives are emerging about Funny Girl: 1) it's early, and Feldstein will negotiate the score more successfully with more performances, better understanding of the demands, and acquired stamina; and 2) she's had months to train, weeks to rehearse, and she's using the instrument she's got: taxed thus, this is her Fanny. I suspect the reality is between these two poles, but would welcome any specifics about the mystery (to the rest of us) of singing. One can surmise that she's worked with a private coach -- maybe Fierstein sent her to industry's best, Joan Leder -- and the musical director on the matter of keys. Wouldn't keys be determined early? Adjusted as the show began to work in earnest?

How much can a singer "improve" simply performing a set of songs 7-8 times a week? It's a question, and a serious minded one. I return to the LuPone memoir, in which she explained in detail what it took for her to learn to sing Eva six times a week, never mastering it (to her own satisfaction or more importantly, comfort) until she played in Australia. She was taught to sing on "her interest, not her capital." But LuPone learning how to sing a score set in the passagio six times a week -- she had a stunningly agile instrument -- seems a very different issue than Feldstein's challenge. Again, a layman's guesswork and set of questions."

Auggie - The LuPone/Feldstein comparison isn't really apples to apples. LuPone was in a show that was sung through from start to finish, so her challenge was pacing and endurance. Her voice was already amazing, it just took her time and some coaching to figure out how to make it through six shows a week singing basically for two hours straight - much of it at full voice/belting (and often pretty high). Her tone was very good to begin with and she wasn't suffering from pitch issues - it was about being in shape physically, vocally, and mentally to get through a much more grueling role than Fanny.

Beanie's voice isn't anywhere near as good as Patti to begin with, so while she will likely improve a little with time (she'll figure out where to breathe, how to "cheat" notes when the chorus is singing behind her, and, like weight lifting, with repetition, she'll get stronger so will -hopefully- be able to better support all of her notes), changing her tone is much more difficult. Having heard her on recordings pre-Funny Girl and then again at the performance Monday of this week, it does sound like she's not QUITE as nasal, but she still sings in the back of her throat and through her nose, making for a very "pinched" or "tight" nasal sound. A good coach could probably make some headway with this but it would take a lot of time. Hopefully she's working on it and will continue to improve, but it's very hard to retrain someone how to sing - particularly when someone has been doing it a certain way for so long. Keep in mind that during previews they're still likely to be rehearsing a few hours during the day, then performing the show at night, so it makes for a long, vocally stressful day. Once they freeze the show and they're not rehearsing during the day, she'll be able to rest her voice during the day and that may help a bit - but unfortunately won't change the nasal quality.

People keep commenting that they need to change the key of the score and I didn't see that as an issue. She's not having any trouble hitting the notes - as a matter of fact, her "money notes" were better than most of the rest of the song. The problem isn't with the key - they've been in rehearsal for weeks. If the key was the issue, it would have been fixed before previews.

Will there be some improvement? Probably - but it's likely to be minor. Will it be enough to satisfy those who are looking for a crystal-clear tone and a strong belt (and will she ever be considered a great singer)? Probably not.

Again, I don't think most people notice (although for anyone with even a small amount of musical training, it's pretty painful), so for the vast majority, it won't matter, but for those of us who expect more from Broadway, it's a disappointing outcome."

Most people in an audience do not analyze "the instrument" or the keys like this forum does. They go to have a good time and be entertained. Beanie will be fine and honestly, it will be enough to recall the music and enjoy the experience.

This will receive mixed reviews and Beanie will get a Tony. She got the part... so let's see."

Says you but from what I'm reading on BWW and hearing from our industry friends and a top musical theater agent friend that lives next door that she's just not a Fanny and can't handle the vocal demands of the score AND she's not winning the Tony! I personally can't comment as we don't see the show until May but we shall see?

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 1:25pm

Anyone saying she will WIN a Tony is beyond delusional. Yikes. 

[east side story]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 1:27pm

Sutton Ross said: "Anyone saying she will WIN a Tony is beyond delusional. Yikes."

If this word of mouth continues, I wouldn’t be surprised if she wasn’t even nominated.

[fosterfan2]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 1:33pm

NOWaWarning said: "

 

Here’s Mimi Hines doing the shortened version of Don’t Rain On My Parade for reference.

 

"

Wow! That is really good,especially the last note.

[fosterfan2]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 1:49pm

Sutton Ross said: "Anyone saying she will WIN a Tony is beyond delusional. Yikes."

TIL that Beanie Feldstein has a stan.

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 1:55pm

Cool. Im sure she has many stans however they can't afford premium prices.....

[YettaTelebenda2]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 2:22pm

Sutton Ross said: "Anyone saying she will WIN a Tony is beyond delusional. Yikes."

I stand by what I said. Regardless of what industry professionals say, I think this will get good reviews and Beanie will win a Tony. 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 2:38pm

Whatever the merits of the Fanny critics see the performance week of April 18, the work of Sharon D. Clark, Joaquina Kalukango, Carmen Cusack, Mare Winningham and others will not lose their advocates. The presumption that Feldstein’s triumph is the cherry on the top of this stellar season for singing actresses seems unearned. 

[Synecdoche2]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 2:41pm

YettaTelebenda2 said: "I stand by what I said. Regardless of what industry professionals say, I think this will get good reviews and Beanie will win a Tony."

Uh... have you seen the performance?

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 2:43pm

God, what I wouldn't give to have had this revival happen a few years ago when Stephanie J. Block could have lead...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN9zy3N6CxE

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 2:43pm

YettaTelebenda2 said: "Sutton Ross said: "Anyone saying she will WIN a Tony is beyond delusional. Yikes."

I stand by what I said. Regardless of what industry professionals say, I think this will get good reviews and Beanie will win a Tony."

As others said, she’ll be lucky to get a nomination. I will keep saying it, I think this will turn into a Elena Roger scenario with no Tony nomination. 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/2/22 at 2:51pm

YettaTelebenda2 said: "Sutton Ross said: "Anyone saying she will WIN a Tony is beyond delusional. Yikes."

I stand by what I said. Regardless of what industry professionals say, I think this will get good reviews and Beanie will win a Tony."

LOL - I feel these will be the nominees for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical:  

Sharon D. Clark, Joaquina Kalukango, Carmen Cusack, Sutton Foster and Katrina Lenk.