Posted: 6/2/22 at 4:16pm
Auggie27 said:
Feldstein does some perfectly lovely upper register work on "Who Are You Now?" and elsewhere,
Blasting her vocals doesn't help her case. It's already a big performance, that presentational clowning and rolling down the stage in the clip suggest the size. If the show trusted her Fanny characterization more, developing its subtleties, and Mayer reined in some of the shtick, she'd score more consistently.
(Sidebar: She's really quite attractive in the "Cornet Man" costume and wig. Young, sexy, the tailored fit very flattering. And then she's made to wear some of the evening's worst outfits, especially the the "You Are Woman" gown and wig, which give her a high school musical quality. It's startlingly wrong for the seduction scene. She's supposed to attract Nicky, but she's done up like the Queen Mother. The draped shinning gold satin, the wig out of "Forum", it's just shocking. She isn't well costumed again until act two, a simple maroon dress makes grown-up Fanny look striking and sophisticated. Enough with the caftans.)
The direction pushes her to be outrageous, and then tries to turn her into a serious woman fighting for her man and career. Feldstein isn't unable to play the adult Fanny, but no one helped her stitch together the two sides of this woman, so she seems to be playing one or the other. The second act, with its one-note marriage destruction plotting, makes it more challenging. Still, if this is where the story takes her, let her get there.
I wish more people blamed Mayer for the issues in her performance. Another director would've helped shape and balance her take."
A great recap - I agree about Who Are You Now? I just wish her voice was stronger, Ramin is a tear down the house singer and it would have been even better if she could have matched him on the money notes. Still, her voice was pretty and I got teary-eyed because their voices did match well.
The costumes are atrocious - covering her up doesn't work. We know she's a big girl, dress her with some taste and consideration - as you mentioned for Cornet Man and the maroon. That pink dress would look horrid on anyone. Let's forget You Are Woman entirely.
As for the direction, which is the biggest criticism - I have to ask why then can Julie Benko play the same role with the same director and have a different result? I haven't seen Julie, sadly I might add and won't unless someone makes a boot and I get wind of it - but, from what I've read, she "acts" the role including the comedic element. She's a trained stage actress and doesn't rely on schtick. So, while I understand the criticism of Michael, why allow his lead to continue with such glaring issues, but give the standby notes to create a legitimately good, if not great, performance? Have to think some of that has to do with Beanie's capabilities. Maybe Beanie is incapable of playing a mature woman because she has never experienced being one. There is a big difference between being 28-29 and being 32-33 - not to mention training.
Maybe you could get some cheap seats (which I know are expensive, even if "cheap."
