Favorite Vibrato Moments

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 6/24/09 at 1:43pm

Yes, this thread is kind of silly... but it'll be fun.

I can write a book on my favorite Raul Esparza vibrato moments. OH-MY-GOD

There are SO many!!

In Company, the vibrato is crazy... but my favorite HAS to be in 'Being Alive' when he goes

'But alOoOoOoOne, is alOoOoOoOone, not ALiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIVvVvVvVEeE'

The thing is, when he holds 'alive', he goes from straight tone to sickeningly fast vibrato like I've never heard before. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGO61b-demA You can hear it from 4:15 to 4:23




In Tick Tick Boom, during the song therapy, he sings first 30ish seconds with a very nasally tone (I guess to sound like he's nervous) and when he says 'to share a feeling', he gradually switches from nasal tone to open tone during the note of 'ing'. What's crazy about it is that as he opens more, his vibrato gets gradually faster to the point where you don't even know what note he's singing anymore. It's CRAZY. Sadly, I don't have a clip of it. You'll just have to buy that song.



In the Hair benefit recording, when Raul sings the 'Bangled, tangled, spangled, and spaghettied' in the song 'Hair', he sings 'Bangled, tangled, spangled, and' like the normal Raul... but when he sings 'spaghettied' like an opera singer. It's just might be my favorite vibrato moment of his. He does the same thing in the Rock Horror Show during 'Time Warp' several times.

Your turn!

[BwayTday]

Posted: 6/24/09 at 2:40pm

I love at the end of "Gimme, Gimme" when Sutton hits the last note with no vibrato and then at the end of the note there is a great vibrato.... amazing

[Pippin]

Posted: 6/24/09 at 2:43pm

My absolute favorite is from "Paris Original" form the Broderick revival of How to Succeed.


that woman who sings the lyric "Some irresponsible dress manufacturer JUST DIDN'T PLAY FAIR!, I'm one of a pair...."

Her vibrato is a force of nature.

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 6/24/09 at 2:46pm

In the 2005 Revival Cast Recording I am OBSESSED with the way Patti says

'don't you love the weather' in 'By the Sea'. The vibrato she uses for weather is really bubbly sounding.

[yay_gerb]

Posted: 6/24/09 at 3:09pm

i, as well, love raul's 'spaghettied' in the actors fund cd! lol

[dramatothemax]

Posted: 6/24/09 at 3:11pm

The worst vibrato EVER has to be that of Frances Ruffelle in the OBC recording of Les Mis. It's so bad and I get the BEST laugh out of it.

My favorite vibrato moments all come from Miranda...duh.

[AndAllThatJazz22]

Posted: 6/24/09 at 3:17pm

I don't think Frances Ruffelle has the worst vibrato ever. What I don't like is her voice sounds like the voice of an annoying 6 year old.

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 6/24/09 at 3:19pm

There's a clip of Tanz der Vampire on that site of Thomas Borchert as Count von Krolock singing "Einladung zum Ball" and he sings the phrase, "Eine reise auf dem flugeln der nacht" the following way. He sings everything up until the end of "nacht" in a straight tone and then vibratos at the end.

Liz McCartney singing Talk Amongst Yourselves:

"Taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalk amongst yourse-e-elves/But IIIIIIIII know woooooooooooords won't make it betteeeeeeeeeeer"

Ugh! Amazing!

In the song, "Ich gehor nur mir" from Elisabeth, on the Dutch and Essen cast recordings, Pia Douwes hits this INSANE high note so effortlessly at the end and vibratos just as effortlessly. Again, it's insane.

Another Taboo moment. Jeffrey Carlson in Genocide Peroxide:

Beautiful child in razor hee-yuuuuuuls

That's how he sings the word heels.

And also Euan Morton singing Stranger in This World. He vibratos on the syllable "self" when he sings "On a clear day, I can see myself for miles"

Updated On: 6/24/09 at 03:19 PM

[madbrian]

Posted: 6/24/09 at 3:21pm

For your consideration, Andrea McArdle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8DUKgdRtI0

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 6/24/09 at 5:48pm

Kerry Butler in practically ALL of Xanadu
Ashley Brown in basically anything
Eden Espinosa in "Once Upon a Time" (right around the chorus)
Mandy Gonzalez in "Breathe" from IN THE HEIGHTS (What will my parents say)
Pretty much all of Karen Olivo's songs...

[Jamie Pierce]

Posted: 6/24/09 at 6:07pm

Ann Hampton Callaway in "Blues In The Night" from SWING

The word 'eye' when she sings 'he's gonna give you the big eye'

[rich.hanson59]

Posted: 6/24/09 at 8:45pm

"My absolute favorite is from "Paris Original" form the Broderick revival of How to Succeed.


that woman who sings the lyric "Some irresponsible dress manufacturer JUST DIDN'T PLAY FAIR!, I'm one of a pair...."

Her vibrato is a force of nature. "


COMPLETELY agree. That is my favorite part of that recording.

[bwayguy22089]

Posted: 6/24/09 at 9:29pm

^^^ Hahaha. I agree as well (about Paris Original)

[musicalmack]

Posted: 6/25/09 at 12:32am

**Gavin Creel at 1:44 in "I Got Life" from the new HAIR recording
When he says the word "soul" the placement is AMAZING and its the only word in the phrase he uses vibrato on. love it!!)

**Pretty much any vibrato Gavin uses is stinkin awesome.

**Brian d'Arcy James all through "What Is It About Her?" from THE WILD PARTY.

**Marc Kudisch's last note ("by") in "Central Park" from SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE

**Audra McDonald in "Your Daddy's Son" from RAGTIME, when she swtiches to belting for the first time on "son" right before "couldn't hear no music"

just a few... :)

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 6/25/09 at 12:35am

I'll second that clip from madbrian, truly brilliant.

[theaterkid1015]

Posted: 6/25/09 at 12:42am

Audra McDonald. Period. Audra McDonald.

That woman's vibrato drives me mad, it's so good. AHHHHH.

Her and Norm Lewis. Nearly everything they sing just has this beautiful, even, full vibrato to it.

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 6/25/09 at 12:52am

Raul Esparza throughout Company.

And Gavin Creel.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 6/25/09 at 1:19am

Isn't that Victoria Clark in Paris Original?


ETA: nope, I checked on my iTunes: Victoria Clark comes in third in that song, it's someone named Kristi Lynes with the insane vibrato.

Updated On: 6/25/09 at 01:19 AM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 6/25/09 at 1:25am

Sutton Foster has one of the craziest vibratos I've ever heard.

[[tos]fan999]

Posted: 6/25/09 at 1:11pm

I love Christine Ebersole's vibrato throughout the Grey Gardens cast recording. Especially in Another Winter In A Summer Town, where she and Mary Louise-Wilson harmonize on "my season ended a long time ago." It gives me chills.

[little_sally]

Posted: 6/25/09 at 1:18pm

[tos]fan999, that moment always gives me chills too.

[fetzles1490]

Posted: 6/25/09 at 10:51pm

Really, EVERYTHING Gavin Creel sings. But specifically in Manchester England from the revival cast recording when he sings "and I'm a genius genius," he sings the first 'genius' straight and puts vibrato on only the first syllable of the second.
"and I'm a genius GENius." Also, I must admit, all of the moments Seth Rudetsky points out in his deconstruction of Gavin in Millie and Hair Actors' Fund.

Raul Esparza in Company.

Natalie Cortez in What I Did For Love

and in general, Norbert Leo Butz.

[inick122492]

Posted: 6/25/09 at 11:13pm

ummm..... hm.... well.... uh. JULIA MURNEY!

[RogerBartFan78]

Posted: 6/26/09 at 1:54am

yeah, Brian d'Arcy James also has a great vibrato - I'm obsessed with his "At the Fountain"

[thevolleyballer]

Posted: 6/26/09 at 1:59am

There's a moment in "You Don't Know This Man" from Parade where Carolee Carmello just KILLS it. UPDATE: Found it. "I don't think you could" at 1:10.

Also, Gavin Creel's "Hair" in Hair at 0:44 or so. It's barely vibrato, but it's amazing. Updated On: 6/26/09 at 01:59 AM