Patti LuPone was by far the best Norma vocally -- don;t only go by the London recording as that was done prior to opening and with little chance for her to grow into the role -- on stage she was so much stronger with more personal interpretation of the music. ANd she is one of the few who sang the role as written
Total package Norma, Betty Buckley -- vocally powerful AND personal and the only Noram I saw who I believed that Joe could have "fallen" for.
I thought Glenn Close was dreadful -- I don't remember who said it in the time -- it may have been Frank Rich, but she seemed like a Kabuki (sp?) doll...almost a caricature of the character -- and her version of With One Look and As if We Never...well it sounded like a cow trying to pull her hoof out of the mud.
Petula -- let me tell you about a message I left for a firend of mine after that one...."Hi Mark, it's me...well I am in Portand and the national tour of SS is here, so why not go out one night during a business trip -- let me tellyou sweetie, save every single penny you have so when this tour with Petula Clark comes to Chicago you can spend those pennies you have saved AND GO SEE SOME OTHER SHOW....
Those are my Normas....
"Sir K, the Viscount of Uppity-shire...." -- kissmycookie
