Yes, I do prefer Riegel over Hathaway. My opinion is based on hearing her on stage live in Les Miserables and the fact that I feel she has a unique sound that suits the character of Sarah Brown perfectly. Although I think Anne Hathaway is also a fine singer I do not particularly care for her voice as I find it typical of many other pop singers today and not as distinctive as Riegel's. I did not see Hathaway in the stage revival of Carnival so I can't judge her live singing but I know for a fact that her vocals in Ella Enchanted were assembled from several takes of the songs for the best effect, a typical Hollywood practice even for the best singers and a luxury which Riegel did not have in the examples of her singing on the YouTube videos, which are also several years old. It really comes down to a personal preference for Eden Riegel over Hathaway as you may feel a preference for Hathaway over Riegel as a singer. Guys and Dolls would be great with either one of them.
"I long-ago realized that this country is a nation of
morons, when it comes to knowledge of anything outside, or beyond, pop culture." Steve Slezak
