Has Liza always had a lisp/slur?

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 4/16/10 at 9:03pm

This may sound mildly disrespectful, but I don't mean it as such. As of late she has gotten really bad on slurring, and I thought it maybe was something to do with her age. However, I just finished watching "Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall" and in "Old Friends" she is really slurring/lisping her "s" sounds...to the point of Shteven Shondheim.

Is this something she's always had, and I am just now picking up on it...or is it something else?

[JiltedLyricist]

Posted: 4/16/10 at 9:08pm

I believe so. Perhaps more pronounced now, but it's definitely been there. Her mother (whom I adored) had a trace of a speech impediment too, so it must be genetic.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 4/16/10 at 9:24pm

I never noticed it till the Carnegie Hall thing. We were all talking about it that night; it seemed brand new.

With the advent of DVD, I began to notice Judy having a sort of sibilant s, but she doesn't on the TV show--when she's not wearing the caps. It seems as though the caps caused the speech thing, though I don't claim any real knowledge.

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 4/16/10 at 9:34pm

Yesh. <3

[inlovewithjerryherman]

Posted: 4/16/10 at 9:49pm

It's gotten more pronounced. I never notice it in "Cabaret".

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/16/10 at 11:52pm

She developed it when she came down with enshephalitish.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 4/17/10 at 9:45am

It's the "Bad Denshure Shindrome":
Liza
Denzel
Sean Connery...

[Q]

Posted: 4/17/10 at 10:55am

"What good is SH*Tting alone in your room . . ."

[hsrdmd]

Posted: 4/17/10 at 11:04am

As a dentist, I cringe when I see "New Teeth" (AKA chipmunk teeth) on a performer. It seems as though more thought goes into the payment option than into form and function... maybe Chicklet teeth are in schtyle.