In defense of Harvey...

Are you kidding me? I loved him as Tevye! I thought he was a hell of a lot better than Mr. Molina. I thought Harvey's Tevye was real and I liked that.

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I loved Harvey as Tevye and hated Molina in the role.

I can't comment on his performance in Fiddler since I didn't see it -- but Tevye IS a singing role with a NUMBER of major songs in the show. I know enough about him to know he's not a singer. Period. I would not pay the money to see him in the role.

This is not to detract from him as an actor or a playwright - I'm simply commenting on the singing.

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I can't help to laugh - but Bobby, you are ususally the one to go knocking Christina's voice in Charity. That's not really a role for a singer either..

Anyway - I'm sure Harvey isn't that bad in Fiddler.

Tevye's not a singing role? If I Were a Rich Man is NOT talk sung. Chavalah is a very tender little song - that's the song I'd MOST be afraid to hear that grating growl attempt to do.

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I totally agree with you, Bobby. It was not written for a "singer". It was written for a great actor. Look at the actors who have played it with any success;
Zero Mostel
Paul Lipson
Herschel Bernardi
Luther Adler
Topol

I have seen it cast 2 times with a singer; Robert Merrill, and Jan Peerce, both opera singers, not actors, and it was not good.
Granted, if there was a great singer and a great actor it would be ideal, but that rarely happens, and in this show, which is close to 3 hours long, you need an actor first. He is never off the stage. And you are right, it was written for Zero Mostel, who was never known primarily as a singer, but a fine actor.

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Bobby, if I am not mistaken most of the negative Harvey comments came out about the time it was announced he was going into the show, BEFORE he actually went on. People were posting things about "How horrible" he would be, and "What are they thinking..." But I think Harvey surprised everyone.

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This has been discussed many times and I am tired.

Harvey's Tevye is not great. The best I can say is so so. The thing annoys me is not his medicore performance but the rave he did not deserve.

Updated On: 7/10/05 at 02:58 PM

Gwen Verdon is not the "awful singer" everyone claims her to be. She was actually at her vocal best in Charity

--- False. VERY false. Verdon suffered some severe vocal problems during Charity. She had a feather wrapped around her vocal chords, and it weakened her voice A LOT. The same thing happened again during CHICAGO.

Verdon's best was her earlier shows. She was in fine vocal shape before Charity. Then Charity happened - and her voice took a turn for the worse.

Updated On: 7/8/05 at 05:07 PM

That's your opinion, for what it's worth, jczelyph. Others have a different opinion. Whether someone can or cannot sing is a subjective opinion, not an objective one that you somehow are the judge of and it's childish of you to castigate those who disagree with you. Fierstein has a character voice that many of us found worked well for this particular character. You disagree. Fine. That doesn't mean that you're right (or that we are, either).

You don't like his voice. Fine. After hearing it for for the past 20 years, I happen to like it and found him surprisingly musical with more range and better pitch than I would have ever thought.

The totality of his performance -- acting singing, dancing -- was quite effective to me (and many others, including several critics). He didn't seem camp at all the night I saw him and I completely believed him to be the loving father of his children. His "If I Were A Rich Man" was fresh, clever and hysterical and his "Chavalah" heart-breaking. I've seen several other Tevyes over the years (including Mostel and Bernardi) and found Fierstein's interpretation to be first rate.

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Updated On: 7/8/05 at 05:14 PM

The schoolmistress has cracked her whip and spoken. I do delight in your sour and cool demeanour, Margo. You strike me as a contender for the 'Miss Havisham Incarnate' award.

Anyway, my opinion is worth as much as everyone else's (at least). I do not agree that whether or not Harvey can sing is subjective. At the very least, the quality of his voice is skewed to such an extreme pole of whatever scale we use to judge voice, as to render it almost an objective fact.

"more range and better pitch than I would have ever thought"
You obviously went in expecting atrocious pitch and a range of a two or three notes.

And don't get me started on his "dancing". In fact, I hadn't considered his dance skill before you mentioned it. I think that might be because I didn't really think of his rhythmless wobbling as dance, but now, I have broadened my ideas of what dance is. I expect that his rhythmless flouncing was not very good in the grand scheme of rhythmless movement appraisal though.

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Updated On: 7/8/05 at 05:27 PM

HAHAHAHA!

Bobbybuddy, who grouses about Applegate's singing voice in Charity constantly, now turns against someone who DARES to do the same complaining about Harvey??

The only difference? Bobbybuddy is apparently a fan of Harvey.

How hypocritical. Neither Tevye or Charity call for a stunning singer; but it's ok to knock Applegate to hell and back. Just not someone that Bobbybuddy likes.

EDIT: Lijay beat me to it, as well as jczelph!

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