Jennifer Holliday as Motormouth in HAIRSPRAY??

[morosco]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 3:27pm

I'd go see it finally.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 3:33pm

Go see what finally?

I would prefer her to Latifah, but the deal is done.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 3:34pm

Is he referring to the Broadway production?

[morosco]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 3:35pm

The show. I'd love to go see Jennifer Holliday as Motormouth in the show HAIRSPRAY. If they'd cast her.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 3:35pm

OOOOOOOH. Yes. Probably. Now it makes sense. Sorry!

Yes, I agree - get her ass in there.

Though, she has ruined her voice. She has the absolute worst singing technique - I wonder if she could sing that song 8 times a week.

[morosco]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 3:43pm

"Though, she has ruined her voice. She has the absolute worst singing technique - I wonder if she could sing that song 8 times a week."

Has she really ruined her voice? I always thought that perhaps she had that natural born gift that made her voice indestructable (like Tina Turner who admits she never bothers to even warm up before going onstage). Technique certainly would help endure 8 shows a week. And then there's also a perception in the biz that she's "difficult".

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 3:46pm

It's better now than it was after her DREAMGIRLS stint, but why do you think she virtually disappeared after DREAMGIRLS for a while?

I still recall freshman year of college, one of the voice teachers held a "voice" seminar...and played an example of a good, healthy technique, and a bad technique. For good, she played Kristin Chenoweth in STEEL PIER. For pad, Jennifer Holliday from DREAMGIRLS.

[CurtisTaylorJr2]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 3:47pm

She'd be good as Motormouth, it's right up her line.

[mateo]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 3:56pm

God what a way to boost sales if they got her in there.

Id go see it.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 4:52pm

but she's not fat anymore...

[morosco]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 5:04pm

"but she's not fat anymore..."

Oops. Forgot all about that!

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 5:31pm

She actually didn't disappear at all after Dreamgirls. I know -- I saw her perform over a half dozen times in the 80s. She released three r&b albums between 1983 and 1990 that produced a couple a top ten r&b hits, a couple of #1 dance singles and she won her second Grammy for Best Inspirational Performance (for a beautiful rendition of Duke Ellington's "Come Sunday" on her second album). She starred in two pre-Broadway musicals (Sing Mahalia Sing! and Harlem Suite) both of which she toured around the country with for several months and left over either disagreements with the creative teams or because they weren't quite up to snuff (Michael Bennett himself convinced her not to bring SMS to Broadway bwcause while she certainly would get raves -- she gave the single greatest vocal performance I've ever seen in my life with standing O after standing O throughout the night -- the show itself was rather mediocre). And she maintained busy national concert schedule.

So let me say that not only was her voice NOT shot, it actually expanded in range and power and sheer intensity. "And I Am Telling" is FAR from the best vocal performance I've ever heard from her -- not even top 5. There were several performances of other songs (especially gospel) she gave in the mid to late 80s that dwarfed AIATY on every level. It was only after her enormous weight loss (160+ pounds) in the late 80s/early 90s that I started to notice a strain in her voice that had never been there before. Her vibrato widened, her range decreased and since then she's really had to struggle to achieve the same effects she used to toss off effortlessly, having to rely on tricks and gimmicks more than ever. While she may also have damaged her instrument after years of intense singing (and screaming), the effects didn't begin to show in her voice in after that weight loss and the voice has ever been the same.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 5:38pm

Well, the "disappearing" thing was told to me by a professional voice teacher, but I suppose she just could have been talking about how she never returned to Broadway.

To say that her voice is not what it was is not to knock her as a performer - it is nothing personal.

But to say that her voice is not in top form and that she sings absolutely incorrectly is just true. You can hear it. Listen. I'm sure you can hear it.

No need to get all defensive over Ms. Holliday, but the fact remains that due to years and years of incorrect singing, it has finally taken a toll on her.

Idina Menzel has NOTHING on this technique...

[morosco]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 5:42pm

Though a little stiff with the comedy in CHICAGO Holliday still showed she has no vocal equal. She sand the score solidly and didn't really do any vocal stunts until the end of "...Good to Mama" and the theatre went absolutely wild.

I want to hear her in a show again. Color Purple?

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 6:14pm

Menzel has nothing on ANY tehcnique...

[CurtisTaylorJr2]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 7:10pm

I've said before, if there is a revival of "The Wiz", she'd be perfect for Evilene. Can you imagine her singing "Don't Nobody Bring Me No Bad News"? That would be amazing.

[Tag]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 8:26pm

In any recent concert tours (if there have been any) has she performed AIATY?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 9:29pm

She has NEVER NOT sung AIATY during any performance she's ever given -- the audience would not let her leave if she tried (plus it's her only real hit). The woman has performed that song literally thousands of times in the past 25 years.

[KJisgroovy]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 10:16pm

"I still recall freshman year of college, one of the voice teachers held a "voice" seminar...and played an example of a good, healthy technique, and a bad technique. For good, she played Kristin Chenoweth in STEEL PIER. For pad, Jennifer Holliday from DREAMGIRLS. "

How can you even compare the two? They are completely different kinds of voices/singing. Should Jennifer Holliday have sung like Kristin Chenoweth in Steel Pier her whole life? I know it's not you making the comparison... but... I don't get it.


kmc

[morosco]

Posted: 6/9/06 at 10:26pm

"I still recall freshman year of college, one of the voice teachers held a "voice" seminar...and played an example of a good, healthy technique, and a bad technique. For good, she played Kristin Chenoweth in STEEL PIER. For pad, Jennifer Holliday from DREAMGIRLS. "

I could be wrong but I'm not really sure Holliday is a good example of bad technique. Like I said earlier I think she was born with an unusual set of pipes that are virtually indestructable. It would be a whole 'nother story If others tried to sing like Holliday without a proper technique. They'd certainly develop major vocal problems. And yes...her weight loss and her age have limited her range a bit but she still sounds fantastic to my ears. Singers that give me goosebumps like Holliday are few and fair between.

[soulman83]

Posted: 6/26/06 at 8:08pm

First on this matter i think people are off on her technique. If you watch her performance on the Tonys her voice actually has quite proper placement. She did make adjustments and through some things out the window for effect purposes as so many performers do. It annoys me when voice teachers usually with a bias to classical make examples like the one talked about. comparing Kristen Chenoweth to JEnnifer Holliday is ABSURD! Who does that? Ugh. two completely different people with completely different styles. I mean if Kristen could do what JEnnifer was capable of it would be a different story. Not to mention voice teachers seem to love to hate people belt. MY voice teacher sings all kinds of styles. She usually does more legit stuff but even she acknowledges the greatness of people Like Jennifer and Chaka and the placement they had. On the other hand very few if any voices stay the same for ever and thats true of many opera singers as well. that is all.

[All_For_Laura]

Posted: 6/26/06 at 8:10pm

As Muzzy in Millie? I think she'd be great! But then we would just be continuing with all the original dreamgirls, not to mention that millie is closed hehe.

[morosco]

Posted: 6/26/06 at 9:08pm

"...comparing Kristen Chenoweth to JEnnifer Holliday is ABSURD!"

Amen to that.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 8/27/06 at 3:59pm

Love to see her do it. Also would love to see Ronnie Spector, Patti Labelle, Donna Summer, Aretha, Chaka (etc) in the role.

[GClef2]

Posted: 8/27/06 at 4:45pm

There is a difference between technique and sounding good. A singer can sound decent, but have very poor technique.

As far as comparing Jennifer Holliday and Kristin Chenoweth, I think this is perfectly appropriate. Kristin Chenoweth, while nasal sometimes, has very proper and appropriate placement, tone and overall technique. Jennifer does not have much vocal control.

But she does not have proper placement. This is obvious in her modulated diction and strange pronunciation, especially in And I Am Telling You. I am a classical singer, but appreciate singers such as Sutton Foster and Carolee Carmello, but Jennifer Holliday does have some technique issues. And overall, she makes some strange vocal choices, such as the shouty vocalizations, obvious on the Leading Ladies DVD.