Julia Murney singing "So Anyway" from Next to Normal

[PastorErnst]

Julia Murney singing "So Anyway" from Next to Normal#1

Posted: 8/4/11 at 6:24pm

Julia Murney singing "So Anyway" at the Salute to dre.dance concert at Birdland Jazz on Monday, August 1, 2011.
YouTube.com: "So Anyway" - Julia Murney - Aug 1, 2011

[fingerlakessinger]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#2

Posted: 8/4/11 at 6:31pm

And she has not played Diana yet why!?

"Life in theater is give and take...but you need to be ready to give more then you take..."

[light_in_the_dark2]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#2

Posted: 8/4/11 at 6:40pm

wow that was fantastic. she should definitely play diana!

[dshnookie]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#3

Posted: 8/4/11 at 7:21pm

I love it when an actor understands the concept of singing AND acting a song.

This song has some of my all time favorite lyrics, "I'll take a chance on leaving, it's that or stay and die" and "I'll try this on my own, a life I've never known. I'll face the dread alone; but I'll be free."

[DAME]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#4

Posted: 8/4/11 at 7:34pm

Yeah.. but very different to act and perform a song in a cabaret setting as opposed to on stage in the context of the whole show. But.. Lovely.

HUSSY POWER! ------ HUSSY POWER!

[AC126748]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#5

Posted: 8/4/11 at 7:37pm

She sounds awesome. And we all know that her voice is a machine gun. Actually, after hearing her awesome rendition of "Colored Lights" I'll take a production of THE RINK starring her as well.

"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe." -John Guare, Landscape of the Body

[Barcelona]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#6

Posted: 8/4/11 at 8:24pm

She's great! Hopefully she'll get to play Diana at some point or another

[wickedpurple]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#7

Posted: 8/4/11 at 8:41pm

Incredible, I love her.
She needs to play Diana, she had me on the verge of tears with that one song, I can't imagine what she'd do with the whole show, just beautiful.

Updated On: 8/4/11 at 08:41 PM

[Mildred Plotka]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#8

Posted: 8/4/11 at 10:53pm

Good to see rectangle eyes is still plugging along!

"Broadway...I'll lick you yet!"

Updated On: 8/4/11 at 10:53 PM

[henrikegerman]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#9

Posted: 8/7/11 at 7:31am

When she sings "It's that or stay and die," she broke my heart. Besides the sheer beauty of the instrument, I'm in awe of the places she goes emotionally while meticulously retaining vocal control.

[henrikegerman]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#10

Posted: 8/7/11 at 7:58am

Her "Colored Lights" is striking. That first "giggle of girls in the mezzanine" grabbed me by the throat.

She crystalizes one moment, one precise image (and its corresponding physical, vocal and emotional commitment) before the next with breakneck speed. And not just with "Colored Lights" but with practically every song I've ever heard her do. She's an amazing artist, the kind that convinces you not only of singular intelligence and hard work but of a great soul.

I think I'm obsessed with her.

[AC126748]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#11

Posted: 8/7/11 at 9:33am

Besides the sheer beauty of the instrument, I'm in awe of the places she goes emotionally while meticulously retaining vocal control.

I think this is why I've always been drawn to her. She's a true singing actress, even in a cabaret setting, and knows how to sell a song vocally and dramatically without resorting to any cheap tricks. Hell, I even saw Lennon twice because her rendition of "Beautiful Boy" was so simple and moving, and if they'd crafted the whole musical the way they presented that number, it might have worked.

"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe." -John Guare, Landscape of the Body

[bwaylvsong]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#12

Posted: 8/7/11 at 10:47am

She was absolutely astounding in Wicked! I can't imagine anyone giving more depth to the role.

[jdrye222]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#13

Posted: 8/7/11 at 4:45pm

Wow! I loved both of these!

I have to say, I am one of the few who hated "Next To Normal" --- but hearing this song out of context sung by Julia is amazing.

And I agree with the others here who said she can ACT a song so beautifully ---- "Colored Lights" is a difficult song to act - it is long, kind of epic, full of metaphor and nostalgia which are hard to make immediate and have impact.... She is really amazing at both these songs.

I don't know why she doesn't have more starring roles in things. I don't care about "Wicked" - I don't really think it counts. haha.

PS --- does anyone know who the pianist was at this concert? He and Julia seem to be so in sync, and he really plays her emotion it seems... You can tell (I would assume) that they've been working together for a long time. Also "Colored Lights" is notoriously impossible to play on the piano, and I thought it sounded really amazing.

Great clips, thanks!

[fingerlakessinger]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#14

Posted: 8/7/11 at 4:51pm

What I really love about her is that her voice is just so damn unique. It will divide some but there's just something special about it. She doesn't try to sound pretty...her voice is just so beautiful yet...I dont even know. The way she acts is great. Its not even like she is trying...it just happens. I honestly think she is one of the best actresses on Broadway EVER and one of the best vocalists too. She combines them perfectly. Why she has not originated a part in a big show is beyond me.

"Life in theater is give and take...but you need to be ready to give more then you take..."

[adamgreer]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#15

Posted: 8/7/11 at 9:07pm

With all of the regional productions of this show that will be popping up in the next year, I'll be shocked if she doesn't wind up playing the role somewhere.

[MRA]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#16

Posted: 8/7/11 at 9:27pm

The pianist is Paul Masse. He and Ms. Murney did "First You Dream" together at the Signature a couple of years ago. Very talented guy, and they have a great performer/accompanist chemistry.

[alovingfan]

Julia Murney singing 'So Anyway' from Next to Normal#17

Posted: 8/8/11 at 1:39pm

I would love to see her perform again in a intimate cabaret setting.