Just wow! Mazz Murray as Norma Sunset Boulevard / Video Footage

'With One Look' & 'As If We Never Said Goodbye'

I wasn't familiar with Mazz Murray. Now I'm a fan. WOW!

With One Look & As If We Never Said Goodbye

A Director said: "I don't like the show, but she gave me goosebumps. Glenn who?"

Glenn is a song interpreter, not a singer. Huge difference. That’s how she approached the role first-and-foremost. Her singing came secondary.

This argument follows the clueless comments of those who judge the singing of actresses playing Sally Bowles in productions of CABARET oblivious to the fact that it IS intentional as Sally is a third-rate singer working in a seedy Berlin nite-club. Actresses deliberately sing the role “off.”

Sunset is a rangy and difficult score to sing. Cabaret not nearly so.
For me Norma, unlike Sally, demands great vocals. I never heard of Mazz Murray before but what a great voice for Norma.

Yes, I know and respect that most people are over the moon in love with Glenn's Norma. I'm not one of them.

Also there's that Sally makes her living singing and that the Richardson Sally, unlike the Liza Sally, was meant to be a limited one. Norma does not make her living singing; she made her living not even talking. Yet she is a dramatically scored almost operatic character. I want to hear her voice soar.

Updated On: 7/13/21 at 07:20 PM

I guess Liza didn't get the memo. She was miscast.

Indeed she was and Bob Fosse knew this would be straying from the original intentions of Sally Bowles. His creative choice was to have Liza’s Sally THINK she’s a great singer so it’s all in her head. Sadly, this wasn’t made clear and only the “Maybe This Time” number made this more evident as he staged it with her singing it in an empty Kit Kat Klub. It’s the only number in the entire film where there’s no audience or the onstage girl orchestra. Sally is all alone.

Up until Bob Fosse’s 1972 film adaption, all previous actresses who had played Sally Bowles sang it sloppy (in character). The original 1966 Sally Bowles, Jill Haworth, was also criticized for her lackluster vocals so this third-rate singer concept has always been missed, especially after Liza Minnelli’s interpretation.

What a lovely interpretation by Mazz Murray!

BrodyFosse123 said: "A Director said: "I don't like the show, but she gave me goosebumps. Glenn who?"

Glenn is a song interpreter, not a singer. Huge difference. That’s how she approached the role first-and-foremost. Her singing came secondary.

This argument follows the clueless comments of those who judge the singing of actresses playing Sally Bowles in productions of CABARET oblivious to the fact that it IS intentional as Sally is a third-rate singer working in a seedy Berlin nite-club. Actresses deliberately sing the role “off.”"

I would say though there are others (eg Betty Buckley) who seemed to managed both though? And if we think about some of the notable normas (e.g. Elaine Paige, Betty Buckley, Patti LuPone, Glenn Close) only 1 really is very far from the rest vocally.

That’s not to say that Glenn’s interpretation doesn’t work (I mean maybe an aging silent film star isn’t meant to sound like Betty Buckley haha). But in the context of the other performers and the fact that this is an ALW show with a difficult score I do think it’s hard to draw the parallels between Sunset and Cabaret.

Not a full-on characterization of Norma, but here's a video of Mazz Murray recording "With One Look" in the studio