Katharine McPhee Broadway Debut- Page 4

[JennH]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 12:21pm

yankeefan7 said: ""ut she can't act.I enjoyed her in Smash mostly because that"can't really act, but essence of green, sweet naivete" works for that kind of character. Jenna has seen some ugly ****, and I wonder about her ability to capture that. "

She is in her 4th season of "Scorpion" and I believe she has done a couple of movies also since "Smash". I think she is better actress now but I guess we will see if she can handle the role in April."

That's fair to say. I did watch some of those, but still wasn't wholly impressed so I didn't stick with them. It'll be interesting to see what she does with this.

[BuddyStarr]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 1:33pm

but can she sing 8 shows a week?  Her voice seemed prepared for the studio but I wonder if she is up to the demands of a full weeks of shows?

[SomeOtherMe]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 1:48pm

BuddyStarr said: "but can she sing 8 shows a week? Her voice seemed prepared for the studio but I wonder if she is up to the demands of a full weeks of shows?"

She's been singing for many years and has a past in the theater. While I'm sure she's going to have to be careful to make sure her voice stays in top shape, I'm sure she'll be fine.

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 1:52pm

Yeah, this isn’t her first rodeo. I’m so happy that she’s finally making her debut. I think this role is perfect for her.

[ethan231h]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 3:07pm

Maybe during the month between Sara and Katherine we will be bless with Jessica Vosk. One can hope. 

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 3:33pm

Most of the reason why McPhee was awful in SMASH was that the character of Karen was awful. She'll be just fine, and she'll sound wonderful. 

[binau]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 3:47pm

BroadwayConcierge said: "I think McPhee is great, but it's just funny to me thatWaitress' "name casting" continues to take the form of names that are still big but were bigger in 2008."

What big name of today wants to be the 5th replacement in a 2 year old musical? I don’t see this as a particularly prestigious career move.

re: her acting. I’d have concerns based on Smash but have we already broke the mould of a singer who can’t act well? I enjoyed Sara when I saw her (admittedly first stepping into the role early on) but couldn’t help but wonder if the role is better played/has more fragility if played by a ‘real’ actress. 

[Valentina3]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 4:30pm

IdinaBellFoster said: "Most of the reason why McPhee was awful in SMASH was that the character of Karen was awful. She'll be just fine, and she'll sound wonderful."

Truer words have not been spoken in this whole thread. Karen was a painfully plain character in an otherwise complex and well-written show (I'm talking first ~10 episodes which were GOLDEN). Dev was probably the only character who had worse writing handed to him than Karen.

On the other hand (you're going to hate me, Cinders)... What if Megan Hilty and Katherine McPhee switched roles? I think I'd personally start rooting for Karen, however poorly written that character might have been. It's next to impossible standing next to Megan F'kn Hilty and fare better in an acting/singing role. Can we just do SMASH again with all roles played by Megan Hilty and Anjelica Huston?

[ACL2006]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 5:08pm

Interesting there's no word who's playing Jenna in between Sara and McPhee's month long gap. Wonder if the two u/s will just alternate?

[binau]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 5:20pm

Valentina3 said: "IdinaBellFoster said: "Most of the reason why McPhee was awful in SMASH was that the character of Karen was awful. She'll be just fine, and she'll sound wonderful."

Truer words have not been spoken in this whole thread. Karen was a painfully plain character in an otherwise complex and well-written show (I'm talking first ~10episodes which were GOLDEN). Dev was probably the only character who had worse writing handed to him than Karen.

On the other hand (you're going to hate me, Cinders)... What if Megan Hilty and Katherine McPhee switched roles? I think I'd personally start rooting for Karen,however poorly written that character might have been. It's next to impossible standing next to Megan F'kn Hilty and fare better in an acting/singing role. Can we just do SMASH again with all roles played by Megan Hilty and Anjelica Huston?"

Well for me I also thought Megan Hilty's character was a bit of an unlikable bitch early on...it is only when it became clear that she was FAR more talented than McPhee and had some outstanding performances that I started to come around. Most obviously, it must have been devastating for McPhee to be so severely upstaged by Hilty when she sung "Don't Forget Me". This is surely the kind of move that would destroy off-stage relationships and egos.

[thebookofwhizzer]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 5:29pm

YAY!!!

[SomeOtherMe]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 5:57pm

Well for me I also thought Megan Hilty's character was a bit of an unlikable bitch early on...it is only when it became clear that she was FAR more talented than McPhee and had some outstanding performances that I started to come around. Most obviously, it must have been devastating for McPhee to be so severely upstaged by Hilty when she sung "Don't Forget Me". This is surely the kind of move that would destroy off-stage relationships and egos."

It’s apples and oranges. I actually much preferred Katharine’s voice to Megan’s (though I still think Megan is a fantastic talent).

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/14/18 at 9:09pm

I wish she was originating a role. I loved her in SMASH.

[JennH]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 1:32pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=31&v=IsHjZRFJMlI

I never disbelieved she was up to singing 8 shows a week. Her voice is one the sturdiest I've heard. I have to say I'm not hating this at all. It still sounds a tad too pristine, but I buy it. Now...is it just me or does she sound quite a lot like Sara, except just with more squillo??

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 2:15pm

ACL2006 said: "Interesting there's no word who's playing Jenna in between Sara and McPhee's month long gap. Wonder if the two u/s will just alternate?"

The super duper fabulous understudy Stephanie Torns will be on for the four weeks. She has everything going for her....and the Drew/Stephanie combo is my personal favorite pairing. If one could cast shows without worrying about getting a name in the lead roles to sell tickets, she would be Jenna. 

It will also be interesting to see Katharine's take on the role.  Each Jenna has brought their own style and interpretation to the character and each has been quite different the others 

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 3:09pm

qolbinau said: "BroadwayConcierge said: "I think McPhee is great, but it's just funny to me thatWaitress' "name casting" continues to take the form of names that are still big but were bigger in 2008."

What big name of today wants to be the 5th replacement in a 2 year old musical? I don’t see this as a particularly prestigious career move.

re: her acting. I’d have concerns based on Smash but have we already broke the mould of a singer who can’t act well? I enjoyed Sara when I saw her (admittedly first stepping into the role early on) but couldn’t help but wonder if the role is better played/has more fragility if played by a ‘real’ actress."

Definitely. Jessie was amazing all around and actually made me cry every time I saw her in it (except the first preview with too many overzealous fans). I think Sara did the best she could, but her performance didn't give me the emotional punch that elevates the material to something more than a typical Broadway musical comedy.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 5:39pm

JennH said: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=31&v=IsHjZRFJMlI

I never disbelieved she was up to singing 8 shows a week. Her voice is one thesturdiest I've heard. I have to say I'm not hating this at all. It still sounds a tad too pristine, but I buy it. Now...is it just me or does she soundquite a lot like Sara, except just with more squillo??"

That was quite good. But why only release part of the song and not the full version? I have no doubt she'll able to sing the score and pull off 8 shows a week. But I'm still concerned about her acting abilities.

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 7:10pm

It’s honestly not that tough of a sing.

[binau]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 7:20pm

Well that sounds a lot better than I would have imagined. RE: why only part of the song - I assume it's all just mainly marketing. They want a high level of engagement/sharing/virality of the song (especially for a potential new audience) so they don't want to bore people with a long, slow beginning. They wanted to cut to the chase. 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 9:49pm

Well, that was pretty and boring...

[Itonlytakesajourney]

Posted: 3/8/18 at 10:30pm

That was a really good version of the song imo, Katharine has a very light and airy voice that fits Jenna. She sounds very similar to Jessie, too.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 3/10/18 at 12:58am

JennH said: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=31&v=IsHjZRFJMlI

I never disbelieved she was up to singing 8 shows a week. Her voice is one thesturdiest I've heard. I have to say I'm not hating this at all. It still sounds a tad too pristine, but I buy it. Now...is it just me or does she soundquite a lot like Sara, except just with more squillo??"

Is it just the quality of the recording or is it a little difficult to understand the lyrics? I think Sara ruined me for this part a little. McPhee sounds a little thin to me. The high votes and the volume are there but with none of the weight or soulfulness.

[SomeOtherMe]

Posted: 3/10/18 at 7:38pm

There’s currently some clips in her insta story of her rehearsing “It Only Takes a Taste” and “Opening Up”. She sounds great.

Updated On: 3/11/18 at 07:38 PM

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 3/11/18 at 3:50pm

"Most of the reason why McPhee was awful in SMASH was that the character of Karen was awful. She'll be just fine, and she'll sound wonderful. "

What was even worse was they stuck her with that awful boy friend in Season 1 and they had absolutely no chemistry.

[SomeOtherMe]

Posted: 3/15/18 at 3:37pm

ET Online just premiered a music video to "What Baking Can Do" with Katharine.

http://www.etonline.com/watch-katharine-mcphee-perform-what-baking-can-do-from-waitress-exclusive-98423