Katharine McPhee Broadway Debut — Page 4

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?

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.

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?

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.

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).

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??

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.

Well, that was pretty and boring...

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.

"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.