Katie Clarke- Page 2

[broadway_show_fan]

Posted: 1/19/07 at 3:56pm

I enjoyed the character Katie portrayed. I also think she visually looked like a great "Clara." She looked like a younger, more naive one than Kelli (yes, I saw them both). I appreciated Kelli's singing a little more, but I think Katie's was gorgeous as well. She's got a lot of talent and great strengths!

[Kalimba]

Posted: 1/19/07 at 3:58pm

I liked her acting and interpretation of the character, but unfortunately, I found her upper register to be shrill and not very pleasant to listen to.

[shesamarshmallow]

Posted: 1/19/07 at 3:58pm

I loved her interpretation of the title number.

[sondhead]

Posted: 1/19/07 at 4:19pm

Seeing her as Clara only made it especially apparant that it was a huge travesty that O'Hara didn't video tape the show.

Katie Clark was a B.F.A. if there ever was one, and a shining example of why (for most people) a music-based music theatre degree is the way to go if you want to be doing musicals, especially Guettel (needless to say)

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 1/19/07 at 4:40pm

Sondhead you'd be right if it weren't for that acting thing one has to do in musicals. Do you know a lot of working actors. I guarentee you the exact opposite of your statement is true. I'm a proud BFA actor and I do just fine musically. Acting really is what counts. Just ask all of those actors (not necessarily singers) who have been in countless Sondheim,Guettel AND LaChiusa pieces. Most of which don't have musical theatre degrees AT ALL. A tape recorder can be your best friend.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 1/19/07 at 5:25pm

I saw O'Hara during previews of "Piazza" and Clarke on the Broadcast, and HANDS DOWN Clarke wins. I HATED the show in preview, but really enjoyed the Broadcast. However, the big missing link might have been Morrison....

[sondhead]

Posted: 1/19/07 at 6:14pm

Acting does count, but if you're going to be singing 8 shows a week and want to sound live as you do on CD (ala O'Hara) you need to be classically trained.

It's one of those things where when I made the decision of what kind of degree to pursue, I came to the conclusion that I can ALWAYS take acting classes (and indeed my University's acting program taught Meisner which was pretty awesome) but there is no time in your life but college in which you can set aside the time in your life to focus on learning to use your instrument. After college you take voice lessons and such, of course, but you have to be working. You don't have the kind of time to completely learn your voice with an excellent teacher. Not to mention as if you could really change much about your voice while performing concurrently. The high school students I teach always complain about Universities that prohibit being in a show until your Junior year but being in a show makes it really hard to learn serious technique because you have no time to experiment. It just has to sound as solid as possible and so you fall into old habits.

Now, there are of course BFA's with wonderful vocal programs and BFA's with wonderful voices come from them, but I have found that for the most part (saving those with raw talent and instinctual technique) that many performers with BFAs can't cut it musically. They can't control their instruments and they get into a callback situation and can't learn their material unless there's a CD. I've seen it a million times.


Actually the real situation here is that I HATE that people assume that in musicals acting or singing comes first. There ARE songs that don't require excellent singers, but, for the most part, am I reaching for the stars when I expect someone to hold acting and singing on the SAME pedestal? Acting a song is great, and it can make it moving but if it sounds like crap it sounds like crap and no one pays any attention to your acting. If you want to express text via song then you have to do both halves of that equation equally. If acting is the only thing that matters, then you should just be reciting a monologue.

And husk--O'Hara grew better as the run continued. Her singing was always beautiful but it wasn't until after previews that she fell completely into the role. Once she did it was pretty brilliant. She had an excellent way of playing Clara emotionally immature while not making her seem completely like a little girl or retarded, as Katie Clarke's Clara came off to me. If you've ever been around people with conditions like Clara's, O'Hara had it down to a T. Also, Morrison... Lazar was SO much better. I didn't hate Morrison or anything, but Lazar just kind of defined the role to me. He also has a much stronger singing voice.

And you know, the show is also Guettel and very classical in nature, music-wise (especially Clara). Maybe Clarke was affecting her voice to sound like a little girl or something, but whatever she was doing it sounded as if she had little control over her instrument. Listen to the performance and you can see how she hovers around pitches instead of just hitting them. As someone said earlier, Clara's Interlude is especially terrible. If she really can sing and it was all part of her interpretation, than she needs to show her good side in public! Regardless, I wouldn't expect seeing Clarke doing anything major soon. She got horrible reviews and the much of the theatre community agreed with them. It stinks for her, because I'm sure she has other things inside of her that would have been much better than her Clara, but that's how she burst on the scene and what she'll be remembered for unless someone else gives her a chance.

[sondhead]

Posted: 1/19/07 at 6:14pm

Double Post oops Updated On: 1/19/07 at 06:14 PM

[Doogie]

Posted: 1/19/07 at 7:13pm

thats really a horrific, and mostly untrue, generalization, Sondhead. Katie Clarke could not cut it musically, agreed. That is not an indication of the strength of BFA programs across the country. She was from one (largely unknown) BFA program in Texas. I have heard fantastic voices come from BM in Musical Theatre Programs, and, frankly, I've heard some students from BM in Vocal Performance programs who even Katie Clarke could easily best. Its also important to note that virtually none of the musical theatre repertoire has as complex and as demanding a score as Piazza (Candide is the only other one that immediately springs to mind, though I'm sure there are a few others.)

[lostgirl]

Posted: 1/19/07 at 8:01pm

While I agree that Katie was vocally no where near the level of Kelli O'Hara I don't think it's fair to dismiss her so quickly. She has a good voice but in Piazza she also had a really difficult score and tremendous shoes to fill. Most people I know who saw her in it (keep in mind not all were "theater people") had good things to say about her. She brought an energy and a vibrency to the role and her voice had a certain bright quality that I found appropriate. What made her sound weak (IMO) is her tendency to try to belt the high notes.

But moving on- Katie's been working pretty steadily since Piazza ended this summer. She did Travels With My Discontent over the summer, then she performed in a concert version of South Pacific in West Virginia, and has done several concerts.

I think she's continuing to develop and that's really intersting to watch.

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 1/19/07 at 8:09pm

I adore Katie. Her acting was flawless (better than Kelli's, which is saying a lot because I adore her too) and her singing was actually pretty good.

Posted: 1/19/07 at 8:10pm

I liked Katie. Better than Kelli.

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 1/19/07 at 9:21pm

The only time I saw the show was on the Broadcast and I thought she was amazing.

As was the rest of the show.

Posted: 1/19/07 at 9:32pm

i guess im just plum ignorant because i really enjoyed the broadcast!

[Actrss100]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 2:34am

We also must remember that Katie was what? 21? 22? when she was pulled in to do this part where as O'Hara has had much more singing experience as she was in her late 20's. I think Katie did a wonderful job, even if her voice wasnt perfect. I'd rather hear a weaker voice with a person making strong acting choices then a pretty voice with a person just standing there.

Posted: 1/20/07 at 10:50am

LCT is doing Sout Pacific..Is there a Nellie cast?

Katie's agent should read this post.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 10:57am

I think her agents are more than on it

[originalsin]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 4:20pm

i have to say i thought katie did a phenominal(sp) job in Piazza, i thought she brought something no kellie lacked to the character and although her singing was pitchie and nasal at times i thought i suited the niave role she was playing. I had thought that her vocal quality in this show was a part of the role, however after seeing her preform in two different shows i must say that my opnion has changed dramatically. The nasal and childlike quality of her voice is for real, it was not for the character. Her voice is weak , nasal out of tune and she has no control of her high notes. Hearing her preform in Travels was almost painful. I actually felt embarrased for her. She may be able to pursue a career doing vocal work for disney but beyond that i do not know. Maybe she should pursue acting,singing is definately not her forte.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 7:17pm

Hopefully she's going back to school for more training. I found her to be quite wretched in Piazza

[My Strongest Suit]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 9:25pm

i loved her in Piazza! i thought she sung and acted very well in my opinion. i hope she has a strong career ahead of her. i'm totally rooting for her.

[Kicks8567]

Posted: 1/22/07 at 9:53pm

I had the opportunity to meet Katie Clarke again last week on a field trip for band. My band went to a recording studio and worked with Kim Grigsby, the music director for Spring Awakening, and Katie to record our version of "Give My Regards to Broadway." Katie sounded amazing and unfortunately, she said she has just been going to auditions and has no future projects at the moment.

[lostgirl]

Posted: 1/23/07 at 1:19am

Just out of curiousity which other shows have you seen her in. I loved her in Piazza and I think she showed a lot of potential. I didn't get to see Travels unfortunately but based on the clips from Deborah Abramson's website I thought she sounded fine. I think that nasel, childlike quality is part of her voice, I agree. But I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. She needs to work on her upper register and pitchieness but that's not something that isn't fixable with work