Kristen Chenoweth's new CD--release date, etc. AND Carnegie Hall

[Rusty]

Posted: 1/5/04 at 7:27pm

When will this be released and what type of songs are on the CD ?

Also, Liz Smith reports that she will perform at Carnegie Hall for one night in September--any updates ?

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 1/5/04 at 8:35pm

I hear it's called "The Patti Album" where everybody's favorite incendiary blonde demonstrates her exceptional range with tunes by all the famous Pattis of song: Patti Page, Patti Lupone, Sandi Patti, Adelina Patti, Patti Andrews (of the Andrews Sisters) and Patti Smith.

Songs include "The Tennessee Walz", "Home Sweet Home", "Hold Tight (Want Some Seafood, Mama)", and "Don't Cry for me Argentina". And wait till you hear Cheno's duet with Smith in "Horses"!

Updated On: 1/5/04 at 08:35 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/6/04 at 11:32am

No..Kristen is not doing Patti's Horses

She's covering "Pissing in a River"....

...I hear she interpolates a High B flat on the line:

"My bowels are empty, excreting your soul"

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 1/6/04 at 2:23pm

Anthony, I want to see Kristin's video for that!

[simplywill]

Posted: 1/6/04 at 3:04pm

all the pattis? wheres patti LABELLE?

Updated On: 1/6/04 at 03:04 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/6/04 at 3:13pm

Kristen will be doing a hidden track of Patti Labelle's "Somebody Loves Ya Baby"...

..on the track, Kristen will interpolate two high C's, one high A, a chromatic scale that will span two octaves and she will trill on the word "ya"...

Should be quite the ....ummmm...recording..I guess! Updated On: 1/6/04 at 03:13 PM

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 1/6/04 at 6:08pm

Simply, I must do penance for omittimg the fabulous Ms. Labelle. You are right to scold.

I wrote this as a goof. But you know...if she REALLY did it, it would be...kinda awesome!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 8:25am

yes...like vomiting wile one is sleeping!

[zannafan]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 9:30am

voiceanth:
What is with your vehement disgust of Kristin Chenoweth? I have never seen someone devote so much effort and colorful descriptions to berate someone. I respect your opinion if you don't like her, but WOW!! Some of the stuff you say makes ME wanna cry.

[sheekala]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 10:13am

Hey sometimes a guy's gotta express himself, and I fee lmuch the same way about the beloved Kerry Butler in LSOH, which by the way has become even more unlikable upon a forced third work related viewing, but at least now it seems some of the performers have come to the same conclusion as they looked like they wanted to be anywhere else. Kristen on the other hand has an edge that makes me angry and I can't explain why.....Oh, maybe Marc Kudish will remind me!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 10:39am

Zanna...i don't want to make you cry...at least not over Kristen...

Here's what bothers me..

Your either a Broadway Singer.

Or an opera singer..

you can sing opera flavored Broadway musicals, true...

but you can't TURN what is not intended to be one INTO ONE when it suits your high notes......that's called being a shallow, show-off-y singer...

and it does not serve the song or the composer's intentions...

I hope she grows out of it...

[MegGiry]

Posted: 1/9/04 at 5:50pm

She's actually doing a gospel album with a pop feel. It says that on her website.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 1/9/04 at 6:14pm

I pray that she has used Barbras "Higher Ground" album as an example of what NOT to do.

[Peter]

Posted: 1/9/04 at 8:58pm

Wow, voiceanth, I saw Wicked (for free btw) for the second time on Wednesday and I left thinking the exact same things that you said.

In my opinion, Kristin is good in Wicked, but way, way overrated by the critics, especially The New York Times. You'd think shes giving some sort of legendary performance in Wicked from the pages of raves she gets by Brantley, but it really is far from it. The first time I saw it, she bookended the musical in her opera voice..but since then, she added high notes to several other songs throughout. The effect is now showoffy, like she realizes she has to pull out all the stops to win the Tony over the much better Murphy. And although the role does call for it, I do believe she overdoes the hamminess a bit. I left the show this time with a better respect for Menzel.

[lyndyjane]

Posted: 1/10/04 at 2:58am

Sheekala-do you know why she broke off the engagement? Don't go being all "poor Marc". Krisin doesn't lead the same type of lifestyle many other Broadway performers lead, and I respect her for sticking to her convictions. She realized that her and Marc's relationship wouldn't work when they were talking about religion and she said "I beleive the messiah has come, and you don't... but that's ok." This difference would have caused way too much stress on their relationship. Some people can make that work, others can't. I'm just glad for both of them that she realized it before they got married.

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 1/10/04 at 11:55am

Wow...

so many expert musicaians who know all about voice types and what only works on Broadway.

Thank god you're hear to pass judgement on beginners like Kristen who need your expert guidance.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 1/10/04 at 11:57am

What's really sad are idiots just take up space so they can have their ego stroked.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/12/04 at 3:57pm

Here's the problem with Little Kristen ..all summed up in a nutshell:

"You are born an artist or you are not. And you stay an artist, dear, even if your voice is less of a fireworks. The artist is always there."

- Maria Callas

To sum artistry up in non callas terms but Broadway terms..ya either got it or ya ain't..

Kristen has a great voice which she over uses and over sings and is a bigger ham than Bob Hope..

That's not an artist.

[TheBalladeer]

Posted: 1/12/04 at 5:06pm

Anth,

I think that it is unfair for you to be criticizing Kristin so.

How do you know that people don't find Kristin's stratospheric high notes to be thrilling?

It is not as if what she's doing is not in character. Furthermore, I feel the role of Glinda has much more flexibility with "hamming" up the role. Personally, I feel that she is just having fun with the role and discovering new things to play with and make it more fun for herself. You know, actors do that to keep their interpretations, and performances fresh. As long as it isn't seriously taking attention from the other performers or hindering the production, (which it isn't....) There is nothing wrong with what she is doing.

Furthermore, how do you know if she wasn't instructed to do the things she's now doing? Or if she was told to add higher notes for characterization? You or anyone else don't have a copy of the finalized score for you or anyone else to be commenting on what she's "adding" or "hamming up" while singing.

As for whether Kristin is a performer, or if she's got it.....She wouldn't be where she is now, if she didn't have it.

As for Idina....I respect her also, but not because of the reasons you seem to put her on a pedestal....Elphaba is not a role where you can really be flexible in interpretation - and she has moments of humor, but it's not a comic role. So of course Idina has to ground her performance and make sure that her interpretation doesn't come off as being silly and too much.


Cheers,
The Balladeer

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/12/04 at 5:21pm

It's not just about Wicked...

It's about everything she's been in and done in the past two years..

She added 5 High C's and such hammy unfunny shtick to "His love makes me beautiful" at the FUNNY GIRL concert two years ago.....

Streisand did'nt need all that to make that number work, now did she?

I was getting turned off by her already at that point and this just was so stupid....and vulgar...

The two most overated performances this year, male and female, will win TONYS...I will write more about that in May! Updated On: 1/12/04 at 05:21 PM

[NYCbabe3789]

Posted: 1/12/04 at 5:35pm

Thank goodness...I thought I was the only one who felt this way. While Kristin was very good in Wicked, I thought she was really overrated. I went into the show expecting her a once-in-a-lifetime performance from her after everything I've read, but I walked out gushing about Idina. Kristin stole the spotlight(in a bad way) in ways that her understudy, Melissa Bell Chait, did not, and I found Melissa equally capable and funny. The role was written for Kristin, and she has said in many interveiws that she helped Winnie and Stephen write Wicked so her part was larger, so she really does have a lot of input on the material. Let's just hope Idina gets the tony, because she is, if anything, UNDERrated.

[Mr. TN]

Posted: 1/12/04 at 7:56pm

I believe that if the director or music director think that her high notes (which I think add to the score of Wicked) are unappropriate, they would instruct her to take them down. I know from experience that changing notes in a musical sometimes will cause the composer, director, or music director to flip unless it sounds good and fits with the rest of the harmonies and instrumental parts. Her notes in Wicked all fit and sound as though they were written that way. Have you ever thought that Stephen Schwartz might have written the score that way, taking Kristin's love of high notes and her ability to hit them into account? It is sort of like Christine's notes in POTO. Her high range IS written in the score. I believe Kristin is great in the role. I also think Idina gives a performance to blow the roof off of the Gershwin.

[MegGiry]

Posted: 1/24/04 at 8:13pm

What opera will Kristin be doing?

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 1/24/04 at 8:59pm

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY.

[MegGiry]

Posted: 1/31/04 at 11:20am

Who is writing the music to this opera?