Lea at Carnegie Hall

[WholeLottaShakin]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 11:18pm

One word: Awesome

And yes, she performed "Popular" and "Defying Gravity." :)

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 11:35pm

And I Still Believe w/ Liz Callaway and I Swear I'll Give My Life For You and On My Own and A Little Fall of Rain w/ the prince from Cinderella(sorry I am absolutely exhausted now, effort to remember/check name is not here), and Reflection and A Whole New World. What a great night.

I'll pick amazing as my word.

[greenegirl87]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 11:38pm

just out of curiousity..how was her "popular" and "defying gravity?" im assuming her a little fall of rain was absolutely amazing since her version of that song is my absolute favorite ever...but was her take on wicked fitting or just a little too out of place?

[HeyJayNYC]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 11:43pm

I agree....what an awesome night. I've always loved her voice, but who knew she was so funny and charming. And, the last time I heard "Popular" sung on that stage, was when Kristin was there last year. And though I loved Lea singing two songs from "Wicked", I think she's better suited for Glinda rather then Elphaba.
The stunt of pulling a guy from the audience to sing "A Whole New World" was fun, though at first I thought he might actually be the guy who sang it with her in the "movie", but then he went off key so it was apparent he wasn't professional. I appreciate her doing that, but would have rather her have done that with Paolo Mantalban instead of basically wasting him on the Les Miz number.
Liz Callaway was AWESOME! She tore "Meadowlark" up.
Some of the song choices were questionable, though Lea handled them all perfectly. I loved when she did "People" and used the original arrangements from the Broadway version of "Funny Girl". The orchestra was wonderful, though they did overpower her a few times, and I heard someone else complain about that.
It was great seeing Andrea McArdle, and the two of them doing Streisand's jazzy version of "Tomorrow" was perfect.
Now Idina needs to do her own show at Carnegie!

[greenegirl87]

Posted: 11/7/05 at 11:44pm

Now Idina needs to do her own show at Carnegie!

heyjay.. i LOVE that idea!

[WholeLottaShakin]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 12:04am

I agree. After tonight, I could see her more as Glinda than Elphaba. She actually sounded a lot like Kristin doing "Popular," and less like Idina doing "Defying Gravity." One might be critical about that (good or bad), but I think it showed she's got some kind of range and can do either roles. She prefaced "Popular" by mentioning how she's been vocal about her desire to be in "this" show. Audience members yelled out "Wicked!" and she replied, "You've been reading!"

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 12:07am

Heh, it really was adorable to see her bouncing around the stage like that during Popular. But she's so real, I loved how she prefaced defying Gravity by saying let's pray or something along those lines, indicating her true worries.

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 12:36am

I also saw Lea Salonga's Carnegie Hall debut. The one thing that struck me was how well she connected to her audience. In past concerts, my biggest gripe with Lea was that it always seemed that her patter was too rehearsed, thereby erecting a wall between her and the folks who paid to watch her. But I think Richard Jay Alexander steered her in the right direction and helped Lea let more of her personality shine through, and she most definitely connected with her audience tonight.

I thoroughly enjoyed her I STILL BELIEVE, which I first heard her sing live with Liz Callaway in 1991. The crowd gave the duo a standing ovation. Other highlights for me include NOTHING, I'D GIVE MY LIFE FOR YOU, her Act I finale, I ENJOY BEING A GIRL, her Act II opening, LOVE LOOK AWAY, A LITTLE FALL OF RAIN (duet with Paolo Montalban), ON MY OWN, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM, PEOPLE, with, as someone already posted, the original Winter Garden orchestration, THE STORY GOES ON, especially where Liz Callaway entered during the final verse and sang it as duet with Lea, POPULAR and DEFYING GRAVITY. Her GRAVITY will generate, I'm sure, much commentary because inevitable comparisons will arise with respect to Idina Menzel. Lea's singing of GRAVITY is a much more trained and controlled sound than Idina's: very different but exciting nonetheless.

I had an amazing time.
Updated On: 11/8/05 at 12:36 AM

[MouseInfo]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 12:48am

I must say, I am so jealous that I was unable to attend this evening. I got to see Lea in Cerritos, which was amazing, but we did not get to see nearly as much as ya'll. I pray that this is released to the public on PBS, DVD, CD...anything!

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 12:50am

I actually got a last minute comp ticket, so I went. It was AWESOME.

[OnionKnightFFX]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 12:57am

I was the guy who sang a whole new world w/ her and i feel soooooo bad about going off key

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 12:59am

Heh, I thought to myself I wonder if that's a BWWer.

Considering the circumstances, you did a great job Onion. You could just tell you were nervous, once you calmed down, you were great. And what an honor, and to just have the guts to do that on the spot, definitely admire you.

[OnionKnightFFX]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 1:03am

Thanks I really appriciate it. I was really freaked out. I go to school for theater but nothing could have prepaired me to sing with Lea Salonga! She is like one of the best preformers in musical theater. Sorry again to everyone who had to hear me go off key! lol

[EddieVarley]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 2:25am

The concert was thrilling, her 'True Colors' was simply heartbreaking.

Bravo to all, and an extra special bravo to OnionKight, well done!

[HeyJayNYC]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 8:07am

Sorry if that hurt your feelings, truly didn't mean to. The fact that you really WERE someone she brought up and not a plant was my point. For that alone you deserve the Lucille BALL award for bravery. You actually sounded like the voice in the movie. How she saw you all the way back where you were instead of just picking someoone from the front row means you really got her attention, AND, getting up on stage at Carnegie Hall makes you an Icon to all of us singers. Do you know how many of us wish we could have been up there? I don't even know the words so you have it all up on me. Congratulations and who knows, maybe she'll keep you in the act!

Updated On: 11/8/05 at 08:07 AM

[robbiej]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 10:01am

TRUE COLORS was perhaps the most beautiful thing I've ever heard anywhere...and no, that's not hyperbole. A stunning arrangement, her clarion voice and an emotional connection that shook my core. An astonishing achievement.

In a night full of hilights that included an absolutely awe-inspiring duet with Liz Callaway on I STILL BELIEVE (has Callaway ever sounded better? How is it possible that she just continues to grow in vocal strength and clarity??), for some reason, her I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM really sent me over the edge. It was simple, sexy and perfectly sung.

I've seen lots of shows at Carnegie Hall...this is one of the best. I was always a fan...now, I'm afraid I may begin to border on obsessive.

And Onion, there were lots of us wishing we were you last night! Congratulations!!!

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 11:17am

Agreed with Lea's rendition of I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM. To me, it almost felt as if it were an homage to Yvonne Elliman. I think Lea sang this in the original key (whereas in her B'way Concert CD, it was lowered one full step and even then it was sung incompletely as it was only part of her ALW medley) and I just loved the way she sang this song. I always thought she would make for a good Mary Magdalene, just as Joanna Ampil (one of Lea's London successors and the KIM in the CSR of MISS SAIGON) did in the 1996 London revival of JCS.

[WholeLottaShakin]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 11:27am

Hey, congrats, OnionKnight! The audience loved you. Can you tell us what Lea was saying to you during the song? I could see her mouthing the lyrics, helping you along, but when the mics were down and you were talking, what did she say?

[lastikgirl]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 1:25pm

How do we know if the concert will come out on anything?

[rclocalz]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 2:59pm

Sounds like an amazing time!

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 4:23pm

Does anyone know if it was recorded? I mean, legally?
That said, I'm incredibly jealous of and/or happy for all of you who went (and/or performed with Lea, haha, that must have been a thrill!).

~Steven

[Beergoggles]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 6:16pm

i certainly hope it was recorded!

[jo]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 6:36pm

I hope she will take this concert home to Manila - and we can see her do it during the holidays. I've seen her in a few ones here but from what I have read about this Carnegie Hall performance, it sounds at the same time both very polished and very appealing!

Congratulations to our Lea!

Jo ( Manila, Philippines)

Posted: 11/8/05 at 8:45pm

Man... I wish I was there to see this concert! I saw Lea last year in LA and thought she was amazing. Yeah...a CD or DVD would be nice! A talent like that needs to be recorded! :)

~Rosalynn

[augustine73]

Posted: 11/8/05 at 9:23pm

my friend who watched the show said there were people who are taking official video.. i hope they will show this on pbs (paging producers...), release on dvd and cd...