Leona Lewis Leaving ""Cats" already/Betty Buckley ?- Page 2

[broadwayguy91]

Posted: 9/21/16 at 10:27pm

QueenAlice said: "I've seen Buckley perform recently and she is magical as ever, but no I don't think she could sing Memory now as she did when she performed it on Broadway. The instrument is greatly diminished.

 

"

word.

video proof:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6K_gjfz-Gc

[ageorges3]

Posted: 9/21/16 at 10:51pm

I wish I'd been able to see her take on the role.  I've seen some posts from folks taking issue with her casting - ALW was looking for a celebrity draw, she's a pop star, etc - and fair enough, I can certainly appreciate those critiques - but I loved her voice on Bleeding Love, and am sure an individual with that level of talent could nail a song like Memory and deliver it in a really interesting way. 

And to be fair, while Darren Criss took over in How to Succeed, he definitely didn't have the most legit musical theater voice - heard a few clips, and you could tell it was a pop star doing Broadway - but it was an equally valid, equally interesting take on Finch!  I always try giving big name stars the benefit of the doubt when it comes to stunt casting.  Some shows like Chicago will (and I wont mention names) unfortunately cast people for box office reasons at the expense of talent.  But there's been so many examples of stunt casting done right.  Just to name one I think everyone will appreciate (one I wish I was old enough to see when it was running): the revival of Annie Get Your Gun.  You have a star like Reba surrounded by Broadway stalwarts and it's the perfect blend of talented big-name stars and quality Broadway talent.  

You have similar shows like Kiss Me Kate, with Broadway stalwarts like Michael Mulheren and Marin Mazzie rounding out the cast to compare it to.  And both types of productions (one star driven, the other Broadway talent driven - and lets be real, Mazzie basically turned in a star performance in Bullets) can succeed and have an equally valid artistic footprint.  Given the amount of stunt casting done right over the years, I make an effort to keep an open mind when it comes to understandable gripes Broadway fans like me might have with a star taking on a MT role.

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 9/21/16 at 10:58pm

There are certainly lots of clips of Lewis performing the song online. She sounds fine.  Frankly, not as good as I would've expected, because I do agree she has a wonderful instrument, but the song hits women in a very strange place in their voice. She also lacks the dramatic interpretation skills necessary to make the song moving or very interesting. There is lots of room for improvement in hiring her replacement.

[ageorges3]

Posted: 9/21/16 at 11:07pm

Definitely a valid point, Queen Alice!  Just checked out a clip from the West End of her singing (might've improved since then to be fair) and I kinda get what you're saying - you can tell it's someone from the pop realm taking on MT - but still sounds pretty impressive to me!

[trpguyy]

Posted: 9/22/16 at 12:10am

ageorges3 said: "Definitely a valid point, Queen Alice!  Just checked out a clip from the West End of her singing (might've improved since then to be fair) and I kinda get what you're saying - you can tell it's someone from the pop realm taking on MT - but still sounds pretty impressive to me!"

If it's from the West End, that's not a video of Leona Lewis. She performed most of the song on Good Morning America, and there are other naughty clips of Broadway performances online.

[ageorges3]

Posted: 9/22/16 at 1:38am

Awesome clip, PThespian!  I wasn't fortunate enough to take French in school - studied spanish instead - but it's telling about the quality of a performer and the skill they possess when you can get a feel for the essence of what they're expressing.  She definitely inhabits the character here, she's conveying the essence of Grizabella and doing it with that great blend of truth/theatricality.  Totally true that unknowns like her often offer audiences performances of far higher quality than box office draws - but that's not to say a big star couldn't deliver an equally interesting performance on stage!

[sorano916]

Posted: 9/22/16 at 1:27pm

Mamie Parris is taking over as Grizabella.

 

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/186085/exclusive-school-of-rocks-mamie-parris-to-succeed-leona-lewis-as-grizabella-in-cats-on-broadway/

[EvanK]

Posted: 9/22/16 at 2:46pm

sorano916 said: "Mamie Parris is taking over as Grizabella.

 

http://www.broadway.com/buzz/186085/exclusive-school-of-rocks-mamie-parris-to-succeed-leona-lewis-as-grizabella-in-cats-on-broadway/

 

"

She should be great!

[ageorges3]

Posted: 9/22/16 at 8:10pm

Mamie's definitely strong Broadway talent!  Whichever way they went - pop star, film star, or Broadway stalwart - I'm sure they would've found a great individual for the role, and I'm interested to hear clips of her take on Memory once she starts!

[ageorges3]

Posted: 9/22/16 at 8:10pm

Mamie's definitely strong Broadway talent!  Whichever way they went - pop star, film star, or Broadway stalwart - I'm sure they would've found a great individual for the role, and I'm interested to hear clips of her take on Memory once she starts!