Live Blog The Live Sound Of Music- Page 22

[Jane2]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 4:12pm

I can't stand the complaining any more. Ungrateful theater snobs on high horses.

HAHA I know, don't read this thread if I can't stand the complaining. good idea!

Updated On: 12/7/13 at 04:12 PM

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 4:28pm

forgive me if this was asked but i'd rather not go through all the pages... but is this going to be available on blu-ray or dvd?

also... i enjoyed it very much... as much as i didn't care for carrie underwood, i commend her for having the balls to do it....

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 4:54pm

It will be available on blu-ray and dvd beginning a week from today.

[Kad]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 5:01pm

Yes, Jane; and the high-horsed lectors staring down their noses at people who dare not to show their gratitude are just as bad.

I can acknowledge that this was good for musical theater visibility and still think it was pretty bad.

I don't need to get on my knees in gratitude to NBC and Wal Mart for paying attention to the community.

I certainly hope YOU aren't one of the many people bent out of shape when stunt casting occurs on Broadway.

Smash was ****ty and still brought attention to Broadway.

Good on NBC for being the only major network to do it.

But what they've offered hasn't been very good. And you can be thankful for whatever morsel they offer. Doesn't mean I have to treat it like a truffle.

[Ex-Siny]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 5:03pm

Carrie will be praying for all you haters !

Carrie UnderwoodVerified account?@carrieunderwood
Plain and simple: Mean people need Jesus. They will be in my prayers tonight... 1 Peter 2:1-25

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 5:04pm

What's your point, Ex-Siny?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 5:08pm

Why does it have to be all or nothing? Can't I appreiciate it and STILL discuss its imperfections?

Its not like NBC (or any network) cares what we say: it comes down to ratings only. They got great ratings, so it should show them that there is a desire to see musicals. IF they listen, maybe next time they will be even more brave and not feel the need to go with a huge name (unless, of course, they are truly qualified). Heck, people tore apart Russell Crow in Les Mis, and that made a fortune.

[Tink2]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 5:12pm

Well, I finally got to see the entire show this morning. I fell asleep half-way through on Thursday night. Only because I had been up since 5:00 AM. Long day at work and even longer day Friday.

Looks like opinions are all over the place! I did really enjoy this production One reason being because it was such a unique experience. Not just for the cast and creative team, but the audience as well. So many things could have gone wrong and they pulled it off with just two minor flubs that I noticed. Laura acted the seasoned pro when her dress was stepped on. Stephen was able to cover for the officer who went up on his lines. It was noticeable, but did not stop the show in it's tracks. It actally gave Carrie a little longer to change into her performance dress. Funny thing....I thought I saw another one during the scene between Maria and the housekeeper, discussing the new curtains. I noticed someone moving by the window...several times. I'm thinking that some stage crew member was about to loose their job. Then, Liesl comes in through the window! LOL! I had forgotten about that.

Well, Carrie sang the heck out of this score. Really did a fantastic job with that. Her acting, for me, was just fair, but not horrid. As others have, I must give her credit for taking on this task with so little acting experience. Honestly, I didn't think Stephen did much better. He came off too wooden for me. He seemed to be trying too hard to act like the character instead of just being the character. That surprised me.

I thought everyone else was wonderful. Audra brought me to tears with CEM. She did the same thing to Carrie. I think Carrie's best scenes were with Audra. I loved all the children. Laura and Christian were extremely good.

I loved all the costumes, except that horrid nightgown Maria had on in the bedroom scene. The curtains made a better costume than that nightgown. Sets were lovely and worked very well with the scene changes. Loved the smooth transition from one set to another when Maria leaves to go back to the Abbey. Also, the transition to the wedding scene.

I do think this was a great task to take on for all involved. Even in a theater, there are usually no more than 2-3,000 people who see you if you have a bad night. This was their only shot and millions of people would see it. They don't get a do-over. I did enjoy it, flaws and all.

[Jane2]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 5:23pm

"Yes, Jane; and the high-horsed lectors staring down their noses at people who dare not to show their gratitude are just as bad."

Uh, no. You are negative. Being sick of the negativity spewing from you is definitely not bad at all.

[Ex-Siny]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 5:29pm

"What's your point, Ex-Siny?"

My point is that, unlike real actors, Carrie is not used to criticism. Can you imagine a real Broadway actor lashing out at critics like that ?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 5:35pm

I agree with everything Kad said.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 5:38pm

"My point is that, unlike real actors, Carrie is not used to criticism. Can you imagine a real Broadway actor lashing out at critics like that ?"

Huh? When did Carrie Underwood ever claim to be an actor? I'm pretty sure Craig & Neil cast her as country music star Carrie Underwood; not theatre/film actor Carrie Underwood. And since when are performers not allowed to comment on criticism?

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 5:43pm

Can you imagine a real Broadway actor lashing out at critics like that

You clearly haven't been around these boards long. We have seen an endless array of actors losing their marbles on social media over criticism. Alice Ripley called someone criticizing her a "fag" once. And that's just one example of the many.

[Jane2]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 5:45pm

^ yeah, what was that whole thing with uh, was it Anthony rapp or ADam Pascal, does anyone remember that ferfuffle, lol?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 5:52pm

If only the Tony Awards could generate this much attention.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 6:17pm

"I wonder if it is better to have a great actress who isn’t much of a singer headline a musical or a great singer (like Carrie Underwood) who isn’t much of an actress do so."

It depends on the show. Nobody wants to hear somebody talk-sing Eliza Doolittle, but as a rule, yes. A great actor who can sing on pitch is preferable to a great singer who delivers lines in a monotone.

Rex Harrison
Richard Burton
Zero Mostel
Robert Preston
Barbara Harris
Angela Lansbury
Carol Channing
Elaine Stritch (in her later years)
Hermione Gingold
Glynis Johns

Would any of us have traded any of the above in their iconic roles for a lesser actor/better singer?

I think not.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 6:21pm

In her prime, I'd say Lansbury was able to do more than just "sing on pitch." She has sung some difficult scores. I know she never considered herself a "singer," but she definitely was capable of much more than talk/singing. I would replace her with Bea Arthur on that list.


Updated On: 12/7/13 at 06:21 PM

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 6:26pm

So am I being overly bitchy and snarky when I say - with due respect to those who feel differently - that Carrie Underwood's acting is perhaps the worst I have ever seen in a professional performance? Or can you accept that I honestly feel that way and feel truly embarrassed for her?

I know that "bitchy and snarky" aren't your style, henrik, so, no, I take you at your word.

I was surprised at your strong reaction once I saw the West Coast feed. Maybe SOM matters to you more than some of us. To me, it's a guilty pleasure with some lovely faux-gregorian chants and one good song for Maria and the kids ("Goatherd").

I will admit that I almost always embarrass myself by crying during the finale. Not this time. The lack of chemistry between Underwood and anyone else on stage made it difficult to root for the newly blended family.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 6:30pm

I would put much of that lack of chemistry on Moyer's shoulders, as well. It felt like he was in a Shakespearean tragedy on the stage of the globe theatre. No warmth. No tenderness.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 6:34pm

But - and I get that I'm predisposed to like him in the way that so many seem predisposed to like Underwood - but at least he can act. And I do think his performance missed the mark by going too angry, but at least he was doing something. I can't see putting their lack of chemistry on him, when Underwood had chemistry with no one except Kurt and her braid.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 6:34pm

She didn't even have chemistry with her guitar!

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 6:36pm

"Carrie UnderwoodVerified account?@carrieunderwood
Plain and simple: Mean people need Jesus. They will be in my prayers tonight... 1 Peter 2:1-25"

May I have permission to hate her now? (I didn't really hate her in the show, at least not as long as she was singing.)

I thought Jesus took the wheel away from that child.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 6:37pm

I think the parts that I was disappointed in are due to poor direction.

The director had Carrie running up and down those steps during Do-Re-Mi and you can hear her gasping for breath.

We get to one of the biggest songs in the theater canon "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" and he directs Audra to turn her back and walk upstage.

I think a better director could have pulled a better performance out of Carrie. I know I could have. I don't think she's a bad actress, I just think she needed more guidance than she got.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 6:45pm

"I can't see putting their lack of chemistry on him, when Underwood had chemistry with no one except Kurt and her braid."

I included the phrase 'as well,' in my pst. That's an important distinction. I'm not putting it all on him. I'm putting it on BOTH of them. Just my opinion.

That is the beauty of this all; theatre and the performances we see in theatre is subjective. Some thought this was complete and utter trash, and some thought it was a wonderful night of entertainment. At the end of the day, money and ratings speak. 18+ million viewers is a loud statement.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 12/7/13 at 6:46pm

"In her prime, I'd say Lansbury was able to do more than just "sing on pitch." She has sung some difficult scores. I know she never considered herself a "singer," but she definitely was capable of much more than talk/singing. I would replace her with Bea Arthur on that list.'

I've worked with Angela and she is an absolutely superb musician. She has an amazing ear and, during rehearsals, she would (often and accurately) speak up and say things like "we need doubling from the clarinet on that line to balance boys' chorus."

But even she has described herself as a "non-singer". (See Zadan's SONDHEIM & CO.) She was always dubbed in her Hollywood musicals and required special training to sing the score to ANYONE CAN WHISTLE.

Yes, I love her voice, too. But I also love Robert Preston when he is doing what he does best. And don't even get me started on my regard for Barbara Harris!

Such people answer the op's question: great character actors often bring a voice to their roles that is more pleasing than that of those we think of as "real" singers.

(But I would add Bea Arthur to the list, as you suggest. Some would even add Mary Martin and Gertrude Lawrence, two of the biggest musical stars of the 20th century.)