Male playing the Narrator in "Joseph"?
Male playing the Narrator in "Joseph"?
#0Male playing the Narrator in "Joseph"?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 3:35pm
Has there ever been a male that played the role of narrator in "Joseph"?. I think a guy could sing it all an octave lower. It's not really that gender specific of a role, it just happens that mostly females play it.
Just curious.
Thesbijean
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/9/04
#1re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 3:41pmIt was actually originally written for a male...
#2re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 3:51pmLaurie Beechman was the first female Narrator in the US. (Jackie Marks was the first in the UK.)
#3re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 3:58pmwow i didn't know that...but I actually perfer the narrator as a woman. Joseph is a really big lead, so I think that they also need a girl lead, which is the narrator... just a thought
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riv
Leading Actor Joined: 3/6/05
#4re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 4:01pmShouldn't bogus political correctness be left out of casting decisions.
timote316
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/20/04
#5re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 4:09pmI guess it could be a male. Just by convention its a female.
#6re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 4:23pmi think i would rather stick to a female in the part.
brdlwyr
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/14/05
#7re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 4:27pmI had an album (not cd) of the show from th 70's and it was a male.
#8re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 6:18pm
"Shouldn't bogus political correctness be left out of casting decisions."
I don't think political correctness was a phrase in the '70s.
#9re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 6:20pm
haha Lizzie.
I actually find that VERY interesting..I'd be interested in hearing it played by a male. Clips anyone?
#10re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 6:22pmGet the OLC recording. :)
wildcat
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/04
#11re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 7:37pmI suspect it was only made female to give the vocal sound some variety rather than out of "political correctness".
Jess1483
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/30/04
#12re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 8:25pmI saw it done once where they split the part and had a male and female share it--very interesting and very well done.
bjivie2
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/04
#13re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 8:48pmThere was a revival here in Seattle of the show where they totally reorchestrated EVERYTHING and made the show sound brand new and better than any version I've ever heard. It had gospel and REAL rock music and it was really fun. They should do it on Broadway with Shoshana Bean as the Narrator and Cheyenne Jackson as Joseph. Excuse me while I go pat myself on the back for perfect casting...
#14re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 9:46pmIm actually in Joseph right now (Levi and Joseph understudy) the part seems very high for a male. In our production we have two female narrators.
brandonm
Featured Actor Joined: 5/26/04
#15re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 10:05pmthere's a cast recording, from an old animated joseph made for school use, w/ a male narrator.
Derech2
Featured Actor Joined: 10/24/04
#16re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 10:10pmThe part would definitely work for a male, and I'd love to hear it done. Methinks a nice baritone could sing it easily enough; I don't recall any parts where the narrator goes drastically high. It just seems to me to create a nice balance between Joseph as the lead and another female character who does most of the singing ... "political correctness" I doubt is the issue.
#17re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 10:32pmReally, the only female role with any kind of prominence is Mrs. Potiphar, and I think that was some of the reasoning behind getting a female Narrator for Broadway.
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#18re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/18/05 at 10:43pm
The original studio recording in the '70s used a male narrator.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/clipserve/B000002NWN001003/1/102-4753491-4673767
Bwaybaby109
Broadway Star Joined: 6/28/03
#19re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/19/05 at 12:47amI think it works for a male but the show is so male dominated that it pretty much must be given to a woman if there is a talented woman up for the part. I think it could also work to have 2 or 3 people sing the role as well.
#20re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/19/05 at 1:01amI saw one production which had two female narrators. It worked pretty well, but I was too distracted by the MANY unlicensed changes to the lyrics. Oops.
Ebonic_Singer
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/18/04
#21re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/19/05 at 1:16amI've seen it with two female narrators and actually one female and one male. It wasn't a big deal.
bjivie2
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/04
#22re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/19/05 at 1:56amIf a man were to play the role they would need to change the keys. Part of the thrill of having a woman play that role is the fact that she's belting those high notes throughout the show. If a man were to do it it wouldn't be very thrilling because it's not in a man's belt range, really. It would have to be made into a tenor part instead of a baritone.
#23re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/19/05 at 1:58amI'm a male and I've played the Narrator twice. Loved singing that role!
phantom_tenor
Leading Actor Joined: 1/11/05
#24re: Male playing the Narrator in 'Joseph'?
Posted: 3/19/05 at 6:22amthe narrator doesn't really have any particularly high notes. I think their highest is a G. Alot of baritones can fairly easily belt that high, and can a tenor who can't call themselves a tenor?
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