The Ado Annie on the original Broadway cast recording (1943, Celeste Holm, was instructed to sing in that manner by the composers of the score.
Ado Annie wasn't trained at Juilliard, but she sure connects with the words, don't she?
Reminds of singers who insist on singing, "I'm just a girl who can't say no," when the lyric is "I'm jest a girl who cain't say no." Another example is "there's a boat that's leaving soon for New York," instead of as written, "der's a boat dat's leaving..."
Yes, that would be Celeste Holm, an icon of both Broadway and Hollywood. It's called "I Cain't Say No" for Curly's sake. Did you expect Rene Flemming? It is a character song that she finds so much humor in that it would not matter if she sounded like a frog. It was intentionally not meant to sound purty. Musical Theatre is about so much more than sounding great, it is about interpretation, taking risk and being willing to sound like the character even if it ain't so purty.
If she sounded like a frog? If you're referring to my post, I never said anything about her voice, just her character during that song. And I still don't like it.
"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611
No, Millie, I was not referring to your post at all. My point was that even if she chose to sound like a frog it would be a choice by this great actress.
I agree with Sueleen - musical theatre is not about a concert --it is telling a story though music, acting out the emotions while singing. Sometimes the character portrayal calls for something unusual ( e.g., some of Sancho Pinza's singing in Man of La Mancha), not necesarily what sounds musically pleasing.
While I realize that the movie censorship code was breaking down by the mid-1950s, I am always surprised that "I Caint Say No" was used in the movie as freely as it was. I always thought Gloria Grahme may have been instructed to be rather stone faced so as not to seem overly perverted. After all, the censors had R&H change a lyric in "Kansas City" (about the "peeling" going on at the Burl-ee-que)
Gloria Grahame's performance of "I Caint Say No" has grown on me.
I haven't watched the movie in years, but didn't they change around "Out of My Dreams" so it wouldn't look like the Elixir of Egypt made Laurie fall asleep?