Performers apparently 'sick' while recording cast albums/shows- Page 2

[walkedthroughmany]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 7:30pm

Mary Martin - I Do! I Do!

[K8eeyore]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 9:56pm

Regarding SUNDAY, I heard Peters was sick when they videotaped the show, causing them to re-record some of her songs afterward, but not during the recording of the cast album.

[Soliantu]

Posted: 10/31/09 at 11:26pm

Peters was most definitely ill on the Sunday in the Park Video. I had heard somewhere that Idina Menzel was ill when recording the Wicked OBCR, the only reason I believe it may be true, is on the recording her voice does noticeable at times have a deeper sound to it than usual at that time.. It wouldnt surprise me.. she seems to have no luck with getting ill at the worst times, like at the Tonys and the Royal Variety performances of Defying Gravity. Poor Girl

[ruthiefan_felix]

Posted: 11/1/09 at 12:00am

Ruthie Henshall was sick when they were doing the Les Mis 10th Anniversary Concert ~

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 11/1/09 at 2:28am

It's mainly because the stars have gone through several weeks of previews and rehearsals, the stress of opening night and critics nights, and then on their first day off they are scheduled to record the cast album. Even if they don'thave colds, it has to nbe hard to keep the energy level up with that kind of schedule. I think this accounts for some cast albums (RENT being prime example) sounding fare less exciting than the performance they supposedly document.

But when everything comes together, the cast is healthy and rested and the producer can cajole some extra energy from all the performers the results are exemplary.

[peerrjb]

Posted: 11/1/09 at 4:56am

True: Peters had been ill right before the taping of "Sunday".

True: Glynis Johns was exhausted/sick-ish during the recording of "Night Music". She had said in both live and print interviews how much she disliked her recording of "Clowns" because she had to sing in a lighter register and couldn't get into the anger. There's an amazing video/DvD performance from some "Best of..." show where she and Len Cariou do the scene and the song, and hearing what she actually DID do with the number, it's shockingly different (and far more dramatically-accurate) than what one hears on the OBC Album.

Perhaps less known, and maybe less true: In legend, the legendary Barbara Harris -- regarding OBC recording of her spectacular Tony-Winning "Apple Tree" performance -- had said that while she wasn't "sick", she was so vocally tired (remember, the recordings were made within days of the opening, with a live orchestra, and usually in ONE DAY, due to Musicians' and Actors' union fees) "I sang what I could and acted my way through the rest!" It's still one of my favorite "capturing the performance" performances, though.

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 11/1/09 at 8:40am

This post is off the topic, but since MY FAIR LADY has been mentioned a few times I am adding it anyway. I feel that the performance of the Broadway OBCR in Mono is superior to the London cast album in Stereo. The Freddy Eynsford Hill song "On the Street Where You Live" as sung by John Michael King is much more beautiful than the take on the London album, sung by a different actor. And towards the end of Rex Harrison's final number, he puts much more animation in his "...Marry Freddy, HA!!!". I am glad that Columbia/Sony Broadway made both albums available. The Mono sound on the OBCR is just fine.

[sparrman]

Posted: 11/1/09 at 9:10am

Total agreement about the superiority of the Broadway My Fair Lady. I'm frankly glad to hear Andrews was sick during the London recording as she doesn't sound nearly as good as on the Broadway one. Her last note of "Danced All Night" is really flat. Both she and Harrison give far superior, fresher performances on the OBCR. Interesting that they raised the key for "On the Street" in London, though.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 11/1/09 at 11:43pm

In response to Bwayfan45, yes Laura Bell Bundy was not in good voice for the MTV taping (not that she was for most of the run...)

I'm sure a lot of people, myself included, have heard the audio from the night it was taped with the live audience. The last note in So Much Better was dubbed in the end. It may be the worst note I have ever heard, she flats and then takes a breath, only to flat again. Poor girl.

Updated On: 11/1/09 at 11:43 PM

[Gobstopper]

Posted: 11/2/09 at 2:30am

To echo frontrowcentre2's sentiments, I believe I read an article where Wilson Jermaine Heredia said that singing the RENT score by the time they recorded the album was "painful" and that his voice was completely worn out. To be fair, to my knowledge, Wilson hadn't really had any vocal training prior to his original run as Angel to prepare him for the strain of 8 performances a week, so that also probably contributed.