Rein it in, Elaine Paige!

Unless you just want to be a clotheshorse in Follies, stop ruinging the second half of "I'm Still Here" with the overacting and rotten singing.

You start off the first half great and you have a beautiful voice and I'm thinking now I'm going to hear a fabulous rendition of this song...

Then you muck it up with EGOTISTICAL, angry, staccato, crappy acting totally inappropriate for the song and RUIN the song. I can't hear the lyrics and it's a SONDHEIM--grrrrrrrr. Where the hell was "WPA" etc., etc., so I can hear WHAT you are singing about?

Elaine Stritch's rendition at her one-woman Liberty show a while back is still the definitive version for me! And she does not have the voice you have if you would use it properly for the song. Stritch had damn good acting and timing. And you can hear her lyrics.

Where is the director, the conductor, the boys having to sit by her--can't any of you rein the mare in? Or just watch and listen as she gets up and goes trotting around beserk and decides to become the Menzel to Wickedize Follies? Arrgghh!

And exactly what does this character have to get angry about with a 26-year-old boyfriend to entertain her and a successful career? Is there nothing wry or subtle or deliciously humorous in her acting pocketbook to pull out for this song?

I did like the tap dancing later, but fix this song.

It's a very good show and I've been waiting for it for months.

That was egotistical, angry, staccato, and crappy, PJ.

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I have!

I added to the merchandise thread and didn't create a new thread for that!

Haha!

Paige's performance was annoying enough to get its own thread and I truly hope she improves it because she is one of THE great theatre singers of our era. I want to see her hit a home run.

I knew it was, PJ. Satire failure on my part.
(Re-read her description of Paige)

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Updated On: 9/11/11 at 03:53 PM

Do I HAVE to?

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I wouldn't start a thread, but I'd most certainly agree with nomdeplume. DREADFUL. I walked out wondering why the British love her.

I find the entire production to be misguided and dull, except for Raines and Houdyshell. But that's just me...

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I did. Incredible...and she's pretty damn good in FOLLIES, too.

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Her performance is probably the most polarizing aspect of the production (except for maybe Bernadette's).

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Fight fiercely, girls.

I saw Paige in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway.

She stopped the show in her first big number, "With One Look," near the beginning, and then coasted through the rest of the show, telegraphing in her performance.

"With One Look" was sensational, but there was a whole rest of a show there to perform.

She can do a lot better than what she is doing in Follies with that song right now and it wouldn't take much effort to fix it.

I don't know why it hasn't been fixed, if it's her ego getting in the way or some strange idea on the part of the director, or what, but it's a waste to misuse that great voice in that song.

Don't you think a critic will notice it? You think they'll all say, oh it's Elaine Paige so it's great...

Updated On: 9/11/11 at 04:29 PM

Don't you think a critic will notice it? You think they'll all say, oh it's Elaine Piage so it's great...

We'll find out tomorrow if your opinion of Paige is shared.

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I'm actually very curious to see all of the reviews. The person I was with felt similarly, but I found a lot of others haven't. No matter what, I wish the production well simply because it is so great to have FOLLIES back on Broadway!

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I recently heard her on Sirius XM on Broadway, when she was doing temporary hosting duties, in the absence of Christine Pedi. It was a brief moment that I heard her, but I thought Elaine sounded a bit...er...what's the word...."soused"? I could be mistaken, but she sounded like she had had a couple of drinky--poos before her shift began. from RC in Austin, Texas

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