Rein it in, Elaine Paige!- Page 2
Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
nomdeplume
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/20/05
#25Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 4:40pm
And at least in that song, Ed_M, her performance could be easily fixed.
Carlos A, the "mare" reference is all in the metaphor of "reins" and "clotheshorse." She is mature, so not a filly. It is not intended as any insult.
#26Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 5:02pmPatti LuPone FANatic, she does a weekly radio show in the UK and seriously sounds like that every week. Did you guys get to hear her (in)famous laugh?
Dollypop
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
#27Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 5:37pmSaw Elaine Paige in City Opera's SWEENEY TODD a few years ago. Her performance wasn't very special, but the whole production was lackluster.
nomdeplume
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/20/05
#28Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 5:39pmYeah, I saw that too, Dolly, come to think of it.
Dollypop
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
#29Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 5:41pmThat whole performance was a wasted trip to the city for me. Usually the "Kiss Me Quartet" give me goosebumps but that wasn't the case at City Opera.
nomdeplume
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/20/05
#30Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 5:47pmI vaguely recall it being gruesome and humorless as to the murders and such. I recall people in my section being shocked and leaving during the show.
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#31Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 6:36pm
Obviously you haven't heard Stritch sing it lately. Check out the Sondheim Birthday version. Obviously she went to the Lucille Ball School of Singing where you shout lyrics instead of singing them. Unfortunately this is only audio and you are spared watching Stritch try to shimmy.
Sondheim is still cringing
morosco
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/10/04
#32Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 6:39pm
Wait! Is this REALLY the way Elaine Paige laughs or is it a hoax?
Elaine Paige laughing
SondheimFan5
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/20/10
#33Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 6:46pm
I'm thinking that iluvtheatertrash and nomdeplume may be the same 14 year old girl/boy...just a hunch...
I personally think Paige gave a marvelous performance in DC. Carlotta is an over-the-rop character.
To each his own...
iluvtheatertrash
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/9/04
#34Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 7:09pm
Sorry, SondheimFan5, but no.
Why do you think I'm a 14 year old? I've been nothing but respectful and I have a right to my opinion.
I was not a fan of many of the performances in the show. I thought Bernadette was incredibly miscast. I'm sorry, but I'd like to see someone who can act AND sing the role. Bernadette, while giving a lovely performance in the acting department, can hardly sing the score. Not my cup of tea. I thought Elaine Paige missed the mark in a cheap imitation of Elaine Stritch's successful take.
I was disappointed by the revival. I'm allowed to be.
There's "over-the-top" and then there's "just-plain-hammy". I thought she was hammy.
iluvtheatertrash
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/9/04
#35Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 7:11pmI wasn't a fan of her performance, but I'll give her this -- her laugh is adorable!
SondheimFan5
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/20/10
#36Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 7:37pm
You are right, everyone is entitled to an opinion.
And sorry for referring to you as a 14 year old.
iluvtheatertrash
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/9/04
#37Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 7:41pmNo harm, no foul.
bwayfan7000
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/28/09
#38Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 7:58pmI thought Paige was a very good Carlotta. I liked her in DC and even moreso on Broadway, but I know I'm in the minority on that. However, I do agree that there are some very strange moment in her "I'm Still Here". The performance I saw, she sang, "Black sable one day............nextdayitgoesintohock." The backphrasing is a little much sometimes. I do think that it's part of a great performance, though, so I'll forgive it. Not that it doesn't also vary from performance to performance...it never seems to be the same with her.
SondheimFan5
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/20/10
#39Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 8:10pm
The best of actors give COMPLETELY different (but very good) performances night to night.
(.....except Merman.....)
Gaveston2
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/28/11
#40Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 8:31pm
Except Merman, indeed! (I happened to see her twice, a week apart, in two different theaters. Like Memorex. And totally brilliant!)
But I'm curious about reports that Paige is singing "I'm Still Here" angrily. Any sense of where she gets the anger? I don't see that in the lyrics.
redmustang
Broadway Star Joined: 5/14/03
#41Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 9:02pmAny word yet on who's covering for Paige in Nov? Understudy? Major star? How long till they announce? Is this hurting ticket sales that week?
#42Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 9:09pm
No idea about who's covering Paige, but considering it's only one week, I'd imagine it would be her understudy Florence Lacey. I thought they might bring someone else in when it was reported that she'd be out for three weeks, but I doubt they'd do that now.
We'll see.
#43Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 9:19pmGosh, that laugh is CREEpy! It sounds like something the clown in Stephen King's "It" would utter. from RC in Austin, Texas
morosco
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/10/04
#44Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 10:39pm
How there is a facebook page (Facebook Paige?).
Musical Theater Fans Against Backphrasing
egghumor
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/9/11
#45Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 11:11pm
Fasten your seat belts, it's gonna be a bumpy night for critics... The enterprise known as FOLLIES will yield lukewarm reviews. It is (and always will be) a problematic show.
I imagine many of you are scouring the ground for the proper rock about now... Mark my word... Ow!!!
Updated On: 9/11/11 at 11:11 PM
#46Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 11:17pm
"The best of actors give COMPLETELY different (but very good) performances night to night."
I have to strongly disagree. The best actors give the SAME performance every night, but make it seem brand new and fresh.
SondheimFan5
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/20/10
#47Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/11/11 at 11:54pm
""No idea about who's covering Paige, but considering it's only one week, I'd imagine it would be her understudy Florence Lacey. I thought they might bring someone else in when it was reported that she'd be out for three weeks, but I doubt they'd do that now.""
And if Schaeffer has any say in it, I'm sure Lacey will be on...wondering how she'll be as Carlotta?
bwayfan7000
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/28/09
#49Rein it in, Elaine Paige!
Posted: 9/12/11 at 2:35amWhat Paige is doing is not giving a fresh performance every night. What she is doing is changing the way she sings her only solo song. And that is a different ballgame. It sounded different both times I saw it live, and it has sounded different each other performance I've "listened" to. I'd also venture a guess it'll sound different on the recording. As I said in my last post, I'm a fan of Paige's performance, but "I'm Still Here" undeniably lacks consistency in her hands.
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