Rivera Or Williams? SPIDER WOMAN Vocals.

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/28/06 at 11:55pm

I find it interesting how people's opinions differ on whos Spider Woman's vocals they prefer.

Chita Rivera is the ultimate, but I think Vanessa Williams does a passable job on her cast recording.

The score couldn't fit Chita's voice any better. It fits like a glove. Obviously the show and score were constructed around Chita. It shows. Rivera's eerie low keys are so haunting and chilling. Rivera's perfect vibrato, and flawless diction is absolutely stunning. Some say she sounds "too old." I know the character shouldn't have been that old. But I think Chita sounds more eerie than old. Ofcourse at this time Chita couldn't belt like she did wonderfully in WSS, Birdie, and Chicago. Still, Chita gives the songs the "Chita flavor," and power. Her title song is AMAZING. Chita's "A Visit" is another favorite of mine.

Vanessa's is a wonderful R&B vocalist. I think she is also great for the theatre. The problem is, the songs loose the haunting eerie chill they had with Vanessa's new keys. It may sound odd, but when I'm listening to the Chita recording I sometimes have to sit back and close my eyes to take it all in, and it absolutely sweeps me. Vanessa's verisons of these songs don't have the same effect on me. Vanessa was definitely more age appropriate for the role. But at her times her vocals are just TOO R&B and smooth for the role. She does give a nice title song though. With Chita, I really care about what the character was trying to express with her lyrics, the same does not go for Vanessa - I feel like I'm listening to a R&B recording. I love Vanessa in general though.

Well since I'm bored and felt like discussing this in depth. Whos Spider Woman vocals do you prefer? Chita Rivera or Vanessa Williams?

Updated On: 2/28/06 at 11:55 PM

[C is for Company]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 12:12am

Chita just has some of those moments that help define the truly amazing bits of this cd! I love The Visit as well, of course the title song, I love her parts in Anything for Him and of course opening the show. This woman, no matter what her age was or is now, is just simply a powerhouse that serves as a reminder of a genuine star of Broadway.
My satisfaction with the cd makes me want to buy the Vanessa recording just to see how that one rates, but I have yet to get around to it

Updated On: 3/1/06 at 12:12 AM

[NYC4Life]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 12:35am

I love Chita Rivera but I liked Vanessa in the role alot more. I thought she was perfect. She was beyond any expectations I had for her. I thought she was brillant. Chita was awesome too but i perfered Williams, so that is why i lisen to my Williams cd more often.

[jazzyb]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 12:40am

I've always found Williams to sound rather weak in this recording. Chita is such a powerhouse, that I find it hard for anyone to stack up. I also like the songs in their lower keys, rather then the higher ones that Williams sings in.

[Keelay]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 1:15am

I was first exposed to the Vanessa Williams copy many years ago and became so wrapped up in it, I went out and bought the Chita Rivera version also. I think I maybe partially biased to the Williams version simply because it was the first thing I heard and it had quite an impact on me.

After being proposed this question and evaluating though, I honestly don't think I can pick one over the other. Chita Rivera is a legend for many reasons and I do believe this CD showcases what makes her and defines her capabilites ridiculously well. She's very much haunting as mentioned before. Very sexy, and from what I've seen had an amazing presense in this show. Fabulous renditions of the songs that fit her voice fit beautifully.

I do think Vanessa Williams offers a great deal also. To me she seems to drip with seduction in both vocal quality and appearance. Her voice is very soothing and in turn comes off both somewhat haunting and romantic. However, she's doesn't apply her character with as much versatility in numbers like 'Good Times'. It seems somewhat awkward to me. But with numbers like 'Where You Are', she shines.

Another plus to the Williams version in my opinion, which I realize has nothing to do with her, is that Brian Stokes Mitchell's amazing performance as Valantine is preserved. For me, either Howard McGillan or Brent Carver make beautifully talented Molinas. Just my thoughts!
Updated On: 3/1/06 at 01:15 AM

[mygfdontliveincanada]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 1:18am

ljay,

"Spider Woman" wasn't written for Chita. When it opened in upstate NY in 1990 she wasn't even in it (none of the OBC was). Though some of the songs written after the 1990 run may have been written with Chita in mind (I get the feeling "Where You Are" was constructed with her voice in mind), the title song which you love so much was actually written before she was attached.

And in my opinion, they're both excellent. The role is perfect for both. For Chita, it allowed her to dance (though she obviously sings it well and I'm sure acted it well, too). For Williams, it allowed her to sing and not act too much. And we all know after seeing the revival of "Into the Woods" that Williams is a better singer than actress.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 1:20am

Vanessa Williams is my pick!

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 1:25am

thanks for the info mygfdontliveincanada, also i want to say that both Rivera and Williams are trained dancers. Vanessa Williams did all her dancing scenes in the movie "Dance with me" and those ballroom dancing scenes were very hard. Even her co-star in the movie, Cheyenne, who is a very big dancer and singer in Latin America, couldn't do all the ballroom dancing scenes.

[mygfdontliveincanada]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 1:28am

true. I forgot she's a trained dancer. But anyway, I still think Chita is more known for her dancing than her singing though she can do both and Williams is more known for her singing than her dancing though she can do both, too.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 1:31am

True! I think that they really wrote the musical thinking of Liza Minnelli to play Aurora/Spider Woman. Kander & Ebb always thought about Liza when they wrote their shows, they said.

[NYC4Life]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 1:50am

"And we all know after seeing the revival of "Into the Woods" that Williams is a better singer than actress."

I thought she was an excellent actress. I loved her in Into the Woods. I thought she brought a diffrent level to the witch. I actually thought she had brillant moments. When she sang "Stay with Me" I got chills because she made the relationship of mother and daughter very real. I did not feel she was playing just the witch but a mother.

[philcrosby]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 9:04am

I like both recordings for different reasons, though I saw Chita in the show in London and so I give the edge to her recording (she also gets a ton of laughs out of the "Russian Movie" segment that Williams totally misses). It's a great tribute though to Vanessa Williams that the show got re-recorded when she took over. Would we only had all the Dollys and Mames recorded.

What's interesting about SPIDER WOMAN as a musical is that a truly supporting role -- the title role -- is treated as a star part because Chita originated it in the revised production. Now, unless you have a woman with some true star magnetism, it makes no sense for Molina to idolize her so. But it makes the role very hard to cast. I had always hoped that after Vanessa Williams run, they could have convinced Ann-Margret to take a stab at it. As good as Maria Conchita Alonso probably was, she didn't have the "star" chops to keep the show going.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 11:04am

I need to get the OBC. But, I have the Vanessa Williams CD because (as I understand it) it has more of the show on it. It also has Brian Stokes Mitchell as Valentin and Howard McGillin as Molina.

[philcrosby]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 11:08am

Outside of "Lucky Molina," I am not sure there is any more music on the Williams CD, but there is more establishing dialogue. And I prefer Stokes as Valentin, but to me, the only Molina will be Brent Carver. He was magnificent onstage and on the recording.

[BrianWilsonFan]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 11:30am

I have a problem with Chita's vocals on Spider Woman i find them too raucous, when she sings i think of The Rink and wish for something a little more stylised. This thread has prompted me to want to check out the Vanessa Williams version PDQ...

Updated On: 3/1/06 at 11:30 AM

[ljay889]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 11:32am

Well maybe someone should've corrected Chita in THE DANCER'S LIFE. She said "After Chicago K&E went on to write 3 shows for me."

They weren't written specifically for her, but were definitely constructed around her.

Come on, if they had any Broadway actress in the role, they wouldn't have had those deep eerie keys, that fit Chita's voice like a glove. The singing and dancing were definitely constructed for her talents.

Am I the only who likes Crivello better than Stokes?

[Kitzarina]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 11:34am

NO!!! I was hoping I wasn't the only one

In my eyes, Crivello can do no wrong.

[Theatreboy49]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 11:35am

I actually just fell in love with this show and have ofte wondered as well what people thought. I myself prefer Chita. The role was written for her and though vannessa does a great job as well there are just some moments that almost creep me out when chita sings them because they are so perfect. Her visit is phenominal.

[Sluggy]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 12:22pm

A bit of a threadjack, but was a CD for The Visit ever released?

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 12:23pm

No

[Kitzarina]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 12:25pm

Wish I could've seen it :/

[BrianWilsonFan]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 12:33pm

Me too, i've heard a demo of it and it's superb to say the least.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 1:19pm

Director Harold Prince said in the New York Times that Vanessa's contract was extended because since she took over the leading role, sales went up over a 20%. She had to record "The Sweetest Days" while she was starring in "Kiss..." just an interesting fact i wanted to share.

Updated On: 3/1/06 at 01:19 PM