STAGE TUBE: Jennifer Hudson Sings 'I'm Here' at Kennedy Center Honors - Page 2

[BroadwayNorth2]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 12:40am

Forget revivals. Some of the best current and aspiring Broadway composers/lyricists need to create a new musical [vehicle] for Jennifer Hudson!
Updated On: 12/30/10 at 12:40 AM

[Wishing Only Wounds]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 12:49am

She needs to come to Broadway.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 1:08am

Well, WINNIE (the Winnie Mandela) movie has terrible buzz, a preview was leaked recently and it looked awful and sparked controversy since it seems they are portraying her as a martyr of sorts. But that's neither here nor there, many Oscar winners have embarrassing projects to their names (VIEW FROM THE TOP, LION FOR LAMBS, THE INVASION, etc) and that doesn't mean anything about their acting.
Hudson would be an interesting Celie if she worked with a really good director who was able to bring out a good performance out of her, she's not one of those people who's just naturally good, but she can be good and what's important is that she has star power and screen presence to spare. I'd love to see her tackle the role. I mean, Jennifer Hudson has an Academy Award, Fantasia has THE FANTASIA BARRINO STORY...I think Oprah knows the smart decision to make here.

[BenjaminNicholas2]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 1:14am

To the person who said her technique was perfection, you must not have a whole lot of voice training. She was popping a whole lot of notes, scooping, downright yelling on-key in some spots and lost the phrase from lack of support in a couple of spots. She couldn't sustain the last note well enough and thankfully had a full choir behind her to fill in the blank.

That being said, it was a thrilling performance. The tempo was slowed down considerably. She didn't take some of the notes up into the ranges that Celie's like Jeannette Bayardelle did (Chicago/Broadway). Here's a sneaky peek at what Bayardelle did on a nightly basis... It was jaw-dropping:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJUUDx95RWE

Would love to see JHud come to Broadway, but my main concern is her stamina to sing 8 shows a week. During the Dreamgirls promos, she rarely sang AIATY live and mainly stuck with other songs in public appearances. When she DID sing it, you could tell she had a tough time getting through it without it seeming a little winded towards the end. Jennifer Holliday still has a lock on this song for being able to be as powerful at the beginning as she is throughout until the very ending note.



BN

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 1:17am

She was popping a whole lot of notes, scooping, downright yelling on-key in some spots and lost the phrase from lack of support in a couple of spots.

UM. Have you heard Fantasia's version? She basically shouted the entire thing. Her technique is horrendous.

[BenjaminNicholas2]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 1:19am

Um, have you heard Jeannette's version?

THAT'S how it should be sung. She's got support. She feels the music. It was an amazing performance (which I luckily got to see a few times). I loved LaChanze when I saw her, but vocally she was nowhere near the best Celie.

I'm not comparing JHud to Fantasia. It's no contest on that one... What I'm saying is who sings the show with more technical precision and awe-inspiring vocals. I say it's Jeannette. Just my two cents.



BN
Updated On: 12/30/10 at 01:19 AM

[BwayTday]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 1:23am

He didn't appear to be comparing Jennifer and Fantasia. He was commenting on Jennifer's technique. The performance was fantastic, and no doubt in comparison her technique is better then Fantasia's, but it still isn't amazing technique. I doubt she could handle singing this kind of score eight times a week.

[bwayfan7000]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 1:25am

I also love Bayardelle's version. This song has been covered by some very talented ladies.

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 1:42am

Yeah Bayardelle's version was great...but let's talk realistically in this thread.

[BenjaminNicholas2]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 1:46am

We ARE talking realistically: About JHud's ability to actually perform 8x a week in a vocally demanding show of any sort. I mentioned the difference between a one-off showy vocal performance and someone who gives a reliable, day-in-day-out schedule of shows. I can't see Jennifer going into a live show like Color Purple without experiencing the kind of absences that have made Donna Murphy so wildly popular in the past.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 2:38am

That was outstanding.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 2:46am

Kenita Miller was the best Celie-both vocally and in physicality. Kenita nailed the song without all the theatrics.

Jennifer Hudson is an AWFUL actress. She had the director holding her hand and giving her line readings during the filming of Dreamgirls. Plus Hudson is too gorgeous for the role.

Fantasia has the voice and is just fugly enough to fit the part.

[musicalmack]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 2:56am

We should also note that Jennifer's performance is in a higher key than what's written in the Broadway score.

I like to think she'd have no trouble singing it in the lower key consistently if she already gives a phenomenal performance in the higher one.

That was fantastic. Jennifer Hudson is incredibly talented.

[JRybka]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 11:53am

If we need to put JHUD in a revival why not give her "THE WIZ" Could you imagine?

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 2:55pm

"I can't see Jennifer going into a live show like Color Purple without experiencing the kind of absences that have made Donna Murphy so wildly popular in the past."

REALLY? You obviously know nothing about the Donna Murphy/Wonderful Town situation.

[Felm_heart]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 3:13pm

Oh my god I love dish! Someone please elaborate on this Donna Murphy gossip.

(Back on topic, that performance was perfection. Love J-Hud!)

[EvanK]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 3:23pm

J hud could most definitely survive 8x a week.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 3:39pm

See... everyone always HINTS that they have the inside information on these famous lassies (Donna Murphy, Sara Ramirez...) and their absences, but then they never share. Asses.

[beautywickedlover]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 5:44pm

That was beautiful! Jennifer is an inspiration!

[BenjaminNicholas2]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 6:30pm

I never said I had inside info. It doesn't take a genius to remember how many times Donna Murphy called out during the Wonderful Town run... The folks on ATC can fill you in on the rest if you want some kind of backstory.

Back to JHud: I saw Kenita Miller do the show once and agree that she was fantastic, although not as electric as others in the role. She sang the score as written, adding little vocally to the role to make it her own. Her acting was SPOT ON.

[BroadwayBound17]

Posted: 12/30/10 at 8:00pm

Even though it is a bit too soon, after the 5-year mark is up so the show could be eligible for the Tonys, I'd love to see the show be revived with Jennifer Hudson as Celie. Especially with her in the lead role, the show will do brilliant. Althought it ran a great length, I miss it terribly.

Bring it back!