Munkustrap is on the money.
I kept wanting to back up from the TV set, and put distance between us. To be fair, she's used to scaling the number for the barn-like Gershwin. But she did nothing whatsoever to reconsider the performance for the intimancy of the camera. She oversold every shift of emotion, indicating baldly when merely letting the song's intentions and passion might sell it. (Worst moments: when she invoked Nessa and Dr. Dillamond, her eyes hammily darting around the studio as if they might land on those missing characters.) I couldn't take issue with her singing per se, beyond recognizing that she has the range and power sound for the role. But the affected enunciation -- widening her jaw on every "eeee" sound -- once again reminded me how hard it is to put theatrical numbers on the small screen without their being redirected. Someone should've helped her out. I would've simply told her to stand still, and not keep brushing up against Martha's set, seemingly threatening to bring it down. Less is more, and never is that more critical than on the small screen.
"I'm a comedian, but in my spare time, things bother me." Garry Shandling
Updated On: 10/31/05 at 01:58 PM