Singing Lessons from Miss Lea Michele- Page 2

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 2:34pm

I love that picture.

"ME WANT COOKIE!!!!"

[Luscious]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 2:38pm

She tried to channel Barbra, and came off looking and sounding like a Second-Hand Rose.

[Renart]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 3:10pm

I actually felt uncomfortable and kinda embarrassed for her. Pretty shameless way to campaign for a part, in front of every major Broadway producer, no less.

[Q]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 3:15pm

"shameless way to campaign for a part"

If that was her intent, it may have back-fired.

[madbrian]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 3:21pm

"shameless way to campaign for a part"

Does Lea Michele really have the clout to get Don't Rain On My Parade written into Glee, and have it put into the Tony broadcast? And she determines the orchestrations and staging for both? Is there someone of her age and background who wouldn't want the part of Fanny Brice?

If she's that all powerful, whose help would she need to get that (or any other) part?

[Renart]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 3:21pm

I agree. If I were in that room, I would have gotten out my list and crossed her name off it.

[americanboy99]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 3:23pm

I thought she was fabulous. Aside from a few minor odd choices acting wise, I thought she was vocally powerful and proved to everyone that the "canned" singing on her show is a perfect representation of how powerful and consistent she is as a live vocalist. I'd say she is the top choice for a FUNNY GIRL revival, and her performance last night proved that.

[THDavis]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 3:24pm

"5) When not squinting, mix it up a bit by rolling your eyes WAY up like you're serenading your own brain stem."

Bahaha, I'm definitely using this one in every audition I have.

[JasonM12480]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 3:27pm

She looked like she was trying way too hard. Barbara and Linda make that song look effortless. Lea looked like she was TRYING, and it was uncomfortable. Yes, nerves, excitement, etc. It's hard work. I'm not doing it. I wasn't invited to the Tony's - I get it. But that's how it came off to me!

[Sirius Black]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 3:40pm

In all fairness, the sound at the Tonys has been horrible for the last few years and performers can't hear themselves or the orchestra and monitors give out or zoom in and out. It is horrible and scary sometimes.

[BwayTday]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 3:50pm

I usually love Lea, but the whole time during this performance she looked like she was 'bout to cut a bitch.

[kckobe91]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 4:15pm

honestly last night she was just trying WAY too hard. but if you're performing don't rain on my parade at the TONYS don't you think you would be really nervous too? when i saw the glee concert and she sang that, she was SOO much better. i mean she blew me away at the concert.

[bluebubbles]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 4:23pm

This isn't meant to cut her down, but having attended the concert, do you think she was she was lip synching? I wouldn't blame her and the cast if that was case, they would need to protect their voices.
Updated On: 6/14/10 at 04:23 PM

[BwayTday]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 4:30pm

From what I have gathered from youtube, they lip sync some of the more dancy numbers (Walking on Sunshine/Halo) and sang others (Defying Gravity, Don't Rain On My Parade).

[defygravity24]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 5:19pm

she definately did not lip synce dont rain on the glee tour. I saw videos of her singing it on tour and she sounded like her voice was tired, but she was still great.

[NeoNormal]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 5:31pm

I'm a big fan of hers, but last night was eh... if that was her audition for Funny Girl, I'd put her in the ensemble. Maybe it was an off-night? I don't know, but definitely not her best performance.

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 5:38pm

To be honest, I thought she was very good during the dress yesterday morning. I think she got a little over-excited trying to break through the crowd cheering for Matt, started too big, and was struggling where to go from there.

Not an excuse, but just a bit of a rationale for why yesterday was a bit over the top.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 6:36pm

That sounds like a reasonable assessment to me.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 8:03pm

To me, Lea's biggest problem is that she just needs to stop trying to imitate Idina Menzel and Barbara Streisand. She just doesn't have a voice nearly as big as those women do or did at her age. Lea has her own delicate, lighter, bright mix which sounds pretty spectacular when she just owns that (i.e. the way she sounded in Spring Awakening). Her acting...I'm not sure what can be done about that because even when she's not trying to imitate Idina or Babs, she's just not at all vulnerable, truthful, insightful, or interesting.

[Sauja]

Posted: 6/14/10 at 8:42pm

Why do people think this would be her audition for Funny Girl? I mean...if she wants it, it's hers, no? What producer is going to turn down an actress from a hugely popular television show who also has a background in musical theater? For all the talk of crass commercialism on Broadway, the idea that she couldn't just have the part if she wanted it is kinda...sweet.

[defyingravity11]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 1:12am

I thought for sure that she would have sang, "Hey Bartlett Sher, here I am!"

[Marquise]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 1:36am

BWW Delusional Comment #1,655:

In regards to Lea Michele wanting to play Fanny Brice in an upcoming Barlett Sher directed revival of FUNNY GIRL, board member Sauja writes:

I mean...if she wants it, it's hers, no?

Answer:

No. It's not hers for the taking. She hasn't earned that right yet.

[Disneyland Magic Man]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 2:39am

Exactly. Not for the first Broadway revival of that show. Barbra has big shoes to fill.

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 4:18am

I hope to the Almighty that Lea Michele DOES NOT HAVE the right of first refusal for taking on the role of Fanny Brice.

I still say Leslie Kritzer is the way to go if this FUNNY GIRL revival goes happens. Anyone who's heard HER version of DON'T RAIN ON MY PARADE that she's sung in events in NYC knows Kritzer definitely puts her own stamp on this (old) tried and true anthem.

Oh, another singing lesson from Lea Michele: bring your own engineer to Auto-Tune you live. And shout- not sing or belt - as much as you can in straight tones, and take a breath in between syllables of a single word so you can extend the finale note while singing with bad diction by slaughtering the diphthong on the final "Paaaaraaaaade!"

[HeyJayNYC]

Posted: 6/15/10 at 7:27am

I agree...Lea has turned into an affected singer in the past few months. Yelping is the worst offense and Linda Eder does it too, so her verion of PARADE is just as affected. Singers know the "rules" and yelping doesn't make it more "emotional". Lea is a great singer, but she's developing tricks that detract from that.
Keep it simple! Barbra rarely yelps!
And I believe this was meant as a gentle sarcasm not a true singing lessons from Lea.
Go back to what works and not what just "draws attention"
And I'm a trained singer so I know from whence I speak.
And I love Lea..just get annoyed at the vocal tricks she is adding.