Sutton Foster- Overall Thoughts?

I admit bias, but I agree with haterobics...I've never seen her give a less than great performance. She also seems to be getting better and better over time. Her work in VIOLET and SWEET CHARITY is some of her best work IMO.

Also I met her after SWEET CHARITY and she could not have been more genuine and kind. Sorry if kindness isn't your thing.

I think the "twang" of her voice is what makes her have a unique sound. And quite frankly, if being able to sing, act, AND dance make for "chorus girl" talent, I'd be a very happy chorus girl. Reno Sweeney is a true triple threat leading lady, as is Charity Valentine.

In that vein, I have a special admiration for her because (like me) she is a "classic musical" mezzo, and I feel like you don't see many of them in the spotlight these days...

My first exposure to her, believe it or not, was Bunheads. It was impossible not to absolutely fall in love with her then. I have only ever seen her live in one concert which was frankly meh (it was in Des Moines and she was clearly sick), but I'm hoping to see her in most of my favorite musicals down the line (A Chorus Line, Gypsy, Follies) because I do love her. She dances better than she acts, she acts better than she sings, and she sings incredibly well.

I totally get the annoyance factor of overly-chipper people, haha, but I don't really feel that with Sutton - she comes across as genuine to me. And occasionally she has a nasal note that doesn't sit well on my ears, but 95% of the time I think her voice is glorious. I also think she has impeccable comic timing and a genuine gift for acting, though she's so naturally down-to-earth and charming that I sometimes struggle with her in the darker/sexier roles (like Wild Party at City Center, even though I applaud her commitment to the role). One of the few people who I would probably go to see even if didn't care about the show. I think she's great.

Soaring29 said: "I go back and forth on how I feel about her- She's obviously a very talented actress with a quality voice, but her twangy, hyper-nasal way of singing irritates me and her cheerful, nice personality grates on me the same way one would dislike a morning person, lol. Her vocals are terrific on Millie and I used to enjoy her a lot on Anything Goes, but now her nasality ruins some of the songs for me. I like her a lot in Violet though- her acting through the songs/dialogue is great and her twangy vocals fit the character, so I don't mind them as much. Some people have told me they dislike her because she's a cookie cutter performer and she is second rate with a chorus girl's talents, not a leading ladies. Not sure I'd go that far, but I see why some would dislike her.

Your Thoughts?



You start a thread just to trash a very talented performer? For what purpose? Jeez.

To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us think we're soaring above it all."

She is one of the great comic performers on Broadway. I agree with JudyDenmark--whatever show she's in, I go to see it.

I don't think she's cookie cutter at all, and it's her triple threat focus and distinct voice that make her unique. Foster stands apart from all the bland soprano leading ladies on Broadway. I think only McDonald and O'Hara are equals among her generation.

overrated. Just ok, nothing remarkable.

Yes, overly chiper people bother me sometimes and Sutton is one of them, it doesn't come across as fake per se, but it kinda wears on you. You can't tell me that none of you go through life not being irritated by a person's personality/aura, knowing they haven't done anything to you personally, but you're irritated all the same. It's human nature.



The post is called "Sutton Foster- Overall Thoughts?"- The purpose isn't to trash her, but to share opinions. Some of those opinions may be critical, some not, but the the point of the post is not to outright trash her, but to express subjective feelings about her work, one way or the other. I've already stated that I enjoy some of her work and respect her as a performer with obvious talent. She just isn't my cup of tea for the reasons I stated in my first post and I go back and forth on if those reasons weigh more to me then the reasons for why I like her. I don't want to trash her at all and that is not the purpose of the thread.

And to be blunt, these boards are filled with all kinds of mixed to negative opinions about performers that are highly regarded- just because I published a post that goes right out and asks what you think of a performer doesn't make it any different from the many comments and posts that offer similar types of questions/opinions. It's a CHAT BOARD, for goodness sake. We should be allowed to do what we want.

Updated On: 4/19/17 at 04:50 PM