Sutton in Drowsy???- Page 2

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 6/20/06 at 7:14pm

Are you serious? Broadway prides itself on the fact that it's LIVE theatre. I highly doubt that they were prerecording things and having people lipsynch. Also, let's be frank. Take for instance, last year's Tony's. The producers of WICKED spend so much money promoting it, and Idina was sick and raspy and breathy at her performance. If any production had the money or means to lipsynch it, Wicked seems to be the one to do so. It didn't.

Also, I think that Sutton is just THAT good that her voice sounds like it must be prerecorded.

someone else sings it.

Uhhh. No. If this is in regards to the people in the wings, let's be realistic. Frankie Valli had to do the same thing, and it's really not a big deal.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 6/20/06 at 8:11pm

maybe i should clarify.

"someone else sings it" was simply a reference to the water sight gag. if it's actually a recording of sutton i stand corrected, i just assumed it was someone else when i saw it because it didn't sound exactly the same. sorry.


second. isn't it public knowledge that john lloyd young's voice is backed up? i remember having many discussions about it here. whether it's himself recorded or other people in the wings it doesn't matter. if you watch the performance he is not singing at some points when you can still hear the voice. that's what i was talking about.

[sO_aMaZinGly_giFTed]

Posted: 6/20/06 at 8:16pm

Yeah, I was at the Tony's and apdarcey you are right about John Lloyd Young.
He isnt singing at times. Updated On: 6/20/06 at 08:16 PM

[apdarcey]

Posted: 6/20/06 at 8:18pm

thank you.

Posted: 6/20/06 at 8:19pm

The reason the echo in "Show Off" sounds different is beacause it isn't very clear. This is done on purpose to simulate a 1920's recording, which the fictitious "original" production would have utilized. Clever.

[mijofly19]

Posted: 6/20/06 at 8:20pm

Somebody started a rumor stating that JLY doesn't sing during the show. That someone else in the wings sings the entire show. His entire performance during the Tony Awards was live. If it doesn't look that way there must be something wrong with your tape.

As DRS said, this is LIVE theatre. Everyone who sings at the Tony's is live. If JLY was lypsyncing it would sound perfect. It would sound like the OBC, where they did do something to his voice to make it sound better. His voice was raspy. If it was pre-recorded, it would not be raspy at all.

[thibodeaux]

Posted: 6/21/06 at 10:38am

So since we're on Sutton in Drowsy. . .I've searched for this and can't find it.

Someone please explain to me the costume change behind the umbrella. It was SO quick; and at first I thought the second dress--the pink dress--was underdressed under the yellow one. BUT, the pink dress was much longer. . .And there's no one there to help her! And her legs barely move, I mean, someone please explain this to me!! You can PM to me or just repost it here. . .But someone must have insight.

Thanks--

and her performance on the Tony's was amazing. Just beautiful.

[mathewbrock]

Posted: 6/21/06 at 11:12am

I've seen Drowsy numerous times, and I LOVE her costume change moment. I am not 100% sure, but I think I know how the change is done, having been extreme left and extreme right in the Marquis and catching little glimpses that the audience was not intended to see... (And I'm watching the clip on playback as I write this.)

George (the best man George) is holding the umbrella and a chorus boy has just dropped Sutton from a lift and is standing behind her... I believe the 2nd dress is underdressed, with the skirt folded up into the bodice. The chorus boy unhooks the dress, steps to the side and Sutton simply rips the top dress off, and stuffs it into a concealing pocket on the underside of the umbrella (which I know exists) and out she goes. The whole thing takes 2 seconds. Take a look at the video from the Tonys performance if you have any questions, but I think I'm right.

[firescape]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 10:12am

in regards to the whole pre recorded versus live argument. You people just go on believing what you want. I am not going to argue any more. Just realize that some people like myself do this for a living and many people that post there sworn statements who are not.

Now let me clarify, it is used when necessary. Welcome to showbusiness.

[keatonbynumbers]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 10:34am

Oooh, way cool. Thanks for the info, matthewbrock. :)

Honestly, though, she didn't even sound at ALL like she was lipsynching. She sounded like she was being AWESOME.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 10:51am

Some of you people are SO gullible. On thread after thread, someone makes a wild suggestion and you are off and running.

Do you remember what happened to Milli-Vanilli? Do you remember how the press JUMPED on that story like rabid dogs and would not let go? How they had to give back their Grammy Award? How their lives and careers were ruined? Do you really think for one moment that anyone wants to see that happen again?

Broadway performers had better not be lip-synching on The Tony Awards. Not if they want to keep their careers and reputations intact. However, pre-recording the music FOR AN EXTREME EMERGENCY would make sense, in case of an accident or mike failure or some sort of protest disturbance. But I'll bet the audio guy has to get all sorts of on-the-spot approvals before he can go to a canned track.

Just imagine how long the New York Post could live on that story if it were true (and if it were true, do you think such a secret could be kept? On Broadway?????)

[keatonbynumbers]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 10:56am

allofmylife, I agree with you and I see what you're saying, but to be fair, there are a LOT of popstars today that lipsynch. It's not like Milli Vanilli were the only lipsynchers ever. It's not like it's actually stopped performers from lipsynching because it still happens all the time.

But exactly, yes, the point is that these are people who do live theatre. That's why I don't understand people always wondering if they lipsynch; did they forget about the part where they do LIVE theatre all the time? How do they think they've managed to build a career in this field if they lipsynch?

[respeck]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 11:06am

Milli Vanilli got in trouble because they built their career lipsyncing to OTHER PEOPLE'S VOICES. How is that relevant at all?

[Lorelai]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 11:07am

"OH god. The echo is obviously pre-recorded. What else could it be? Seriously..."

Thank you for saying it before I did...

[respeck]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 11:09am

The ghost of Ethel Merman?

[keatonbynumbers]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 11:10am

The ghost of Ethel Merman?

I find that to be the greatest and most awesome possibility of all time ever.

[respeck]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 11:12am

Did she ever play at the Morosco?

[keatonbynumbers]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 11:16am

I don't think so. Maybe she haunting The Color Purple, instead.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 11:47am

Please everyone, just listen to me this once. I work in professional live audio, and I'm qualified enough to say, as fact, that Sutton's line when she drinks the glass of water is not pre-recorded, it is a digital playback of the phrase she just sang. Listen to it, the vibrato, etc. is EXACTLY the same. It's EQed to make it sound like a record being played because in the story, that's what's happening.

Personally, I don't think that it's supposed to be a gag, or "showing off." I think it's an allusion to the fact that the actors in the apartment don't have to move theirs mouths at all, and the music will still play, because it's a record.

And no, vocal backup tracks are not used in "emergency situations" in Broadway productions. If that were true, then no one would ever be able to come on BWW and say "so-and-so cracked a note tonight, or forgot the words, or totally messed up the entire song!"

Many "singers" on tour use click tracks, but not on Broadway.

[keatonbynumbers]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 11:53am

trpguyy, that's interesting. I assumed it was a pre-recorded thing, but what you've said makes more sense. Thanks for the info.

I do think you're missing the gag a bit, though. The song is about how she doesn't want to show off, but the irony is that she IS showing off. This is an example of that -- she's doing the old ventriloquist trick where you can still throw your voice by drinking water. I guess the fact that it sounds like a record being played is a reference to his listening to the record, but it's definitely another gag like the rest of the song.

Obviously, it could be both.

[breebranker]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 12:08pm

Just a little insight on canned tracks- I know for a fact that several shows, on Broadway and touring use them. It's not that the actors on stage aren't singing, but for certain effects of a full chorus after a cardio production number and things like that, canned tracks are used.

Now to be fair, the broadway show I know for sure that used them was about 15 years ago now, so this might not be the case any longer. Just a tid bit!

[Hanna from Hamburg]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 12:10pm

When I saw Drowsy, they didn't get the dress in the quick change completely inside the hidden pocket of the umbrella. I little bit was showing. It was still a cool effect, but I was disappointed that it didn't 100% work.

[trpguyy]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 12:12pm

Yes, I know that some tracks are used in some productions (there's actually a lot of canned music in Phantom, but for good reasons). However, it is simply not true that "everyone pre-records their singing and it's used if they get sick."

And nowadays, the chorus is just put through the effects rack to make it sound more powerful. A pre-recorded track isn't necessary.

And unfortunately, many touring shows travel with a drummer, trumpet player (maybe), a few keyboards, and a computer. A few local musicians are hired out, and that's about it. It's sad, but the producers want more money, and honestly, most people can't tell the difference between canned music and live music.
Updated On: 6/22/06 at 12:12 PM

[allofmylife]

Posted: 6/22/06 at 3:50pm

You are all correct, you experts. There is syncing on tour. They also use the equivalent of an overdub to boost the sound of the chorus (let's face it the economics today preclude big choruses. Did you know most shows of the 1930's and 40's had up to sixty in the chorus AND 24 dancers? What a booming sound that must have been - and thunderous when they exited.

But I still maintain that Sutton, et al wouldn't risk their reputations using canned music unless it was an extreme emergency.

And by the way, the echo IS Ethel Merman, but she's singing it from The Imperial all the way over... Now THAT was a voice!

[dancnqn5]

Posted: 6/23/06 at 1:35am

I can say for certain that the echo in "Show Off" for the water gag is not a digital delay, or someone else singing or anything like that. It is pre-recorded. I have a copy of that song from the score (my friend worked on the show in LA) and it clearly states which parts are live and which are pre-recorded. The reason it sounds the same is that it is written the same and sung so it sounds the same.

And the JLY thing has been discussed over and over again. While I don't believe he is lipsynching, I thought it was pretty common knowledge that he is not the only one singing that vocal line. They have another male singing along with him to give it the sound like the Four Seasons albums where Frankie Valli was singing over himself to give the line more strength (or something to that effect). Seth Rudetsky talks about it all the time on Sirius. That could be why it appears that JLY isn't singing. Someone is singing back-up on his part to give it an authentic sound.