#1
Posted: 11/1/04 at 12:29am
It was a wonder evenign tonight at the Mamma Mia! Theatre. The show is recovering from the "dark months" of the awful horrifyingly untalented Jenny Felner who was the absolute worst Sophie in the 5 and a half year-multi-production history of MAMMA MIA! (This was not a matter of being untalented and not knowing it. She gave no energy or volume in her entire performance to the point where most people in the audience were unable to hear and were confronting the sound man at intermission. She was an absolute joke and did not deserve to be on that stage when there are equally untalented people who would have actually made their untalented voices audible.) (We just need to get Brenda Braxton back in CHICAGO and Terre McCleshod out and Broadway will be repaired again.) Thankfully she and the rest of that cast who also left much to be desired have been fired and we have a good show again.
Carolyn Caramel has to be one of the top 3 Donnas in MAMMA MIA! history. Her voice had the power, she was actually able to hit the low notes with strength so people could hear them, and she had the most satisfying ending to "winner takes it . . AAALLLL!!!!" I was blown away and got chills. My oonly complaint is that she still sings musical theatre style like the rest of the cast with too much vibrato instead of ABBA style. Liz McCartney was great but TABOO shows her off more. The woman who played Tanya also rocked. We still cannot find a good Sam Charmichal though. Every person who has played it has had an old man voice and performed the music like Mickey Dolenz in AIDA did. He sang very back and in the throat like Kermit the Frog and even croacked a few times. This is far from a pop style.
Overall I ahve to say that the show is in a great state but what I've always noticed is that we never have a cast for this show that actually sings in a pop ABBA style. Everyone is so "broadway" and wants to use a ton of vibrato and sing overlly nazal. I'm not asking for a copy of ABBA but we need to get closer. Not to be full of myself, but I would love to scout out my own "dream cast" for this show and it would be sung a lot differently than it has been. Also, we need to star getting all the musical numbers the same volume as the overture and scene change music. The sound always comes down for the actors. Notice how "Honey Honey" is so quite after that super loud overture? I don't think it should be that way. Sound is important with this show. Does anyone else have any thoughs in general about the styles of voices in any cast of the show?
Carolyn Caramel has to be one of the top 3 Donnas in MAMMA MIA! history. Her voice had the power, she was actually able to hit the low notes with strength so people could hear them, and she had the most satisfying ending to "winner takes it . . AAALLLL!!!!" I was blown away and got chills. My oonly complaint is that she still sings musical theatre style like the rest of the cast with too much vibrato instead of ABBA style. Liz McCartney was great but TABOO shows her off more. The woman who played Tanya also rocked. We still cannot find a good Sam Charmichal though. Every person who has played it has had an old man voice and performed the music like Mickey Dolenz in AIDA did. He sang very back and in the throat like Kermit the Frog and even croacked a few times. This is far from a pop style.
Overall I ahve to say that the show is in a great state but what I've always noticed is that we never have a cast for this show that actually sings in a pop ABBA style. Everyone is so "broadway" and wants to use a ton of vibrato and sing overlly nazal. I'm not asking for a copy of ABBA but we need to get closer. Not to be full of myself, but I would love to scout out my own "dream cast" for this show and it would be sung a lot differently than it has been. Also, we need to star getting all the musical numbers the same volume as the overture and scene change music. The sound always comes down for the actors. Notice how "Honey Honey" is so quite after that super loud overture? I don't think it should be that way. Sound is important with this show. Does anyone else have any thoughs in general about the styles of voices in any cast of the show?
Updated On: 11/2/04 at 12:29 AM
