Toughest roles to sing — Page 2

Christine in PHANTOM honestly isn't that vocally demanding. I've known a few women who have done the role in New York and on tour and most feel they could have handled doing the role eight times a week, especially since some of the role is pre-recorded...

And the role might vocally be high by musical theatre standards, but if you ask any operatic soprano about the part, she'll likely roll her eyes. Its really not like singing actual opera - but than again there really aren't very many roles in musical theatre that are actually as difficult on the human voice as the basic roles in opera repertoire.

Michael Bennett, I agree with you 100%. Aside from the cadenza in Think of Me and the final notes of the title track, Christine's vocal part actually sits quite comfortably for a musical theatre soprano. And most opera singers would scoff at this being called a "difficult soprano role" as the vocal timbre and color are extremely different.

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I agree - that precedence was obviously set for Brightman who wasn't a heavily trained singer and who had a rather delicate voice. I'm not sure why the production has continued that practice of double casting the part.

The Broadway role that has given more actresses vocal problems than probably any other is Eliza Doolittle. This has been discussed in other threads, but though her actual songs aren't especially rangy, something about the structure of MY FAIR LADY - the cockney, the singing, the rangy notes in the second act is just brutal on a woman's voice.

Almost all the women who played the role on Broadway and in London for long runs had major vocal problems navigating the part.

Which of Christine's songs/parts are pre-recorded? And is it only on Broadway, or do the touring companies do it as well?

I actually don't think Cunegonde would be that difficult for a high coloratura soprano.

I think Barbara Cook said one of the most difficult things about the part (for her) was how Leonard Bernstein wanted the "Ha-ha-ha" passage of "Glitter and Be Gay" sung. Per wikipedia:

Barbara Cook: It was terrible how nervous I was. I'd been singing stuff like "I'll be loving you always", and here I was singing Cunegonde. You know what else is hard with that thing? Lenny insisted on the "Ha-ha-ha"s really being "Hha-hha-hha"s. No "Ah-ee-ah-ee-ah"s but "Ha-ha-ha-HA-ha-ha"s. And I was never, never able to do it the way he really, really wanted it done. He wanted the ...

Renée Fleming: You mean the aspiration?

Barbara Cook: Oh, that. I did do that. But what he wanted was the syncopation. So it would have to be [speaks, beating time], "Ha-ha-hahahaha. HAhahahaHAhahaha." You try that on for size. That's hard, because you are losing all that air.


Obviously it could be a problem that only Barbara Cook had, but it sounds like it would make for some difficulty singing.

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Aside from "Glitter and Be Gay," Cunegonde's role is not incredibly challenging vocally. And like bluebubbles said, for a properly trained coloratura, even this difficult aria should be manageable.

Michael Bennet--I totally agree with you about contemporary musical theatre writers having no idea how to create scores that actually accommodate the human voice. How often have singers ruined there voices singing R&H or Sondheim scores? Never, at least to my knowledge. Contemporary composers seem to compose for shock value, usually meaning high belting, with little regard for the vocal health of the singer. I'm talking to you Andrew Lloyd Webber for what you did with Eva Peron. The Legally Blonde writers also come to mind and Stephen Schwartz in terms of Elphaba.

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I can't speak for all sopranos, but my personal problem with singing MT is most of the "money" notes are in my passagio. Sopranos are strongest in the upper range, and most MT songs (even soprano pieces) are just too low. At least they are nowadays, I should say.

Also, with MT you can't round out vowels as easily and some of the vowels those high notes are written on are just evil.

I definitely agree that most modern MT composers can't write for the human voice. That critique was made of ALW and I definitely agree. The PotO cadenza is crazy, for instance, not because it goes so high but because all of those notes are sustained in a row. It requires incredible stamina.

I know LitP was mentioned but I actually think Clara and Margaret are easy to sing for trained sopranos because Guettel actually writes them as soprano roles and they're not all over the place, like say Glinda in Wicked. Of course, the music itself isn't easy to learn, so maybe that's what people meant by that.

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Updated On: 8/15/10 at 12:36 AM

I was going to say Eliza Doolittle too. I know Julie Andrews was having other problems when she played it (uh, untreated tonsillitis anyone?) but the way she described the vocal demands of that role, particularly "Just You Wait", sounded brutal.

"I agree - that precedence was obviously set for Brightman who wasn't a heavily trained singer and who had a rather delicate voice. I'm not sure why the production has continued that practice of double casting the part."

That goes back to Equity, at least for the US productions. There are rules set forth in the contract making it very difficult, next to impossible, to reduce the number of principles in the cast after opening (for chorus it's after the first day of rehearsal).

The only Christine vocals that are prerecorded are in the title song. Some dialogue is prerecorded because it is to cover a scene transition (although I wish that wasn't the case).

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Updated On: 8/15/10 at 02:20 PM

Brick, I think Angela Lansbury said the same thing, re Rose and Mrs. Lovett. I mean, "Worst Pies in London" on its own is sort of insane. That fast patter right into a legato section that's pretty high for an alto. (And, if you look at the original staging, fast patter with flour flying in your mouth) "Wait" has the random E thrown in there.

Considering the acting demands placed on both, I'd say Sweeney and Lovett definitely have to be counted in there.

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Jonas Nightingale in LEAP OF FAITH.