Vanessa Williams to star in ANYONE CAN WHISTLE at Carnegie Hall- Page 5

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/11/22 at 12:57pm

I do still play the 1995 Carnegie concert CD with Peters, Bakula, Kahn frequently; my go-to.

 

I'm in the minority: surprised Williams didn't seem prepared and ended up vocally disappointing. I've seen her in all three of her B'way engagements, and she was always a powerful singing presence. She even turned that really bizarre (and later abandoned) version of "Last Midnight" into something compelling.  But any one gig, any one night, can reveal someone not at the top of their game. Perhaps the melding of the two sides of her range just didn't work here.

[Ke3]

Posted: 3/11/22 at 1:17pm

Auggie27 said: "I do still play the 1995 Carnegie concert CD with Peters, Bakula, Kahn frequently; my go-to.



I'm in the minority: surprised Williams didn't seem prepared and ended up vocally disappointing. I've seen her in all three of her B'way engagements, and she was always a powerful singing presence. She even turned that really bizarre (and later abandoned) version of "Last Midnight" into something compelling. But any one gig, any one night, can reveal someone not at the top of their game. Perhaps the melding of the two sides of her range just didn't work here."

I'm leaning towards a bad night and not "her voice is just gone" as I've see some say. 

[Phillytheatreguy10]

Posted: 3/11/22 at 1:45pm

Count me in the majority of underwhelmed Williams fans- I truly think it was a mix of material not suiting her voice, but also horrible sound throughout the night- the blend was horrendous and whoever was on sound really dropped the ball. I saw today on Williams' Instagram that they had three weeks of rehearsal time- that being said, I also know that she was working on other projects and appearances throughout that time as well. Stanley was the highlight of the night- she deserves the praise being granted to her- I do agree maybe some of the comedic moments didn't hit as hard as they could have, but it's a concert and we know she's a comedienne from her appearance as Claire De Loon in the most recent On the Town revival. She's a great talent, from old school musicals, to JRB material, to Alanis Morisette, she constantly delivers. Fontana makes it look easy and he was a delight. Sills' talents were really squandered by the lack of or even poor direction throughout the night; all seemed to have made safe choices with their performances and not exciting or bold choices. Both Williams and Sills shined in Hey Look Me Over at Encores and it wasn't that long ago so I would dispute that Williams doesn't still have her vocal chops- I think she was miscast here. For those saying Clark would've been a better choice based on Sperling's comments, did you see Kimberly Akimbo? Her voice has certainly lost a bit of luster and if we have qualms about Williams, the same might have been said of Clark they day after. I think Carolee Carmello or Beth Leavel would've really shined here. Carmello would've been my pick, but who's asking lol! Overall, it was great to hear the score in person, the memorable songs were all performed wonderfully- I even thought the orchestra mix was muddy at times- I cannot stress enough how bad the sound was, perhaps having the board stage left isn't ideal. I've never thought that sound was a problem here- especially in a concert hall designed to have good acoustics. The last concert I saw here was Jessica Vosk, and sound was not an issue at that performance. 

Updated On: 3/11/22 at 01:45 PM

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 3/11/22 at 2:23pm

Elizabeth Stanley was the clear standout of the evening, possibly because her big numbers were the least bizarre, most straightforward songs. She was in fantastic voice. This was my first time seeing the show performed in any context, and while it’s an entirely strange show, the performers were given nonexistent direction. Vanessa Williams shined best on “Me and My Town,” which was given clear direction and staging. All of her other numbers left her flailing, and I don’t necessarily think it was her fault. I’m a big Vanessa fan, so I think she could have been stronger if she were given more to do and the time to execute it. The role is not beyond her skill set, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt. I saw glimpses of how delightfully funny she could be in “The Cookie Chase.”

I agree with the imbalance in the sound throughout the concert, but it also has to do with the orchestration, which is so brass heavy with no high strings (only five cellos and a bass). All of the instruments played within the same range as the singers and got in the way of the vocals, and without proper mic support, the singers got lost in the songs. 

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 3/11/22 at 3:28pm

Just listened to some audio from it. Williams doesn't sound bad, just maybe a little thin? Cora needs some more animated sounds. 

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 3/11/22 at 3:31pm

I understand the difficult bankability of this show, but I honestly think its so meant to have a bonkers cartoony set be a part of the storytelling, that every time it's done as a concert I feel like we're also missing a direction and vision to make it really clear to the audience this is going to be absurd and lean into camp at times.

I just really would love to see a version where visually it matches the trippiness of the story being told.

Cause the oddness is kinda less charming in a reading setting.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 3/11/22 at 5:07pm

oh wow, is part of the play on the title is "Anyone can whistle" (besides the song and Fay's story) as in "whistle-blow?"

Cause the thrust of the story is exposing internal evil in an establishment.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/11/22 at 11:51pm

A random thought –– in a town with thousands of aspiring child actors, Sperling had some gall to cast his own 5th grade daughter. One of the most uncomfortable and misguided child performances I've seen in a long time; I feel bad that a parent would subject their child to that kind of scrutiny when the child obviously is not ready to perform at that level (even in a tiny part).

[NYadgal]

Posted: 3/12/22 at 9:04am

Gall?

Geez.  

 

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 3/12/22 at 9:24am

Yeah, I didn't even think to scrutinize her. Did anyone else?

[NYadgal]

Posted: 3/12/22 at 10:05am

Of course not.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 3/12/22 at 1:10pm

I don't think there's anything wrong with recognizing when a child performer isn't very good. They're actors who are hired and paid to perform a job, and sometimes they just aren't up to the task. By the very nature of the circumstances, that opens them up to scrutiny - which might be an argument against HAVING child performers in general, but not an argument against noticing when they're not very good. 

The important thing to remember when that happens is that it's not the child's fault for being undertrained or unequipped - but the adult powers that be can be fairly criticized for not finding someone with the right skill level, which was THEIR job. And Ermengarde's post undoubtedly pointed the blame at Sperling, not at the child. 

As it so happens, I actually didn't think this kid was that bad anyway, so for me it's kind of moot in this case. 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/12/22 at 2:26pm

It’s a strange show that’s sometimes inappropriately lumped in with Merrily, because both are failed Sondheim pieces.  But Merrly’s problems are entirely unique and their remedies approached very differently. The book is unwieldy and diffused but earnest and emotion driven. Human beings and their stakes remain front and center. Tonally Whistle is the opposite. The satire and misogyny in the story’s resolution are strange bedfellows now and Whistle is likely workable only in a heightened concert. It’s just not funny enough in 2022 to sustain, score aside. 

Updated On: 3/12/22 at 02:26 PM

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 3/12/22 at 7:21pm

everythingtaboo said: "Yeah, I didn't even think to scrutinize her. Did anyone else?"

It's not like The Secret Garden. I barely noticed her.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 3/12/22 at 7:53pm

Auggie27 said: "It’s a strange show that’s sometimes inappropriately lumped in with Merrily, because both are failed Sondheim pieces. But Merrly’s problems are entirely unique and their remedies approached very differently. The book is unwieldy and diffused but earnest and emotion driven. Human beings and their stakes remain front and center. Tonally Whistle is the opposite. The satire and misogyny in the story’s resolution are strange bedfellows now and Whistle is likely workable only in a heightened concert. It’s just not funny enough in 2022 to sustain, score aside."

The way I see it, you take what you want from Anyone Can Whistle. It’s absurdist tongue in cheek theatre. It’s not for everybody, but I don’t think there’s anything to….correct? It kinda is what it is and you’re on board for the ride or not.

Merrily will always just be depressing to me. Score is so magnificent but I just feel like it’s just negative “price of fame fable” without nuance. I’ll jump at the chance to watch it professionally happily, but it’s not nearly as compelling and complicated as other Sondheim shows.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/12/22 at 8:04pm

"...but I don’t think there’s anything to….correct? It kinda is what it is and you’re on board for the ride or not..."

Point taken. Astute one.