Which Broadway Singers Could Sing at the Met? — Page 2

I do understand what you're saying, Doogie and best12bars, but remember I am talking about the "new" form of opera, closer to musical theatre, that is being considered. It would be a challenge to see whose voices carry well enough in the Met Opera House, but it does have wonderful acoustics.

Thanks so much, jo, for all the info re Michael Ball and the Opera. I think he deserves a Tony nom for his wonderful performance in Woman in White and I hope he is back on our stages QUICKLY to delight us yet again.

Audra McDonald's voice will surely carry at the Met. Maybe Kristin Chenoweth a la La Battle.

Also think the voice of the last Carlotta I saw in POTO, Anne Runolfsson, should carry at the Met. I liked the purity of her voice and its agility. I wished she had pushed the Christine I saw that night (Julie Hanson) offstage and for Runolfsson to have taken over the part.

"I think the chances of any of these commissions actually playing the MET are very slim."

Bingo, Barihunk. You nailed that one down. Never the twain shall meet.




Ensign Lisa Minnelli
French Polynesia

I am NOT talking about their talent, vocally or otherwise, muscle.

I'm not saying Vicki could, she MAY be able to, but she is MUCH closer to the sound major opera houses look for than either Cohenour or Benanti.

AS I have said before, I LOVE Patti Cohenour and Laura is one of my favorite performers.

Al Dente, on WHAT planet would Orfeh ever be commisioned to sing an opera at the MET? I like her too, but her voice isn't remotely appropriate. Orfeh is a blow the walls off the place theatre/pop singer. Nothing she has displayed so far indicates a MET type voice.

Updated On: 5/12/06 at 02:03 AM

I'm so intrigued by this.. I have to post again!

Now, don't attack me for this, but I'm (sadly) not at all familiar with Lea Solanga's voice. I know that she played Eponine and that she's a great talent. Do we think she could handle this project?

There is ONE who actually has done both - Broadway musicals and who is a reigning opera superstar around the world (and he sure is currently in the news) - Jerry Hadley.

iliketheatre - Audra MacDonald was mic'd for her double bill at HGO. And that was with the orchestra placed behind her onstage at the smaller (1,000 seat) Wortham Theatre. She is apparently on the books to sing in the MET premiere of John Adams' "Doctor Atomic" in 2008-2009 and Chenoweth is still rumored to debut in 2009-2010 in "Ghosts of Versailles". So we will be able to judge for ourselves in a few years.

IssaMe - while Mr. Hadley has recorded "Candide" and "My Fair Lady", I believe he has yet to actually bow on the Great White Way... many opera singers have "crossed over" in this fashion (Doming, TeKanawa, Carreras, Ramey, Swenson, the list goes on and on)... but very few (Pinza, Tozzi, Stratas, Resnick come to mind) opera singers have actually performed on Broadway.

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Most definitely Brian Charles Rooney.

One of the most impressive male (and female) vocals I've heard in a long time.

Here is my list:
Men: Brent Barrett
Matt Morrison
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Eric Comstock (Cabaret Off Broadway performer)
Brian Charles Rooney (His Soprano )
Female:
Chenoweth
La Chanze
Felicia P. Fields
Donna Murphy
Jennifer Simard
Susan Egan
Kelli O'Hara

Updated On: 5/12/06 at 11:25 AM

Kristin Chenoweth IS going to be singing at the MET in the 2008-2009 season. She's making her debut there in'The Ghosts of Versailles.'

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Don't forget that the Met does not use synthesizers, amplifiers and other electric musical instruments like Broadway houses do. After all, operas were not written w/ such instruments in mind, and, consequently, the balancing problems between voices and the orchestra are not the same at an opera house as they are in a 21st century Broadway theater. So, it's conceivable that Broadway singers, when they don't have to compete w/ electric instruments that are amplified a million times, can sing w/ a reasonably sized orchestra at the Met.

Cooper - not to call Ms. Chenoweth a liar over 1 year - but from the Metropolitan Opera's official press release:

"The Met plans to complement commissioning efforts with presentations of contemporary operas. During the 2008-09 season, The Met will produce John Adams’ Doctor Atomic, staged by Peter Sellars in a revised version of the production first seen in San Francisco last fall. John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles, a Met commission first seen in 1991 (and revived three seasons later), returns during the 2009-10 season."



http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/news/detail.aspx?id=165

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Updated On: 5/12/06 at 01:59 PM