Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
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#0Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 3:10pmIn my opinion out everyone I've heard Laura Benanti sings it the best
bwaylvsong
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/28/05
#2re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 3:12pmYou should give us a list of the people who sing it that you would like us to choose from.
#3re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 3:15pmCrosby.
"Interesting choice"
#4re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 3:16pm
I have four versions. In order of my favorite to least favorite:
Kim Crosby
Into the Woods PBS Performance 1990
Kim Crosby
Into the Woods Broadway Cast 1987
Laura Benanti
Into the Woods Broadway Revival Cast 2002
Pamela Winslow
Cinderella 2001 [Varèse Sarabande]
Jacqueline Dankworth
Into the Woods London Cast 1991
Crosby is Cinderella. Funny without being silly, and a gorgeous voice. Wish I could see her do more, and SOOO upset I couldn't see her as Sally in a recent production of Follies.
#5re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 3:16pm
I see a lesson has been learned about topic titles.
I'll go with Benanti, but I agree that a list would be beneficial.
Edit - thanks to the above poster for the list!
#6re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 3:17pmBenanti is quickly becoming one of the most overrated performers on this board...
#7re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 3:20pm
BobbyBubby is quickly becoming the most easily pissed off when someone has a different opinion than they do.
I loved Crosby - and saw her do it twice. But I like Benanti's "Steps of the Palace" better. *shrug*
C is for Company
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/16/05
#8re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 3:23pmAbsolutely Crosby. She will always be my Cinderella of choice.
#9re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 3:27pm
Crosby.
I agree with BB about Benanti.
"In Oz, the verb is douchifizzation." PRS
#10re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 3:27pm
"Benanti is quickly becoming one of the most overrated performers on this board... "
I like Benanti. The voice is very pretty. But her recordings tend to come off as just that: pretty. Technique is good. Sounds nice. Very pretty. But a little on the bland side, especially on a humorous song like Palace.
Updated On: 8/17/06 at 03:27 PM
#11re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 3:29pmNOt pissed, just stating my opinion. I don't find her to be a very warm performer. When I've seen her and heard her, I feel this cold wall, very similar to what I feel when I listen to Luker or Susan Egan...
#12re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 3:30pmI agree wyou...Crosby gets the humor of the song.
#13re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 3:36pmI think Crosby's Cinderella feels a little strained (both vocally and acting-wise, but it's a difficult role!) and maybe doesn't quite look like the character--but then, it was the 80s. Thought Benanti was a little more nuanced and definitely funnier (and had a kind of grace and ease in the role), although I do like Crosby's Cinderella as well. As far as who SINGS it the best, I would have to go with Benanti.
joey
#14re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 3:44pmI don't think anyone could hold a candle to Crosby. She was fantastic in the role. She shines in this song as well as "No One Is Alone". Perfection, I think.
#15re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 4:00pm
I saw Kim Crosby AND Laura Benanti sing it live and in person in the production itself anf have both CDs. I can not decide which of these lovely ladies is better 
I loved both their interpretations very much. They are very different, but both wonderful and admirable.
#16re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 4:08pmCrosby is the definitive Cinderella. She added just the right amount of comedy to the character without going over the top, and her On the Steps... is lovely.
#17re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 4:13pmCrosby hands down. I agree about Benati being overrated as well!
#18re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 4:15pm
BobbyBubby, it's funny you mentioned Luker. She is someone I also thought of when trying to describe Benanti. There is a distance, though I love her work on the Secret Garden OBCR (maybe that's me accepting her distance because she's a spirit) It's not that she or Benanti aren't wonderful singers, technically. There is just a blandness in the safety of it. And as far as Benanti was concerned, I thought her Cinderella was a bit uneven with the comedy. Crosby's humor came more naturally and out of the character of Cinderella.
I disagree about Susan Egan, though. She is not a performer I would describe as warm, but I wouldn't go as far as saying that there's a cold wall.
It's nice to see so many people bring up Kim Crosby. Has she done other recorded work? I know her mostly from Into the Woods.
Updated On: 8/17/06 at 04:15 PM
#19re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 4:18pmCrosby then Benati come in close second.
FoscasBohemianDream
Broadway Star Joined: 1/20/06
#20re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 8:15pm
I am actually a great admirer of Laura Benanti (her "Hit Me with a Hot Note" from Swing! remains the most powerful I've seen live and the better sung after Donna Murphy's rendition on her old sitcom), however I always thought she was miscast in Into the Woods. Laura is not precisely an actress that's good at combining drama and comedy like say a Bernadette Peters or Crosby herself. Her comedy always seemed forced during Into the Woods, she sang the role to perfection but the acting behind the singing wasn't the best. Crosby is the only Cinderella I've seen live that makes "On the Steps of the Palace" work because she understood the confusion of the character and at the same time let the audience see the comic side of the song, especially she understood the audience knew the story of Cinderella and used that to exploit the dramatic irony behind the song.
Unfortunately, I don't think Crosby has done any other recorded work after Into the Woods, she decided to take care of her family before we could get more of her talent. I did see her in Guys & Dolls during her stint as Sarah Brown and she was pretty good, and her Sally in the recent Follies version just blew me away (she should've reprised the role for the Encores! production).
#21re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 8:19pm
#22re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 8:20pmI like Benanti's voice better, but both her and Crosby were very good.
The choice may have been mistaken, The choosing was not... "Every day has the potential to be the greatest day of your life." - Lin-Manuel Miranda
#23re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 8:23pmThey are both quite good, but I personally prefer Benanti on this song.
#24re: Who sings On the Steps of the Palace the best?
Posted: 8/17/06 at 8:23pmCrosy, my first and favorite.
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