what went wrong with the phantom tribute at the tony's

[robert2]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 9:44am

What went wrong with the phantom tribute for HAL PRINCE. was it cut?? that whole tribute was rushed!!! a tribute to a GREAT man should have been presented in broadway fashion.. what a shame!!!

Updated On: 6/12/06 at 09:44 AM

[Hoof]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 10:11am

To me it looked like the guy forgot/messed up the words, but it could just have been the bad cutting you suggested. In any case, it was awkward.

[freeadmission]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 10:15am

No. I think the orchestra started too early and the actor (forgot the name, sorry) figured they'd follow him (as they are supposed to do), but they didn't and remained half a verse ahead of him, so he he had to catch up.

[erikaamato]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 10:17am

Yep, that's what it seemd like to me, too. Poor guy had to skip ahead in the middle of a line.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 10:22am

Nope. McGillin has sung that song thousands of times and was on total autopilot. Rather than sing the one minute abbreviated version that was specially prepared for the telecast in which he was to sing the first verse of the song and then skip ahead to the last few phrases of the song, he somehow forgot and began to sing the second verse like he does in the show. When the orchestra (which was on tape, so any mistake was McGillin's) did the prearranged skip, he realized his error and jumped to the right place.

[erikaamato]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 10:27am

Oh, I didn't relaize the orchestra was on tape. Well, there ya go. Just your garden variety actor-screw-up, then.

[RuprechtJr.]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 11:06am

It sounded as if the tape started when Brian was still talking and when Howard started to sing, if you payed attention to the chords underneath his singing, you could hear that he was singing the first verse while the second verse was playing. Since the tape was playing before he sung, he was a full verse behind. As far as I could tell it wasn't his fault, but the tape operator's fault for starting it before he could acctually sing.

[beachgirl558]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 11:07am

Yes, the music was taped but there was nothing Howard McGillin could do. Because the music was taped the applause and Brian Stokes Mitchell's introduction went into the first verse of his song. So, in actuality it wasn't another "garden variety actor screw-up" but a terrific save by a consumate professional doing the best he could with taped music. I blame the lack of live musicians...see how important live music is? I know because I was actually there. Since I didn't get to watch the Tonys, I came on the theatre sites this morning to read all about them and was stunned to see so many people bashing things that they really know nothing about. I suppose that is why I usually stay away from these sites.

On a lighter note and a little off-topic...Congratulations to all the nominees and winners and thanks to all the theatre fans that continue to be supportive.

[RuprechtJr.]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 11:12am

Ha ha! Beat you! neener neener neener! /kid-in-me Just kidding.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 11:27am

Maybe he was doing the Vegas version and since the show there is only 95 minutes.......

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 11:30am

I blame the fact that Sweeney didn't win Best Revival, which is the all-purpose scapegoat for anything that goes wrong in theatre.

[Blanche]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 11:45am

Thank you, Beachgirl :). I thought Howard did a wonderful save there and I agree, live musicians are very important. Makes me wonder why they used taped music? There WAS an orchestra there, wasn't there? Now I'm not sure.

[erikaamato]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 2:51pm

OK, wait a sec. Before you get all mad at my use of the phrase "garden variety actor-screw-up," please read what I first posted (giving him the benefit of the doubt, assuming it was the music that was wrong, and NOT him), and then the response I got from Margo, which indicated he was "on autopilot," and forgot that he was supposed to skip that second line of verse and go straight to the next melodic line. Margo has always proven to be a solid source of info, so I accepted the fact that he was supposed to sing a different cut of the song, and that he may have forgotten where he was in the heat of the moment - like all actors have done at some point in their careers, since they are human beings.

Anyway, it wasn't that big a goof. He indeed covered it well. And I agree it's a real shame that they didn't have a live orchestra there...I mean, you're celebrating a live medium, you'd think you'd have live music. Oh, well.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 2:52pm

I'm not sure how noticeable it was to any one not familiar with the music. Either way, I thought, why bother if it was going to be an extremely truncated version of the song.

[JustABroadwaybaby2]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 4:25pm

Um, he sang ONE sentence?
Was that the wrong part?

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 4:46pm

ALL the music was prerecorded? Or was it only that song?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 5:50pm

Was it me or did Howard's voice sound muffled---it just didn't sound as strong as he usually does---???? (except for the one high note)

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 6:43pm

Yeah, he definitely forgot that he was doing the abbreviated--as in maimed-down-to-twenty-seconds--version. He started saying "Touch m--" then stopped for five seconds, then continued.

[Blanche]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 6:50pm

Please read what Beach Girl said. That is what really happened. She was there and knows first hand.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 6:54pm

I'm not referring to the words themselves---I realize that a mistake was made with orchestra/shortened version. I was asking about the quality of his voice----was it a mic problem or am I alone in thinking his voice wasn't up to his usual strength?

[jasonf]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 7:36pm

Umm - whether it was Mcgillin or the music, let's not mistake one thing - the fact that there was a mess up there was noticable to EVERYONE. My students, who may or may not know the song, but the few who watched it were asking me "What happened to the Phantom song!" I didn't have an answer other than "I don't know, but he's played that role more than anyone else ever - so how he could have messed up the words to the most famous song is beyond me!"

[Chanticleer148]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 7:39pm

Margo is obviously right!

Although I am not a fan of the Phantom, the show is the longest running in Broadway history, and deserved better than it got!

[Fiction Writer]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 7:45pm

"I know because I was actually there. Since I didn't get to watch the Tonys..."

That is Beachgirl's quote. She says she was there, but then she says she didn't get to watch the Tonys. Soo.. you were there, or you weren't?

Which one?

[Blanche]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 7:50pm

She didn't get to watch the show as people saw it on television. And not everyone at the Tony's was watching it as an audience member.

[Fiction Writer]

Posted: 6/12/06 at 7:55pm

I understand your last sentence, but not your first. What do you mean "She didn't get to watch it as people saw it on television?" What, she was too far in the back? Locked in a closet?