about musicals
Wed, 18 Jan 2006, 12:31 pmWalter Plinge4 posts in thread
about musicals
Wed, 18 Jan 2006, 12:31 pmDo you think that many actors have any hope of getting cast in a musical if they aren't that good at singing or do you think that if they had singing lessons they could become good enough?
Walter PlingeWed, 18 Jan 2006, 12:31 pm
Do you think that many actors have any hope of getting cast in a musical if they aren't that good at singing or do you think that if they had singing lessons they could become good enough?
Walter PlingeWed, 18 Jan 2006, 04:32 pm
Re: about musicals
Wow good question...
If you aren't that good singer, but you are that good an actor then you do have a good chance of getting cast in SOME ROLES.
Many character roles rely on the comedy of the character more than the singing, so a poor singer with good acting skills will (should?) beat a good singer with poor acting skills.
Examples: Dolittle in "My Fair Lady"; Mordred in "Camelot"; Moonface Martin in "Anything Goes"
And of course some musicals have non (or hardly) singing roles: Uncle Max in "Sound of Music" Fyedka in "Fiddler" the Director in "A Chorus Line" even Pasha Selim in Mozart's "Die Entfuhrung" and Frosch in "Fledermaus"
However if you are a poor singer you shouldn't expect to get the main leads.
Also it depends on whether the director prefers to cast actors who can sing or singers who can act.
Singing lessons definitely help if its the right teacher.
And remember, some of the GREAT performances in Musical Theatre history were done by performers whose "singing" was only OK, but their "performances" carried the role (and the show): Richard Burton in "Camelot"; Rex Harrison in "My Fair Lady"; Glynis Johns in "A Little Night Music"
If you aren't that good singer, but you are that good an actor then you do have a good chance of getting cast in SOME ROLES.
Many character roles rely on the comedy of the character more than the singing, so a poor singer with good acting skills will (should?) beat a good singer with poor acting skills.
Examples: Dolittle in "My Fair Lady"; Mordred in "Camelot"; Moonface Martin in "Anything Goes"
And of course some musicals have non (or hardly) singing roles: Uncle Max in "Sound of Music" Fyedka in "Fiddler" the Director in "A Chorus Line" even Pasha Selim in Mozart's "Die Entfuhrung" and Frosch in "Fledermaus"
However if you are a poor singer you shouldn't expect to get the main leads.
Also it depends on whether the director prefers to cast actors who can sing or singers who can act.
Singing lessons definitely help if its the right teacher.
And remember, some of the GREAT performances in Musical Theatre history were done by performers whose "singing" was only OK, but their "performances" carried the role (and the show): Richard Burton in "Camelot"; Rex Harrison in "My Fair Lady"; Glynis Johns in "A Little Night Music"
crgwllmsWed, 18 Jan 2006, 06:00 pm
Re: King MacArthur Park
Paul Treasure wrote:
>
> And remember, some of the GREAT performances in Musical
> Theatre history were done by performers whose "singing" was
> only OK, but their "performances" carried the role (and the
> show): Richard Burton in "Camelot"; Rex Harrison in "My Fair
> Lady"; Glynis Johns in "A Little Night Music"
Was Richard Burton in 'Camelot' as well? Coz the one I remember was Richard Harris, who also couldn't sing but was a damn fine lead.
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
>
> And remember, some of the GREAT performances in Musical
> Theatre history were done by performers whose "singing" was
> only OK, but their "performances" carried the role (and the
> show): Richard Burton in "Camelot"; Rex Harrison in "My Fair
> Lady"; Glynis Johns in "A Little Night Music"
Was Richard Burton in 'Camelot' as well? Coz the one I remember was Richard Harris, who also couldn't sing but was a damn fine lead.
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
Walter PlingeThu, 19 Jan 2006, 09:40 am
Re: King MacArthur Park
Craig wrote:
"Was Richard Burton in 'Camelot' as well? Coz the one I remember was Richard Harris, who also couldn't sing but was a damn fine lead."
Richard Harris played the role opposite one of the Redgraves in the film.
Richard Burton created the role on Broadway opposite Julie Andrews (and is henceforth on the OBC)
He he he... so Richard Burton was in the one with the infamous review...
During an out of town tryout before broadway when the show was coming in at four hours plus it was reviewed as being "longer than Parsifal, but without the laughs"
(at which point operaphiles start ROFLing and the general public goes "what!")
"Was Richard Burton in 'Camelot' as well? Coz the one I remember was Richard Harris, who also couldn't sing but was a damn fine lead."
Richard Harris played the role opposite one of the Redgraves in the film.
Richard Burton created the role on Broadway opposite Julie Andrews (and is henceforth on the OBC)
He he he... so Richard Burton was in the one with the infamous review...
During an out of town tryout before broadway when the show was coming in at four hours plus it was reviewed as being "longer than Parsifal, but without the laughs"
(at which point operaphiles start ROFLing and the general public goes "what!")