| Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| I can already see the claws out ready to attack me... I do not find her to be a good actress. I find her to be smug. Whether she is doing a television role like Private Practice or onstage, I have never been drawn in. I know a lot of people are, so I feel like I'm missing something. But then I don't enjoy her singing either. I'm not posting this to be malicious or nasty, I just genuinely do not like her voice. It's pure vibrato to point where I cannot understand what she is saying. I saw her in Porgy and Bess and it kind of ruined the show for me. In a musical, it's important to be able to understand what is being said. I recorded SOM this past week and tried really hard to watch/listen to her scenes, but I ended up fast-forwarding through them. Call me uneducated, call me an amateur, call me rude, but I just do not get it. If someone could explain the phenomenon, without being nasty, I'd appreciate it. I've been baffled since the first time I saw her perform. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 08:59 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| >> I can already see the claws out ready to attack me... keep in mind you could change your mind. i saw sutton foster in LITLE WOMEN, MILLIE, DC, in a concert in a cabaret and at the american songbook series, and i think something else i'm forgetting and for the life of me i couldn't figure out what all the hubbub was about. technically proficient, yes. but that was it. or all i could see at the time. then she sang "anyone can whistle" in the encores production (i'm talking about the song itself) and boom! finally i "got' it. i may not be her biggest fan but to say she won me over is putting it mildly. | |
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| You know, no one seems to be talking about how Audra sang "My Favorite Things" | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 09:04 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - enoch10 08:59 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| She sang it beautifully, but for a little folk song that Maria (Carrie) sings very nicely, Audra as Mother Abbess really oversings it for the little ditty it is supposed to be. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | FriendofDorothy 07:45 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| I disagree with you and adore her, but there is nothing "wrong" with what you wrote. We all have our own opinions, and you didn't trash her. She's not your cup of tea. There are a few major theatre people that, while I can acknowledge their talent, aren't my cup of tea. Bernadette Peters was an acquired taste for me (although I now love her). Didn't help that AGYG was my first exposure. I adore Patti, but I understand, in a way like Audra, that she is polarizing. I don't think we all need to be on the same page with our theatre stars. We don't all like the same books, movies and desserts. I don't think you should force yourself to try and like her, and you shouldn't have her talents justified to you. If you don't like her, that's fine. | |
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| no | |
| Posted by: | SQ 05:19 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| She's not my cup of tea. I think some of the Audra love may be because people are afraid to disagree with the consensus - i.e. having to justify why they don't love a 5-time Tony Award-winning actress. | |
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| Even the greats have their detractors as well as their admirers | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 07:20 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | no - SQ 05:19 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| I once complimented a colleague in a college musical during rehearsals, saying that she sounded like Julie Andrews. She paused, and then said "I can't stand Julie Andrews". I meant well! :) All through history there have been greats and not-so-greats who have been despised and and also have been overpraised. Even in the song "Hurray for Hollywood" where it says "where you're terrific if you're even good". It comes with the territory if you put yourself out there. Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland both enchanted and infuriated people with their voices. But as a voice teacher of mine said years ago, "When you get up on the stage, different people are going to like you or criticize you. Even the greatest artists. But if you don't get up on the stage, you're just going to remain part of the audience. So take the stage if you so desire, but be aware of the risks and the absolute certainty that not everyone is going to like you." | |
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| re: Even the greats have their detractors as well as their admirers | |
| Posted by: | Ann 11:49 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Even the greats have their detractors as well as their admirers - PlayWiz 07:20 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| I realized that the day someone posted about not liking Angela Lansbury all that much. | |
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| re: no | |
| Posted by: | Ann 05:23 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | no - SQ 05:19 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| Isn't that what everyone says when they're in the minority? (I don't think anyone here is afraid to disagree with the consenseus.) It's ok to be in the minority, and when you are, there's no explainng the other side. | |
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| re: no | |
| Posted by: | SQ 08:25 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: no - Ann 05:23 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| I think it is human nature to want be on the "right" side or be in the "in" crowd. | |
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| re: no | |
| Posted by: | Ann 11:33 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: no - SQ 08:25 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| Not here, certainly. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | keikekaze 05:04 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| I don't love her all the time, but in the right material she can be breathtaking. I thought her performance of the movie version of "The Glamorous Life" in one of the Sondheim concerts on TV was genuinely thrilling--and that's not a word I'm inclined to use often. Like every other singer who attempts a wide-ranging repertoire, she's not especially suited to every single song she sings. Of course you're not required to like her even when she's at her best. But if you give her a fair chance you may sometimes find that you do. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | jackygage (jackygage@aol.com) 03:04 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| You are not the only one. I don't like her singing voice, or her singing, but she was an excellent actress in A Raisin In the Sun. The false way she sings is not appealing to me personally. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 07:24 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - jackygage 03:04 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| "False?" What an odd choice of words. What about her singing strikes you as "false?" | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 07:25 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - MikeR 07:24 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| Maybe she's not used to hearing a more operatic, full sound with more vibrato than is used in pop music? | |
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| Yes, you are the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald | |
| Posted by: | notabb 01:13 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| Does it feel lonely? | |
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| re: Yes, you are the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 01:19 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Yes, you are the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald - notabb 01:13 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| I'd say a number of people who didn't win Tonys when she won in the same category might also be in Lisa's company. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | mamaleh 01:10 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| You're not alone. | |
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| I think Audra is magnificent, blessed with the sound of angels, but. . . | |
| Posted by: | buzzie 10:39 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - mamaleh 01:10 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| . . .she offers me very little that is new and exciting these days. She did a lot for that creepy score to Marie Christine. And Mamalah, you are the best. buzzie | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | Deirdre 12:59 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| I'll admit I'm also not a huge fan of her singing voice, but I do find her to be a very likable performer. And I'll never forget seeing her in the "Carousel" revival and turning to my husband and saying: "Wow. She's a star!" I think she has that "it" quality and a lot of charisma and that makes her interesting to watch. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 01:01 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Deirdre 12:59 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| I agree about Carousel. Saw it during previews before anything had been written about her, and I thought, "She's got it." I didn't altogether love her performance, and I really didn't like the production, but you knew she was going places. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 12:26 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| I think she's a fine singer with a lovely voice that has an interesting timbre and she's a very intelligent actress. There have been times when I've felt she has oversung certain material, if that's clear. But I could say the same about Judy Kaye, whom I love I admire McDonald's work. I particularly liked her in A Raisin in the Sun. I'm not blown away by her as some people are. I wonder if some people are put off a bit because other people love her so much. I think sometimes people look at someone who usually gets such tremendous praise and they think, "Well, she's not that good." She's a strong, talented and accomplished performer. She's not the second coming, she's not right for everything, but she usually does good work. Of course, you have every right to not like her work. No performer is going to be liked by everyone. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | shadowlight 07:39 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - AlanScott 12:26 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| "She's a strong, talented and accomplished performer. She's not the second coming, she's not right for everything, but she usually does good work." That pretty much sums her up for me. On occasion, I see flashes of the "it" quality that her more ardent admirers kvell over, but she isn't a performer whose inclusion in a project would be reason enough for me to see it. There is a similarly-adored performer who leaves me utterly cold. Donna Murphy. I find her off-putting. It's hard to say why, though it's not because others love her so much. Same reason some here seem to feel about McDonald. Her performances mannered - a little too crafted. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 07:43 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - shadowlight 07:39 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| Murphy was really wonderful in "Wonderful Town" at Encores. It's a shame she ran into vocal problems (and however did she get them in a Rosalind Russell role?), but she was funny and electric. She did add a few high tones at the end of "Swing", but those could have been dispensed with. Otherwise, I've found her to be professional but kind of overpraised in other shows. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | FriendofDorothy 09:15 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - PlayWiz 07:43 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| I love DM, but Wonderful Town was not a highlight for me. Liked Brook Shields just as much, Linda Muggleston even more. As for her vocal problems, I don't think it was vocal stress, I think she had been ill, and made it worse by trying to sing through it. I've been in that situation, and it can take forever to get your voice back. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 09:20 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - FriendofDorothy 09:15 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| I don't think she performed very much after it moved to Broadway. Murphy was great at Encores. Ms. Muggleston went on quite a bit for an extended time once it moved to Broadway, but unfortunately the producers kept Ms. Murphy's illness very hush-hush at the time, very much affecting her performance reputation for a whle. If it was some other sort of illness affecting her energy, that's one thing. But Ruth Sherwood was written for a less than one octave range singer, Rosalind Russell; it's not exactly Cunegonde or Eliza Doolittle, where I could see singers with unsound vocal technique causing vocal damage to themselves. | |
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| Many people do not like many voices ..... | |
| Posted by: | jdm 12:23 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| Just a matter of taste. I remember the first time I herd a particular recording at a young age: "What's with that high shrill voice" I asked. I was at a relative's home and they were playing Broadway's Sound of Music. And at maybe 10 years old, I had heard the name of Mary Martin, and wondered how anyone with a voice like that could be famous. So I am missing something too: not enamored with Mary Martin's voice. And I am not saying that she does not deserve her acclaim. Just a feeling. My brother-in-law HATES Barbra Streisand. Jim | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | mikem 11:54 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| I find McDonald's voice to be a bit too "operatic" for my taste, and I thought her performance in Porgy and Bess was disappointing, so I can see why you feel that way. But in the right role, she can be astonishing. I saw her in 110 in the Shade, where she plays an unattractive woman who is insecure about her looks but is secure that her family loves her as she is. She and her brother get into an argument, and her brother says she is "plain," which doesn't sound so bad, but is devastating in context. There was a huge audience gasp when he said it. McDonald conveyed the depths of her character's pain without saying a word or even really moving. And then a single tear rolled down her cheek. I will never forget it. She has a real presence on stage that I did not feel in Porgy and Bess and that does not come across on TV. The chilliness and remoteness that you feel isn't usually true in her theater performances. I think part of the problem with Porgy and Bess is that she was fundamentally miscast. I think the Streep analogy is a good one, in that both she and McDonald project an innate intelligence and control. The role of a drug-addicted woman who makes a lot of foolish choices is not a natural fit for McDonald, and I did not find her very believable. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 11:55 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - mikem 11:54 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| I agree about Porgy and Bess, she wasn't right for the part. I like her in roles in which she triumphs more in some way. | |
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| Unlikely, but... | |
| Posted by: | MockingbirdGirl 11:47 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| ... what if you were? Art is a subjective medium, and you shouldn't feel the need to seek out the validation of others for your opinions. If you don't like her, than no amount of "explaining the phenomenon" is going to change that... and that's OK. | |
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| re: Unlikely, but... | |
| Posted by: | portenopete 12:24 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Unlikely, but... - MockingbirdGirl 11:47 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| None of us want to be alone, MockingbirdGirl. I think s/he is just looking for company :). | |
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| re: Unlikely, but... | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 11:54 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Unlikely, but... - MockingbirdGirl 11:47 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| BTW, I do love Audra but she can get on my nerves sometimes and does come across at times as diva-ish. I have a friend who won't watch her. But I've seen her in several concerts and she was magnificent, even more than in shows. I do cherish seeing her for the first time in Carousel. That blew me away. It's interesting that some don't like her acting because she certainly acts a song beautifully when she sings. | |
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| re: Unlikely, but... | |
| Posted by: | Page 03:30 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Unlikely, but... - lowwriter 11:54 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| Ten years ago I worked on an episode of the short-lived NBC series, Mister Sterling. I was cast in a scene as part of the paparazzi following Audra McDonald (Jackie Brock) into a restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue in the District of Columbia. While crew was resetting cameras & lighting in between takes, I went up to Audra and told her how much I enjoyed her performance in Ragtime and Marie Christine. She was most gracious and completely unassuming. Surprisingly it appeared I was the only cast member on the Mister Sterling set who knew of Audra's Broadway achievements. | |
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| re: Unlikely, but... | |
| Posted by: | TheOtherOne 12:05 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Unlikely, but... - lowwriter 11:54 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| That's a very different skill, lowwriter. Barbara Cook acts a song better than anyone, but was never known for her acting even though she had quite a few opportunities on that front, at least on stage. It's too bad her only filmed dramatic performance is on Alfred Hitchcock Presents. She looks wonderful, but isn't as good as you'd hope. However, it's her only straight filmed acting role. She may have found her footing with more opportunities. | |
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| re: Unlikely, but... | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 08:40 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Unlikely, but... - TheOtherOne 12:05 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| Barbara Cook got some pretty wonderful reviews for her acting in musicals, not just for her singing. | |
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| Not another ATC thread bashing Audra McDonald | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 11:43 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| There have been several threads over the years on this topic. Usually they become nasty. | |
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| I take it back, this turned out to be a good thread! n/m | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 12:29 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Not another ATC thread bashing Audra McDonald - lowwriter 11:43 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| n/m | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | lordofspeech 11:35 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| Yeh. There's a lot of vibrato there. And a lot of technique and a lot of intelligence. Maybe, Streep-Lu, there's too much mastery of craft for some, but, for me, when she essays a highly sophisticated piece (like the Sondheim song for the little girl in NIGHT MUSIC), she's mind-blowing. Maybe there's a need for someone to write roles FOR her--for her intelligence and wisdom. Enough with playing simple-minded heroines....? A Medea with music? | |
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| ' you are so cute.' | |
| Posted by: | jero 12:31 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - lordofspeech 11:35 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| her understudy was on in her Medea role when I saw it. I've learned not to expect to see her, but I don't hate her.. and she really was awesome in Ragtime. | |
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| re: ' you are so cute.' | |
| Posted by: | jsr 07:05 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | ' you are so cute.' - jero 12:31 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| McDonald was one of at least two, if not three actors who were doing the role, so that no one would be singing a heavy aria like the Macbeth 8 times a week. If you assume she cancelled because you didn't see her, you're in error. Even if she was scheduled for your performance, she might have substituted the performance before for one of the others. Or maybe she was just sick. It happens. | |
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| re: ' you are so cute.' | |
| Posted by: | LegitOnce 09:22 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: ' you are so cute.' - jsr 07:05 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| I'm not doubting that there was an alternate in the part, but I doubt whether one was really necessary. All told, Sharon sings for about ten minutes, and she's not on stage more than about another ten minutes besides that. The difficulty of singing Verdi's Lady Macbeth is that it is a long an extremely rangy role. Her first cavatina is, relatively speaking, one of the less challenging bits she is asked to sing. Further, a stage Lady Macbeth has to project over an orchestra acoustically, not over a piano with a body mike. There's also the issue of tessitura here. What makes this aria challenging is that the usual casting for the role of Lady Macbeth is a mezzo or a low dramatic soprano, and the aria climbs to a B-flat and then there is a high C in the cadenza. That's very hard work for a big voice at the beginning of a long night, but it's less difficult for a lyric soprano, whose voice naturally lies higher. (One reason more lyric sopranos don't sing Lady Macbeth is that this music actually sounds a little too easy in a lighter voice, without the effortful ferocity Verdi seemed to be asking for.) As to how well a basically lyric voice handles Verdi's Lady, you can find out next season at the Met, when Anna Netrebko is going to sing this opera in New York for the first time. (She premieres the role in Munich this summer.) | |
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| re: ' you are so cute.' | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 07:22 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: ' you are so cute.' - jsr 07:05 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| Two. Sherry Boone played Wednesday and Saturday matinees. If memory serves, Audra missed a couple of her scheduled performances due to a nasty flu that spread through the cast, but that's it. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | AlanScott 12:04 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - lordofspeech 11:35 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| "Enough with playing simple-minded heroines....? A Medea with music?" I can't tell if you're joking or if you don't know about Marie Christine having been written for her and having been based on Medea. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | bradmurf 11:23 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| You're a brave girl, Lisa. I find her technically flawless. And she was one of the two things about the otherwise pedestrian "live" telecast Thursday that gave it purpose. But I agree with you about her as an actress in just about everything else. Save for an intuitive performance in "Law and Order: SVU", she does not exude a great deal of warmth. "Smug" is a bit much. I would classify it as "chilly." | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | tpdc 12:10 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - bradmurf 11:23 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| If her performance the other night was chilly, then we have a different interpretation of that word. And you must have missed her in 110 in the Shade and Wit if you find her work lacking warmth. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | Page 03:35 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - tpdc 12:10 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| Loved her performance as Lizzie in 110 in the Shade. One of my favorite shows & scores. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 11:59 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - bradmurf 11:23 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| One thing you might not be aware of, Lisa. Audra really sings to some extent in a technical manner somewhat more suited to opera, even though she does have the Broadway style down too. I've no problem with her diction for the most part. But usually casting directors get scared nowadays when someone sings with a very big voice and with vibrato. Until more recent years when he'll allow questionable actors, didn't Sondheim go on record as not liking to cast very operatic voices? So Audra sang Beggar Woman in "Sweeney"; I bet she was great. Of course, she's a big star and no one is going to mess with what is clearly working for her. But when I hear Audra singing very full-bodied, I find it interesting that most other singers out there have either been coached or directed to tone down the vibrato. There are some big voices out there that can sing opera and musical theater. Judy Kaye springs to mind - though I think Kaye is even more flexible in use of stylistically sometimes not using as much vibrato. I think Kaye has even done stuff like "Jesus Christ Superstar" where a more straight tone would be appropriate. Marin Mazzie also has a big, sumptuous voice - she was fantastic in "Ragtime" along with Audra - but Mazzie can also belt like the Dickens when required, like in "I Hate Men" in "Kiss Me, Kate". I sometimes hear some Broadway voices that sound like Carrie Underwood - smallish, almost Minnie Mouse-ish as someone else called it here on this board, certainly as she approached the higher part of her range, very belty otherwise. A nice belt-mix like Mary Martin or more head voice like Julie Andrews would have been ideal. With Patricia Neway, an opera singer who created Mother Abbess, Audra's performance was very definitely the right style for her performance. She was quite good on the tv "A Raisin in the Sun", one of her Tony winning performances, though I felt Sanna Lathan really deserved as much acclaim. I'm not sure if Audra is smug; it just seems confident. | |
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| oops, "Sanaa Lathan", that is. nm | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 12:04 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - PlayWiz 11:59 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| nm | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 12:03 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - PlayWiz 11:59 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| I'll take Audra's singing over some of the American Idol type belting in a lot of other Broadway shows any day. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 12:09 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - lowwriter 12:03 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| It is one of the ironies that one of the ultimate insults of Simon Cowell on "American Idol" was to call someone "too Broadway", or "too cabaret". So where have some of those people ended up? On Broadway, though usually in pop or rock shows. I don't think anyone there has ended up in a traditional Broadway book show as of yet -- Mostly "Hair", "Jeckyl and Hyde" or "Rock of Ages" or "Grease", until Carrie Underwood's "Sound of Music". I'd actually love to see Melinda Doolittle or Elliot Yamin do something with some Broadway jazz - with Gershwin or Rodgers and Hart for example. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | lowwriter 12:12 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - PlayWiz 12:09 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| Fantasia in The Color Purple. I was actually looking forward to seeing Bo Bice in Pump Boys and Dinettes because he doesn't belt! It's too bad Doolittle isn't more well known because she could fit in After Midnight. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | ryhog 11:48 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - bradmurf 11:23 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| Since we here cannot even agree on what constitutes "good acting" (and why should be be able to?), it's not surprising that some find Audra McDonald's good and some find it bad. Ditto for her singing. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | LegitOnce 11:34 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - bradmurf 11:23 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| The quality I would say borders on "haughty." She reminds me, in a very mild way, of Phylicia Rashad, in that she sometimes seems to be projecting "I'm too good for this room." This is not to say I think McDonald is actually haughty or unpleasant, but for whatever reason she gives off this vibe. Her massive eye-roll when Maria returns to the Abbey is an example of that effect. I expected the Abbess to snap, "Oh, hell no!" | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | robbyho 12:13 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - LegitOnce 11:34 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| Smug? Haughty? Too good for this room? Applied to one actress of color who you then compare to another actress of color? I'm not calling you a bigot. Truly, I'm not. I don't believe you are. But this syntax is dangerous: It seems to me to be "uppity" in sheep's clothing. I have to point out the this kind of language often gets attached to actors of color by white people, especially when actresses of color don't conform to your presuppositions about what they should be or whether they belong in the room. Because you didn't really expect the Abbess to snap "Oh, hell no, " did you? You expected a black woman in a nun's outfit to do that. Again, not calling you a bigot. But this "who does she think she is/who is she trying to be" thing has attached itself to Rashad ever since her Tony acceptance speech and it does seem to get pinned on black people a disproportionate amount of time. We could all stand to be a bit more vigilant about it, I think. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | LegitOnce 12:57 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - robbyho 12:13 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| The shoe fits both ways: if I possibly have certain expectations about actresses of color (and I don't deny that I might, unconsciously at least), then I think all performers need to have some awareness of how they come across. If I didn't care for the way McDonald played that one scene, my displeasure I think comes from the fact that it felt too modern, out of period. It seems incongruous to me that the Abbess of a cloistered convent in 1930s Austria should roll her eyes in mock exasperation. It's essentially a camp gesture because it is inappropriate. Part of that inappropriateness is that it emphasizes the convention of casting an African-American actress as a European character and therefore violates that convention for just a moment, pulling the viewer out of the story. We don't see the Mother Abbess at that moment; we see McDonald as the Mother Abbess. I think this is a danger when any convention is invoked, which these days means when anyone attempts anything that is not typecasting. If, for example, you are going to have a 40 year old actor play King Lear, he needs to be very conscious of staying strictly in style, because any breach in that style is going to remind the audience that this is, in fact, just an actor playing a part, not King Lear himself. Or, I could say, if an openly gay actor is playing a straight character: he needs to be meticulous about avoiding any sort of gesture that reads stereotypically "gay," because that is going to remind the audience of the convention in place. Obviously this all applies only if you are working in a fairly naturalistic style, which this Sound of Music was doing. I should emphasize this was the only "out of the moment" bit in McDonald's acting performance I could see, but it was grating. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | robbyho 12:09 am EST 12/08/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - LegitOnce 12:57 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| I think if you get into a place where you say that black actors shouldn't do anything too "black" in typically white roles and gay actors shouldn't do anything too "gay" lest they remind people they're gay, what you're saying is that straight white people get to set the norms and that people outside of that category have to put a little extra effort into concealing their difference. I appreciate the thoughtfulness of your response, but I couldn't disagree with you more. Because those rules allow white/straight actors a degree of interpretive range that would then be denied to other people. And aside from everything else, I don't think audiences care that much. If anyone was staring at Audra McDonald and was stuck on the fact that there couldn't have been a black Mother Superior in Austria and policing her performance for telltale blackness, that is a failure of imagination on their part for which she is not responsible. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | davei2000 01:32 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - LegitOnce 12:57 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| The big problem with this is that, rewatching the scene, I think you've caricatured a natural expressiveness as a "massive eye-roll." I see thoughtfulness, not haughtiness...Personally I think she's grappling with an unplayable moment. I don't believe a nun with responsibility for this young woman would advise her to throw herself at her employer of a few weeks... I will say she takes an unfortunate pause at, "If you love this man it does not mean you love God...any less." | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | davei2000 01:46 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - davei2000 01:32 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| I will also say that the climax of "Climb Every Mountain," with McDonald hitting that note and Underwood's eyes shining with tears, is the most successful moment of the whole telecast. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 01:51 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - davei2000 01:46 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| I think it is Underwood just listening and reacting like "This is how you do it! What a voice!". But I agree, it was a lovely moment. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 12:21 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - robbyho 12:13 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| I've heard people call Patti LuPone a bit smug too. Among lots of other things - many positive and many not. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | TheOtherOne 11:37 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - LegitOnce 11:34 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| That was funny! She interjected humor very effectively, and showed that the Mother Abbess was knowing and down to earth when she needed to be. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | TheOtherOne 11:30 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - bradmurf 11:23 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| She was also not very impressive on an episode of "The Good Wife" a few seasons back. I think she is meant for the stage, where I do not find her chilly at all. (She was quite good in the televised versions of both "A Raisin In The Sun" and "The Sound of Music".) I like her very much, but you are not alone. I have two friends who can not stand her. Won't see her in anything anymore. I tried to talk them into seeing "Porgy and Bess" and they looked at me as though I were crazy. I don't fall all over her the way many people do, but I don't do that with anybody. | |
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| re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? | |
| Posted by: | MikeR 12:52 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - TheOtherOne 11:30 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| I will admit, as someone who has been a dedicated fan of hers for almost 20 years, that I found her exceedingly chilly on Private Practice. But I chalk that up to the role, mostly. But I adore her, unreservedly. If other people don't, that's fine, even if I can't understand why. | |
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| re: You are not alone ... | |
| Posted by: | NewtonUK 11:22 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | Am I the only one who doesn't like Audra McDonald?? - Lisa 11:01 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| I don't dislike her - but having seen her in Marie Christine, Porgy and Bess, 110 in the Shade, Ragtime, and Carousel - and now Sound of Music - great voice, not much acting at all. In SOM she reminded me a bit of Clare Danes in Homeland - lots of popping eyes. And the small problem that the Nazis would have killed black nuns in Austria - if there had been any. | |
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| re: You are not alone ... | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 02:42 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: You are not alone ... - NewtonUK 11:22 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| >> And the small problem that the Nazis would have killed black nuns in Austria they killed nuns period - black and white. and priests. the nazis are only arriving to power in austria at the end of the play. they weren't killing anybody yet. >> not much acting at all. too bad you didn't see her in twelfe night. | |
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| re: You are not alone ... | |
| Posted by: | PlayWiz 07:33 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: You are not alone ... - enoch10 02:42 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| Actually Kristallnacht pogroms occurred in Germany and Austria in 1938, and Jews were indeed killed and hurt when Nazis broke windows and pillaged Jewish-owned businesses. Even in the film of "Cabaret" which takes place some years before, there are scenes of Nazis beating, killing and intimidating people in Berlin. I just don't know how many black people were living in these countries at that time. The Nazis eventually made Jews, gypsies and gays wear yellow or pink stars to make them stand out so they could be marginalized and targeted (and eventually murdered). A black nun or non-nun black person would already stand out. | |
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| re: You are not alone ... | |
| Posted by: | enoch10 08:33 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: You are not alone ... - PlayWiz 07:33 pm EST 12/07/13 |
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| well, yes and no. brown shirts were committing violence (including, i assume, murder) in austria before the anschluss, yes. but it was more like street crime. the kind of systematized violence (which needed governmental support) that would result in deportations wouldn't occur until much later. but, you are right. they were definitely beating people up and probably killing people even that early. kristallnacht was aimed at jews. i don't know of any recorded instance where any of the other groups the nazis would go after (intellectuals, political prisoners, criminals, the mentally ill, homosexuals, catholics) were targeted that night. nor can i find any evidence of attacks that night on catholic churches or convents in either austria or germany. the first recorded incarceration of priests was 1940 and that was in germany (dachau). i couldn't find any dates for nuns. i suspect it was later. there were two waves of violence against catholics. the first was in the early 30s (again in germany) aimed at priests were outspoken against anti-jewish legislation and the breakup of labor unions. the priests were arrested but released. then comes the kind that ended in concentration camps and this wave was aimed primarily at nuns who were using convents as sanctuary for jews and as kind of stops along a version of the underground railroad. they also harbored resistance fighters. this indicates a response, again, to the kind of systematized persecution that wasn't in place yet when the events at the end of the play would have taken place. it is exactly the kind of behavior we see the nuns portraying (hiding the family) at the end of the play but the governmental response, i don't think, would have been ready yet. as we can see they were still organizing the government at that point. if anyone has read the book - does maria mention whether or not the nuns were implicated in their escape or did they even actually return to the convent? did they slip out of the country by some other route? obviously, this era of history interests me greatly and i'd like to know. | |
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| re: You are not alone ... | |
| Posted by: | TsuHsi 11:28 am EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: You are not alone ... - NewtonUK 11:22 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| No one should flame you for stating that, and I will repeat what was written above - to state something that you perceive will be "unpopular" takes guts! This is a funny story - I came home from somewhere and my mother was all abuzz about this concert she watched with my father and some other people, and they heard this HORRIBLE singer...well, the more they talked, I realized it was Audra, and indeed it was. I didn't see the concert so I have no idea what she sang or anything. I just said, well, that's strange, she's very well known etc. But everybody's different. | |
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| What's With All the Head Shakes? | |
| Posted by: | Shakespeare_in_the_Dark 07:22 pm EST 12/07/13 |
| In reply to: | re: You are not alone ... - TsuHsi 11:28 am EST 12/07/13 |
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| Mannered mannerisms of the worst sort. (by the way whsikey and kittens are among my favorite things, but my EQ may be off....) | |
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