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| re: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 10:39 pm EDT 04/06/21 | |
| In reply to: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) - Chazwaza 02:16 pm EDT 04/06/21 | |
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| Here's the honest truth of the situation, as I see it: Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote Billy's CAROUSEL songs in a certain way, according to how they wanted them to be sung and the type of voice they wanted to sing them: a legit or semi-legit baritenor with great beauty of tone, great strength and power to use when necessary, and the ability to deliver thrilling, ringing high notes at the top of the staff and above the staff. If R&H didn't want that kind of sound, they would have written the songs very differently -- perhaps more along the lines of Curly's songs in OKLAHOMA!, which are far less demanding for the most part. And I'm sure they COULD have written the songs very differently for a much lighter voice with a much smaller range while still allowing the singer to communicate the many emotions and moods of the character -- but, again, that's not the approach they took. The degree of tonal beauty in MIchael Hayden's singing voice is a matter of opinion, but I would say it's inarguable that his voice doesn't have much strength or power when required, and that his high register is very weak and strained, to say the least. So whatever he may have brought to the songs in terms of acting ability and good interpretive choices, he simply couldn't fulfill all of the musical/vocal requirements of the songs as written. That, I think, is a factual statement. So we're really just left with differences of opinion as to how much, if at all, it matters to various audience members (and recording listeners) that he couldn't fulfill those requirements, and whether or not whatever he did bring to the role and to the songs was enough to compensate and make for an overall satisfying performance. P.S. Whenever people have said they were so happy with Hayden's acting in CAROUSEL that they didn't care about his shortcomings when he started to sing, I always ask rhetorically if wasn't reasonable to expect that the director and producers could have found someone, among all the candidates in the British and American musical theater, who could have BOTH acted the role very well AND sung it beautifully. And at that point, I usually mention several names including Brian d'Arcy James, who was in the CHORUS of the LCT production of CAROUSEL while Hayden was playing Billy. |
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| re: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 01:18 am EDT 04/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) - Michael_Portantiere 10:39 pm EDT 04/06/21 | |
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| to answer your question about casting billy... no, I don't think there was. | |
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| re: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 12:37 am EDT 04/08/21 | |
| In reply to: re: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) - Chazwaza 01:18 am EDT 04/07/21 | |
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| "To answer your question about casting billy... no, I don't think there was." You don't think there was....what? You don't think there was ONE person in all of American and British musical theater who could have acted the role of Billy as well as Hayden and sung it far better? I think Brian d'Arcy James could certainly have done so, without question, and therefore it's quite ironic that he was only in the CHORUS of the LCT production of CAROUSEL. Of course, it's conceivable that those who cast the show were unaware of Brian when they were first auditioning people to play the role in England, and I have no idea exactly when they became aware of Patrick Wilson, James Barbour, and Marcus Lovett. But my point still stands that there must have been other options in casting that role. |
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| re: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) | |
| Last Edit: Chazwaza 11:37 am EDT 04/08/21 | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 11:23 am EDT 04/08/21 | |
| In reply to: re: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) - Michael_Portantiere 12:37 am EDT 04/08/21 | |
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| I didn't want to say anything about people specifically, to quote Eddie in The Wild Party, "you don't wanna make me mean!" ... But listen... yes there are many very talented singer/actors who could do great in the role, the question is (based on the album and videos), is there anyone I think could have used their particular balance of vocal/acting skills, at the time, to greater effect than Hayden... and I would say no. But obviously I don't know, at all. But let's take a few... the tour Billy - Patrick Wilson is a beautiful sexy man, fantastic singer and actor... I don't think in 1994 that his acting ability was where Hayden's was (including from videos of him in this role). The replacement Billy - James Barbour is a beautiful sexy man, a fantastic singer and a solid actor... I don't think his acting could have been as good as Hayden's from the many things I've seen him in (he does brooding well, I've seen him hired to do it many times, but still - the nuances, the layers Hayden brings, I just don't see as part of the solid acting ability Barbour possess... and I don't think Wilson fully developed the acting skill we know him to have until years later, and I think in the decade of growth he made as an actor, he hasn't really gotten to show it on stage, mainly in film/tv). And Carousel ensemble member and massive talent, Brian D'Arcy James... beautiful and sexy man, great singer, excellent actor... but... with all due respect, in the many things I've seen him in, I just don't think he brings the kind of layers Hayden did. Maybe under the same direction Hayden got from Hytner he would have. Maybe I underestimate him. This is just one man's opinion based on his own limited exposure to what these performers can do. (and I'm curious why he wasn't a replacement instead of Barbour... Barbour wasn't known for Beast yet).. BDJ wasn't even a Billy understudy. Being aware that there are people and realities i'm not aware of, I'm guessing there may have been guys we haven't brought up or thought of, or who'd have been making their debut, who could have satisfied/killed the acting and singing of the role... and maybe the only reason they didn't search for them was because the NY Times loved Hayden in London. But I tend to assume Hytner saw, and continued to see, what has colored my pointlessly firm opinion on this. ;) (which is that Hayden was the best thing for the role at the time) |
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| re: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) | |
| Last Edit: altonido 11:13 pm EDT 04/06/21 | |
| Posted by: altonido 11:11 pm EDT 04/06/21 | |
| In reply to: re: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) - Michael_Portantiere 10:39 pm EDT 04/06/21 | |
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| There was little chance of someone other than Michael Hayden playing Billy at Lincoln Center as Frank Rich loved Hayden when he reviewed the production at its premiere at the National Theater, London. And one of the NY producers of the revival told me that he didn't think the production worked without Hayden. Patrick Wilson was hired to play Billy in the US tour of this production and you can compare Hayden and Wilson in the official press reels for Broadway and the tour. |
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| Link | "Carousel" Press Reels: Broadway/US Tour |
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| re: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 11:22 pm EDT 04/06/21 | |
| In reply to: re: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) - altonido 11:11 pm EDT 04/06/21 | |
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| Thanks for that Patrick Wilson clip! I didn't know there was any video of him in the show, and I really enjoyed that :-) | |
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| re: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 07:45 am EDT 04/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) - Michael_Portantiere 11:22 pm EDT 04/06/21 | |
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| When I saw the LCT Carousel on Broadway, Marcus Lovett was in for Billy and Paula Newsome was in for McDonald. I thought Lovett, in particular, sang the role thrillingly. When the tour came to the Chicago area at the notorious Rosemont Theatre, Patrick Wilson and Sarah Uriarte were quite effective as Billy and Julie. BTW Sean Palmer played Enoch. The opening scene had a staging much different than what I saw on Broadway. I thought the Broadway version was breathtaking, and the tour staging of this scene was much more low key. |
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| re: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 09:01 am EDT 04/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) - BroadwayTonyJ 07:45 am EDT 04/07/21 | |
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| Just in case anyone gets the impression that the Sean Palmer who played Enoch on that tour is the Sean Palmer who is known for The Little Mermaid on Broadway and for Sex and the City on TV, he is not. The Sean Palmer who played Enoch later changed his professional name to Sean Jeremy Palmer. See link. | |
| Link | Sean Jeremy Palmer |
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| The Two Sean Palmers | |
| Last Edit: BroadwayTonyJ 05:02 pm EDT 04/07/21 | |
| Posted by: BroadwayTonyJ 05:00 pm EDT 04/07/21 | |
| In reply to: re: in defense of Michael Hayden (and Sally Murphy) - AlanScott 09:01 am EDT 04/07/21 | |
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| Thanks for bringing up the distinction between the two Sean Palmers. This thread had inspired me to pull out my playbill for the Carousel tour which I saw in Feb., '96. When I noticed Palmer's name in the credits as Enoch, I mistakenly confused him with Sean Gregory Palmer. I saw Sean G. Palmer in Papermill's Of Thee I Sing (Sept., '04), in The Boy Friend tour as juvenile lead Tony in Dec., '05 (Chicago), and on Broadway as Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid (Dec., '07). Good-looking guy, danced and sang well, and did a fine job in some rather undemanding roles for which he seemed well suited. |
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