"And I adore Victoria Clark, and I think she's great in this role. But I'd also be curious to see the role done/sung by someone with a less classical, operatic vocal technique. It's kind of a bizarre mismatch for the character/setting. Or is it perfectly matched because of her physical aging? i don't know."
I came away mulling this post, having read it on the way to the show. I get the response. Yet I actually now feel the opposite: the performance is transcendent because Clark's superbly focused operatic timbre aids immeasurably in creating the character's physical persona. When a 16-year-old writes to the NJ Make-A-Wish and opens up that gorgeous upper range in key phrases, it's mysterious and eerily heartbreaking. The juxtaposition of that jumper and jeans-clad teen and that soaring voice, begging for life to grant her experiences -- mortality staring her in the face -- it's almost wrenching. About fifteen minutes into the show it all came together for me thus. I can't imagine the characterization as full without the maturity in the singing. Her eleven o'clock spot, "Before I Go," is just a killer, though I won't spoil it here. I suspect another style of singing would work (I considered what Mare Winningham might do with the role; the results might be thrilling) and know that acting is the real issue with Kimberley. And Clark's is unfettered and unsentimental. Those wet eyes when her face is smiling did me in. |
