Why make the Elphabas go on 8 times a week?- Page 2

[Tsao5]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 7:01pm

Not sure if it is Think of Me or at the end of The Phantom of the Opera song where the Phantom sings "Sing for MeeeeEEEEEee!

If the Christine cannot hit the note every performance they use a recording. The high note Christine sings (the highest note in the show) is an E, and sometimes the note strains the voice so they give the girl a break.

To be more precise, in the song "Phantom of the Opera" with Sarah Brightman in her earliest days that end note is an off the chart E6. Which is well above "normal" Soprano range.

Maybe it is the producers who want a recording just in case.

I think it is spoken about on the Phantom of Opera home page,

[Belle9]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 7:17pm

That's the end of "Phantom of the Opera" that she hits that out of the park high note. It is indeed prerecorded. The high note in "Think of Me" is not that high, and I'm sure she sings it live.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 8:16pm

If the Merm could do 8 shows a week .....

[MikeInTheDistrict]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 9:53pm

I don't really think the vocal demands made on Merman et al. are really comparable to what is required in these rock-inspired scores found in contemporary musical theatre. The vocal technique itself is very different and not particularly forgiving to a singer of any age or experience, IMO. Even opera singers, who train intensively to develop projection and stamina, do not do eight shows a week. Merman had a fantastic belt, but it would not work in a role like Elphaba. The closest to a Merman belt I've heard in the role was Mandy Gonzalez and even she had vocal troubles by the end of her run.

I don't think I've heard any actress take on this role who was not worse for wear by the end of her run. I think there's a case to be made for adopting the European system where an alternate takes on at least two shows.

[Tsao5]

Posted: 4/19/13 at 11:15pm

True; but keep in mind that these days, all the singers have sophisticated head mics that can be...to some extent... manipulated and mixed by the sound guy.......so that they are heard over an orchestra. Merman and others of her time didn't have mics...........

I think it was in the 70's that hand held mics were used more (Grease and Hair come to mind).

I BELIEVE.....I could be wrong...probably am...that it was around the time of Evita that the mics started to get smaller and smaller.

Can anybody imagine how long ANY actor/actress would last these days if they did not have a tiny head mic.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 4/20/13 at 12:07am

If Wicked were a manageable score it would not be known for shredding the voices of most/many of the Elphabas including but not limited to-Julia Murney, Teal Wicks, Caissie Levy, Idina Menzel, Mandy Gonzales, Carmen Cusack, Most of the actresses playing Elphaba have spoken about how challenging it is to sing.

These women are trained vocalists. The human voice is exhaustible-it has nothing to do with professionalism. Actors are over-represented in experiencing voice disorders. They can easily wear out their voice even when not singing.

[snarkmachine]

Posted: 4/20/13 at 2:31am

In Germany and Holland the actress playing Elphaba had only 6 shows a week. The other two shows always made the alternate. That´s the reason Willemijn needed getting used to it. In Europe they obviously care more for the voices of their actors/actresses.

Or the standards on Broadway are higher

Updated On: 4/20/13 at 02:31 AM

[MusicalTheatreGeek2]

Posted: 4/20/13 at 4:24am

I don't see that the standards are higher when the original German/Dutch elphaba has just come over to broadway and is being raved about by many!

[Dave19]

Posted: 4/20/13 at 6:11am

How many times do I have to tell this?
The WHOLE titlesong of the Phantom of the Opera is always pre-recorded in all the productions in the world.

This has also to do with the fact that they use doubles in the song and they are running around backstage to get into the boat.

The alternates and understudies record this song in the studio too, so they can play the track of whoever is on that night.

Think of me is always sung live.

[MusicalTheatreGeek2]

Posted: 4/20/13 at 6:24am

Not all the productions! The new uk tour has been designed specifically so they don't have to pre record it!

[Dave19]

Posted: 4/20/13 at 6:40am

And still, it's pre-recorded in the tour. ALW wants it that way.

Updated On: 4/20/13 at 06:40 AM

[moym471]

Posted: 4/22/13 at 6:57pm

8 shows a week? Somebody tell that to Eden Espinoshow..

I don't mean that, but I say it to be accepted.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 4/22/13 at 8:42pm

As a high soprano, I wanted to chime in that the difficult part of the PotO cadenza is NOT the E6 in itself. The issue is the tessitura and the fact that the note is sustained. Even women with great upper registers need a lot of stamina for that part.

Most operatic scores that require E6 and F6 have them as staccato notes. I suppose that "Glitter and be Gay" is an exception, but I've heard stories that Cunegonde is very rough on singers as well. But I mean, look at a crazy coloratura piece like the Bell Song from Lakme... most of the notes above C6 are not sustained.

[SweetLips]

Posted: 4/22/13 at 10:45pm

No wonder that I can't live without my daily dose of BWW--the information that I gather from here on just so many different topics, just astounds me.Thank you.

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 4/23/13 at 12:45am

Said another way, would the actresses in these roles want to also see their paycheck shrunk to reflect those less-taxing workweeks? If you're not a known quantity, you probably need to be onstage 8X and stockpiling $$ for when you're between gigs after that role...

Surely you don't think the producers are going to pay them the same if they did less shows?