I have yet to see Patti, but I thought Daly was incredible. I think Smaxie said it best when she said that she was a "strong, funny, and scary" Rose. And Hadary was indeed an excellent Herbie.
Watching Tyne's performance of "Rose's Turn" on YouTube, I notice that she starts STRONG... but then it's obvious that she is VERY aware that she has to sing. It's uncomfortable, but she IS a great actress - and she will always be one of the greats.
My favorite Rose was Bernadette Peters. She was amazing. I saw her after she had been ill with the bad throat infection (and trust me, one of those can last a LONG time and kill your voice). She was REALLY strong vocally. That aside, it was the best acted I have ever seen the role (and one of the best acted performances I have ever seen in a musical).
that's from the Tony Awards that season. It's incredible (and when I saw her IN the show, she was even better). I love Patti LuPone for many reasons, but her performance isn't comparable, and I don't mean that as a put-down. It just didn't do for me what Bernadette's did. Her's was just incredible, AND she made it her own. Politics... and the Tonys... 'perfect together' (rolls eyes)...
She was wonderful when I saw her. I had to take two "I Hate Musicals they suck" types to see the show (don't ask) and they were transfixed by the end.
My mentor, the late Al Waxman, worked with Tyne for years on "Cagney and Lacey" and took me several times to the set when I first moved to Los Angeles. You couldn't have met a more graceful actor... except maybe Jerry Orbach.
Thank God we brought this up again! To think we might have had to go a whole week without starting a new thread about Mama Rose/Gypsy and every star who ever played her and how everyone felt about them. Again.
Tyne is my favorite Rose for those who didn't catch it the first time.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
It gets kind of tedious when some people can't stay with the topic.
Tyne Daly was a very strong Rose in an excellent production that kept beckoning me to return again and again. Daly has magnetic stage presence which makes up for her good but not great singing. I was transfixed by her performance.
I also had a chance to see her at the ASCAP tribute to Jule Styne shortly after his death. She read a letter from Arthur Laurents praising Jule Styne and adding her own praise. Then she sang "You'll Never Get Away From Me" to Jonathan Hadary. It was a poignant moment in an impressive tribute to the great Styne.
From what I've experienced, Rose is one of those characters in musical theatre that doesn't necessarily have to have a good/great voice. It's all about the acting, the characterization, etc. Tyne Daly is more an actor than she is a singer. That, however, didn't hurt her performance one bit, in my opinion.
It's much like the Sally Bowles in "Cabaret" debate. Some people think she shouldn't be able to sing well (Natasha Richardson). Personally, I find the character more tragic when she does sing well (Joley Fisher). Again, this is just my two sense.
Clearly Patti LuPone sings the sh*t out of the score, but, if you notice, she screams a lot of it too for dramatic appeal, especially in "Rose's Turn." It's her acting that did it for me, not her vocals (I'm not saying they were bad).
Tyne Daly, for me, was great in the role; no matter how poor her vocals may have been at various points. She always nailed the core of the character.
But Rose is challenging role to sing compared to Sally Bowles. No one is going to hurt their voice singing Sally Bowles. All of the major Broadway Roses suffered vocal problems in the role besides Angela and so far Patti. But Angela sang much lower keys. And Patti has said she has the perfect keys for her voice.
Enjoyed Miss Daly's performance very much (acting-wise). The night I saw her she seemed to have a cold or scratchy throat, so the singing was labored. But she did act the role wonderfully. The actor who played Louise was very good as well. Cannot remember her name (last name Moore?). What became of her?
I don't think its fair to say Daly has a terrible voice. She sang the music, was on pitch, etc. (at least in all the recordings I've heard of her). I wouldn't even say she had so-so vocals. I think they are just DIFFERENT. I don't know. That's just my take. But I definitely don't think its fair to call her a poor singer. If she was just a plain bad singer, I doubt she would have gotten the part in the first place.
I want to apologize for some offensive messages posted on this board under my name. The night 0f 12-15-08 I did not have internet access, and someone had used my name to post something offensive. My avatar was also changed. I dont' know what else was posted, or if anyone recieved bad PMs, but I want to apologize for that. I've changed my password, and even though I was not the one posting these messages it still needed to be corrected.
This topic does come up from time to time. I saw her, here in LA, before the show went to NYC, over July 4th weekend of 1989. My friend and I were so looking forward to seeing it.
Oh ljay, I wasn't targeting it towards you. I haven't seen her live, so I couldn't tell you that her pitch or anything else was on every night. But seem people are commenting like she had the singing talents of a middle schooler. I've seen videos, and have the recording, and those she's not as bad as some poeple are making her out to be. Of course, those are videos and recordings.
I want to apologize for some offensive messages posted on this board under my name. The night 0f 12-15-08 I did not have internet access, and someone had used my name to post something offensive. My avatar was also changed. I dont' know what else was posted, or if anyone recieved bad PMs, but I want to apologize for that. I've changed my password, and even though I was not the one posting these messages it still needed to be corrected.
She was good. I also saw it with Bernadette Peters. As much as I like Ms. Lupone, I could not bear to see that show again so soon.
"Life is not measured by the number
of breaths we take, but by moments
that take our breath away."
"Life isn't about how to survive the storm,
but how to dance in the rain."
The interesting thing is how absolutely polarizing the women who play Rose have been. I personally can't stand Patti Lupone, (who I place on that solitary Devil's Island of Hammy Singers with her Evita co-inflicter-of-pain, Mandy Patinkin) and love Angela (who really is miscast in the part but what bravado) and Tyne (the best for me.)
Bernadette Peters is too cute and precious for my tastes and Ethel Merman scared me as a child (I really did call her "The Loud Lady" in the lobby of the theater.)
"The actor who played Louise was very good as well. Cannot remember her name (last name Moore?). What became of her?"
Crista Moore. A few years later she would star as Susan in "Big the Musical." Her last appearance on Broadway was as an understudy in "Absurd Person Singular" in 2005.