BROADWAY OR BUST - PBS- Page 3

[strummergirl]

Posted: 9/12/12 at 3:43pm

Regardless of whether it was a case in lack of preparation, Thenardier with a cockney accent is an odd choice.

The guy who sang Light in the Piazza and the girl who did The Wild Party (though the ponytail thing felt really corny) were my favorites.

"Master of the House" and "And I'm Telling You" (I actually thought the first time when it sounded more lounge act to be better sung) were my least favorites.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/13/12 at 12:38am

I heard Jason Robert Brown talking tonight about how "I've got my lawyers on it" referring to this show.... ha

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 9/13/12 at 3:14am

It is possible to release tension without having vibrato. Also, there are many voices that simply don't produce vibrato. Every person has a unique voice. I personally prefer listening to less vibrato because many singers try to force vibrato that isn't natural. Also, a healthy straight tone is more focused and clean than a tone with heavy vibrato. You talk about straight tone as if the only way to produce it is using tension in the vocal chords, but this is not the case. Also, straight tone is often necessary in certain styles of music, just as vibrato is often necessary in more classical styles. Even standard choral music can require straight tone when there are chord clusters. Have you even heard chord clusters with lots of vibrato? It does not sound good.

[MikeInTheDistrict]

Posted: 9/13/12 at 11:36pm

All voices actually produce vibrato even when singing "straight tone." For an interesting and dense scientific explanation of what I mean, here's a great article: http://kashu-do.blogspot.com/2011/10/kashu-do-on-vibrato-point-of-pedagogy-1.html

One can get away with singing straight tone when there's amplification involved. However, once you reach the level of acoustic intensity and energy required to project in a large hall without a microphone (as in opera, and as used to be the case in musical theatre), it's simply not possible to hit the right frequency ranges in a sustainable and safe way while holding the mechanism in an imbalanced state. At that level of air pressure, it's much safer to allow vibrato to come into play than force a straight tone.

Updated On: 9/13/12 at 11:36 PM

Posted: 9/14/12 at 1:49am

^
where's the like button when you need it!!?

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 9/14/12 at 2:41am

There is a difference between the damaging straight tone of which the two of you speak and a healthy straight tone. I think it's described well in this article, which includes audio samples:

http://www.claudiafriedlander.com/the-liberated-voice/2012/07/straight-tone.html

Yes, there are incorrect ways to produce straight tone, but I have also heard many people produce vibrato in incorrect ways, trying to force it rather than letting it come naturally. This creates slow or uneven vibrato, an unpleasantly dark tone, and can just as easily cause vocal damage.

[HoldThatThought]

Posted: 9/14/12 at 9:45am

I finally got to see it last night. It was fun to watch and I look forward to the next episode. I think there are only 2 eps left - not a long series at all. I thought they were all decent considering their ages and experience. I'll be interested to see how the Indian girl performs live, considering she's only been at it for a year!

[MikeInTheDistrict]

Posted: 9/14/12 at 4:08pm

Hi AwesomeDanny. Read those two blog entries (the one I linked to and the one you linked to), and you'll see that Jean-Ronald and Claudia are actually saying much the same thing. It's definitely possible to safely produce a tone that sounds straight (even though technically, vibrato always occurs even if it's not audible) when you don't have to maximize efficiency. In other words, you can get away with it in a very small hall, or when you have a microphone (obviously, this will be the case with most contemporary musical theatre and most contemporary music). This is because straight tone requires a slight imbalance in the technique. However, there's a point at which the intensity/air-pressure demanded is high enough (in simplest terms, when you need to sing louder, or with more carrying power) that you need to allow the mechanism to be balanced to maximize efficiency and reduce risk of vocal injury. When the voice is performing efficiently and in a balanced way, there will be an audible vibrato. Both Claudia and Jean-Ronald agree on this:

From Jean-Ronald:
Straight tone is part of a continuum relative to the normal vibrant nature of the voice. In other words, a voice functioning with muscular balance will be vibrant. The vibrato pattern is not heard in speech because one specific pitch is not sustained long enough for the ear to perceive the regularity of the nerve impulses. When a tone is sustained, with continuous, consistent breath pressure, the folds go into the regular pattern that bring out the regularity of the A-B-A pattern explained above. However, if the breath pressure is inconsistent, or there is a great imbalance between subglottal pressure and transglottal flow, then the regularity of the pattern might be compromised and the vibrato not perceived. This we judge to be a relatively straighter tone. The vibrato pattern is still perfectly observable in spectrum analysis, but irregularity causes the ear to perceive it as non-vibrant.

A vibrant voice in singing reveals that the voice has achieved relative balance. From that healthy state, a skilled singer can alter the perception of vibrato to create many effects. A skilled singer can alter the vibrato at will. Classical music expects the voice to function in its natural vibrant, balanced state. Perceived straight tone in the classical tradition is an effect used for special circumstances. In non-classical traditions, the voice is expected to be in a vibrato-less state that imitates the less regular patterns of every day speech. Vibrato is then perceived as an added effect instead of the fact that perceived vibrato is the hallmark of a balanced voice in singing.

From Claudia:
If you're preparing for an opera career, it's obvious that you need a technique that will optimize your range, power, stamina, flexibility and breath management. But you need a technique like this even if you don't ever plan on singing without a microphone or accessing the extremes of your range. Developing the resonance and power needed to project unamplified over an orchestra also endows your instrument with beauty and versatility that will enhance any repertoire. Developing the extremes of your range yields comfort and consistency throughout whatever part of your range you do end up using in performance.

In the vocabulary I use to teach singing, a well-balanced technique means a balance of phonation and airflow, supported by good alignment and skillful breath management.

The best and most comfortable way to create a straight tone involves emphasizing phonation and breath management while de-emphasizing airflow. It's a decidedly unbalanced application of your technique. But this is only a problem if you haven't established a well-balanced technique as your default or fail to vocalize in a balanced way while preparing to sing in an unbalanced way.

Updated On: 9/14/12 at 04:08 PM

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

Posted: 9/15/12 at 10:34am

first of all guys...THEY'RE JUST KIDS!...their voices still have time to mature...for me watching the show, which i found by accident while surfing the channels just as it was starting last Sunday, was THRILLING...these kids are the future of Broadway...and i see the glass half full here...i will watch this show religiously...also i think after one show we really do not have any idea who these klids are yet...i am very content to let these young voices impress me in future episodes...

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/15/12 at 10:54am

Well, there are only three episodes all together. It's really more of a long documentary split into viewing parts. It was never meant as a series, per se.

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 9/15/12 at 2:01pm

Mike, I appreciate your response, and did learn some things from your link. I would amend some statements I made before, but my main point was that a straight tone (or, rather, the appearance of it) is not always bad, and there are proper ways and situations to use it. I found it strange that karimfantom compared what was probably a bad straight tone tone the voices in Avenue Q, which use vibrato a lot of the time (in fact, Ann Harada's vibrato is at times a bit too much for me) and when they don't, it's all a healthy straight tone.

[MikeInTheDistrict]

Posted: 9/15/12 at 3:08pm

Thanks AwesomeDanny. I agree with you. Straight tone is not necessarily harmful in the right circumstances. Heck, look at Renee Fleming. She sings straight tone in much of her jazz stuff, but then with vibrato in opera. It's all a continuum along the energy that you need to put behind the voice.

[bradactor]

Posted: 9/16/12 at 8:37pm

I agree with broadwaybabywannabe2

Updated On: 9/16/12 at 08:37 PM

[NYadgal]

Posted: 9/16/12 at 8:43pm

As do I.

What an incredible experience for all of them! It gives me chills to think about how exciting it is for them.

[bradactor]

Posted: 9/16/12 at 8:48pm

I watch the Tommy Tune awards for the best high school musicals in Houston every year because I know how it is since I performed in high school musicals, actually got to play the dream role of Fagin in "Oliver." When I first saw a roadshow of that show as a young kid, I said to myself "Someday I will play Fagin." Turns out the high school director decided to do "Oliver" last year of my high school time. I auditioned for him in his drama and speech class. He said this is not usually done. I said it is if you want the part. I got it. Of course I had no competition at my high school in Little Rock. I had done children's theatre in Houston for many years since the age of nine. Some of the high school performers for the Tommy Tune awards are even better some of the guys on this show. Tommy Tune showed up at this year's awards. I met him years ago at Theatre Inc. here in Houston which is now under TUTS(Theatre Under the Stars). Again this is interesting to watch and yes they are learning big time.

[Kad]

Posted: 9/16/12 at 8:53pm

I'd say there's more politics involved with these regional awards that act as qualifiers for this thing.

Supportivemom- are you from Florida? Is Florida State Thespians the qualifying award for Jimmy Award consideration?

If that's the case, getting a school to go to Fl. State Thespian competition is often expensive, particularly a mainstage production, unless it happens to be held in a nearby city. Not every school can raise that sort of money, to pay for travel and board.

I went to an arts high school in west-central Florida, and although we participated in district thespian events, we rarely went to State unless it was held in a nearby city like Tampa. And the district event was veeeeery political in terms of judging.

[It's a fine life!]

Posted: 9/16/12 at 9:36pm

I am envious of these kids. I wish I'd had this opportunity when I was a teenager. I would have personally wanted some different material to perform, but still. They were living out what what was a very real dream for me at that age. And there is so much talent and enthusiasm in the group.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 9/16/12 at 9:38pm

Reported!

[supportivemom]

Posted: 9/16/12 at 9:40pm

Kad- yes- I live in NE Florida and my kids went to the performing arts school there. My son was the assistant student director for the State Thespian Festival his senior year of high school. It was a ton of work as it's the largest high school festival in the country. And yes- it is VERY expensive to take a show from NE Florida to Tampa. Their school went every other year and took Kiss Me Kate and Aida while my daughter was there. They had two semi trucks filled with stage stuff and in Aida- they had a revolving stage. I was lucky enough to see her perform as Amneris on that wonderful Morsani stage. I believe in order to qualify for The Jimmy, the show has to be adjudicated by the panel who decides which shows will perform at state. However, I saw a guy 2 years ago that was not the lead in his show and got to represent Florida. I don't think the rules are specified to the kids. District events are extremely political because most of the judges know the kids and some of them know their parents. I know of a girl who got Critic's Choice at Districts because the judges were associated with a community theatre that this girl's parents are heavily involved with. When she competed at state, she got Goods and no superiors. I have seen this happen many times. Winning does not mean you're the best!

[Kad]

Posted: 9/16/12 at 9:52pm

In my district, the judges would actively deny Critic's Choice to works that they thought were inappropriate in terms of content, since those pieces awarded Critic's Choice would perform in a showcase at the end of the district competition weekend for all the schools. It was a known thing that if your scene was PG-13, you could not get Critic's Choice, even though such content was allowed to compete.

Having Florida's representative(s) be decided by the judges at State is quite unfair. It is very costly to get a group of students to state, as you've noted, and if a kid is starting to go to colleges for tours or auditions, parents will be less than glad to foot an additional bill in an already expensive time.

Of course, I don't think academic theatre should be competitive, period. I certainly don't think we need a national award for it. But the show, as it is now, is not the "best of the best". It's "the best of those who are able to qualify".

Yes, these kids are talented and it's a good opportunity.

I just don't think it's an opportunity that should necessarily exist.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/16/12 at 10:18pm

The experience is had by all -- regardless of the end result. While it isn't available to every school, very little is.

I have no problem with the competitive nature. Theater IS competitive, and sometimes you get to actually create art.

[Kad]

Posted: 9/16/12 at 10:24pm

Theater is competitive, yes. But not in a "productions go head to head" kind of way.

Some could say this is the icing on the cake of having done theatre. But honestly, I think it'll just come down to "we need to win an award for the school" eventually.

[MFerlitaMTeater]

Posted: 9/17/12 at 12:56am

With all do respect, the process was not explained. But you must win your regional competition in order to reach the Jimmy Awards. All expenses are paid. You cannot buy your way into this.

[MFerlitaMTeater]

Posted: 9/17/12 at 12:57am

Thank you so much for your kind words! It means so much to me that someone involved in theater who loves it thinks I am good, I appreciate it! :) Do you have videos on YouTube, I'd love to hear you sing.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 9/17/12 at 6:46am

Sorry, Kad, I disagree. Awards to individual students say very little about a school. Even the worst of schools have shining stars (no matter the subject) just like all wonderful schools have some dregs.

The shows aren't going head to head, an individual performance is. How is this unlike the Tony Awards -- except that a heck of a lot more people are in contention?