Date sent: Sun, 30 Jan 2000 03:30:58 EST
Subject: Re: Musical Theatre Fachs?
To: vocalist
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

"...to say an opera singer is out of place in a role created by an opera
singer is, frankly, absurd." -karen mercedes

out of place? she can be there if she wants. if that's what leonard
bernstein wanted and he can get a great singer like christa ludwig, good for
him. even if the supreme court recognized the 'squating' rights of opera
singers in candide, i still don't want to hear it and it still sounds stupid
to me. a friend of mine from high school, last i knew, was directing paying
theater gigs in boston. if an opera sounding person auditioned for this role
for him, she wouldn't get it because he doesn't want to hear it either. he
thinks it sounds stupid too.
the original point being, whenever we audition for anything, we are
selected or rejected according to the whim of the decision maker. and, just
as a soprano auditioning for a mimi might worry about whether or not her
voice is too light for the role, so too should the mezzo think about whether
or not she's too 'opera-sounding' for a musical theater role.
if 'a role created by an opera singer' is justification enough, do you
then assign all your 14yr. old sopranos 'juliet's waltz'?

mike