I thought this was very well-written and makes a point I certainly agree
with. Enjoy.
Lee Morgan
Show Tunes, From Personality to Propulsion
By STEPHEN HOLDEN
The difference between traditional Broadway singing and its contemporary
theatrical incarnation has rarely been delineated more sharply than it was
on Monday evening at City Center, where a multigenerational gathering of
stars performed "My Favorite Broadway: The Love Songs." The glittering,
swiftly paced variety show, taped for "Great Performances" on PBS, featured
songs by everyone from George Gershwin to Jonathan Larson. Its
top-of-the-line production values included an orchestra conducted by Paul
Gemignani playing arrangements by the likes of Don Sebesky and Peter Matz.
Leading the old guard was Julie Andrews, the evening's host, who dropped
enough tantalizing tidbits about the creation of "My Fair Lady" to make you
wish she would reminisce at greater length. Ms. Andrews rarely sings these
days. But when Robert Goulet, her co-star in "Camelot," serenaded her with
"If Ever I Would Leave You," and later when Michael Crawford (as Henry
Higgins) coaxed her into singing a couple of phrases from "The Rain in
Spain," the audience went wild.
If Ms. Andrews, Mr. Goulet (in robust voice) and Chita Rivera (remarkably
limber vocally and physically) embodied tradition, the evening was
essentially a showcase for today's younger Broadway stars who reached
maturity in the rock era, when stage singing became amplified. What quickly
became apparent was how the microphone, with its emphasis on the treble,
tends to homogenize even the most distinctive voices. That's one reason that
the manufacture of a large, aggressive vocal sound has superseded quirky
personality as a Broadway ideal.
It would be useless at this late date to lament the technological revolution
that has institutionalized exhibitionistic belting. It's a fait accompli.
And in varying degrees the younger singers who dominated the evening upheld
the new value system. Performers like Linda Eder and Adam Pascal, who
combine formidable vocal power with flamboyant histrionics that aspire to
VH1 ideals of a diva and of rock showmanship, now rule Broadway.
Performing a medley of "Come Rain or Come Shine," "I Don't Know How to Love
Him" and "What Kind of Fool Am I?," Ms. Eder unfurled a machine-tooled sob
that suggested a technically flawless hybrid of Celine Dion and the mature
Barbra Streisand. If nothing else, her stamina and ability to keep
dynamically topping herself within the same song demonstrated an awesome
prowess.
Singing "Elaborate Lives" from "Aida," Mr. Pascal filtered Anthony Newley
through David Bowie through Dennis DeYoung (of Styx). At the same time his
hyper- dramatic vocalizing echoed the braying sob of Mr. Crawford, who
delivered "Music of the Night," his signature song from "Phantom of the
Opera," with his usual majestic creepiness.
Although more traditional in style, Rebecca Luker ("Till There Was You,"
"Too Late Now"), Marin Mazzie ("So In Love," "Not a Day Goes By") and Ron
Raines ("Gigi") also reflected the new sock-it-out ethos. Introspection and
interpretive subtlety were subsumed to volume and technical polish.
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