The incomparable Lea Salonga

[Merboy]

Do you think she's underrated?  Has she received any Tony nominations after her award-winning Best Leading Actress in a Musical performance in Miss Saigon?  My god that voice... it's one of the best I've ever fucking heard.

 

what power starting at the 4:10 mark - incredible belting

 

[+ MysticMenace]

She actually won both Tony and Olivier awards for Miss Saigon. #icon

[+ MysticMenace]

 

[Merboy]

25 minutes ago, JoeMendoza said:

She actually won both Tony and Olivier awards for Miss Saigon. #icon

She's very popular in her native Philippines too, right?  They must have her do concerts on their TV channels a lot... oh she's divine!!! ❤️

[+ MysticMenace]

1 minute ago, Merboy said:

She's very popular in her native Philippines too, right?  They must have her do concerts on their TV channels a lot... oh she's divine!!! ❤️

she's one of the main music stars in the Philippines, alongside Regine Velasquez and Sarah Geronimo...

 

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

She's technically proficient and a beautiful woman.

As for flavor, she's Disney bland.  No belt.  No balls.  No vocal girth.

I once sat through her trying to sing 'Mother' in Ragtime.  I never forgave her for that.

[+ MysticMenace]

1 hour ago, Benjamin_Nicholas said:

I once sat through her trying to sing 'Mother' in Ragtime.  I never forgave her for that.

what did she do? I tried searching her singing 'mother' in ragtime, but all I could see is her singing 'back to before'.

[+ sync]

43 minutes ago, JoeMendoza said:

what did she do? I tried searching her singing 'mother' in ragtime, but all I could see is her singing 'back to before'.

I might be mistaken, but I believe Benjamin Nicholas was referring to his disappointment in Lea Salonga's singing in the role of 'Mother.'

[+ MysticMenace]

ah gotcha...not familiar with ragtime. lea does prefer technical proficiency vs. adding textures (e.g., I don't think I ever heard her growl or do an intentional vocal squeak), so I do enjoy for the cleanliness and heart-filled performances she delivers on stage.

[handiacefailure]

I saw her with George Takei in Allegiance when it was on broadway.   Amazing performance and she talked to all her fans at the stage door signing after.   

She did a concert at the Sydney opera house for PBS Great Performances that they still air sometimes and she was incredible in that.   She performed a Whole New World from Aladdin with this gay audience member who was great and he was almost losing it getting to perform with her.

 

 

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

On 9/16/2021 at 10:54 PM, JoeMendoza said:

ah gotcha...not familiar with ragtime. 

 

Get out.  Seriously.

Don't come back to this sub-forum until you've listened to the OBC recording.

You can also opt for the 1996 concept album, which is kinda fun because it includes songs that were cut from the Broadway opening ('Showbiz').

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

On 9/16/2021 at 10:54 PM, JoeMendoza said:

lea does prefer technical proficiency vs. adding textures.

My problem with her isn't that she lacks vocal runs or melisma, but that her voice lacks a solid, powerful belt.  

She sings 'pretty' and yes, she's a VERY technically correct singer, but it isn't best suited for the show stopping 11 o'clock, park-and-bark number.

The original Mother in Ragtime was the incredible Marin Mazzie.  You can find a million YouTube videos of her in the show, as well as the ton of other Broadway gigs she had through her career.  She was gifted with great training and a massive, proper belt.  The richness and power of her voice was unreal.

I got to know her a bit towards the end of her life.  She and her husband Jason.  They would do a lot of fundraising concerts down in Key West with Terrence McNally.

[+ MysticMenace]

1 hour ago, Benjamin_Nicholas said:

 

Get out.  Seriously.

Don't come back to this sub-forum until you've listened to the OBC recording.

You can also opt for the 1996 concept album, which is kinda fun because it includes songs that were cut from the Broadway opening ('Showbiz').

yessir! brb.

[leeper]

I just had to chime in on Marin Mazzie - her voice and presence were incredible.  I saw  her in several broadway shows as well as in concert with Jason.  Her voice seemed to get richer as time went on.  If only she had beat cancer and was still with us.   I still get chills listening to her on the OBC recording of "Ragtime".  Not to take anything away from Lea Salonga, who I saw way back when in "Miss Saigon" as well as a few years ago in "Allegiance".  I guess I fell in love with both of them.

[+ sync]

I understand from reading that Marin Mazzie had some opera training while Lea Salonga had some classical training, but not opera, which could make an appreciable difference in their singing.

I love this trio of Audra McDdonald, Marin Mazzie, and Judy Kuhn:

 

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

And then there's this...  A masterclass in vocal shape, vocal placement and a huge range.

I'm still bummed I never flew in to see her do King and I at Lincoln Center.

 

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

On 9/12/2021 at 6:53 PM, Merboy said:

what power starting at the 4:10 mark - incredible belting

 

That's not belting.  That's a mix.  Her passagio.

If you want to hear this song belted, properly, you need to listen to Betty Buckley's version...

 

[tchm]

On 9/16/2021 at 6:43 PM, Benjamin_Nicholas said:

I once sat through her trying to sing 'Mother' in Ragtime.  I never forgave her for that.

That’s strange because I saw her in the concert version of Ragtime at the Lincoln Center and her Back to Before stopped the show. The audience gave her an extended loud enthusiastic ovation.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

5 hours ago, tchm said:

That’s strange because I saw her in the concert version of Ragtime at the Lincoln Center and her Back to Before stopped the show. The audience gave her an extended loud enthusiastic ovation.

I was there as well.  

These days, audiences in NYC will give dryer lint a standing ovation.  

And I never said the audience didn't like it...  I said I didn't like it.  She doesn't have the vocal chops for that role.

[+ Lucky]

On 9/21/2021 at 11:55 AM, Benjamin_Nicholas said:

My problem with her isn't that she lacks vocal runs or melisma, but that her voice lacks a solid, powerful belt.  

She sings 'pretty' and yes, she's a VERY technically correct singer, but it isn't best suited for the show stopping 11 o'clock, park-and-bark number.

The original Mother in Ragtime was the incredible Marin Mazzie.  You can find a million YouTube videos of her in the show, as well as the ton of other Broadway gigs she had through her career.  She was gifted with great training and a massive, proper belt.  The richness and power of her voice was unreal.

I got to know her a bit towards the end of her life.  She and her husband Jason.  They would do a lot of fundraising concerts down in Key West with Terrence McNally.

Really, Benjamin.

"Salonga’s performance as Mother” was described as “the stand-out performance of the evening.”

https://entertainment.inquirer.net/81815/lea-salonga-gets-rave-review-for-ragtime

 

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

1 hour ago, Lucky said:

Really, Benjamin.

"Salonga’s performance as Mother” was described as “the stand-out performance of the evening.”

https://entertainment.inquirer.net/81815/lea-salonga-gets-rave-review-for-ragtime

 

Really.  And I was there.  Were you?

It's Playbill.com, which gives a rave to just about anything. 

Wake me when Ben Brantley at the NYT gives her a rave for the performance.

[+ Lucky]

I wasn't at that performance, but I have been at shows where she sang. She sings beautifully.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

7 minutes ago, Lucky said:

She sings beautifully.

Agreed.  She has a very pretty, very well-trained voice.