OT: New version of "South Pacific" on ABC 3/26
lav...@webtv.net
and Hammerstein's "South Pacific" starring Glenn Close as Nellie Forbush
next Monday, March 26. I caught some highlights last week on Rosie
O'Donnell's show and I think we may be in for a treat with this one.
The actor playing Emile is a major find!!!!!
Check your local listings of course.
Terrymelin
she is WAY TOO OLD for this part. By at least 20 years. And no amount of
trickery will be able to disguise that.
Terry Ellsworth
daniel f. tritter
Terrymelin wrote:
you will allow the rest of us to see and hear it before making judgment, won't
you?
dft
Evelyn Vogt Gamble (Divamanque)
"Some Enchanted Evening" as an encore on his recital program
here, a few years ago (as a tribute to Ezio Pinza) it was
fantastic! (And he had the correct accent, too, being a
French-speaking Belgian - Pinza's was a bit Italianate.)
BTW, who sings for Ms. Close? Or does she do it?
Dave Pickering
Rade Sherbedgia. (And I agree Jose Van Dam would have been terrific in the
role.)
--
Dave Pickering
dav...@earthlink.net
"If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you."
"Evelyn Vogt Gamble (Divamanque)" <evg...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3ABC3948...@earthlink.net...
Leonard Tillman
" I'm holding out for Jose van Dam as Emile - when he sang "Some
Enchanted Evening" as an encore on his recital program here, a few years
ago (as a tribute to Ezio Pinza) it was fantastic! (And he had the
correct accent, too, being a French-speaking Belgian - Pinza's was a bit
Italianate.) BTW, who sings for Ms. Close? Or does she do it?"
Wow, the THOUGHT of that supreme bass-baritone doing my,
perhaps, favorite of all songs!! - I would hope that at some time , a
recording of that will become available....I can just "hear" that sound
and imagine the beautiful phrasing....Wow!! And, I believe that Glenn
Close does her own singing - I seem to recall hearing her do that ,
once. It was a clear, slightly larger than lyric-soprano sound. She also
mentioned her ability and fondness for singing - in an Opera News
article in the mid '90's.
Also, she actually IS about 30 (not 20 , as Terrymellin
suggested) years older than Nellie is generally supposed to be, -
but, I'm looking forward to watching this presentation......maybe we'll
see an acceptabe "slightly alternative" portrayal. ( In my
fantasy-scenario, the perfect main leads would be Pinza, himself,
recreate his de Becque, with the lovely Mitzi Gaynor - who was Nellie in
the film-version! Others I've mentioned this to seemed to like that idea
as well......but , alas, a fantasy it must remain!) Oh, and lastly,
Rade Sherbedgia, the de Becque in this tv-movie is , in his native
Croatia, a distinguished Shakespearean stage actor, who has also
appeared in some films, internationally. More about him can be found at
imdb.com and at allmovieguide.com (hope that's the right web info). I
hope he can also SING splendidly, since merely "well" would, IMO. not
suffice for this, one of the greatest of male-lead roles in musicals!!
Best, LT
"Actions may speak louder than words---BUT are they saying what we
THINK they're saying?"
Matthew B. Tepper
<GqYu6.6340$P4.5...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net>:
>According to ABC's website, Emile is both acted and sung by European
>actor Rade Sherbedgia. (And I agree Jose Van Dam would have been
>terrific in the role.)
What ... is a "Danny Thomas"? I mean, a "Rade Sherbedgia"?
--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
My personal home page -- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/index.html
My main music page --- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/berlioz.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
Top 3 worst UK exports: Mad-cow; Hoof-and-mouth; Charlotte Church
Hank Conner
Pinza, himself, recreate his de Becque, with the lovely Mitzi Gaynor - who
creator of Nellie, the magnificent Mary Martin. Most of us probably did not
see Miss Martin in her broadway run, but she is reputed to have more than
held her own with the difficult, but beautifully cast Mr. Pinza. The
original broadway cast recording is one of the classics of American musical
theater.
Anybody in this august list actually see them in the original run?
Ed Rosen
Pinza. Martin alledgedly had a real crush on Pinza.
Mary Martin also performed South Pacific with Cesare Siepi in the LA area in
the mid 50's. Sort of a "summer stock" so to speak. Some stock!
Best,
Ed
lav...@webtv.net
I did not see her in "South Pacific" but i did see her in a concert with
Ethel Merman on Broadway around 1974. She had little voice left at the
time but she managed to charm the pants off the audience all the same.
The Merm was also amazing that night, practically blowing the roof off
the theatre when she sang "Blow Gabriel Blow". Merman once said about
Mary Martin "she's okay if you like talent." :)
ML...@hotmail.com
performed in Croatia until the break up of former Yugoslavia. After the
war started his career was mainly in Europe and Serbia. You can also cath
him in the latest Mr Madonna movie with Brad Pitt called "Snatch".
In article <v%5v6.7851$P4.6...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net>,
Matthew B. Tepper
<2001032522...@mail2.uts.ohio-state.edu>:
>Rade Serbedzija is a famous actor of Serbian descent that lived and
>performed in Croatia until the break up of former Yugoslavia. After the
>war started his career was mainly in Europe and Serbia. You can also cath
>him in the latest Mr Madonna movie with Brad Pitt called "Snatch".
Thanks for the 411. After all, just because some of us in the US haven't
heard of him doesn't exclude the possibility that he's a fine actor. But
... can he sing?
June
Frenchman who sings "Some Enchanted Evening," the answer is No, he can't
sing worth a damn. It was about this point that I turned off the boob tube
and gave up on it.
June
"Matthew B. Tepper" <oy兀earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:Ibzv6.11918$P4.10...@newsread1.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
Matthew B. Tepper
<A7Tv6.104576$W05.20...@news1.rdc1.mi.home.com>:
>I haven't followed this entire thread, but If he's the guy who plays the
>Frenchman who sings "Some Enchanted Evening," the answer is No, he can't
>sing worth a damn. It was about this point that I turned off the boob
>tube and gave up on it.
>
>June
I stayed to the end. I won't be buying the video or the CD, however.
Leonard Tillman
- I agree with all that, AND I love(d) the wonderful
Mary Martin, but I DID mean Mitzi Gaynor!! - and don't call me "Surely"
( sorry, couldn't resist that one! popularized by Leslie Nielsen in the
"Naked Gun" films. [that name, of course, would be correctly spelled
"Shirley" and in parts of Brooklyn, be pronounced "Shoilee"] ) !!
Best, LT
"Actions may speak louder than words---BUT are they saying what we
THINK they're saying?" "And furthermore, how's a fella supposed to
handle problems one at a time - when they REFUSE to get in line??"
Leonard Tillman
casting may not have been initially my 1st choices of the actors and
singers around, - it STILL WAS MIGHTY TERRIFIC! The roles were done
well, even if a bit differently, in some instances, from traditional
presentations. This version also portrayed (with newly written
additional scenes, dialogue, and some alterations of events and the
order of the songs' appearances) the characters in much greater detail
and depth than any performances, all traditional ones, I've ever seen!
"Happy Talk" , a very pleasant song , was , I believe, omitted. I
infer that in this production - depicting more accent on GRAVITY of the
story than the comedic aspects ( which to some extent were also shown) ,
"Happy Talk" may have been deemed "expendable". I probably wouldn't have
made that omission, were it my choice! Glenn
Close , though nearly 30 years older than Nellie, played the role with
no emphasis on any particular age-group, and was likeable; Rade
Sherbedgia, though not resembling Pinza, Brazzi. Siepi,Tozzi, Hines,
Keel, -the usual de Becque types, - was somehow RIGHT for that great
role, even so!! His face and demeanor were of a profound and GOOD man,
fitting for Emile. His singing, though unlike his predecessors I've
mentioned, was positively effective, and had a remarkable similarity to
that of JULIO EGLESIAS!!! ; Harry Connick, Jr. , as Joe Cable, and the
actress who did Bloody Mary were IDEAL! ; Robert Pastorelli,as Luther
Billis, ably took care of the comedy dept., and , in this production,
Luther was a hero! (Unfortunately, Lt. Cable dies in this version, also,
- crushing the hopes of poor Liat!!)
Terrymelin
year old Glenn Close I laughed out loud. He could act but couldn't sing. He
wasn't Ezio Pinza (on stage) or Giogio Tozzi (in the film). Close sang OK and
acted it very nicely but was just way too old for the part. Connick was fine.
Production was very nice.
Terry Ellsworth
Terrymelin
>infer that in this production - depicting more accent on GRAVITY of the
>story than the comedic aspects ( which to some extent were also shown) ,
>"Happy Talk" may have been deemed "expendable
The producers, among them Miss Close, made it clear in interviews that they
dropped the song because they considered it racist. Methinks they missed the
point of the whole show. Such close-mindedness.
Terry Ellsworth
michael farris
Terrymelin wrote:
> The producers, among them Miss Close, made it clear in interviews that they
> dropped the song (Happy Talk, maf) because they considered it racist. Methinks
> they missed the
> point of the whole show. Such close-mindedness.
Well that kills any interest I would ever have in seeing this ...
-mike farris
Roger D. White
Has the world gone mad?
Matthew B. Tepper
618.iap.bryant.webtv.net>:
>Happy Talk *racist*?
>Has the world gone mad?
Is it any more "racist" than "I'm an Indian Too" (cut from the current
Broadway revival of Irving Berlin's "Annie Get Your Gun")?
Terrymelin
>Broadway revival of Irving Berlin's "Annie Get Your Gun")?
>
Yes, the world has indeed gone mad. And silly Rosie O'Donnell wouldn't let
Bernadette Peters sing "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" on her show because it
supported guns. Jeez.
Terry Ellsworth
Wilson Nichols
friend said that Nellie should be "young and cute." I told him that since I
was gay, it might have affected how I viewed the role. As for the male
lead, Pinza he wasn't. Not close. Tozzi, even less close. As a matter of
fact, I don't think anyone I've ever heard sing [who could match a pitch]
would have been any worse in the role, which I consider to have some of the
best theatre music EVER written. And I wanted to shake Connick to see if he
were actually awake. Sure, he's cute, but I've heard him SING a hell of a
lot better than he did last night, and again, he has some wonderful music.
Of course, all of this is in my own very humble opinion, but I'm right.
Wilson Nichols
"Terrymelin" <terry...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20010327092626...@ng-fm1.aol.com...
james jorden
<20010327170308...@ng-cu1.aol.com>...
>Yes, the world has indeed gone mad. And silly Rosie O'Donnell wouldn't let
>Bernadette Peters sing "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" on her show because
it
>supported guns. Jeez.
Well, actually the world has gone mad listening to unsupported urban
legends. Peters, O'Donnell and the producers of the show have all denied
that such a thing ever happened.
jj
Andre Edouard
right."
Wilson Nichols
Funny...
I recognize humility when I see it.
Where is it?
AndreEdouard
Evelyn Vogt Gamble (Divamanque)
M. Slater
>I'm probably in the minority, but I thought that Close did a great job.
I watched this last night. What occured to me immedieately is that a musical
requires singing actors. That would imply that the actors could actually sing.
There were some good actors. There were no good singers. Helas. Oh yeah, IMO.
Mark
Peter Butorac
>
>
> Leonard Tillman wrote:
Most of us probably did not see Miss Martin in her broadway run,
but she is reputed to have more than held her own with the
difficult,
but beautifully cast Mr. Pinza.
I was around Times Square in those early days and can add this little
piece of frivolity about her performance. Her big number in the sailor
suit set back the lure of sailor suits to the uniform queens by at least
30 years. PB
Matthew B. Tepper
<3AC19674...@earthlink.net>:
>
>I was around Times Square in those early days and can add this little
>piece of frivolity about her performance. Her big number in the sailor
>suit set back the lure of sailor suits to the uniform queens by at least
>30 years. PB
How many years were there between the first run of "South Pacific" on
Broadway and the Village People's hit tune, "In the Navy"?
Terrymelin
>legends. Peters, O'Donnell and the producers of the show have all denied
>that such a thing ever happened.
All I know is what I read in the papers. The New York Times had an interview
with Peters in which she was quoted as saying the above. So I guess we have an
urban standoff.
Terry Ellsworth
Leonard Tillman
Group: rec.music.opera Date: Wed, Mar 28, 2001, 6:03am (EST+5) From:
evg...@earthlink.net (Evelyn Vogt Gamble (Divamanque))
Talk" is such an imaginative, adorable, just plain CUTE song!!!
Leonard Tillman
"But I will always remember the joy of being so close to Pinza
when he did Some Enchanted Evening. Although still in high school I
was already an opera lover."
I very much envy you that - I would so much have wanted to have
seen (and perhaps met) my all-time favorite basso. I seem to
recall that Mary Martin, in her autobiography, mentioned fondly her
experiences in working with him!!
Leonard Tillman
"Group: rec.music.opera Date: Tue, Mar 27, 2001, 2:26pm (EST+5) From:
terry...@aol.com (Terrymelin)
Weeeelll, according to the imdb.com, she's ONLY 54 - and
therefore, about a YEAR his junior! ("Younger men than I , officers and
doctors probably pursue her, she could have her pick....)