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Post by Milady on Oct 6, 2008 12:01:55 GMT -5
That rings a bell somehow... But I can't figure out why.  Maybe he was in the ensemble of one of the shows I saw??  If I'm not mistaken, he's actually in your signature  . He was the original Max in the Essen cast of Elisabeth. (He has other credits, too, but that's likely where you've heard his name.) |
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Post by Valancy on Oct 6, 2008 12:19:21 GMT -5
Why Uwe why Uwe why Uwe why Uwe?  ?? Now that I got that off my chest, I'm happy with the rest of the cast. I don't know Lisa Antoni but I'm glad they got some newcomer to the role, there's a good chance that she'll be talented since she's not getting the role on name alone, and then we perhaps get new talented stars in the musical world.  I'm happy with Drew, Carin and Wietske. But Uwe? Taaffe has some of the best songs of the show, and they require a really strong singer with an excellent technique and a powerful voice (and with powerful voice I don't mean Uwe shouting until his vocal cords crack). Uwe is a good actor but as a singer he can barely manage those songs in Kunze/Levay musicals which seem specifically written so that someone with his voice type and technique can sing them without too much trouble. For Taaffe he is as nightmarish a choice as he would be for Von Krolock, and I'm really irritated that they're letting him ruin some of the best songs of the musical. Even if his voice magically holds through the songs, his voice type is absolutely wrong for that role. Gah. I hope that his understudy is good. |
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Post by Fantasma da Opera on Oct 6, 2008 12:28:46 GMT -5
Even if his voice magically holds through the songs, his voice type is absolutely wrong for that role. Gah. I hope that his understudy is good. Yeah I hope that too. Though unfortunatly...understudies don't make it to the CDs.  So I supose we'll have to wait for Hitsquad to make another miracle to Uwe's voice as they did with it in Rebecca and Dracula  |
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Post by Valancy on Oct 6, 2008 12:38:27 GMT -5
They can't make that much of a miracle. Unless they do the same miracle they did with the Musical Forever CD and just take Uwe out and replace him with Thomas Borchert. (Or you know, anyone with an adequate voice.) Probably Uwe will sound acceptable on the CD in the sense that the right notes will be there and his voice won't be cracking, but his voice type is just wrong for the role. I now keep hearing in my imagination how Uwe would sound like singing "Master of the Strings" and I don't like it. *wants to find mental earplugs* |
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Post by Fantasma da Opera on Oct 6, 2008 13:28:22 GMT -5
Yeah...though now that Uwe is confirmed I think we can assume that Wildhorn did rewrote Taaffe's score to fit Uwe's voice...and thinking of it...that is even worse...
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Post by Valancy on Oct 6, 2008 13:34:37 GMT -5
Eh, so if he's done that, the songs are not going to be half as good, and if he didn't, then Uwe's going to ruin them. Sweet.
I pity Carin and Lisa for having to sing duets with him (assuming that Taaffe's songs are the same as in the Budapest production). I really wish they made a cast recording of the Budapest production so that Taaffe's songs would be listenable, too. And of course because the rest of the cast rocked, too.
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Post by Fantasma da Opera on Oct 6, 2008 13:51:19 GMT -5
I really wish they made a cast recording of the Budapest production so that Taaffe's songs would be listenable, too. And of course because the rest of the cast rocked, too. They have the Budapest CD "In the works" since the show premiered...but I hope that now that Frank found a good recording agency (Hitsquad) and judging by what he wrote in the Dracula booklet, I hope this will come true sooner ot later. I don't think Operettszinház will leave this show without a Recording. |
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Post by Valancy on Oct 6, 2008 13:53:15 GMT -5
I hope you're right. It's just a bit strange they haven't released one so far. I wonder if the VBW wanted to be the first to release a recording, or something.
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Post by Nene on Oct 6, 2008 18:43:54 GMT -5
I think I am giving up on Wildhorn. Why can't Uwe take a break? |
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Post by Valancy on Oct 7, 2008 4:14:34 GMT -5
wien.orf.at/stories/312857/ Here in the middle of the page is a small video with clips from a couple of songs. Uwe sings a bit of "Master of the Strings" and sounds absolutely dreadful, he can't even hit those notes quite right. Lisa Antoni sings Only Love. I like Lisa in this, her voice is beautiful and she looks right for the part. I'm so glad they decided to go for an unknown new talent for this role. (I dreaded for months that they'd decide to go for Marjan Shaki, whose voice would be awful in the part but who has been everywhere for the past few years. At least I'm glad that there's only one role they cast solely based on name-selling-tickets function and the rest were actually cast based on talent.)
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Post by Lora on Oct 7, 2008 4:45:18 GMT -5
They can't make that much of a miracle. Unless they do the same miracle they did with the Musical Forever CD and just take Uwe out and replace him with Thomas Borchert. Yes... that was a nice miracle ;D |
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Post by Fantasma da Opera on Oct 7, 2008 6:14:18 GMT -5
Uwe sings a bit of "Master of the Strings" and sounds absolutely dreadful, he can't even hit those notes quite right. Lisa Antoni sings Only Love. I loved Lisa, she's really lovely and I think she will be a great Mary. Now as for Uwe...were's Frank? Me and my gun want to have a little chat with him....  Uwe not only ruins the song as he has no idea in which key the song is written...and he had to ruin precicely my favourite song of the show... |
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Post by Valancy on Oct 7, 2008 8:09:23 GMT -5
Oh, I know. I also love the duets Taaffe has with Larisch and Mary, and so I'll have to listen to them on the CD because I love Carin and Lisa, but Uwe will ruin them. The problem with Uwe is that he doesn't have a decent singing technique. He never did, but it's gotten worse over time, and so increasingly, the only way he can get sound coming out of his throat is by forcing his voice out. When you do that, you can't get the notes right; that's one of the basic things about singing. You have to have a decent technique to hit the right notes, and if you force them out as brutally as Uwe forces his voice, it will sound off key and terrible. Taaffe's role requires a powerful, big voice, and so to achieve an illusion of that power Uwe will shout all the more, and so it will sound really awful. I wonder if this will be the last role he performs in musical theatre, because I seriously have trouble imagining him doing a full run in this role and still having a voice after that. Seriously, if you want to hear how Taaffe's songs can sound with good singers, see these videos of the Hungarian production: duet with Countess Larisch (2nd cast Taaffe & 1st cast Larisch): www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo9swRza4SYTaaffe's song with ensemble (Master of the Strings; with 2nd cast Taaffe again because I didn't find the 1st cast one for this song): www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwI8sa9lhToduet with Mary Vetsera, 1st cast www.youtube.com/watch?v=joAGaS0fwJgHow anyone can cast someone who sings as badly as Uwe into this role is beyond me. He can be a decent actor (though I'm wondering if he will pose Taaffe's role through like he did Colloredo, or create an emo!Taaffe like he did emo!Van Helsing, and which one would be worse). I liked his Maxim even if he isn't my ideal for the role, but his voice is failing him nowadays and this role with his voice is a sure way to ruin both. Why on earth did Wildhorn allow it? Usually he at least has great singers in his musicals. There are roles you can sing with a less-than-excellent technique (say, Death, where few actors actually have all that great voices), and there are roles you simply can't, and most Wildhorn's roles are of the latter. Taaffe very emphatically so. But Lisa is good, very good. She even looks quite a bit like the historical Mary, and her singing is lovely. It's hard to get an idea of her acting because Only Love isn't that interesting a song, but I think I'm going to like her as Mary. |
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Post by Fantasma da Opera on Oct 7, 2008 17:06:48 GMT -5
Oh, I know. I also love the duets Taaffe has with Larisch and Mary, and so I'll have to listen to them on the CD because I love Carin and Lisa, but Uwe will ruin them. The problem with Uwe is that he doesn't have a decent singing technique. He never did, but it's gotten worse over time, and so increasingly, the only way he can get sound coming out of his throat is by forcing his voice out. When you do that, you can't get the notes right; that's one of the basic things about singing. You have to have a decent technique to hit the right notes, and if you force them out as brutally as Uwe forces his voice, it will sound off key and terrible. Taaffe's role requires a powerful, big voice, and so to achieve an illusion of that power Uwe will shout all the more, and so it will sound really awful. How anyone can cast someone who sings as badly as Uwe into this role is beyond me. He can be a decent actor (though I'm wondering if he will pose Taaffe's role through like he did Colloredo, or create an emo!Taaffe like he did emo!Van Helsing, and which one would be worse). I liked his Maxim even if he isn't my ideal for the role, but his voice is failing him nowadays and this role with his voice is a sure way to ruin both. Why on earth did Wildhorn allow it? Usually he at least has great singers in his musicals. There are roles you can sing with a less-than-excellent technique (say, Death, where few actors actually have all that great voices), and there are roles you simply can't, and most Wildhorn's roles are of the latter. Taaffe very emphatically so. You can even notice in his face the awfull effort he's doing to sing the song...and honestly, after seeing Zsolt Hommonay singing the song so many times with such a calm and evil expression, seeing Uwe just makes me pitty him... If Uwe "dies" after this Musical...well...at least we can hope for a Revival with an actor who can actually *sing* the role of Taaffe. |
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Post by Fantasma da Opera on Oct 7, 2008 21:16:05 GMT -5
Here's a video of the Press Conference were Drew sings "Ordinary man". This was broadcasted in the Press Conference since Drew is still in London (beware, Uwe ruins a bit more of the song "Die Fäden in der Hand" wich is suposed to be The Master of the Strings/Méster és a drót. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXKrKCXlGts |
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Maybe he was in the ensemble of one of the shows I saw?? 
. He was the original Max in the Essen cast of Elisabeth. (He has other credits, too, but that's likely where you've heard his name.)
??
I'm happy with Drew, Carin and Wietske.
