What I Think about Carrie Underwood playing Maria in “The Sound of Music” Remake

By: Tabitha Garnica

“How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria” ~ The Sound of Music

I always find interesting the difference between casting for live theatre and casting for movies.  In live theatre there is no auto-tune and it is much harder to hide weaknesses. On Broadway, someone has to be equipped to give a solid performance 8 times a week.  In movies, not only can you auto-tune; you can do a complete voice over i.e; Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady and Natalie Wood in West Side Story.  Additionally, all they have to do is give one good take, and they are set forever.

Using pop stars and movie stars for movie musicals is not always popular among the theatre world.  I know many people got upset when Zac Efron was chosen to play Link in Hairspray.  Additionally, when Marlon Brando was set to play Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, many people were not happy with the final product.  However, sometimes it works.  I have never heard anyone complain about Catherine Zeta-Jones in the movie Chicago.  I have heard mixed reviews about Russel Crowe playing Javert in the upcoming movie Les Misérables.  No one seems to be too nervous about Hugh Jackman, but of course, he is a Broadway man.

 

When I first heard that Carrie Underwood was slated to play Maria in a TV remake of The Sound of Music I was not sure what to feel. 

When I really thought about it, I doubted she had the proper soprano for the role.  I expect her to be auto-tuned or maybe have the keys transposed. 

The pop world makes their living off auto-tune.  Yes, many of them do have real talent.  I know Underwood won American Idol which does not include auto-tune.  However, pop singers can really get away with a lot.  They make albums hiding their flaws with technology and then get cast in a leading role in a musical that someone on Broadway worked their vocal cords off mastering.  If Underwood were to audition for this role on Broadway, this would probably be a different story.  Not to mention, I have no idea if she even acts well. All in all, movies seem to be more about the name and Broadway is more about the talent.  That is why I have so much more respect for Broadway performers.

Putting Underwood aside, I have a question.  Why the heck are they remaking The Sound of Music?! It is a classic! You cannot touch Julie Andrews! That would be like remaking Titanic or The Wizard of Oz.  I just do not see the need.  I wish the movie musical world could come up with new ideas for musicals rather than remaking what is not broken.  Did you know there used to be a time in which movie musicals were made completely originally and WERE GOOD! Bring back the days of Singin’ in the Rain! That musical was completely original.  It had not been on Broadway and it was not a remake.  They better not remake Singin’ in the Rain.  Gene Kelly would turn over in his grave!! But why can’t we come up with our own original musicals without giving it a nauseating sense of corniness or pop (High School Musical)?  They just do not make them like they used to.  Well, I have high hopes for Les Miz at least.  Until then, let us give Underwood a chance, but question what has happened to the movie musical world. 

Why We Love Ethel Merman

By: Tabitha Garnica

"I wouldn't trust any man as far as you can throw a piano."

“I can never remember being afraid of an audience.  If the audience could do better, they’d be up here on stage and I’d be down there watching them.” ~ Ethel Merman

Ethel Merman was one of the first female Broadway powerhouses.  She paved the way for so many present-day Broadway babies such as, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, and Sutton Foster. Her voice is so recognizable and unique and she is the queen of belters.

Why does this make her so special?  Well in the first place, altos have enough problems finding suitable leading lady roles in musical theatre. (This deserves its own blog post so stay tuned).  Ethel Merman originated some of the greatest alto leading lady roles such as: Annie Oakley(Annie Get Your Gun), Reno Sweeney (Anything Goes), Rose(Gypsy) and Sally Adams(Call Me Madam). 

Her roles always seem to have the wonderful mix of grace and humor.  She gave her roles this quality because from all the documentaries I have seen and books I have read that feature her, she had an extremely spunky personality.  Shockingly, she never received professional voice lessons and when a critic suggested that she needed them, she told him to take a hike.  Mary Martin was up for a Tony award for playing Maria in The Sound of Music the same year Merman was up for playing Rose in Gypsy.  After Martin won, Merman said, “Ya Can’t Buck a Nun!”

Ethel Merman also performed in movies and concerts. If you were to go to a Merman concert not only would you be in store for a night of beautiful talent; you would also be in store for a night of quality comedy.  She used humor to comment on her career and her personal life.  Merman seemed to be a person who handled the challenges life through at her with strength and sass while conducting a fabulous Broadway career.  Female performers can accredit much inspiration and motivation from her example.  She will always be remembered by the Broadway community for her killer voice, her comedic instincts, and her fascinating personality.

           

Why I Love “Ol’ Man River”

By: Tabitha Garnica

“He must know somethin’ but don’t say nothin’.  He just keeps rollin’, he keeps on rollin’ along.”~ Show Boat

This song is absolutely breathtaking.  Show Boat is a musical that starts off as a simple happy-go-lucky musical, but then it takes a turn and discusses racial intolerance.  Julie, the star of the Show Boat, has just been discharged because it has been revealed that she is half African American.  Joe, the African American who works on the boat, bids her farewell and sings this ballad about the Mississippi River.  The river is symbolic for the freedom the African Americans hunger for.  

Confessions of a Theatre Nerd

By: Tabitha Garnica

“I’m as restless as a willow in a windstorm.  I’m as jumpy as a puppet on a string.”~ State Fair

I definitely consider myself a theatre nerd.  As a theatre nerd, there a probably many things I do regularly that most people do not.  I decided to write them down in the hope that maybe I am not the only theatre nerd that does these things, and maybe we can all come together in our weirdness and be open about it.

1.      I watch the same movies over and over again

2.      While I watch a movie, I pretend I am playing a certain character and act along with them

3.      I cast shows in my head for fun

4.      I’ll dress myself up in costumes for no reason

5.      I make fake playbills

6.      I’ll sing along to an entire soundtrack pretending to be a specific character

7.      I have to bring theatre into everything, i.e: school projects and conversations

8.      I sing songs completely out of my range on purpose

9.      I read audition announcements for fun

10.  I can recite shows in their entirety  

Top 10 Tragic Love Songs of Musical Theatre

by: Tabitha Garnica

What do you get when you fall in love?  You only get lies and pain and sorrow.”~ Promises, Promises

Musical theatre has such a vast array of love songs and characters.  The love songs that seem to have the most emotional effect on me are the ones which are tragic.  A tragic love song could be a song in which a character is expressing their love, but instead of being romantic and joyful, it gives off a sense of sadness and hopelessness.  It could be because the lover is not being treated right, love is lost, love is forbidden, or love is unrequited.  No matter the reason, the song pulls on your heart strings because it reminds you of those times when love is not all roses. 

So ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present to you, my top ten tragic love songs of musical theatre!

10. Hopelessly Devoted to You- Grease

Poor Sandy.  After a seemingly perfect summer, the boy she has been in love with has turned into a jackass.  She feels like she does not know him anymore and he no longer seems interested. However, her heart still beats for him even though it goes against all logic.  But do not feel too bad for her.  SPOILER ALERT: she gets him in the end J

 9. Lonely Room~ Oklahoma!    

Jud Frye: love him or hate him?  It seems to depend on how he is portrayed.  Either way this song completely illustrates his sadness and his desperateness.  The only thing that stops us from being completely sympathetic towards him is how creepy he is….so Jud….tone it down a notch, stop being a stalker, find a girl who actually likes you, and get out of that disturbing room! 

8.  I’ll Never Fall in Love Again ~ Promises, Promises

This song always has and always will have a special place in my heart.  When I first heard it on a Broadway CD, I thought it was so sad.  These two characters are expressing all the pain that love has caused them.  When I saw the actual show on Broadway with Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth, I saw it in a whole new light.  It was still sad, because I had fell in love with these characters and neither of them deserved the pain that love caused them.  However, in the show it has an element of sweetness because the characters are falling in love with each other as they are singing about the horrors of love! It’s okay! You two are perfect for each other! It will be alright J

7. Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man of Mine ~ Show Boat

Julie truly is a tragic lover.  She is head over heels for her husband, who goes out gambling all night and does not treat her the way she is meant to be treated.  He does lover her, but he is not the best at showing it, and he eventually leaves her, which causes her to become an emotional wreck.

6. What’s the Use of Wonderin’ ~ Carousel

It is very difficult not to love Julie Jordon.  She is the sweetest and even maybe the most tragic wife ever portrayed in musical theatre.  Her husband, Billy Bigalow, is lost in his desperate need for money.  He blames her for his failures to the point of even beating her.  Everything he touches seems to break and he speaks to her as if she were his servant.  Either way, she loves him deeply and would come running to him any time he would call.

5. I’m Not that Girl~ Wicked

Elphaba expresses the feelings of every girl that has ever had the “Taylor Swift Syndrome.”  Fiyero has won her heart, yet she feels she has no chance against the perfectly beautiful Galinda.

4. As Long as He Needs Me~ Oliver!

I have never actually seen this musical, however I have heard this song so many times, and each time it makes me cry.  This song is about a girl so resolved in her love for a man that she is committing herself to him ‘As Long as He Needs’ her.  Again, it seems as though he is not showing her the same love.

3.  We Kiss in a Shadow ~ The King and I

Oh, forbidden love.  This song is absolutely beautiful.  These two love each other in secret.  This love is so strong that they are willing to risk being found and killed for it.

2. This Nearly was Mine ~ South Pacific

One of the main reasons I am in love with the character of Emile DeBeque is because of this song.  All through the show, his love for Nellie has seemed so beautifully perfect and romantic.  Yet, she slipped through his fingers because of racial intolerance.  He is a loving man with a past, and all he desires in the world is the love of his woman. 

1.      On My Own ~ Les Misérables

For me at least, this song was the obvious winner.  Any girl who has ever felt invisible to the man she loves can relate and be touched by this song.  Eponine would do anything for Marius, even if it led to her death. …There are not enough words.

"God I Hope I Get It!"

by Tabitha Garnica

How Many People Does He Need?  How Many Boys, How Many Girls?”  ~ A Chorus Line

"Look at all the people!"

What is the hardest part about being in love with theatre? AUDITIONING! That has always been the hardest part for me.  It is absolutely horrible.  I spend weeks and sometimes even months annoying my family with my singing, doing monologues in front of a mirror, stressing about what song to sing, and obsessing about what outfit is going to give off the “vibe” I am looking for. 

Anyone who has ever auditioned for anything in their lives can attest that there is probably nothing else that gives off such a feeling of vulnerability.  We expose all of our “hidden” talents, and leave them for complete strangers to judge and compare to the talents of others.

I always hate myself before an audition.  I could have been chilling at home, completely calm, but instead I made myself go through such an emotional roller-coaster.  Someone once told me that if you ever meet an actor who tells you they do not get nervous before auditioning, they are lying.  I believe that completely.  It is such intimidating experience that I do not think I will ever be completely calm doing, no matter how simple the audition is, or how many auditions I go to.  Of course, with more experience, you do learn the “tricks of the trade” and I guess you become less “baffled” by the process. 

When I am at an audition, everyone else seems more talented, more calm, more prepared, and more worthy.  My mind becomes completely irrational and I start thinking things like, “She’s wearing leggings! That means she is better dancer than I am!”, “She’s wearing more makeup than I am! I’m so ugly!”; “She is blonde! She is totally going to get this part!” I do not even have to see these people perform.  My mind has already constructed specific reasons why everyone else in the room has a better chance than I do.  They all look so professional and if they look confident, that means their resumé is obviously better than mine.  Additionally, before even getting to know them, I dislike them because they are obstacles. The funny thing is they are all thinking the exact same thing about me! So basically it is a room full of people giving each other the stink eye.   

 For me at least, this anxiety only grows the longer I am waiting.  I am hearing people getting called up to audition and half of me wants to get it all over with, the other half of me is praying to not get called up next, and all of me wants to pee in my pants!  Some of the other people waiting are practicing their material, others are socializing to calm nerves, and people like me are in their own zones of catatonia.  Everyone is trying to listen into the audition room, and the tension starts to rise if we hear someone sing an incredible note. 

 I would be willing to bet that my heart has skipped a beat every single time my name or number has been called in an audition.  I walk into a room to find a table of “authority” figures, which are prepared to judge me. 

 I have heard many pieces of advice from successful actors on how to get through auditioning.  One of my favorite words of advice was in a video interview with Kelli O’Hara.  She explained how those people behind the table want you to be their answer.  They are actually routing for you right from the beginning, so to let yourself be intimidated by them is only hindering you from doing justice to all you have to give.  If the part is right for you, you’ll get it, so do not make it harder for yourself by letting the nerves get to you.

 

 The truth is, even the best of the best have had their flops.  All we can do is our best.  My best auditions are not only the ones in which I get the part is set out to get.  My best auditions are the ones in which I leave the room knowing that I gave it all I had.  

Getting Bitten by the Theatre Bug

by: Tabitha Garnica

"Our days are tied to curtains, they rise and they fall."

“We’re a special kind of people known as Show People. We live in a world of our own.”~ Curtains

We all have a story about the event or series of events in which we were first drawn to the theatre.  Many people call this, “getting bitten by the theatre bug.”  For those of you who do not know, the theatre bug is a phrase used to define the seemingly irrational urge or desire of one to make theatre a major part of one’s life. 

 The truth is, we theatre people are crazy. We have to be.  Think about it.  We spend our lives watching shows, listening to the same songs over and over again, subjecting ourselves to the horrible experience of auditioning, dreaming of the horrifying experience of performing in front of hundreds, and enduring the pain of constant rejection and disappointment.  The scariest part is –we love it!

The movie cover I memorized when I was a kid

  How was I bitten by the theatre bug?  Well, my dad walked into work one day and came across a co-worker grieving the loss of her father.  While he was comforting her, she spoke about the enormously positive affect her father had on her life.  What she was most thankful for was that her father gave her a love of theatre and old movies.  It had made her the person she grew up to be, and gave them a bond that was unlike any other.  This resonated with my dad, and he decided to try this out with his painfully shy five year old daughter.  One day, he brought home the movie, Meet Me in St.Louis starring Judy Garland. I vividly remember staring at the cover of the movie after I had seen it, as if I had just discovered gold.   That was it.  I was hooked.  I started watching musical after musical, and have not stopped since.  And yes, it did give me and my father an incredible bond, and I am thankful for this every day of my life. 

 No one saw my theatre bug bite coming.  As I previously stated, I was painfully shy.  I was “that girl” who was too shy to even get up to receive her diploma in pre-school.  If someone who I did not know spoke to me, I simply refused to speak back.  I had this tiny voice which very closely resembled that of a mouse.  It is probably the biggest irony of my life that theatre is such a passion.  It usually happens to those children who are hams, and do outgoing comedy routines for their parents, or always feel the need to be the center of attention.  But no.  It happened to me, and let me say that this has made my life as a theatre person incredibly interesting.

The truth is, you never know who will get bitten by the theatre bug. Look for the clear signs.  Symptoms may include: constant daydreaming, singing when they think no one is listening, watching the same musical or play millions of times, and reading audition notices as if their lives depended on it.  If you or a loved one has been affected by the theatre bug, PLEASE, foster this passion carefully, immerse yourself in this beautiful world, and NEVER let anyone EVER talk you out of it.