OLD BROADWAY/NEW BROADWAY

Well, the Tony's are all passed out and the Broadway season is over.  How wonderful that the musical theatre awards went to singers with distinctive, unique voices.  Let's face it . . . when you hear Patti Lupone sing, whether you like her voice or not, you know it's her.  The same can be said for the lovely Laura Benanti, who I have known since she was 19 and Kelli O'Hara, both of whom are "New Broadway" stars but are equal in individuality to the ingenues and leading ladies of the past.  Unlike so many of the thousands of kids being ground out of MFA Musical Theatre programs all over the country designed to "fit" the current sound or the screechy little "Legally Blonde" wannabe's who you basically cannot tell apart.  This leads me to speak about a reading I did last week of a new musical based on the hilarious Susan Seidelman film, Boynton Beach Club.  It featured a cast of fifteen actors, most "of a certain age" (including Tony nominees and winners), each and every one  with a distinctive, unique,  voice.  No cookie cutter techniques, no "chorus girl/boy" sound, everybody was an individual and together we rocked the joint!  Of course, we had no microphones and sound mixers to mess with our beautiful sound, but, I'll tell you, when I heard those six guys sing "Dirty Old Men" in four-part harmony and when we "girls" did three-part girl group singing, I was in heaven.  To bring this back to teaching . . . this is the kind of teaching I believe in.  Finding your true voice.  Your most beautiful, healthy, free voice.