Ok, so I've had my little procrastination moment this morning and watched Susan Boyle perform on Britain's Got Talent (YouTube won't let me embed the video).
As former a musical theatre junkie, I am intimately acquainted with her song, "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables. Now, I have to say that I was moved by her performance, but I think that that was due--at least in part--to the song itself, which is incredibly moving. To contrast, please listen to Ruthie Henshall (from the "Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert" 10th Anniversary performance in October 1995):
*Tears!* Boyle's excessive vibrato seems empty in comparison to Henshall's powerful but very well-controlled interpretation. Just singing loudly and vibrato-y does NOT a good singer make: Vibrato is not a toy, people! Nor is it a substitute for thoughtful interpretation or musical ability.
I was more impressed by this dude (Paul Potts):
At 0:27, he looks EXACTLY the way I feel when I'm forced to sing in front of people (and also, I imagine, the way people look when they're forced to listen to me sing in front of them). He sounds a tiny bit better than I do, though.
My confession: this is the FIRST TIME I've ever, ever watched one of these reality TV talent shows. You know what this means? I have never encountered Simon Cowell before. There's something quite... sexy, about him, isn't there? It's weird. In the video of Susan Boyle, he does these odd things with his eyebrows, and with Paul Potts, he's playing with a pen in his mouth. I'm a little disturbed. Is he like this on American Idol?
**If you want to listen to another musical theatre exemplar, go to YouTube and type in Lea Salonga.
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