Remember how Broadway stars used to sound so different from each other

The difference of being trained to sing to the back of the house vs being mic’d up 😢

TBT, the majority of performers today are trying to sound like pop stars more than themselves, trying to oversing and riff everything when many simply don’t have the ability to do that.

Excellent. Not often I come across a clip of Bea Arthur I’ve never seen before.

It started in the '80s after the heyday of Sondheim in the 70s. I went to Boston University theater arts in 82 and I distinctly remember how the Sondheim sound was taking over every single vocal actor in my school. By the '90s every single Broadway actor had the exact same sound.

‘S why I listen to Michael John LaChiusa’s work - he loves a unique sound and he’s modern. Eartha Kitt, Mary Testa, Mark Kudisch, Priscilla Lopez, Audra, Daphne Rubin-Vega. I find the scores/stories easy to follow (?!) because everyone has such a unique voice. OBC Wild Party 🥰

Love this. Is this a bit from the Tony awards?

Yup! 1986 Tony awards—it’s in full here

Absolutely. By the way, Dorothy Loudon was just sensational wasn’t she? Did you ever see this one? I don’t think anyone has hit this combo in quite the same way.

Or even more notably, how Broadway stars used to sound so different from themselves/their own work depending on the role.

Cuz producers today prefer a replaceable track performer vs. real personalities.

I remember discovering this while listening to the different “Anything Goes” cast recordings, it’s striking how different the voices in the 1989 recording sounds compared to the 2011 one

Aww, there’s Nell. I worked with her on her TV special, and although she could be a handful, we got on great. An incredible talent.

OMG, Nell Carter! THAT'S a good throw back.

Was that Sandy Duncan? Same thing happened to movies too. There used to be a variety of celebs and now they seem like cookie cutters. Give me Ethel Merman and Ernest Borgnine.

So Madonna wasn't the one who sang the Evita song in a lower key

Ugh imagine if we could get the original audio and video and remaster it

Yeah they all have that weird pointed nasally voice now. I can’t explain it

I find that men still differ but there is a cookie cutter thing on with the women.