BrightEyes
|
Miming?I read somewhere that not all of the performers sing live... is that true?
Have any of you been to a performance and noticed someone miming? I'm guessing it would be easy to tell if you were on one of the front rows.
|
DramaRobin2002
|
I've never heard of it being done in Wicked. The only show I remember hearing about it occasionally happening in is Phantom for Christine's high note at the end of The Phantom of the Opera.
|
MademoiselleMusicals
|
Woah I never knew that about Phantom! 
|
ConverseSneaker
|
Actually, almost all of that scene is done miming I think. Because, they have a double go across the stage, and then another go on the stairs, and then the real pair come out in the boat. But yes, it's true about the last note.
|
DramaRobin2002
|
| ConverseSneaker wrote: | | Actually, almost all of that scene is done miming I think. Because, they have a double go across the stage, and then another go on the stairs, and then the real pair come out in the boat. But yes, it's true about the last note. |
I would guess that with the doubles, they would be singing it from backstage. That's what they do with Wicked for "Have another drink, my dark eyed beauty".
|
Baker
|
| DramaRobin2002 wrote: | | I would guess that with the doubles, they would be singing it from backstage. That's what they do with Wicked for "Have another drink, my dark eyed beauty". |
Of course... can you imagine Joel Grey or George Hearn coming out and doing those slick dance moves? And actually, I believe that's a recording, not sung offstage... because they play it again in the finale.
|
BrightEyes
|
That's good - I'm glad none of them mime.
I'm going to try and find the place where I read that - it's bugging me now.
|
Jenko
|
Please don't think I'm being patronising but I dont know if this is widely known in the real world... but shows are click tracked (all recorded in studios) especially the chorus, so they don't mime, they sing along so there is a rich sound and there isnt as much strain on the performers.
This might as well be the case for principals as well
|
Baker
|
Erm... I don't know if that's always true. I could definitely tell during Wicked that they were actually singing because they were as great as the beginning as they usually are... but they got better as the show went on... It was definitely real.
|
what_the_heck013
|
Idina Menzel never actually sang Defying Gravity... she just mimed it.
 Kidding.
|
DramaRobin2002
|
| Baker wrote: | | DramaRobin2002 wrote: | | I would guess that with the doubles, they would be singing it from backstage. That's what they do with Wicked for "Have another drink, my dark eyed beauty". |
Of course... can you imagine Joel Grey or George Hearn coming out and doing those slick dance moves? And actually, I believe that's a recording, not sung offstage... because they play it again in the finale. |
Actually, I could see Joel doing those dance moves. He's the best dancer out of any Wizard I've seen. Anyway, I think they use a recording for the ending but I've heard the "Have another drink" sound different even when I see the same actor playing the Wizard. So unless they rerecord it often...
|
Amy_Vocalist
|
| Jenko wrote: | Please don't think I'm being patronising but I dont know if this is widely known in the real world... but shows are click tracked (all recorded in studios) especially the chorus, so they don't mime, they sing along so there is a rich sound and there isnt as much strain on the performers.
This might as well be the case for principals as well |
I don't.
I went to see the Rocky Horror Show on Tuesday and the Cast were definatly not miming. I was 4 rows from the front.
I could see miming being used in a show with lots of hard dance. Such as Cats. But then only to thicken the sound.
|
Baker
|
| DramaRobin2002 wrote: | | Baker wrote: | | DramaRobin2002 wrote: | | I would guess that with the doubles, they would be singing it from backstage. That's what they do with Wicked for "Have another drink, my dark eyed beauty". |
Of course... can you imagine Joel Grey or George Hearn coming out and doing those slick dance moves? And actually, I believe that's a recording, not sung offstage... because they play it again in the finale. |
Actually, I could see Joel doing those dance moves. He's the best dancer out of any Wizard I've seen. Anyway, I think they use a recording for the ending but I've heard the "Have another drink" sound different even when I see the same actor playing the Wizard. So unless they rerecord it often... |
Yeah, I guess I could see Joel getting away with it, and possibly Ben Vereen... but it's probably easier to just do what they (assumedly) do and throw Fiyero in a long coat and hat.
|
DramaRobin2002
|
| Baker wrote: | | DramaRobin2002 wrote: | | Baker wrote: | | DramaRobin2002 wrote: | | I would guess that with the doubles, they would be singing it from backstage. That's what they do with Wicked for "Have another drink, my dark eyed beauty". |
Of course... can you imagine Joel Grey or George Hearn coming out and doing those slick dance moves? And actually, I believe that's a recording, not sung offstage... because they play it again in the finale. |
Actually, I could see Joel doing those dance moves. He's the best dancer out of any Wizard I've seen. Anyway, I think they use a recording for the ending but I've heard the "Have another drink" sound different even when I see the same actor playing the Wizard. So unless they rerecord it often... |
Yeah, I guess I could see Joel getting away with it, and possibly Ben Vereen... but it's probably easier to just do what they (assumedly) do and throw Fiyero in a long coat and hat. |
They do usually have Fiyero go out. I'm guessing because he's the only male cast member, other than the Wizard himself, who isn't in the ensemble for No One Mourns. Since he's supposed to be younger, it makes sense.
|
Jenko
|
| Amy_Vocalist wrote: | | Jenko wrote: | Please don't think I'm being patronising but I dont know if this is widely known in the real world... but shows are click tracked (all recorded in studios) especially the chorus, so they don't mime, they sing along so there is a rich sound and there isnt as much strain on the performers.
This might as well be the case for principals as well |
I don't.
I went to see the Rocky Horror Show on Tuesday and the Cast were definatly not miming. I was 4 rows from the front.
I could see miming being used in a show with lots of hard dance. Such as Cats. But then only to thicken the sound. |
Sorry, I did not mean to say ALL shows, but a lot of shows are. I have done shows where only a couple of songs are clicked because of the choerography but it was only the chorus' parts that were clicked and they still sang along full voice.
|
TR_Wolf
|
Gaston's final yell as he falls from the castle battlements in Beauty and the Beast is pre-recorded, as is the "Dont be stupid be a smartie..." line from The Producers. The Pharoah's voice in Joseph is sometimes pre-recorded when he's first heard (behind the mask).
Shows I've been in where people on stage (non principals) are dancing and so may be strained (ie La Cage Aux Folles), several/many of the other cast and chorus are usually singing off stage into mics to keep the sound rich.
I dont know many shows that use an actual pre-recorded song as there are far too many things that can go wrong with that, the most Ive known is some pre-recorded chorus/harmonies, but thats about it.
|
Luc
|
In my production of The Sound of Music we recorded the Nuns singing for the scene right after the party (the one that leads into Climb Ev'ry Mountain) because everybody was doing quick-changes so they were huffing and puffing. They were onstage, they were just lip-synching to themselves.
So sometimes it's pre-recorded because the actors just can't do it while they are changing/doing a scene change/touching up make-up etc.
|
Baker
|
| TR_Wolf wrote: | | Shows I've been in where people on stage (non principals) are dancing and so may be strained (ie La Cage Aux Folles), several/many of the other cast and chorus are usually singing off stage into mics to keep the sound rich. |
Oh, that's not uncommon at all though, is it? We did that during Be Our Guest in Beauty and the Beast, because half the chorus (Napkins, Vase, etc.) stood backstage during nothing through most of the song.
Our Beast's lines at the end were also pre-recorded, because we used a stunt-double and our real Beast was off changing into the Prince.
|
