Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Could I Leave You? The Miller's Son? Wait... I'll write you a letter...

Hello all! No real news to report, but I thought that since I'll be going to solo classes today, I will share the newest additions to my repertoire.

I've gotten two Sondheim numbers, although, alas, it isn't anything from Sweeney Todd.

The first is The Miller's Son from A Little Night Music. In case you were wondering: The quick bits are called patter and yes, they are in fact a pain in the ass to sing.



The other on is Could I Leave You? from Follies. I'm a bit young for it, but I love the wording and the absolute sarcasm oozing through. I tend to sing it with a bit more suppressed violence, though, because there's this idea in the back of my mind that the lady's in fact deciding between poison and a knife. Not that I'd blame her either way around. Her husband did propose to someone else while still married to her...


It's lots of fun to sing more shady characters after weeks of singing Tuptim from The King and I.

Sadly, as much as I have tried over the years, I never quite managed the doe-eyed vulnerable I'm a princess act. And sadly, Tuptim as written my Msrs. Rogers and Hammerstein is as close to a Mary Sue as I've ever  been forced to become...

Luckily I get to sing the Countess in Sull'aria from The Marriage of Figaro. In it, the Countess and her maidservant plot to catch her husband being unfaithful. They do this by writing a letter together, saying that the servants want to meet him in a forrest when night falls. Of course, it will be the countess that shows up wearing a veil. (Susana the servant is writing the letter.)



So that's me for today. Anyone else share my love for darker characters?

3 comments:

susan said...

Oh yes but perhaps you won't like this one - the devil in the Witches of Eastwick when he sings about the small town - well all the characters - the women who are tempted and the old women and their song "Dirty laundry" ....also I love and play the lament from Chess a lot if that counts!

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

I didn't realize you sang. I guess I'll learn quite a bit about you on this blog rather than your writing blog. My daughter loves being on stage, but does not sing well. So she acts and does it quite well.

Victoria Dixon said...

I've been tempted to ask if you sang because of how often you've mentioned practicing and recitals, but these don't necessarily mean singing.... LOL I've sung a lot in the past, though I've long since let myself go. Would love to hear you sometime! Yes, I love the tormented,and/or fully realized characters of Les Miserables. That's probably my favorite musical. Javert rocks as a twisted personality, Fantine is fun to sing with all the pathos I can muster (and I AM good at Pathos if I do say so) and Cosette is technically challenging for me. :D