Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman for no more musicals, please

[SonofRobbieJ]

^ Well..that's fine. I have friends who HATE Audra McDonald's voice an cannot understand how I have a Pandora channel dedicated to her.

[kieranbec]

I think that Anne Hathaway is great. So is Jackman. Also, Marion Cotillard should be removed from the list. Her performance was one of the standouts in Nine. Also Kidman can sing well, but people shouldn't cast her in roles outside of her solid alto range.

[best12bars]

Audra is a goddess, but I still didn't like her "Juilliard sound" as Sarah in Ragtime. I much preferred LaChanze in that particular role.

But Audra is an incredible actor/singer.

I really enjoyed Hugh Jackman as Curly in Oklahoma!, even though I'm not a fan of his voice. His acting and his interpretation of the character were terrific, and that won me over completely.

I wouldn't mind seeing Anne, Hugh, Marion, or Nicole in other movie musicals, because they can all act (well) and sing (well enough) at the same time.

"Sounds crazy, no? But here in our little village of Hollywood ..."

[Jordan Catalano]

"Audra is a goddess, but I still didn't like her "Juilliard sound" as Sarah in Ragtime. I much preferred LaChanze in that particular role."

HOW. DARE. YOU.

[best12bars]

I dare, I dare!

Audra was the "after" Eliza Doolittle instead of the "before."

[Jordan Catalano]

I repeat, sir - HOW. DARE. YOU.

[SonofRobbieJ]

I saw LaChanze (but not Audra...though I did see video footage of her doing Daddy's Son).

I could see LaChanze work REEEEEEEAL hard to make the sounds she was making.

[ComingUpRoses2]

I really love Anne's voice. Thought Hugh did ok until "Bring Him Home." They should have lowered the keys for that.

I might not want to buy their albums, but I think there's more to musical theatre or movie musicals than a nice voice. I'd rather have someone with musicality and a passable voice than someone with a phenomenal voice and no personality or acting ability. That's one thing I can't stand these days on Broadway - everybody has the same voice. It's too pure and pop-ish. There are very few true personalities that stand out. Give me someone with a little character any day of the week.

Now, this is not to say that I want Nicole Kidman or Marion Cotillard to play Evita or something (we all know she could never handle it, but neither could Madonna if we're being honest), but I know she'd act the hell out of Desiree or a role of that nature. You still have to cast them appropriately.

[best12bars]

I might not want to buy their albums, but I think there's more to musical theatre or movie musicals than a nice voice.

Exactly my point.

I'll go even further. This movie would not be a hit if it weren't for the cinematography that everybody says "sucks" around here.

You're all wrong. HOW DARE YOU. (That's for Jordy.)

The lyrics to Les Miz SUCK. They are the most pedantic, demonstrative lyrics ever written by an English-speaking theatre critic who translated in such literal terms from the original French.

They suck.

"Empty Chairs At Empty Tables" (really? we can SEE that.)

"On my own pretending he's beside me" (really? we can SEE that.)

All they do is tell you what you're looking at on the stage (or screen). They're stage directions, not lyrics.

So the only subtext and depth you could possibly get out of them is having them "sung well" on stage, and for film ... having a camera shoved into your face so we can watch your big, giant face add the subtext that is sorely missing from the material.

So I love the acting in this "Les Miz" movie (except for Crowe), and I love the cinematography that allows the acting to fill the screen, when the sucky lyrics can't do the job "on their own."

[CarlosAlberto]

Well we what did you expect from the guy who also supplied the lyrics to "Can Heironymus Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness?"