Sneak peek of Last 5 Years, video of Betsy Wolfe and Adam Kantor

[jacobtsf]

Betsy Wolfe sounds PHENOMENAL!


http://broadwayworld.com/videoplay.php?colid=460344

[Jon]

Why are they in a recording studio? Cutting a cast album before they even begin performances?

[jacobsnchz14]

Maybe it's for a demo... would love to hear it if it becomes available.

[WestwardHoHo]

Sheiss.

[LYLS3637]

2nd sneak peak from LAST FIVE YEARS...

Happy Valentine's Day indeed!


Beautiful!

[barcelona20]

I miss Norbert terribly.

[Kelly2]

Betsy sounds incredible, perfect casting, but I'm not that impressed by Kantor.

[RippedMan]

I continually don't understand why Kantor gets cast? He can't sing. And he can't act.

[ClapYo'Hands]

"He can't sing."

Bit of a bold statement. I think this video disproves that.

[Wildcard]

Kantor is dreamy

[Kelly2]

He can sing fine, I just can't picture him as Jamie. I think Wolfe will overpower him, to me she is in another league.

[RippedMan]

Can't sing is an opinion. I didn't mean it literally. Of course he can carry a tune, but he's nothing special. I just don't see the appeal or why he was a Gabe u/s on Broadway. He looks like 35. And I don't think he'll be able to hold his own against Wolfe.

[SporkGoddess]

I'm not really familiar with Adam Kantor, but in the videos I think his Jamie comes across as how I always think of the character--cute and charming but also a douchebag. So I think he fits the role well, although of course it's hard to tell from clips of them recording songs.

[notzach]

He wasn't a Gabe u/s, he was the Henry vacation swing. He was only ever there when Adam or Brian Justin Crum went on vacation.

Betsy sounds even better than I thought she would and I'm pretty impressed with Adam.

[elphaba.scares.me]

Have you ever met Adam? I think he's amazingly charismatic.

No one, but no one, can pull this one off like Norbert. His performance is so ALIVE on the cast recording, and his comic timing, physicality and musicianship were so effortless. In a way, it threw off the show...he certainly outshined Sherie (no small task) and the show titled heavily in Jamie's favor, because the performance was just outstanding.

That said, I couldn't for the life of me figure out who they were going to get for this revival who would come close. When I heard it was Adam, I thought "yeah, that makes sense." But his biggest challenge may be that he's far more handsome than Norbert, whose looks were appealing, but offbeat. I think he risks coming across as a frat-boy asshole and will have to overcome that.

And who knows--maybe time and distance, a happy marriage and a couple kids have given JRB a different perspective on that relationship, and he is willing to shift the audience's sympathies a little more in Cathy's direction. Ideally, the show should leave the audience seeing both sides of the argument, which I don't think it quite achieved in the original production.

[bjh2114]

I think Adam is a far better singer than about 70% of the young talent out there right now. I think he sounds more than fine in those clips.

[ClapYo'Hands]

"Can't sing is an opinion. I didn't mean it literally. Of course he can carry a tune"

Why say he can't sing then, when it's obvious he can?

[Kelly2]

"Why say he can't sing then, when it's obvious he can?"

I guess for the same reason people nitpick obvious hyperbole on message boards.

[SporkGoddess]

And who knows--maybe time and distance, a happy marriage and a couple kids have given JRB a different perspective on that relationship, and he is willing to shift the audience's sympathies a little more in Cathy's direction. Ideally, the show should leave the audience seeing both sides of the argument, which I don't think it quite achieved in the original production.

I'm not sure that I agree with you there. The only people I know who side with Jamie and hate Cathy are the show's fangirls who love Norbert Leo Butz. Pretty much everyone I've seen on this board thinks that Jamie is a huge jerk. I agree that JRB probably tried to make Jamie more sympathetic, but I don't think that he succeeded.

[Kelly2]

"And who knows--maybe time and distance, a happy marriage and a couple kids have given JRB a different perspective on that relationship, and he is willing to shift the audience's sympathies a little more in Cathy's direction. Ideally, the show should leave the audience seeing both sides of the argument, which I don't think it quite achieved in the original production."

This is why I think it's a mistake for JRB to direct the production. Very, very rarely are writers good at directing their own work, and this is a particularly thorny piece for him to have complete creative control over.

[ClapYo'Hands]

"I guess for the same reason people nitpick obvious hyperbole on message boards."

Which is not nearly as annoying as those who make these statements in the first place.

[SondheimFan5]

He sounds "fine" and passable - no more than fine. It makes it more tricky when you have someone as good as Betsy.

[shrekster224]

I love both of their voices. Besty, of course is amazing, but Adam has a unique sound that I like. Haven't seen or really researched the show, but can't wait to see it.

[RippedMan]

Meaning, sure, he can carry a tune but he doesn't do anything that's interesting. His voice is fine and passable, but it's nothing I need to listen to. Where as with Wolfe, I think she has such a great, strong voice.

[dtzumbrunnen]

A new one is up.
It's Just Betsy. Enjoy Adam Haters.

[LYLS3637]

She is brilliant. Holy cow that voice is perfection...

I'm guessing Kantor is one of those people that those here love to hate. I'll reserve judgement until I see him perform the entire show, but what I enjoy about him (particularly in Rent) is that he's not a hammy actor. He tends to play things very grounded without a "look at me!" delivery style.