American idol Recap: The Top 6 Tackle the Man Who Destroyed Broadway


Bias check: Yup, I'm one of those effete musical theatre snobs who idolizes Sondheim and loathes Andrew Lloyd Webber.

I lived in NYC in the late 80s and was pursing that starving artist dream, mostly focused on Broadway musical theatre glory. Sad to say there was very little Broadway glory to be found in those days, and I really lay much of the decline of innovative and original Broadway work at the feet of god old ALW. It was he and his producing partner who introduced the concept of the "blockbuster" to Broadway, and figured if they gave people some kind of spectacle, be it falling chandeliers, helicopters landing on stage, women belting it out at impossible registers and the like, they wouldn't notice the derivative music and florid lyrics.

Sadly, he was right about that.

So when Ryan said "the man responsible for most of the important musicals of our time" I about fell out of my chair. Important? No. Schlocky? Yes.

Doesn't help that ALW is a creepy little gnome of a guy too. There, I said it.

All that being said: he did have some good advice for the Idols, and it wasn't as horrific an evening as it could have been. Frankly his songs come off better when NOT sung by straining divas and whiny pop tenors. I thought he had some great things to say about communicating, knowing the story about which you're singing and so on.

So, there. I did have something positive to say.

But, how did they do:

1. Syesha sang One Rock and Roll Too Many from Starlight Express

Starlight Express is an utterly forgettable show about train cars on roller skates. I don't remember this song from it at all. About all I remember from this show is that an actor got injured partway through the show, and someone else just rolled on in to replace them. Also, Andrea McArdle was in the broadway production, and it was kind of odd to see Annie all grown up as the roller skating tramp train car. Maybe this song was that character's? Anyway, Syesha looked very cute in her red dress and bare feet. While she was off from the band in the very beginning she quickly recovered to deliver a sassy, sexy-in-a-sweet-not-sultry-way performance. And Ricky Minor was all over being in the spotlight for once, didn't you think? Definitely one of the stronger performances.

Bottom line: Despite being one of the stronger performances, I still think Syesha is at risk. At this point half of them have to be in the Bottom 3, and the two Davids seem absolutely unstoppable.

2. Jason sang Memory from Cats

Cats. What everything aspires to be "much better than." Cats is cute if you like cats. And like to see humans imitating cats. I do like cats, so I didn't particularly dislike seeing this. But would I see it again? No need, my friends, there would be nothing new to mine from that material. Anyway, back to Jason: Oh my. This was very Joe Cocker "You Are So Beautiful To Me", and I wrote that down before Paula babbled it. Only problem is: I hate that song. This was a weird song choice for Jason...who is probably the most disappointing idol to me, because I really really loved him early on. There was no dynamic range whatsoever. I mean, this approach could have worked, but somewhere he had to deliver some power, somewhere he at elast had to deliver some dynamics. It made me feel very uncomfortable.

Bottom line: I don't see how he avoids the Bottom 3, do you?

3. Brooke sang You Must Love Me from the movie, Evita

I saw the original production of Evita back in 1979 the night after I saw the original production of Sweeney Todd. No doubt about it that Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin were absolute stars. Amazing vocalists and performers. But the show tried so hard to be POWERFUL and IMPACTFUL and STIRRING. and it wasn't really. I left Sweeney Todd shaken to the core and emotionally worn out. Evita tried to take me there and couldn't. Half a dozen years later I was in Evita in summer stock theatre with future Broadway star Marin Mazzie as Evita. The show is hella fun to be in. I really enjoyed it on stage. But when I went to see it again as an audience member, thinking my appraisal would be much different now that I had been in it, and my appraisal was exactly the same. Some shows are like that: More fun to be in than to see. But back to Brooke: Wow, I thought Jason was a train wreck until I saw this one that immediately followed him. For the record, I agree with Paula: Starting and stopping and re-starting is unprofessional. You don't see professionals do that, and there's a reason. OK, once, Bonnie Raitt performed You Can't Love Me over again in concert up in oakland. But that was because she was recording her album Road Tested and thought she could do a better version. And she did the whole song over. And that's an awesome song one doesn't mind hearing twice. The starting over didn't help Brooke...this was another cringe-in-you-chair performance because she seemed so uncomfortable and her emotion seems disturbing, not stirring. Vocally it really wasn't bad, although her vowel sounds are getting increasingly weird and affected, but she just seemed so awkward. And I'm bored of her post-performance "poor me" routines that Ryan certainly feeds.

Bottom line: I think it may be bye-bye Brooke, and as you know, I won't be too sad.

4. David A. sang Think of Me from The Phantom of the Opera

I can't say too much about Phantom, since I nearly fell asleep when I saw it in NY. Of course I was in the nosebleed section, which just isn't the way to see anything. Later I saw it from house seats in San Francisco because I knew someone in the cast, and it was much better to actually be able to see the actors' faces. But that whole chandelier thing? Not scary. I'm just sayin'. So before David A. started I was thinking I was getting a bit tired of him, and that seeing him next to ALW made him look like a mini-me creepy gnome. I did think the whole "open your eyes" thing was spot on and hilarious...and boy did he try! Then he performed, and I will totally give him his props. He did his thing with it (albeit a pretty trite pop ballad thing) and he sounded pretty.

Bottom line: Oh, he'll be safe. Really? Ar you wondering?

5. Carly sang Superstar from Jesus Christ Superstar

This is my S.O.'s favorite musical, and I hate it. The S.O. loves to sing it at me. But given the show's inherent obnoxious fake-rock quality, one should really call it shouting it at me. Anyway, I thought it was a good call for Carly to sing this, although I'm not sure singing "Jesus Christ Superstar, do you think you're who they say you are" is going to have quite the warm, fuzzy effect that KL Cook singing "God Bless the USA" did. Carly obviously can wail, and the wailing fit this song. My only question, then, is why didn't the mix let her vocals pop a bit more over the background singers. david C. gets reverb and echo galore, and Carly is mixed right into a blend with the singers. Conspiracy!! Once again another horrible outfit, but after a trio of plaintive, maudlin craptastic ALW ballads, this was at least energizing and fun.

Bottom line: I'm thinking Syesha may save Carly from the Bottom 3.

6. David C. sang Music of the Night from The Phatom of the Opera

Oh, one other thing to mention about Phantom: I so did not get the Michael Crawford mania that swept the world after he debuted as the Phantom. Thin, unappealing voice and more caricature than character. Did. Not. Get. So back to David C.: I've mentioned how impressed I've been wit his smooth, effortless vocals and easy use of his full range many times. This song did show that off. Other people seemed surprised by it, but I feel like he has displayed that quality in other vocals plenty of times. But this vocal was so smooth it was kind of boring. Her certainly didn't bring anything unique or new to the song...until he decided to rock-itup at the end with a really bad choice of last two notes. OK, sure, they were high, but they were ugly and didn't fit the entire rest of the performance choices. I found this a bit expressionless and not sexy. So, great vocal, mediocre everything else.

Bottom line: Does it really matter? He's safe.

Bottom line for the Bottom 3:

If it were me, it'd be:
Brooke, Jason and David C, actually, just to throw some motivation his way.

And it wold definitely be Brooke going home, although I could understand if Jason did.

But I think it will be:
Brooke, Jason and Syesha, and still Brooke going home.

But what did you think?

Posted: Wed - April 23, 2008 at 08:01 AM       EmailFeedback

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