| My first Rose, Lansbury in London, has a voice miles from the Merman belt, and yet in performance was no less exciting. The character needs vocal power, a will and a temperament expressed via very specifically focused music. Exactly where it's placed seems less critical than the intention behind it, the understanding that the songs in Gypsy assert agency, independence, control, stubbornness. I believe a soprano with the instrument that McDonald possesses can harness a musical gift in service of the emotional demands. Go back and listen to Marie Christine or Bess: she was no less powerful for using her register. |
