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From: NotABoyScoutNYC
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  • pocahontas!

  • It's so amazingly effortless!

  • I will share this memory. I saw Judy Kuhn in Les Miserables. When she opened in Chess on B'way some time later, I was sitting behind this couple who didn't know who she was. I said something like "wow, there's Judy Kuhn!" when she first walked out and they both gave me this odd look...! Then she opened up her mouth and belted her first vocal line, and they both turned around and looked at me like "holy shit!" I thought this was a decent musical, but Judy was definitely the best part of it.

  • How old is this clip? In the last seconds you can see the swedish singers Anders & Karin Glenmark singing the chorus. Anders also sang the chorus on the original studio LP from 1984.

  • @Skumberg74 the Gemini people?

  • Kuhn requires no lessons from anyone (she now regularly teaches master classes in character and vocal delivery here in NYC)......as for Kuhn's singing Defying Gravity (she's good buddies w Schwartz but why DGravity?), but she has the vocal chops to do it -- if you had seen her sing Laura Nyro's Been On A Train" live in concert and there's a beat of silence and then Kuhn blasts out this high chest voice note -- it shocks you, knocks you off of your chair (which is supposd to happen)

  • I don't understand why some people always feel the need to compare one singer to another, or hate on one and love the other. Can't we all simply agree to disagree and just leave them at that? I personally enjoy listening to all the different versions because each singer puts her own twist to it. :)

  • Are we really comparing Judy to a bunch of yelly-belters? She has INCREDIBLE technique. She can do it all--she's played big soprano roles, big belter roles... If you like someone else's take on the song better, that's fine, everyone is entitled to their own choice, but don't insult her technique to say she needs lessons from, say, Charice or Elaine Paige. That would do nothing.

  • @whitewhorlify first of all, I wasn't saying that Idina's a bad singer or performer, I'm just saying that she's not the right artist for this role. Not a bit. But since you brought it up, yes, ms. Kuhn would probably have a very hard time singing Defying Gravity at the calibre of Idina, since Ms. Kuhn won't be able to cough blood off her lungs the way Idina did at the Tony's. Yeah, Idina's a great recording artist, but once you get to see her live, the magic's gone.

  • both Idina and kuhn should learn the way that lea salonga sings songs. after wicked, you can easily find idina's voice deteriorate in that she sang defying gravity in not-so-good way that would surely hurt her voice(i say she sang in bad way. not she sang bad. she sang well). if judy kuhn can't sing defying gravity, it may be she don't know how to make good use of her voice, i believe she can sing it. no songs lea can't sing and she can still maintain good voice because she know how to sing.

  • KUHHNNNNNNN CHEESSSSSSSSS

  • I love Judy Kuhn, she's got an awesome voice, and I think she does a great job as Florence in 'Chess'.

  • Great vocal performance and,yes,a little known but truly great musical theatre song. But i don't think she can quite match elaine paige in the closing section of the song, especially the last note which is the money note-and it is such a low note that you need an exceptional voice to do it justice.Agree that it lacks the Abba wall of sound.

  • Great vocal performance and,yes,a little known but truly great musical theatre song. But i don't think she can quite match elaine paige in the closing section of the song, especially the last note which is the money note-and it is such a low note that you need an exceptional voice to do it justice.Agree that it lacks the Abba wall of sound.

  • I don't know who sings this song on my cast recording album too lazy to go flip thru the endless records but I think this version is okay

  • Superb! No one can touch Elaine Paige and Judy Kuhn in this role, and I really mean NO ONE.

  • Someone shut up Karin Glenmark in the background, please!!!

  • Dear Idina, could you please call ms. Kuhn and ask for some singing lessons? I don't like to compare, but I really DETEST what Idina has done to this role. It's not her fault though. Who was casting director?

  • @pabspale : I can't upvote this enough.

  • whew ... gooseflesh all over!!!

  • my God she's amazing! she sings with such amazing emotion!

  • Cosette!! :-)))))))))))))

  • She's awesome. It's a pity the chorus behind her is so awfully thin. Kind of ruins the song, which was made for that thicker 'Abba-esque' close harmony chorus.

  • It is better than original ! Judy, i love you !

  • She's absolutely incredible.

  • @1971Goodguy its Cosette btw

  • I like the styling Idina Menzel did on the Concert stage in London. Judy is Differant but I would put them side by side and not feel bad. Both are unique stylests and voices.

  • no one can compete with her.

  • I prefer this version to Elaine Paige!!

  • If this were a single, a song that she just sang, it would be appropriate for it to fit her voice. Unfortunately for you and her, it's one of the best musical theatre songs ever written, and she knew it. It is not meant to slow or speed ... it's dedicated to 58 - 64 BPM for good reason: IT'S AN AMAZING SONG. You want something more 'contemporary' or 'fitting'? DON'T USE THIS SONG. It's fairly simple, folks.

  • It's a shame the conductor wouldn't allow the orchestra to match the intensity of Ms Kuhn's voice. The music has no feeling.

  • I love where the notes go with this song.  It's like you think it's going to go up, but it goes down. Music is the flower of feeling.

  • Gosh, I wish someone had told Karin Glenmark (singing backing vocals) that she WASN'T playing the lead this time.

  • My last name is kuhn

  • Idina's version is ghastly, HUGE casting mistake. I actually like Idina, too.

    Judy sings beautifully. This performance doesn't have a lot of acting to it. If it was just a concert, and not the whole show Chess, than the lack of acting to it makes sense.

  • TY! I was SOOOO hoping THIS version of the concert was going to be the one shown on PBS. yje one w/ Idina Kerry Ellis was so BLAH. I wish the show had been better received on Broadway. I have both the London Concept & Broadway Cast Albums & the Broadway version was WAY better,

  • Agreed, Pirate Steve...horribly miscast.

  • @stevethepirate78 ,,,completely agree about Idina - I was there on the night...not good! Kerry Ellis was fantastic though.

  • I love the way this babe holds the microphone. 'Nuff said.

  • very theathre,more emotion devoted to the character, not a super star singing style!love!

  • She's excellent!

  • She is the best at singing this song. After reviewing Elaine, Idina , etc. It's cleaner and clearer vocally.

  • I've been try to listen to the various versions of this song. This one was okay. It seemed ordinary, as did the one with Paige. Julia Murney did a better job, but my favorite is still Idina Menze, she brought so much expression to the song.

  • Honestly Idina´s version sounds like nasal shouting! Judy Kuhn can really sing! My opinion

  • Idina is so terribly miscast. So sad.

  • I have to say that I found Judy's performance average and I actually became bored. Idina has something that Judy and other don't have.....she's different, interesting, and has a unique and great voice. Everyone else seems so conventional and sing in a way that I don't find interesting. I think people are nostalgic for talents of the past. Idina is amazing....her facial expressions alone are wonderful.

  • I recall there was a CHESS IN CONCERT WAY before the one with Menzel, reuniting the OBC for 1 night only.

    Emma Kershaw/Danish Tour sings it best- she's the 1st to do the Octave leap replicated by Julia Murney... Elaine is brilliant on the recording.

    Idina is WAY out her league in the London concert- an embarassment & painful to the ears! Worse than Karin Glenmark in the Swedish concert, and Helen Sjoholm is outstanding in the Swedish show.

    Kuhn wins overall!

  • Idina Menzel is okay in other stuff, but Judy completely blows her out of the water with the Chess material. It was really hard watching Idina trying to keep up with the rest of the cast in the Chess in Concert that was done recently.

  • I like the intro interaction that this song starts after

  • There's no-one I'd rather hear sing this Florence material than Judy. This was one of the greatest pairings of role to singer in all of Broadway history, to me.

  • Thanks to another YouTube user I've actually found this concert recording of Chess on DVD! I'm so happy! This is an amazing performance, you should hear the final, Tommy Körberg is in absolut exquisit form! And Judy Kuhn... <3

  • She's great. I've seen her in a number of musicals and she's always teriffic. I've also seen Chess..not with her in it though..and really liked the play.

  • The timing is very difficult on this song.  But she has a great voice, I have never heard this lady before.

  • what a pity Karin Glenmark is trying to drown her out at the end!

  • I was in that arena that night. Magic!! Seeing this video is sooo cool!!! Thanks!!

  • Agreed! Once I saw that she was Pocohontas' voice-actor, the familiarity of her voice clicked and I had an "oooh yeeeeah, dur!" moment lol

    I've heard Elaine Paige's vers, Julia Murney's, Idina Menzel's... out of those 3, I think she is far superior for this particular song!

  • her voice sounds like of one angel so soft as thunder

  • Comment removed

  • The best ever florence <3

  • I wouldn't go that far

  • I would

  • I like her version almost as much as Julia Murney's.

  • SOOO 80s lol i love it and Judy is epic

  • I think Julia was better... sry, I love Judy too, but come on really?

  • I love how she can belt over the orchestra when she needs to. She has an excellent rock voice, theater voice, and opera voice...my favorite B'way singer ever.

  • I love the conductor's mullet! Judy is amazing. I have to think this is a difficult song to sing.

  • Judy Kuhn is a pure personification of vocal perfection. Her mix is to be watched. The ease at which she handles this song is simply amazing! Her mix truly begins at the bottom of her register. Perfect!

  • love the london production but the american version left somethin to be desired. wish someone would revive it

  • I'm totally with you on a revival. I think the score is terrific. I'd be especially happy if they could combine the London and Broadway versions, because I love "Someone Else's Story".

  • best number in the show

  • This is so great! I love her voice, love the emotion she puts into song without overacting. And, of course, I've always been a sucker for bare neck and shoulders...

  • Judy Kuhn is my favorite Florence. The Broadway Cast was my favorite cast of all incarnations of Chess. Phillip Casnoff and David Caroll had strong performances, also. The only gripe was the complete disorder of the songs and the major changes from the London version. (though, I digress--the Royal Albert Hall concert of Chess was excellent, also.)

  • We used to listen to Chess (the 2 CD version) on long drives from California to Montana. Yeah, me and kids know the whole thing by heart!! The line, "he'd loathe your behavior, and so do I!!" always got a full-throated shout out. :) Ah, memories. :):)

  • What a cool song!

    Judy isn't my favorite as Fantine, but she's great here!

  • really, she's my favorite cosette.

  • I've never heard her as Cosette, but I'll look for it.

    I think the girl from the TAC was a good Cosette. :D

  • she's cosette in the dream cast or the concert.

  • It was the concert at the Royal Albert Hall. It's my favorite cast of that show! :-)

  • LMFAO. She IS the Cosette on the TAC

  • My mistake.

  • Quite alright

  • A good song, an awesome voice and an amazing rendition! Backed by some truly great backing vocals, I might add! The Glennmark siblings and...I've forgotten the name of the other girl...

  • Yeah, the backup was almost as powerful as Judy, and really awesome. I loved the woman in the high register.

  • Judy Kuhn just has the most amazing voice.  I fell in love with it the first time I heard it about 20 years ago.

  • Such a different character from Cosette. She is amazing.

  • Awesome rendition.

  • I had this concert recorded on a VHS tape a while ago - and it got STOLEN from me!!! It was an absolutely fabulous concert (with Benny Andersson on piano, and in spite of the major "hiccup" by the orchestra - or rather, conductor - at the start of this song) with an amazing cast. *weep*

  • but on the Original Broadway Cast Recording  she sang the above phrasing ant it segued into "Someone Else's Story w/ "Nobody's Side" coming later in the show"

  • The Broadway production was the only version of the show to use that order. All other times, AFAIK, it's been in this order, including on the original album.

  • when did Nobody's Side" get moved up in the order shouldn't she be singing "someone Else's Story" after the line Why you'd have to do this to me?"

  • nope... the rythm of "why'd you have to do this to me" is what sets the tone for "nobodoy's on nobody's side" and it always goes " why'd you have to do this to me.... everybody's the game but nobody's rules are the same... "

  • no svetlana sings that song

  • Not always. Someone Else's Story was originally Florence's song - it was originally written for the Broadway production - and is usually sung by her.

  • oh cool i didn't know that!

  • Well, I think that Judy Kuhn is much better, than Elaine Paige, singing this song. All of her acting is in her voice, not in body.

  • Me too!

  • she has a wonderful voice. she sounds almost exactly like elaine paige here, actually. I can totally see why they used her for this, even though her acting doesn't really fit it. She also has a very odd look.

  • I agree, she looks like she got kidnaped straight off the set of a Tim Burton film.

  • Hey look! It's the Glenmarks!

  • Never got why people praised her as Florence that much.

    My favourit Florence will always be Helen Sjöholm closely followed by Elaine Paige. Karin Glenmark is also great but I never thought Judy Kuhn or Julia Murney ever got close to Helen or Elaine.

  • sometimes it sounds like the back up singers are more with it than she is. i mean i love Judy, maybe it's my speakers

  • Nope, i thought she was pretty "dead" too.

    But then, i just came from watching Julia Murneys version xD

  • This is a video from the 1989 concert version of Chess which I believe was performed in Stockholm? It also starred Tommy Körberg. Please please upload the songs 'You and I' and 'Endgame' from this concert! They are amazing!!! Two of the best singers around.

  • What was this a video of?

  • Nice voice, but nowhere near Elaine Paige. Judy can't hold her notes like Elaine (2.45) nor can she belt. The only one near is Julia Murney

  • She is just so under rated. <3

  • good vocalist, but her vibrato is very annoying from my point of view

  • sschimel, what about Mamma Mia,that's pretty big

  • Is it just me or does the male backup singer at 3:38 look like Steve Zahn.

  • Nope, it's Anders Glemark. The male half of Gemini, the guy who sings the backup vocals on the concept version of Nobody's Side, and the guy who sings the chorus on the concept version of Head's "One Night in Bangkok", and the guy who plays electric guitar on ABBA's "Money Money Money".

  • Well, thanks for the info but Anders and Steve look very much alike.

  • i loved it...but Julai Murney's version was great too...i can't chose....

  • I prefer the song they wrote for her on Broadway better... "Someone Else's Story". I think that Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaes, the guys from ABBA, should have gone on to bigger success in the theater. They might have, had the Broadway producers not insisted on a huge rewrite for the transfer to B'Way. And they havne't been able to bring a show to the US since.

  • Frances Ruffelle sang this far better...beats Judy..

  • Yeah the background people don't sound very blended. I wish she would express with her face a little more too.

  • In symphonic performance, of which this video is an example, theatrical performers are permitted, even encouraged, to be singers first and foremost, not actors. It's all about the music. I've done both - it's far more daunting to do a symphonic performance!

  • Ms.Kuhn is certainly a wonderful singer. I loved watching her in the 10th Anniversary Show of Les Miz as Cosette.

  • Thank you SO much for posting this! No one sings this score like Judy Kuhn!!

  • forgot to say summit else....i don't like the back up singers. on the album they are way better to these. judy however sounds the same which is fantastic

  • she sounds and look amazing!

  • that you SO MUCH for posting this.

    its a gift.

    and judy kuhn kicks ASS

  • This is one of my absolute favorite showtunes! And all I can say for Judy's performance of it....WOW!!! XD Thanks so much for posting this!

  • Judy > Julia. By Far.

  • when did she do this?

  • Wonderful, wonderful clip. She does a great job, and I'd love to see more. I've been wanting to see clips of this performance for ages.

  • VERY SLIGHT lol.

  • Thank you!!!! Judy sings this wonderfully; it's a real treat to watch. (And Elaine Paige, being from the UK, does have the tendency to have a British accent when she sings, although it is a slight one.)

  • distantcousin.....the only other woman who has done this song (broadway wise) was elain paige. She had ABSOLUTELY NO accent. Know who sang the song before you say that!

  • There are at least five cast albums of Chess floating around. At least one (and many say the best one) is Swedish. Also, I definitley hear a british accent when Elaine Paige sings--not a thick one, but it's there.

  • Technically, the only other woman who sang the song Broadway-wise was Julia Murney.

  • there was a production in NY with Katherine Rowe McAllen in the early 90's

  • But that's not Broadway, that's probably off-Broadway. (Ibdb dot com mentions nothing about it.)

  • The original NY Broadway production of Wicked was in 1988, starring Philip Casnoff as Freddy, Judy Kuhn as Florence and the late David Carroll as Anatoli. It ran, sadly, only a few months, because anti-Soviet sentiments had made the original story line change for the US premier and it lost something in the translation (but gained the gorgeous "Someone Else's Story").

  • I believe you mean Chess, not WICKED?

  • Sorry, yes. Chess, duh, right? I was listening to Wicked while I typed that (theater junkie, I'm afraid, since a young age. Blame Mom and Dad, both professional critics). What a combination that would be, though, a show with Judy Kuhn, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. The wonderful thing about theater si that it could even happen.

  • Yes I know FULL well who sang the song before that - I am a huge Elaine fan! The "Florence" role was ACTUALLY written with her in mind. Judy K's vocal there is excellent, but she just doesn't have the charisma or presence of Ms Paige - judge for yourself from other clips on You Tube

  • Great vocal, adore this song - although I don't like it as much sung in an American accent.

  • The song is the anthem for my entire life. It will be inscribed on my tomb.

  • Amen to that, sister!

  • When and where was this?

  • this was some swedish concert where the ABBA guys come on, sporadically, between songs and (in swedish) tell you what's coming next.....I can't even remember where I got this from, and regretfully, my full tape was misplaced but I had moved this clip back when.

  • The tape has now been placed, not misplaced -- stay tune for more Kuhn -- including a "Someone Else's Story" where Kuhn rises to a dimension that.....well, let's just say I put my head in my hands and sobbed.

  • Ivee been looking for video of Judy's performance forever, thank you. She owns every other person who has sung this song.

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