Her pronounciation is strange to me. Her acting....*cringe* She undoubtly talented, and I know she was sick during this performance, I also really loved her in Chicago...but her whole performance in this piece is...awful.
Oh dear, this made me cringe slightly. It's like she's thinking: alright, deep singing building up to dramatic phrase, sing it big and strong, pause, head toss, deer in headlights eyes, repeat. Not only formulaic- literally, watch the whole thing and see how many times she repeats this routine- but a mechanical and utterly emotionless interpretation of this amazing song. Watch Judi Dench- the singing isn't singing with a capital S but she inhabits the weariness, the resignation, the pain.
few years ago i was the butler in Italy attending Mr.Michael Douglas, his wife, his son Dylan.
One morning she came for breakfast complaining that mosquitos never let her sleep; i replied that those mosquitos must have been all males.... and very likely did not want waste the chance of their lifetime to suck such a beautiful blood. She laughed. Thanks to mr.Sondheim and to his ispirational muse.
Judi Dench,Elizabeth Taylor, Barbra Streisand,Glynis Johns... they all did a great job on this song,some of them even made my cry. I don't like Catherine's version, she was a lot better in Chicago !! she killed this song :P
I remember watching this on tv and thinking "wtf is this? ew" but now I'm listening to it again and it's not as bad as I thought. There are people who do it better obviously, but it's not completely terrible.
She did a much better job in Chicago. I wonder what happened to her voice. She has an awesome voice! I pray she starts singing in her natural voice once again!
I heard she was sick during this. Her voice is usually much smoother, not always so raspy like it is here. And I mean she is crying by the end of the song, so the breaking voice fits in a tiny bit. I agree, maybe she didn't deserve the Tony award, but she held her ground and did her best.
Geez...she sux! And she received a Tony for this??? Just goes to show you how the Tony voting committee prefers to reward movie stars. And it goes to show you how engineered her voice must have been in her Chicago numbers on screen.
@mmllkk2009 That is correct, Daniel was overlooked for Equus that year and for HTSIBWRT in 2011, which is hard to believe since he was so good in both. However, if you look at who won in 2010, a Tony was awarded to a bona fide movie star in five of the eight acting categories (Scarlet Johansson, Eddie Redmayne, Viola Davis, Denzel Washington, and CZJ).
i loveee her version of this song.. she was really sick that night too.. ive been singin for years and i couldnt belt out a song like that while i was sick.. hats off to ya girl!! awesome job!! loves!!
You are all elitist assholes. Who cares if some else sang it better? That doesn't matter. Don't compare CZJ to others. Base your comments on her performance and her performance alone. CZJ is awesome in this role and I wish I could've seen her.
She shows shockingly little skill as a singer/musician or storyteller here. She is making no sense of the words she is singing! It is practically unintelligible -- fragments of thoughts that are themselves disconnected from one another, the whole mess then covered by awkward affectation. It's like she is unaware she is singing actual THOUGHTS and WORDS that have meaning. "Maybe neh...(pause...pause...pause) Ksst year."
Really? No one's going to say it? I'm going to have to be the one? Alright: She cannot sing, her tone is way too breathy, she has no sense of timing at all; I mean, there's rubato, and then there's just plain losing the beat; One generally sings through the whole phrase, not, " Word, Word, breathe, Word Word, breathe, Word, breathe..." The whole thing was completely overacted, undersung, and did nothing to get across the meaning of the song.
The night I saw the show, her rendition of this was so small. It must be challenging to be hyped up, nominated and doing this on stage at Radio City. Ultimately I found her performance competant at best and I love her but...
Zeta-Jones' talent is so far and away better than most of her peers it's dizzying. She can do anything. And look fabulous while doing it. She's a hero of mine.
I liked her singing this song, but yes, the head movements are unusual for her. Usually, her movements are subtle and graceful. I have found many of her performances actually somewhat understated and this one was odd and unlike her. Even though she had a bad throat that night I still like her singing this particular song.
I like it a lot...this is supposed to be a song of both regret and anger. Desiree; the character, just slept with the man she loves who sadly loves someone else... This version is passionate and encorporates Desiree' character, I think. I mean yes, she could be a little more sad and a little less angry, but it's her right to interpret it this way. way to go! :D
Many have sung this. My favorite version is by Lou Rawls. But...and im not trying to be mean here....couldnt you just picture those eyes coming at you with a kitchen knife in her hand?
Try turning off the screen & just listening... even with an ailing voice, she actually sings it better than Dench or even Johns. To do it this convincingly in her condition speaks rather well of her performance. I don't like the head movements either. Perhaps she was exhausted and sick, unrehearsed in that venue, and accustomed to the actor who is in this instance Missing from stage right? A very Coherent vocal!
I saw this show live, it was actually one of the most heart-wrenching performances I have seen on stage. I remember watching the Tony performance, and I thought. my god. she seems pissed or something. her head was flying. when i saw it, she sang it so subtly, and so personally, i felt like i was intruding on her thoughts. she really is a wonderful performer. just. not here ^^
Guys, give her credit. Yes the head gestures are over the top but the song is supposed to be performed to the character Fredrick who for some reason wasn't in this Tony performance. She had to sing to nothing at the last minute. It makes more sense when its directed at a target.
And Judi had her time. You can't always base judgement off of, oh she can't do it better than her. I think she made the character her own, which thanks to Sondheims writing, is possible because of the vagueness he writ
This Tony Awards performance was not at all how she actually performed it during the show. For whatever reason, this seems to be an off night for her.
On stage her performance was magnificent. Very moving, and beautifully sung and acted. In my opinion, the Tony was very well deserved.
she's so angry the whole performance, i totally didn't feel the pain. She looks like she wants to kill someone, not berate herself. Now i've pretty much seen the whole gamut from a sad, regretful rendtion (ruthie) to a balanced sad-ironic-angry performance (Dame Judi) to outright raging (catherine).
Was she having an off night or was she just terrible? I didn't see it but, judging by this, she did not deserve that Tony. They should make her give it to Bernadette Peters for this role.
@fieldsfan1 She DESERVED the hell out of that musical. My friend and I saw it months before this and were pulling for her win. It was not like this on stage. Bernadette never could have been nominated cause she was a replacement.
nothing beats the grand lady of english theatre on this one for me. if you want to see this done as sondheim would have wanted look up DJD! (thats Dame Judi Dench for those who dont know)
I think no matter how you guys twist this, it really is just poor. It's completely out of character, just I'm sorry but this is just...... Sure she can sing, even without the over-the-top gestures as you say, it still isn't in character, I think by far worst Desiree I've ever seen, Bernadette Peters is the best one, well she is the best for Sondheim :)
Made me sea sick looking at her head. At one point I thought I was gonna give up smoking.
I love Catherine. Her voice is excellent. But that head!!!
But as some have already commented, Judi Dench is fantastic. She makes acting look easy. None of this dramatic movements. Always subtle. Judy makes you fall in love with her.
Ruthie's version is much more to do with the voice. Nobody has a better voice than Ruthie but for sheer emotion Judy is the Dame.
It is my understanding that this performance was not indicative of how CZJ played it on stage during the show. However, it is also my understanding that her performance in the show itself was "passable" and that Bernadette Peters' performance overshadowed CZJ's to a ridiculous level.
There's a big difference between having large, dramatic movements to translate well on-stage... and moving your head this way and that like a pigeon while phrasing lines like Shatner singing Rocketman. A really amazing stage actor/actress can command the stage without all that-- look at Judi Dench singing it-- or Ruthie Henshall. This a slow, sad, quiet song of denial in heartbreak--Miz' Jones needs to internalize. I dunno how she won the Tony, but... everyone, please watch Dench's version.
Comparison is unavoidable, but it's your expectations that let you guys down. I don't know a thing about 'A Little Night Music' other than this song and 'Everyday a Little Death" but seeing this performance made me want to know more about the show, the character, and I felt instantly sorry I didn't get to see this live. She played this like "Old Hollywood" without making it look like a caricature. Brilliantly done.
The song for all intensive purposes is Desiree's claim that no one should bother sending a clown or fool into the room because she foolishly and desperately clung to Frederick even when he was bethrothed to another woman, therefore she is the clown. It is not the protest that Catherine is singing about, and it leaves the audience feeling like they have just heard an anthem rather than the beautiful song Sondheim wrote.
@Ragnalypse You see, insights as to how an actress performs this song can be very subjective. You might have felt like her performance was celebratory rather than poignant but I felt differently. Catherine wanted to show everyone that her Desiree, though was on the brink of losing everything, still has a tiny bit of pride. Imagine despair in solitude, that's what she wanted. It's supposed to be a song of too much anger and regret, and we all know that countless other emotions result from anger.
no criticism, not trying to be bitchy, just thought you would like the knowledge... the phrase is "for all intents and purposes" not intensive purposes... i only know this because i often misused it and it was finally pointed out, much to my embarrassment, by a professor... lol... intensive purposes does not make sense in the context most people use it in... ....sadface hehe
@cloudxleon Think of the theatre she's performing this in, and where she performs it. People in the last row of the balcony, 200 or more feet away from the stage, need to be able to see her gestures and movements just as clearly as those in the front row. It's part of being on stage. This piece was meant to be performed and seen on stage, not TV.
@LordCirque@LordCirque Very true, although she knew this was going to be shown on television. Plus, shaking your head dramatically doesn't exactly convey bitterness or regret. I think it takes away from the performance. I'd have laughed if I'd seen this in a theater, too. Lol
She's acting it, she's not feeling it at all. It's like she wants to show us how to feel it. This is such a beautiful song. Shame really. Dame Judi Dench en Glenn Close really feel this song. You ought to listen to their version. Pure magic!
if she hadn't done that spastic shaking of her head at 2:33 (that just made me laugh way too loud for my own good) and pretty much through the whole performance, this would have been much more sad and meaningful. She could've at least toned down how fast her head moved, or something...
I really dont see why so many people felt as if she did a bad job..its kinda ironic to hear people say that they thought that her performace was too dramtic..uuuhhh its only a BROADWAY type of performance it wouldnt be Broadway if it wasnt dramatic...this is performing arts people...learn to learn it then and only then will you be able to appreciate it.
@LucidDreeaaming There is a difference between dramatic and over-dramatic. Broadway does not mean over-acting. Sure, in many musicals it can mean that (especially earlier period ones) ...but some of the best moving performances are ones where the actor just stands there, sings, and the emotion comes out in the tiniest natural ways. Broadway most definitely can contain subtlety.
I agree with everything you said about there being a difference between dramatic and over-dramatic and how broadway doesnt mean over-acting, but Broadway is always dramatic even in what appears to be a "subtle" performance..being dramatic doesnt necessarily have to mean excessive movement or facial expressions in a performance but rather be used to describe the stricking, overwhelming emotional connection that one feels from witnessing an awing performance..kinda get me?
I think I got whiplash watching this performance. It's as though a bald faced owl grew a human body and started to sing poorly (laryngitis notwithstanding).
I don't know what everyone is complaining about. I think Zeta-Jones did a wonderful performance here, as well as on stage in this show. Its not over-acting people, its A Little Thing Called Broadway. Maybe you should look it up sometime. ;)
It's a musical on stage, not on film. It's meant for the one in character to have grandiose movements because movements on stage are not magnified to be seen on a big screen. A lot of people here judge about over-the-top gestures but any theatrically-trained person understands this kind of acting. Stage-acting is different from film-acting. She just appears to be all over the place because it is being seen on TV or monitor but Catherine was performing for the audience Broadway style.
@savethealcoholic Look. I'm a musical theater person. I LOVE musical theater. Patti LuPone would never be caught dead doing a performance this ridiculous. No one would. We still laugh about the whole ordeal when the Tony's come up in conversation.
@savethealcoholic I agree with you, but this is really too much.. look at Judi Dench or Sally Ann Howes they did it on stage too.. but they don´t do this much of geturung
I don't know if I agree with you... I mean yeah Thespians have to act much bigger than Film Actors do, that is very true... And that is perhaps what she is going for... But there is no denying that she is OVER selling it...
I'm sorry but this is the very definition of Chewing the Scenery
Not true, bad training tells the actor that he must be more grandiose on stage, but then why do I love Bernadette Peters and Judi Denches version of this more, once I got past the fact that a film star was performing it this time. The truth of the matter is all acting is about making choices that are "approppriate" to the circumstance, and Catherine gives off the notion of being dignified after she has just had her heart broken, this may be heroic but its not realistic.
@savethealcoholic She honestly did much better in Chicago, not because she was acting in film, but because she made better choices according to her character, Velma Kelly has alot of dignity. I'm sure if Catherine had understood the song more she would have been brilliant. Not to mention there was no breadth support for her singing and her phrasing/vowels were all over the phrase instead of the nobility she attempted to achieve.
@Ragnalypse Judi's rendition of this song has been my favorite ever since but why don't I criticize Catherine's Desiree? Because she's an actress bold enough to make her own Desiree. I loved Judi Dench but I just don't make her the standard of what Desiree should be. That's not the essence of theater. Catherine was allowed to interpret the song and I think, though it wasn't her best theatrical performance at the Tony's, she was still good her own way.
@savethealcoholic i think people are mistakingly picking up on the gestures as a diagnosis of what is wrong here. the problem is that although technically correct, they aren't being done with conviction. its not the gestures that make this terrible...its the complete lack of emotion, empathy, integrity, or engagement with a single syllable of the libretto.
@savethealcoholic She's not doing anything but moving her head. Jerking your head around like a you're having a seizure isn't really proper when acting in any medium. And you don't have to be "theatrically-trained" to know that. She just had a bad performance. Maybe she was out of it. Maybe she was sick. I don't know, but this isn't a good performance, no matter how well versed you are in musical theatre.
@savethealcoholic Stage acting should still have controlled and focused energy. It is foolish to say that the difference between film and stage acting is that stage acting is bigger. Catherine has no focus in this scene. Even if Frederick were on stage, she's really supposed to be singing the song to herself as a sort of epiphany. But Catherine, like so many people with misconceptions about stage acting, thinks she needs to pander to the audience. Not to mention she has no humor.
Ok, so BGSU just did this play.... and the young woman who played Desiree' *spell check* was not as PSYCHOTIC as this one... She made me sympathize. Catherine scared me.
Excessive head movements, psychotic stares... yikes. Benefit of the doubt is that maybe she was acting for "the stage", so the people in the back row could see everything, and didn't realize how awful it would look on TV cameras with zoom lenses.
"Isn't it queer? Losing my judgement this late in my career." Dearie, dearie me... Goes to show not everyone can sing Sondheim.
Scudder64 2 days ago
Everyone should stop hating, she is a good singer, and she is an actress so she's gonna be acting while she's singing!
lilisakura1 1 week ago
send in a singer !
alisonsdragonfly 1 week ago
send in the paramedics
billy270564 2 weeks ago
i like her very much one of my favourite actresess
banana1290 3 weeks ago
Her pronounciation is strange to me. Her acting....*cringe* She undoubtly talented, and I know she was sick during this performance, I also really loved her in Chicago...but her whole performance in this piece is...awful.
*hangs head sadly*
Poet2916 3 weeks ago
Oh dear, this made me cringe slightly. It's like she's thinking: alright, deep singing building up to dramatic phrase, sing it big and strong, pause, head toss, deer in headlights eyes, repeat. Not only formulaic- literally, watch the whole thing and see how many times she repeats this routine- but a mechanical and utterly emotionless interpretation of this amazing song. Watch Judi Dench- the singing isn't singing with a capital S but she inhabits the weariness, the resignation, the pain.
thesunwasrising 4 weeks ago 2
I think she overdid the acting part...the singing was okay, but her eyes expression a bit too severe
t4462es11 4 weeks ago
few years ago i was the butler in Italy attending Mr.Michael Douglas, his wife, his son Dylan.
One morning she came for breakfast complaining that mosquitos never let her sleep; i replied that those mosquitos must have been all males.... and very likely did not want waste the chance of their lifetime to suck such a beautiful blood. She laughed. Thanks to mr.Sondheim and to his ispirational muse.
lauro782 1 month ago
She was REALLY sick when she did this..
HarMoneyMeloDope 1 month ago
I think she has a great voice.
67diamondgirl 1 month ago
Judi Dench,Elizabeth Taylor, Barbra Streisand,Glynis Johns... they all did a great job on this song,some of them even made my cry. I don't like Catherine's version, she was a lot better in Chicago !! she killed this song :P
Lovett19991 1 month ago
@Lovett19991 - murdered, indeed.
SueSnell 1 month ago
NEXT NORMA DESMOND IN SUN SET BLVD THE MOVIE MUSICAL!!!!!
Wonderxandra 1 month ago 2
Send in the neck brace!!!
Messylin 1 month ago 35
@Messylin
Looked at your comment with mild distaste but when the video started playing i thumbed up your comment.
ZSy264 1 month ago
@Messylin LOL! Only folks who actually WATCH her sing this will appreciate your comment!
sidDkid87 1 month ago
I remember watching this on tv and thinking "wtf is this? ew" but now I'm listening to it again and it's not as bad as I thought. There are people who do it better obviously, but it's not completely terrible.
patman828 2 months ago
She did a much better job in Chicago. I wonder what happened to her voice. She has an awesome voice! I pray she starts singing in her natural voice once again!
jahangirhussain1 2 months ago
She looks like she is looking for someone in a crowded room.... look to the left.... look the right....right... left...right!
macrent2 2 months ago 3
Just watch her speech after the recieve the Tony and you'll se that she's totally voiceless on that day
pablosilvino 2 months ago
tonight serenade
ivan89705 2 months ago
Makes me sick that people can say this is awful and then say that Lea Michele's hideous rendition of Don't Rain On My Parade was amazing.
SweetPoffin 2 months ago 3
OMG! The mike in her forehead!!!
CarolinaSP20 2 months ago
If The Soup brought you here, like! lol
trippyboi91 2 months ago
I heard she was sick during this. Her voice is usually much smoother, not always so raspy like it is here. And I mean she is crying by the end of the song, so the breaking voice fits in a tiny bit. I agree, maybe she didn't deserve the Tony award, but she held her ground and did her best.
JAyala7293 2 months ago 2
@JAyala7293 true glover had a much harder role but she can act an sing people complaining too much
AdamEfimoff 2 months ago
She's clearly pretty ill in this performance so good on her for getting through it and holding it together when her voice was cracking.
vardoandtheboss 2 months ago 3
Geez...she sux! And she received a Tony for this??? Just goes to show you how the Tony voting committee prefers to reward movie stars. And it goes to show you how engineered her voice must have been in her Chicago numbers on screen.
stickstr8up1 3 months ago
@stickstr8up1 if what you say is true, then daniel radcliffe would have a tony. He wasn't even nominated.
mmllkk2009 1 month ago
@mmllkk2009 That is correct, Daniel was overlooked for Equus that year and for HTSIBWRT in 2011, which is hard to believe since he was so good in both. However, if you look at who won in 2010, a Tony was awarded to a bona fide movie star in five of the eight acting categories (Scarlet Johansson, Eddie Redmayne, Viola Davis, Denzel Washington, and CZJ).
stickstr8up1 1 month ago
i loveee her version of this song.. she was really sick that night too.. ive been singin for years and i couldnt belt out a song like that while i was sick.. hats off to ya girl!! awesome job!! loves!!
LilMissFancy08 3 months ago
I loved her in Chicago, but how in the world did she get a Tony for this???
JAyala7293 3 months ago
The mannerisms and facials are so forced and...uncomfortable to watch...oh god! LOL!
Monbrax 3 months ago 2
@Monbrax I like her but I have to admit that you described it perfectly well
arcar0 2 months ago
sorry CZJ fans..but this is really simply hilarious!!!!
HalfPinoy100 3 months ago
You are all elitist assholes. Who cares if some else sang it better? That doesn't matter. Don't compare CZJ to others. Base your comments on her performance and her performance alone. CZJ is awesome in this role and I wish I could've seen her.
kpopninja 3 months ago
She shows shockingly little skill as a singer/musician or storyteller here. She is making no sense of the words she is singing! It is practically unintelligible -- fragments of thoughts that are themselves disconnected from one another, the whole mess then covered by awkward affectation. It's like she is unaware she is singing actual THOUGHTS and WORDS that have meaning. "Maybe neh...(pause...pause...pause) Ksst year."
dratdang 3 months ago
Mmm There's a certain something about Catherine Zeta Jones' voice - it's slightly raspy and at times adds a really good quality.
Alexa5188 3 months ago
The fact that she keeps moving her head is annoying.
"Isn't it *pause* riiiiiiiiiiccccchhh"
I honestly don't like it because thats really not how its meant to be sung.
indiegurlrock 3 months ago
@indiegurlrock yes! sondheim has even said that himself.
mercanti80 3 months ago
OMG I love her voice!
mimich622 3 months ago
Really? No one's going to say it? I'm going to have to be the one? Alright: She cannot sing, her tone is way too breathy, she has no sense of timing at all; I mean, there's rubato, and then there's just plain losing the beat; One generally sings through the whole phrase, not, " Word, Word, breathe, Word Word, breathe, Word, breathe..." The whole thing was completely overacted, undersung, and did nothing to get across the meaning of the song.
bander9101112 3 months ago
The night I saw the show, her rendition of this was so small. It must be challenging to be hyped up, nominated and doing this on stage at Radio City. Ultimately I found her performance competant at best and I love her but...
pudgeuncle 3 months ago
Zeta-Jones' talent is so far and away better than most of her peers it's dizzying. She can do anything. And look fabulous while doing it. She's a hero of mine.
marginallymental 4 months ago
I liked her singing this song, but yes, the head movements are unusual for her. Usually, her movements are subtle and graceful. I have found many of her performances actually somewhat understated and this one was odd and unlike her. Even though she had a bad throat that night I still like her singing this particular song.
jenniferh341 4 months ago
She sings it wonderfully, but the performance isn't at all restrained. Perhaps she's better in the actual show?
PlotterFTW 4 months ago
it was ok. a little too over acted though
oliviadesalvo 4 months ago 3
Great performance!
hkhandan 4 months ago
I like it a lot...this is supposed to be a song of both regret and anger. Desiree; the character, just slept with the man she loves who sadly loves someone else... This version is passionate and encorporates Desiree' character, I think. I mean yes, she could be a little more sad and a little less angry, but it's her right to interpret it this way. way to go! :D
SmallTownSongstress 4 months ago
Christ, this is jaw droppingly horrendous. I love it!
AdArmand 4 months ago 3
Many have sung this. My favorite version is by Lou Rawls. But...and im not trying to be mean here....couldnt you just picture those eyes coming at you with a kitchen knife in her hand?
TheLongTimeObserver 4 months ago
she has a really good voice
Goldie4tv 5 months ago
Overacting much???!
renza88 5 months ago
Try turning off the screen & just listening... even with an ailing voice, she actually sings it better than Dench or even Johns. To do it this convincingly in her condition speaks rather well of her performance. I don't like the head movements either. Perhaps she was exhausted and sick, unrehearsed in that venue, and accustomed to the actor who is in this instance Missing from stage right? A very Coherent vocal!
BluegillGreg 5 months ago
What is she looking for?
domisthebomb09 6 months ago 7
@domisthebomb09 LMAO.
Showaholic 5 months ago
I saw this show live, it was actually one of the most heart-wrenching performances I have seen on stage. I remember watching the Tony performance, and I thought. my god. she seems pissed or something. her head was flying. when i saw it, she sang it so subtly, and so personally, i felt like i was intruding on her thoughts. she really is a wonderful performer. just. not here ^^
paulamerica9493 6 months ago
@paulamerica9493 TV
dragan0405 5 months ago
Respond to this video... TV
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dragan0405 5 months ago
She is so beautiful and talented! She is seriously my idol.
LexiMurphyMusic 6 months ago
wasn't she sick a few days before this?
AlphieThropp 6 months ago
I have yet to see one person include the lack of the man she sings to in their argument in these comments.
1chorus1boy1 6 months ago
Guys, give her credit. Yes the head gestures are over the top but the song is supposed to be performed to the character Fredrick who for some reason wasn't in this Tony performance. She had to sing to nothing at the last minute. It makes more sense when its directed at a target.
And Judi had her time. You can't always base judgement off of, oh she can't do it better than her. I think she made the character her own, which thanks to Sondheims writing, is possible because of the vagueness he writ
1chorus1boy1 6 months ago
SHE IS NOT AN ACTRESS. IF NOT MARRIED WITH DOUGLAS.... SURELY
SHE'LL BE AT HOME
fio23101 7 months ago
@fio23101 not an actress? then i suppose that explains how she was velma in chicago hm?
AlphieThropp 6 months ago 3
I saw her perform this live on Broadway and she was amazing. I don't care what anyone says about her, she deserved that Tony.
Dalthis555 7 months ago 2
This Tony Awards performance was not at all how she actually performed it during the show. For whatever reason, this seems to be an off night for her.
On stage her performance was magnificent. Very moving, and beautifully sung and acted. In my opinion, the Tony was very well deserved.
byebons 7 months ago 2
she's so angry the whole performance, i totally didn't feel the pain. She looks like she wants to kill someone, not berate herself. Now i've pretty much seen the whole gamut from a sad, regretful rendtion (ruthie) to a balanced sad-ironic-angry performance (Dame Judi) to outright raging (catherine).
pakis 7 months ago
Was she having an off night or was she just terrible? I didn't see it but, judging by this, she did not deserve that Tony. They should make her give it to Bernadette Peters for this role.
fieldsfan1 7 months ago
@fieldsfan1 She DESERVED the hell out of that musical. My friend and I saw it months before this and were pulling for her win. It was not like this on stage. Bernadette never could have been nominated cause she was a replacement.
thehappyphantom84 7 months ago
nothing beats the grand lady of english theatre on this one for me. if you want to see this done as sondheim would have wanted look up DJD! (thats Dame Judi Dench for those who dont know)
myloverisbillmurray 7 months ago 20
@myloverisbillmurray here here....
MrAnthony78666 1 month ago
It just didnt impress me.
popcornchickendude 7 months ago
well maybeeee neeeeexx TTTTTTTTTTTT yeeaarr
jeanpitalle19 7 months ago
was it just me or did she sound a bit sick?
harajukukevin6657 7 months ago
she looks like a cat.
ROXASDEWI 7 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
she looks crazy
pinklady4880 7 months ago
Isn't it RAAAAAAAAAAAARE.
CoelJumber 7 months ago
@CoelJumber that's not even a line from the song...????
thehappyphantom84 7 months ago
Bernie Petes FTW. :D
Cheezluvr12 7 months ago 15
nodes
shoobedoowop 7 months ago 2
I think no matter how you guys twist this, it really is just poor. It's completely out of character, just I'm sorry but this is just...... Sure she can sing, even without the over-the-top gestures as you say, it still isn't in character, I think by far worst Desiree I've ever seen, Bernadette Peters is the best one, well she is the best for Sondheim :)
crackerpopskikay 7 months ago
Jesus she just murdered sondheim..... poor steve!
crackerpopskikay 7 months ago
Made me sea sick looking at her head. At one point I thought I was gonna give up smoking.
I love Catherine. Her voice is excellent. But that head!!!
But as some have already commented, Judi Dench is fantastic. She makes acting look easy. None of this dramatic movements. Always subtle. Judy makes you fall in love with her.
Ruthie's version is much more to do with the voice. Nobody has a better voice than Ruthie but for sheer emotion Judy is the Dame.
sicon67 7 months ago 2
@lifeonmars16 i didn't get your comment at first and then she said it and i fuckin' bursted into laughter!! <3
jaraandrew100 8 months ago
It's not too bad apart from the last "there ought to be clowns" it's like she's having a fit.
lizzielonglegs 8 months ago
It is my understanding that this performance was not indicative of how CZJ played it on stage during the show. However, it is also my understanding that her performance in the show itself was "passable" and that Bernadette Peters' performance overshadowed CZJ's to a ridiculous level.
yelanates 8 months ago
There's a big difference between having large, dramatic movements to translate well on-stage... and moving your head this way and that like a pigeon while phrasing lines like Shatner singing Rocketman. A really amazing stage actor/actress can command the stage without all that-- look at Judi Dench singing it-- or Ruthie Henshall. This a slow, sad, quiet song of denial in heartbreak--Miz' Jones needs to internalize. I dunno how she won the Tony, but... everyone, please watch Dench's version.
HomeStarRunnerTron 8 months ago 4
@HomeStarRunnerTron you said it best. amen.
kathleensezhai 8 months ago
lmao she looks psychotic
thebest2luv 8 months ago
Comparison is unavoidable, but it's your expectations that let you guys down. I don't know a thing about 'A Little Night Music' other than this song and 'Everyday a Little Death" but seeing this performance made me want to know more about the show, the character, and I felt instantly sorry I didn't get to see this live. She played this like "Old Hollywood" without making it look like a caricature. Brilliantly done.
rwmusic 8 months ago
She did just wonderful. She was also sick when she sang this so that's pretty incredible. i love her, to me she is the best. :)
Angel5451 8 months ago
wow. this was beautiful
konster93 9 months ago
Anyone else feel like she's watching a tennis match? Look at her head! CALM DOWN GURL! :)
cooleo505 9 months ago
The song for all intensive purposes is Desiree's claim that no one should bother sending a clown or fool into the room because she foolishly and desperately clung to Frederick even when he was bethrothed to another woman, therefore she is the clown. It is not the protest that Catherine is singing about, and it leaves the audience feeling like they have just heard an anthem rather than the beautiful song Sondheim wrote.
Ragnalypse 9 months ago
@Ragnalypse You see, insights as to how an actress performs this song can be very subjective. You might have felt like her performance was celebratory rather than poignant but I felt differently. Catherine wanted to show everyone that her Desiree, though was on the brink of losing everything, still has a tiny bit of pride. Imagine despair in solitude, that's what she wanted. It's supposed to be a song of too much anger and regret, and we all know that countless other emotions result from anger.
savethealcoholic 8 months ago
no criticism, not trying to be bitchy, just thought you would like the knowledge... the phrase is "for all intents and purposes" not intensive purposes... i only know this because i often misused it and it was finally pointed out, much to my embarrassment, by a professor... lol... intensive purposes does not make sense in the context most people use it in... ....sadface hehe
brentoniusmaximus 7 months ago
She was sick, folks. Had she not performed, she would have gotten crap for THAT instead.
ccsdavis1 9 months ago 3
@ccsdavis1
Bernadette Peters was DYING sick when she performed her unforgettable "Roses Turn" at the tony's
Ragnalypse 9 months ago
Singing isn't bad, although the music is louder than her for half of it.
I am VERY distracted at how much she's whi-pping her head... AROUU-HU-HU-HU-HUND.
cloudxleon 9 months ago
@cloudxleon Think of the theatre she's performing this in, and where she performs it. People in the last row of the balcony, 200 or more feet away from the stage, need to be able to see her gestures and movements just as clearly as those in the front row. It's part of being on stage. This piece was meant to be performed and seen on stage, not TV.
LordCirque 9 months ago 4
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cloudxleon 9 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@LordCirque @LordCirque Very true, although she knew this was going to be shown on television. Plus, shaking your head dramatically doesn't exactly convey bitterness or regret. I think it takes away from the performance. I'd have laughed if I'd seen this in a theater, too. Lol
cloudxleon 9 months ago
so that was painfully bad.
ReverendKateColombo 9 months ago
This is bad...she cant sing.
flightie777 9 months ago
maybe NECKSSST yeeeaaaaaaarrrrr
mjdanby 10 months ago
i wont lie this performance is pretty comical...totally over acted, not a strong actress at all. I guess looks really can't get you everything :/
MrMusicstone 10 months ago
please give her some clowns. I love her and her singing, but this is too scary:'(
nielson12031996 10 months ago 2
I watched "Whatthebuck"'s impersonation of this and had to find it. And i think its the most hilarious thing... Clowns are... eeecchhhh
LoopsKHIenzoFan13 10 months ago 14
@LoopsKHIenzoFan13 where can i find this impersonation??
mrpiggy7788 5 months ago
@lifeonmars16 Now THAT was funny! LMAO and off and off and off and off...
honeykiss37 10 months ago
it looked like someone was pleasuring her at the end. O.o
PhantomloverSNAFU 10 months ago
The singing wasn't bad, but what was with all the head turning?
horselover1579 10 months ago 2
Right! Left! Right! Left! Up! Down! STARE.
justapathy 10 months ago 48
@justapathy LOL
PhantomloverSNAFU 10 months ago
@justapathy On stage in the actual show she was SO much better
AndAllThatJazz1924 5 months ago
she sucks...
littlekym88 10 months ago 2
So, listening to her just sing it, I was surprised that she sounded good! But...watching it.....was TERRIFYING
browneyesbigsmile 10 months ago 3
Maybe she's secretly an over-sized bobblehead...
PhantomloverSNAFU 10 months ago 2
Is an ivisble person slaping her for over acting? Or is she having mini neak seizures?
Ignorance96 10 months ago
For gods sake give her the clowns and nobody gets hurt!
DellaMaylanBrett 10 months ago
I'm traumatised O.o
ScenemoSweetie 10 months ago
She's acting it, she's not feeling it at all. It's like she wants to show us how to feel it. This is such a beautiful song. Shame really. Dame Judi Dench en Glenn Close really feel this song. You ought to listen to their version. Pure magic!
misstillyrosie 10 months ago
if she hadn't done that spastic shaking of her head at 2:33 (that just made me laugh way too loud for my own good) and pretty much through the whole performance, this would have been much more sad and meaningful. She could've at least toned down how fast her head moved, or something...
fara40000 10 months ago
I really dont see why so many people felt as if she did a bad job..its kinda ironic to hear people say that they thought that her performace was too dramtic..uuuhhh its only a BROADWAY type of performance it wouldnt be Broadway if it wasnt dramatic...this is performing arts people...learn to learn it then and only then will you be able to appreciate it.
LucidDreeaaming 10 months ago
@LucidDreeaaming There is a difference between dramatic and over-dramatic. Broadway does not mean over-acting. Sure, in many musicals it can mean that (especially earlier period ones) ...but some of the best moving performances are ones where the actor just stands there, sings, and the emotion comes out in the tiniest natural ways. Broadway most definitely can contain subtlety.
browneyesbigsmile 10 months ago
@browneyesbigsmile
I agree with everything you said about there being a difference between dramatic and over-dramatic and how broadway doesnt mean over-acting, but Broadway is always dramatic even in what appears to be a "subtle" performance..being dramatic doesnt necessarily have to mean excessive movement or facial expressions in a performance but rather be used to describe the stricking, overwhelming emotional connection that one feels from witnessing an awing performance..kinda get me?
LucidDreeaaming 10 months ago 3
A duet with Justin Beiber himself could have made Ms Zeta sound better
petele345 10 months ago
pays to be married to one of the most powerful men in show business. Such a joke that she has an Oscar and a Tony.
jefffawcett 10 months ago
@jefffawcett not really she maybe didn't earn the tony but she is great.
AdamEfimoff 10 months ago
lmao 2:44 scared the sh*t out of me...it was like she could actually see me laughing at her!
chrisgeronimo 10 months ago
I think I got whiplash watching this performance. It's as though a bald faced owl grew a human body and started to sing poorly (laryngitis notwithstanding).
chimpiki 10 months ago
"I'm ready for my close-up now Mr Demille..."
Volvican 10 months ago 2
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Volvican 10 months ago
She had bad laryngitis that night if you watch the acceptance speech!
classicalgalNYC 10 months ago
Brilliant!
AmorMuse 10 months ago
I don't know what everyone is complaining about. I think Zeta-Jones did a wonderful performance here, as well as on stage in this show. Its not over-acting people, its A Little Thing Called Broadway. Maybe you should look it up sometime. ;)
85Passions 10 months ago 2
Absolutely atrocious! The worst rendition of this song I've ever heard.
balladof 11 months ago
She is beautiful in every way possible. amazing.
Mithnoviel 11 months ago
It's a musical on stage, not on film. It's meant for the one in character to have grandiose movements because movements on stage are not magnified to be seen on a big screen. A lot of people here judge about over-the-top gestures but any theatrically-trained person understands this kind of acting. Stage-acting is different from film-acting. She just appears to be all over the place because it is being seen on TV or monitor but Catherine was performing for the audience Broadway style.
savethealcoholic 11 months ago 55
@savethealcoholic Look. I'm a musical theater person. I LOVE musical theater. Patti LuPone would never be caught dead doing a performance this ridiculous. No one would. We still laugh about the whole ordeal when the Tony's come up in conversation.
thesilverbadgers 10 months ago
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HomeStarRunnerTron 10 months ago 6
@savethealcoholic I agree with you, but this is really too much.. look at Judi Dench or Sally Ann Howes they did it on stage too.. but they don´t do this much of geturung
KimLoveJulie 10 months ago
@savethealcoholic The Tonys should belong to Christine Noll
econfkw 9 months ago
@savethealcoholic
I don't know if I agree with you... I mean yeah Thespians have to act much bigger than Film Actors do, that is very true... And that is perhaps what she is going for... But there is no denying that she is OVER selling it...
I'm sorry but this is the very definition of Chewing the Scenery
babeandandy 9 months ago 3
@savethealcoholic
I think her voice and the way she performed really suits the character...
Ggirl91 9 months ago 2
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Ragnalypse 9 months ago
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Ragnalypse 9 months ago
@savethealcoholic
Not true, bad training tells the actor that he must be more grandiose on stage, but then why do I love Bernadette Peters and Judi Denches version of this more, once I got past the fact that a film star was performing it this time. The truth of the matter is all acting is about making choices that are "approppriate" to the circumstance, and Catherine gives off the notion of being dignified after she has just had her heart broken, this may be heroic but its not realistic.
Ragnalypse 9 months ago
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Ragnalypse 9 months ago
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Ragnalypse 9 months ago
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Ragnalypse 9 months ago
@savethealcoholic She honestly did much better in Chicago, not because she was acting in film, but because she made better choices according to her character, Velma Kelly has alot of dignity. I'm sure if Catherine had understood the song more she would have been brilliant. Not to mention there was no breadth support for her singing and her phrasing/vowels were all over the phrase instead of the nobility she attempted to achieve.
Ragnalypse 9 months ago
@Ragnalypse Judi's rendition of this song has been my favorite ever since but why don't I criticize Catherine's Desiree? Because she's an actress bold enough to make her own Desiree. I loved Judi Dench but I just don't make her the standard of what Desiree should be. That's not the essence of theater. Catherine was allowed to interpret the song and I think, though it wasn't her best theatrical performance at the Tony's, she was still good her own way.
savethealcoholic 8 months ago 4
@savethealcoholic i think people are mistakingly picking up on the gestures as a diagnosis of what is wrong here. the problem is that although technically correct, they aren't being done with conviction. its not the gestures that make this terrible...its the complete lack of emotion, empathy, integrity, or engagement with a single syllable of the libretto.
myloverisbillmurray 7 months ago
@myloverisbillmurray I fully agree with you.
adriandelacruz 7 months ago
@savethealcoholic She's not doing anything but moving her head. Jerking your head around like a you're having a seizure isn't really proper when acting in any medium. And you don't have to be "theatrically-trained" to know that. She just had a bad performance. Maybe she was out of it. Maybe she was sick. I don't know, but this isn't a good performance, no matter how well versed you are in musical theatre.
fieldsfan1 6 months ago
@fieldsfan1 Yes, she is sick. Listen to her Tony Awards speech, her throat is a little soar and he tells her audience she will be better.
AliaSparrow 6 months ago
@savethealcoholic The song is enough to enjoy. She doesnt need to be jumping joops to captivate the audience.
mavphantom 6 months ago
@savethealcoholic Stage acting should still have controlled and focused energy. It is foolish to say that the difference between film and stage acting is that stage acting is bigger. Catherine has no focus in this scene. Even if Frederick were on stage, she's really supposed to be singing the song to herself as a sort of epiphany. But Catherine, like so many people with misconceptions about stage acting, thinks she needs to pander to the audience. Not to mention she has no humor.
bckesler 6 months ago 2
I think she is full of passion...really like it
SuperStonerose 11 months ago 4
I think she is full of passion...really like it
SuperStonerose 11 months ago
I think she is full of passion...really like it
SuperStonerose 11 months ago
Ok, so BGSU just did this play.... and the young woman who played Desiree' *spell check* was not as PSYCHOTIC as this one... She made me sympathize. Catherine scared me.
trippyboi91 11 months ago
@trippyboi91 That's where I go!
ohmyjesselyn 10 months ago
Excessive head movements, psychotic stares... yikes. Benefit of the doubt is that maybe she was acting for "the stage", so the people in the back row could see everything, and didn't realize how awful it would look on TV cameras with zoom lenses.
hawaiidispenser 11 months ago
HAWHAWHAW, she's horrid.
JadednBitter 11 months ago
the soup
MysteryGirl411 11 months ago 3