Shirley Henderson Topsy-Turvy

[lavendersghost]

woah.....moaning myrtle has a great voice!!!!!

[SaraB1423]

Jeez who disliked this?  she is wonderfully talented. Such a voice from such a little person!

[joecburke]

Stunningly done. Gorgeous. Radiant expression and phrasing. Targeted accuracy in her singing. Period.

[lil2shygirl]

She has a very beautiful voice i have ever heard in a long time :) i love it 

[MrPaulb1001]

Someone I know was once described by the latin phrase of "Multem im Parvo" ( I hope I have spelt it right ), it means A great deal contained in a small space. This can well describe Shirley Henderson too.

[RaffaeleFrancesco]

@MrPaulb1001 It's "Multum in parvo", but you're right, it describes her perfectly :)

[ShamusMacGuffin]

@RaffaeleFrancesco Agreed. She's only five feet tall and mostly likely weighs under 100 pounds, but her talents are huge.

[TheJuzMii]

was she really 37 wen she casted in chambers of secrets?

[lil2shygirl]

@TheJuzMii Yes she was :)

[monkshake2]

Shirley Henderson is my Uncle Brian's Cousin :) its Awesome cos im soo interested in Performing Arts, Im off to Uni this year studying Musical Theatre ;) :D

[EmmaTheAveragePerson]

moaning Myrtle sings well ok nice varry nice lol

[baracine]

Please compare with "Crépuscule" by Jules Massenet, written several years before:

RjbQ9eI-EUI

I am not saying it is a paraphrase, but certainly an inspiration.

[nabradcliffe]

listen to her actual talking voicen her singing. so diff yet awesome!

[humphrieskathryn]

anyone else think that she has the same vocal quality as Kristin Chenoweth?

[TheCherryBomber1]

@humphrieskathryn very similar tone, like a british Cheno!

[CarolAnneFreeling1]

AAAH.Moaning Myrtle!!!!!!!

[vulpecula999]

there's not much of her, but crikey, she's good

[grandorval3]

Beautiful absolutely BEAUTIFUL !!!!!!!!!

[cgavin1]

I think being 5 ft tall and skinny as a whippet helps her appeal to me tremendously. :)

[yumyummoany]

This is one hell of a film - Shirley is wonderful as Leonora - and the moment Jim Broadbent slowly looks into the camera and smiles as he holds the sword he bought at the Japanese Exhibition - The Mikado is born - FANTASTIC! If you haven't seen Topsy Turvy, get the DVD, you are in for a treat.

[Mewsician123]

What a beautiful song! And hard to sing. Her voice is just right for it. Very moving.

[319miryam]

she can sing

[eleanorgloria]

Her voice isn't perfect but I think dramatically it is quite a charming version of this song. Love Henderson.

[impbr]

love this song. Wow she can really sing. Ok not the toppest of top notch-slightly strained at the very top end and one or two slight pacing problems imo but pretty,pretty good. Overall -delightful.

[lskarin]

BTW, you folk who like G&S sopranos and comparing them, I fondly remember Jean Hindmarsh. Google.

In there she sung in, Isidore Godfrey was a steadying influence for all performers.

And you might get to hear the excellent tenor, Thomas Round.

[lskarin]

I don't know how a literate sentence can get corrupted when posted. Believe me, I did not write "In there she sung in..."

[elephantbarbiegirl]

spooky-topsy turvey!

[xdeliriumgirlx]

wait, this is moaning Myrtle?

omg i never made the connection, and ive had this on my playlist for years

[RaffaeleFrancesco]

Don't worry, many of us didn't make it too XD

[JAKWIK]

shes my aunts cousin she is from fife

[intelligentpizza]

sorry it did not come out correctly. It is hard but I try again. You are probably quite a musically gifted person. However, while I do also have the "gene" of music, I am not as exacting and have not made music my career and life long ambition. So from your subjective perspective it could be tiresome.

[intelligentpizza]

Hello cuddlyable3 To disparage or to degrade are approximate synonyms according to the dictionaries of the day, but you are correct and I meant "disparage". I believe that there is a difference between those of us who are musically gifted or talented and those of us who are snobbish critics or connoisseur as yourself. If a wine is good it need not be the absolute best in the world to give us pleasure. Her performance is way above the threshold of the mundane or good G&S performance. no?

[marielaveau8]

intelligentpizza:

Shirley Henderson's performance was far above the mundane in Topsy Turvy, and I agree that it pleased many people. Best live performance of The Mikado that I have ever seen was in San Francisco in 2001. The Lamplighters (a light opera company) has actually won first place in G&S competitions in the U.K.

[cuddlyable3]

It's such a beautiful song that it's hard to go wrong with it, but this is JERKY. Here on YouTube I recommend the versions both by Valerie Masterson (classic D'Oyly Carte) and Mary Votava.

[intelligentpizza]

I do not see why you should degrade her performance of this song which is excellent. You cannot say it is anything other than excellent perhaps the best and I have heard way too many performances of Mikado. The performances in Topsy Turvy are very good and had to be for the film is about it.

[cuddlyable3]

intelligentpizza, you probably mean "disparage" not "degrade". You also need to learn that anyone CAN disagree with you and say so. It's sad if you have heard too many Mikados, or is that just to impress us? Performances in films don't "have to" be good but it's nice when they are. However I find this pseudo-operatic diva tiresome.

[almadora]

deadly. absolutely deadly.

[lskarin]

I was impressed with Topsy Turvy and my first view of Shirley Henderson.

Let me commend to all G&S fans a book by Audrey Williamson called Gilbert and Sullivan Opera. I ran into this in the Korean Yongsan Library in 1966. I think it's still in print and is the best overall criticism I've seen of G&S and the performances thereof.

[BrokebackJoker]

i never knew she could sing!

wow. she sounds so beautiful!

[intelligentpizza]

beautiful!

[RaffaeleFrancesco]

You're so right...oh, you mean the song? :)

[intelligentpizza]

Of course the song is a gem of music, like Beethoven's violin concerto or the Emperor concerto or the Requiem. However, even for those who are not born with the gene of music, her performance of the song and the way the video is put together. As I understand it in the movie she had an alcohol addiction and also a male singer had a drug addiction, you see the beauty of art and the unfortunate vice and self-destruction of the artist or of the real persons. Anyway, that is what I meant!

[RaffaeleFrancesco]

Then let me say it again: you're so right.

[vulpecula999]

@intelligentpizza George Grossmith was rumoured to have a morphine dependence, but this is probably an exaggeration as he needed a "tonic" before shows, particularly opening nights to overcome nervousness. Leonora Braham was also rumoured to have an alcohol problem, but she left (or was perhaps dismissed by Mr Carte)as she announced that she was pregnant with her second child during a run of Ruddigore

[naizret]

I, too, was deeply moved by SH's performance--the suggestion of tragedy lurking behind her beauty, lying in wait--and the lyrics, while half-comic, are beautifully augmented by Sullivan's haunting notes. (Of course, the fact that SH is so bewitching helps, too.)

--A middle-aged American admirer

[yesterdayoncemore12]

Perfect way to end this film I love Mike Leigh!!!

[big4daily]

She has the perfect voice for this particular number. She also played "Moaning Mertyle" in the Harry Potter movies. Very versatile.

[almadora]

somebody please post the actual film clip.

[almadora]

"...i am a child of nature...and i take after my mother.." (like it or not.)

[charlotteamalie]

The beauty of her performance moved me to tears and her singing of this song was incredibly sublime. Added together is a masterful performance, one that leaves you shocked for the rest of your life.

[higgme1ster]

The beauty of her performance moved me to tears and her singing of this song was incredibly sublime. Added together is a masterful performance, one that leaves you shocked for the rest of your life.

Hear, Hear! Hear, Hear! The masterful performance that leaves you shocked for the rest of your life!

[lskarin]

I, too, am impressed with Shirley Henderson. Let me commend to all G&S fanatics Audrey Williamson's book commenting on G&S for the short history their work has had. The title is Gilbert and Sullivan Opera, and my book is from Marion Boyers. One of the most intelligent assessments I have seen. What is it with Gilbert's being mean to middle-aged women? Buttercup is the only one who comes off well.

Get the book. It will enhance your experience.

[TheStoryWriter]

Beautiful!

[intelligentpizza]

By far the best song of Mikado.

[lskarin]

Everyone can disagree, but to me the best is Braid the Raven Hair. In her book Audrey Williamson says this song is the work of a true if minor poet.

[robreyreynolds]

I am amazed at her versatility. With her hair down she does the most complex women I have seen on film. With her hair up or short the beauty of her eyes comes out and she steals men's souls. It's easy to go ga-ga over both her skills and her eyes.

[RaffaeleFrancesco]

Actually you're right

[dtorgler72]

Shirley Henderson just blew me away in this movie. I've been following her career with interest ever since. She chooses very interesting roles.

[RaffaeleFrancesco]

I quote

[dedeca2007]

What a so beautiful voice... *_* I love it! Shirley is the best! XD

[jonahstevenson]

this song just made me cry and i'm a grown man. ha ha. gilbert was such a genius. they both were. *sighs*

[franyddl321]

WHAT A VOICE!!!!! I LOVE HER! This film is fabulous and she is amazing and beautiful.. This song is the best of gilbert and sullivan, and she sings it like no other.