"Music and the Mirror" - Charlotte d'Amboise

[Suzzie4Wicked]

I LOVE HER VOICE!!!!!!!!

[broadwaybrent367]

She's great, but I prefer Nikki Snelson. Nikki's dancing is more fluent as opposed to sharp and crisp like Charlotte's. Both great performances, but just prefet Nikki!

[ryanglitter]

Chalotte is a great Cassie....she dances it impeccably :)

[lf1234]

Do you have any other clips of this production? I know all about the mixed reviews and would like to see for myself.

[JillysMyGirl]

And they do have small children. I have met them. She is amazing. I am so fortunate to have worked with her. I was her assistant for a while and also took lessons from her and she is amazing.

[DirtyRottenScoundrel]

I saw her 2 years ago, and I was totally blown away by her performance. I loved her. And I'm generally pretty critical.

[LesMisCrazy]

Ok so this really does not need to happen. This women is absolutely amazing. Im working on WCPSS/BSS production of this and she is helping and is absolutely and this dance solo is one of the hardest ever, so unless you can do it any better, please shutup.

[cabaretlover]

i doubt shes helping you.....why do people insist on lying here, to make a point. im so sure charlotte has time out of her 8 show schedule to help some random person learn this choreography.

[GGatlingII]

BAHAHAHAHAH! Little Miss Cabaret Lover.

Girl you make me giggle. Obviously you know nothing about Charlotte nor Terry.

But um if you want to keep believing that. Go right ahead chica. Because you will NEVER have what it takes or the privilege to work them. Think I'm a liar? Try me!

** Connor I don't know what it is that makes me believe you, but i do. Maybe it's because we were in the show together?**

Charlotte, BabyGirl you are FABULOUS!

[glindagi]

Well, I work closely with her husband, we are doing A chorus line in are home town. She is coming to help the Cassie in our cast as well to promote the show! Her husband rocks!

[cabaretlover]

you work with terrance mann? somehow i find that a lie they have children. where is this production, website?

[QF107]

Jessica Lea Goldyn replaced Charlotte D'Amboise for the final week. Any reviews/comments on her performance? Any clips?? God I wish I lived in NYC!

[marcelobocao01]

How old is she actually?

[anicdebo3]

ok kids, so i just saw her perfom this the other night... all you haters need to go experience her performance before you pass judgement; because i'm here to tell you she is absolutely fabulous!

[bbritibaby]

i think she is a great dancer. look at her legs! i want to look like that at 44

[rocky362]

her voice sucks

[whogamiwhatzitz]

i saw her last year, and although i HATE her singing voice (easy on the vibratto chica!) and am indifferent to her dancing, i loved her acting. during her scene before this song she was honest and raw without being overdone. she displayed the emotion perfectly when zach was yelling at her to look like everyone else in the line. she stepped out, frustrated, got this determined look on her face, then stepped back in with the chorus girl smile and looked the same as evevryone else. gorgoeus acting.

[someforunclejoe]

her dancing is amazing, though.

[caffineaddict29]

Charlotte is actually one of the best performers I have ever seen! I was lucky enough to see her in two different shows, Chorus Line and Chicago as Roxie! She is so insanely amazing! It's hard to sing and dance, you have to have impossible respitory skills. I know this being a performer myself. Loads of props to Charlotte!

[TandAofBWAY]

I think she has a certain ferocity that isnt common in many performers. Though Donna had better vocal ability, Charlotte had a more believable character that was so much easier to empathize with, and her drive is astounding. Great performance.

[jamesbmink]

michael bennett is rolling in his grave, this is a shame to a chorus line, i can't watch this video...

--the end

[phlashba]

The lyric is: give me a chance to come THROUGH" I don't know what that "throooeoooowugh" is but it put me off the whole song it was so distracting. Its as if she can't decide if she wants to be Merman, Baranski, or Bonnie Franklin. I agree with the other poster: the couldn't find anybody better???

[vintageglam521]

hahaha you're right! I think she was attempting a Merman, haha. I actually saw it with her, and remember not liking her voice, but the dance won me over haha.

[anicdebo3]

i have to give her mad props! dude- if you have ever done a number like that you'd give her props too! i think she's fierce! and if you've seen any of her other work you'd be speechless! (and if i were gunna leave a comment i would find a better adj. than ninja like)

[potato78]

Don't know how many shows Charlotte plays in a week, but I've seen her on a Wednesday night and she has been amazing. She was crying in the dialogue before the dance routine. She delivered to the audience such strong emotions, I was moved too. A great performer. Didn't see a performance like that in a while.

[orchestralmagician]

I will repeat my comment...great dancing...yet she is too ninja-like in her dance movements. She is too jerky and she can't stay on pitch. Someone posted a great video of Donna McKechnie doing "Tick Tock" in concert from Company. So Bennett!

[caitlinette]

What does she wear under that costume? It looks like it would have to be strapless, but that wouldn't stay up during all the dancing.

[DevinJGreene]

Charlotte d'Amboise is amazing. I love her. She is the true definition of a triple threat.

[NapoleonDfan]

thank you SOOO musch for posting this I LOVE IT =D

[MTGuy8989]

this is amazing quality video! it's a shame there isn't more of the revival on here. i haven't been able to find anything.

[Jarrod005]

How come Charlotte only performs 6 shows a week? I saw it last thursday and it said THE ROLE OF CASSIE ON THURSDAYS IS PERFORMED BY _______ AND ON SUNDAYS BY _________. I saw the show last in Feb 07 and it wasnt like that then. Is she just old now?

[loveangela1]

She just can't dance it anymore.

[anicdebo3]

what do you mean she cant dance it anymore??

[christchacoutu]

she never could

[someforunclejoe]

i love -- if you can tell my my username -- donna mckechnie. but i saw ACL in SF and was amazed by charlotte -- like, fuckingly so -- and she brought the house down. this scene you're seeing, above, brought the entire show to a halt. people lost their damn minds. i'll never forget it. beautiful.

[phlashba]

Wish I had seen that Charlotte on Broadway. She just seemed tired...and teh number dragged...literally. It was a huge disappointment as was the revival itself with a few minor exceptions. I left with the worst feeling: that I wished I had just kept my memories of the original show. Nice try everybody, but lighting does not strike easily in the same place twice.

[JPNP13]

Charlotte is actually a very good performer, I've seen her twice, and she blew me away both times, this particular video she isn't dragging the orchestra is, very badly it's usually much much faster than this.

[vellure]

What I hate about this version is how they cut the booty shake out from the original, and those clamy hands just has needs some lobster therapy.

[bwaystar88]

I couldn't think of anything but how fantastic I though Charlotte waas when I saw the whow on broadway, and I'll never understand the criticism. I thought she had the perfect mix of dance technique mixed with the both excitement and especially desperation that Cassie is feeling in that particular moment. One of the most exciting moments in the theater I've ever had.

And Donna McKechnie is my idol too. So believe me, I had high expectations.

[import26]

Well, isn't she playing a dancer who used to be good, and for some reason is now out of work after some time? Could it be that she's intentionally weak at some points? Because if that is the case, then she has it perfect - was good/ now only good for the chorus. After watching a few times, I think it could have been that she was asked to sing and dance as if she hadn't done it in a while.

[vellure]

Loveangela1 just posted the comeback of mckenchie in 1988 with her performance of MATM. watch it and you'll see how its really performed

[orchestralmagician]

Again from a vocal perspective. I think she is so out of pitch at times. Her dancing is jaw dropping at times, but at other times it is jagged and she flails around like a Ninja rather than a classically trained dancer. The jaggedness is in her blood. She is so knetic in whatever she is doing. She needs a lot of vocal work. I've never worked with her, I have worked on B-Way productions where we ended up asking actors to leave if they couldn't dance and sing at a professional level.

[premon]

Oh I forgot to say that I don't think her voice is bad at all, compared to the other clips I've seen.

[premon]

Definitely not the best I've seen her. Some parts actually made my nose cringe. I take it this was either from earlier in the production or the San Francisco pre-Broadway run.

The last time I saw her was last month, and her energy was still there, and the dancing was great compared to this clip..a lot more poise.

I never got the chance to see the original Paul for the revival, and from very little of what I saw from this clip, he's a natural. Whatever happened to him?

[defygravity89]

what I love about Charlotte is her face when she dances. You can tell shes getting such joy out of it. It's an absolute thrill to watch. She may not be the best singer in the cast but she can dance like nobody's business, in my opinion. Its not just about the technical stuff in the dancing. A lot of it is about the emotions portrayed as well. You wouldn't want to watch a stone faced person dance this beautifully would you? Charlotte has emotion when she dances and thats what I like.

[Xeresa18]

Her father is a famous ballet dancer, Jacques D'Amboise, and he played one of the brothers in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in the movies! It was the name factor I think that got her the role!

[nekonuk]

I think her name got her the job in the ballet school when she was a kid, but I think it was more her extensive work on broadway, especially with all the roxie replacements in chicago, that made her known by the public, and then she auditioned and got the job.

[lf1234]

I'm not convinced over all the Charlotte hate. I think people just hate her because she's not Donna. Her acting is a little too theatric for the play, but her dancing I thought was great.

[lewmazk]

$10,000 a week? are you serious? she's not even a tony winner

[BroadwayTennis]

$10,000 a week for THAT?

puhleese.

[Leadingdude]

hey do you have the rest of paul's monologue? jason tam is incredible in the role.

[Diva2theCore]

YAY!!! I've been waiting for someone to upload this! i saw the show last year and got to meet her she's really lovely and my fav bway dancer!!!

[zedpuss]

i think charlotte is nothing short of extraordinary. the intensity in the vocal, the energy (and absolute joy) in the dancing . . . charlotte is responsible for the two greatest performances i've seen in SF: roxie, & cassie/ACL in the pre-broadway run. she's not donna . . . but donna will never be charlotte. THANK YOU CHARLOTTE for all the amazing work you've done for us in your brilliant broadway gypsy career. you are more admired than you will ever know. haterz just tend to be louder ;-)

[loveangela1]

I will go on record by saying that I have loved her in everything but this.

[orchestralmagician]

I think vocally she is horrible as Cassie. Dance-Wise...pretty good...certainly better than some of the other Cassie's you have. I would have liked to see her as Charity in Sweet Charity. I was doing "Wicked" at the time, but I heard she was supposed to play Charity....but then Christina Applegate took over when she was injured. I liked Christina's but Charity would have been a real ideal fit for Charlotte. I agree with you..if you could cast anyone for Cassie...who would you go with?

[loveangela1]

Other way around. Charlotte was standby for Applegate, and took over when Applegate was injured. When Applegate recovered, she resumed being standby, until AEA told her she had to chose between being standby in "Charity" or on-call Roxie in "Chicago." She chose Roxie.

[orchestralmagician]

Thanks for correcting me! I would have loved to see her in that. AEA has some funky rules. I did an off-broadway limited engagement of Michael John LaChuisa's "the Wild Party", and we had a crap load of AEA problems....anyhow...had i not been working I would have loved to see her in that role.

[cabaretlover]

obviously you aren't a broadway magician.....you would know these minute details.

[zedpuss]

hey loveangela1 thanks for the reply. you seem to love this number as much as i do. if you want to see a truly atrocious performance you should watch me do it in my apartment :-) but your videos are helping me learn . . . thnx

[orchestralmagician]

At 2:30...her voice is god awful. As a Broadway Pit Musician...i think Charlotte needs to understand what pitches are. Dance-Wise, amazing...at 4:50...wow!!! Great Ensemble Dancer....but when it comes down to a number where she needs to sustain a pitch...she can't do it. Which is why she was so perfect as Roxie Hart. Perfect Casting. Here...okay casting. Nobody Can Equal McKechnie. I also don't think Sutton Foster could fit here. I think she is too contemporary in her usual dance style.

[vellure]

I was hoping Susan egan would come back and do this role.

[loveangela1]

Can she dance it?

[vellure]

she sure can. she was in cabaret, thorough modern millie, and the dancer/teacher in gotta kick it up.

[loveangela1]

But neither Sally Bowles or Mille Dumont require the intense dance that is MATM. Remember, the actress playing Cassie essentially stands for 90 minutes, and then has to go into this incredibly intense section with no real way to ease herself in.

There are stories of women during auditions throwing up upon completion, or passing out mid-way through, and some even stopping and just crying because they can't do it.

[QF107]

I think Jessica Lee Goldyn, the current Val. Would be perfect. She can sing, act and dance. My 2 cents. Thanks again loveangela1 for posting this.

[loveangela1]

At one point Goldyn was an u/s...but now that there are two alternates, I doubt she'll ever go on.

[vellure]

Is this really the hardest routine in broadway? I did this on my jazz class. IT WAS MADLY EXHAUSTING!!!

[loveangela1]

Yes. It is.

The only thing that comes close to rivaling it is "Molasses to Rum" in 1776

[cabaretlover]

it is the HARDEST routine...........

[cabaretlover]

why is a broadway pit musician commenting on illegal footage? nobody cares. so stop mentioning it.

[childrenschorus12]

I think she has really good pitch and tone but she has too much vibrato and she puts to much passion into it.

[AlexCorpRedux]

I love Charlotte, I saw her as Roxie in Chicago back in '05!

[mikecoleman1]

This number will always be McKechnie's, but Charlotte is pretty darn good.

[vellure]

I have to say that the change in cheography was for the best. I'm not a big fan of her voice, but damn can she DANCE!!

[loveangela1]

Except they didn't change it. That's why she looks sooooo bad.

[vellure]

There were a few changes to it. Most of the dance are the same but that kick at 2:35 was a stretch from the original. At 4:40 she faces zack instead of the mirror when dangling. They shorten the bridge (4:44-4:50) before the series of pirroutes making the performance slightly short.

[loveangela1]

Wow...Baayork actually *did* change something? I'm impressed considering the executor of Bennett's estate is a total control freak

[cabaretlover]

not to mention the execution isnt as fluid its alot more sharp and stiff and 1:44 is supposed to be an arebesque (spelling?) combination not to mention she isnt fully laying out in her turns throughout the combination (yes its a donna specialty, however, its part of the number) but i still love her. oh wait not to mention the added double turn at 5:06 at the end of the pirroute combo before the scuttle combo. : ) i still love her!

[vellure]

Actually I prefer forward stretch after the pirroute combo it displays so much flexibility. What I notice from Mckenchie is that she cheats the series of piroutes from a double to a single and a half and just completes the rotation with both feet on floor. I still love her. I still prefer prunzik's technical difficulty in dancing. Charlotte just has clamy hands.

[cabaretlover]

her core isnt tight. and in donnas 88 comeback...the double turn series att he end was cut, into double chenes. what?

[cabaretlover]

they did change some parts. this is modified BIG TIME. watch karen prunzik do music and the mirror on here. she is FIERCE. cants sing well, but the dancing rivals mckechnie

[childrenschorus12]

was she nominated for a tony?

if she was that would suck

[loveangela1]

Yes she was.

[someforunclejoe]

finally! awesome.

[import26]

Can't believe there was no better option than her...though I admitted that it sounded like great casting at the beginning.

[vellure]

I feel like her singing still in the side of chicago and cabaret

[seanb712]

I love you for putting this up. The quality is amazing, btw.

[cabaretlover]

work it out charlotte. love you betch mean it!