Yes, Jamie is an absolute prick for cheating on his wife, but Norbert Leo Butz actually makes you feel sorry for the guy...almost gets you feeling empathetic for Jamie. The performance is so raw, so honest, so vulnerable.
This clip is a masterclass for any singer in keeping it real.
Thank you to the cmcguigan470 for the post, but more importantly, thanks to JRB and NLB. :-)
His performance makes me want to sob. I've listened to the soundtrack (specifically this song) about a billion times, but seeing him acting with it... Wow. It's amazing. Norbert definitely did it best.
This is just amazing, and this song, I believe, subtly shows off JRB genius. It's such a sad song, and you feel sorry for Jamie but you just absolutely LOATHE him when he admits he makes "conscious, deliberate mistakes." And at the end when he tells the girl he "could be in love with someone like her," it just makes your heart break.
And OMG I just love the chords at 4:44!!! Everything just deteriorates and it's just wow.
The beauty of this performance is that he somehow makes you HATE him beyond words, and yet at the same time I feel his pain, and I understand. Jason Robert Brown hit the nail on the head with this song, it's so haunting; I have to say my favorite part is when he talks to the other woman, saying I will never lie to you, I could love someone like you. So chilling.
norbert leo butz is a broadway god! by far one of my favorite numbers he's ever performed... i get chills every time i hear this song. i'd have his little musical babies... yup. haha!
Can you possibly imagine what kind of work Norbert puts in ALL his performances?? He works like a fucking dog to sound and especially come across the way he does... I draw my hat!
this song completely drains me every time i hear it. my heart clenches just hearing the opening bars, because i know what's coming. he acts this song so simply and honestly, it's absolutely horrifying and heartbreaking all at the same time. a lesser actor would really muscle through the emotional shifts, hardening it and making himself inaccessible. in theory, jamie is a real asshole, but NLB brilliantly manages to make him sympathetic. he's incredible. a true talent.
Great performance. My good fortune to have music directed a production some years ago. (My misfortune to have had to play that piano book!) Truly a great show.
Is it just me or would he be a great Kirk if they ever did Star Trek: The Musical?
I had to perform this song last spring as part of a cabaret. Performing this song might have been the most emotionally exhausting seven minutes of my life and it never got less tiring than the time before.
I enjoy reading every single one of these comments. I'm glad everyone else is equally the same consistency of liquid that I have just melted down to. One of my professors taught him... I think I have high hopes of figuring out how to get introduced to this man and shake his hand. This was real.
I have owned the CD of this fabulous show for about 4 years. I listen to it regularly coz I love it. But this is the first time I've seen a video of Norbert performing this song...and all I have is OHMIGOD!
I have always 'bought every word' he sang, but to see this is incredible. His vulnerability towards the end of the song - it starts to build at 5:30 and hits a heartbreaking peak at 5:54 - is so very magnetic.
This video is my new addiction - thanks Norbert, you rock!
This is my favorite song that he has ever sung in any show he has done. His voices just floats over every note, and he doesn't do his weird voice pop whenever he goes above a F, which I love. Do you hear that amazingly placed head voice note at the end of the song. It kinda makes you not want to hate his character.
Thanks for your description of his voice. I agree that it makes you not want to hate his character.
So many little things he does to give that number warmth and humanity. The rubbing of his eyes, the sheepish smile...the sad, wistful looks. I feel like this man has just begun to plumb his talents.
I don't get that "double wammy" comment... I love both of them. They both have 2 very different voices so I don't see how you can compare them to each other.
The performance Norbert gives in this show is just phenomenal. Thanks for uploading this video. We are all blessed to even be able to say we saw it on tape lol.
Im sure everyone who's heard Norbert sing has at one point had The Expression. The one expression where inside you feel like your in heaven but on the outside you look like a drunk orgasmic druggie..ya THAT expression.SERIOUSLY Norbert's such a natural at this Like.. every time he sings its like hes pouring chocolate goodness upon the audience in a harmony heaven and bliss. But if you look at his mouth movements. He might as well be chewing peanut butter. Its like its like its naturaI LOVE IT =D
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
It didnt do it for me. Overall the vocals were pretty good, you have some wrong and flaaaaaaat notes here and there.. just fix those. I know you are playing a bit lethargic but... the music cant be that way.
The interpretation is a bit plain... you could go alot further
Uhhh, you are aware that you're not advising some random amateur actor, right? You think you're directly corresponding with Norbert Leo Butz, who won a Tony award for Best Actor in a Musical for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels? Just making sure.
hahahaha....the man's got a tony and a drama desk and is a genius...and you think you need to give him advice. maybe you should study up on your theater before you say anything. remember that it's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt. oh jeez, at least you made me laugh (at you, not with you)!
I will have to retract my statement, after reviewing the video I think the quality of the recording is what threw me off. It makes him sound very flat and sharp sometime.
Once I realized who he was and that it was his voice I had been listening to OVER AND OVER with the Original Cast soundtrack I feel like a bit of a retard hahaha
Ugh. Gosh. BRILLIANT. Still, FOREVER and ALWAYS my most favorite song. I just LOVE the refrains either with "Hold on," or "Alright." Man.... Listen to the original recording on the soundtrack, you can hear Norbert's voice breaking near the end. It's very emotional, and the lyrics and compisition are extremely powerful and beautiful. Thank God for JRB and The Last 5 Years.
Not a great recording but it's clear that this is a fantastic song, and brilliantly performed here. I love the way he plays around with the vocal line in terms of time signature and pulse. Thanks for posting. :)
The last two minutes brought me to tears.
xmostrequestedx 6 days ago
My english teacher went to prom with him. Gosh he is perfect!
JsAMMyrOX 4 months ago 5
It's just so...human.
KaitlynLela 4 months ago
SO. GOOD.
Yes, Jamie is an absolute prick for cheating on his wife, but Norbert Leo Butz actually makes you feel sorry for the guy...almost gets you feeling empathetic for Jamie. The performance is so raw, so honest, so vulnerable.
This clip is a masterclass for any singer in keeping it real.
Thank you to the cmcguigan470 for the post, but more importantly, thanks to JRB and NLB. :-)
mxmntgmry 4 months ago 3
His performance makes me want to sob. I've listened to the soundtrack (specifically this song) about a billion times, but seeing him acting with it... Wow. It's amazing. Norbert definitely did it best.
rebelviv8 5 months ago 2
This is just amazing, and this song, I believe, subtly shows off JRB genius. It's such a sad song, and you feel sorry for Jamie but you just absolutely LOATHE him when he admits he makes "conscious, deliberate mistakes." And at the end when he tells the girl he "could be in love with someone like her," it just makes your heart break.
And OMG I just love the chords at 4:44!!! Everything just deteriorates and it's just wow.
BeccaWei25331 5 months ago 3
I think my favorite line is "and then i start making, consious, deliberate mistakes." oooh. chills.
Katluver56 6 months ago
So....I made a backing track to this, visit btracks.com if you want to have a look
btracks1 8 months ago
The beauty of this performance is that he somehow makes you HATE him beyond words, and yet at the same time I feel his pain, and I understand. Jason Robert Brown hit the nail on the head with this song, it's so haunting; I have to say my favorite part is when he talks to the other woman, saying I will never lie to you, I could love someone like you. So chilling.
philliesphan804 9 months ago 14
He puts so much emotion into this song that it's hard not to feel for him, even though he's just cheated on his wife.
DontGoQuietly 11 months ago
@DontGoQuietly Well his wife wasn't exactly 'fair', though it's still immoral.
SilverRvn 9 months ago
this song...there are no words.
Jessicadunaway 1 year ago
Jason Robert Brown=genius.
misspinaberry 1 year ago 3
norbert leo butz is a broadway god! by far one of my favorite numbers he's ever performed... i get chills every time i hear this song. i'd have his little musical babies... yup. haha!
natkwib 1 year ago
this is perfection in musical theatre performance...true, beautiful and breathtaking....Wow, I love this show!
Broadwaybaby10 1 year ago
this is perfection in musical theatre performance...true, beautiful and breathtaking....Wow, I love this show!
Broadwaybaby10 1 year ago 2
They need to make Dexter--the TV series-- into a Musical, and this guy needs to play Dexter. He sounds/looks just like him. Perfection.
AirForceBender 1 year ago 2
Can you possibly imagine what kind of work Norbert puts in ALL his performances?? He works like a fucking dog to sound and especially come across the way he does... I draw my hat!
konstantinzander 1 year ago
goosebumpsss
i wish i could see this musical :(
TheDancingTwins 1 year ago
Was there an audience reaction to the line "Cathy is waiting"? It sounded like it.
goodnightmoon9 1 year ago 2
@goodnightmoon9 Yeah, it's weird. They laugh. Probably out of suprise--it's not clear until he says that that he was in bed with another woman.
krispykritterlover 1 year ago
@goodnightmoon9 The first time they released he cheated? Ha, you bet there was.
mrfrenik 1 year ago
I hate this song and love it at the same time. It's wonderful, it captures everything so perfectly but it breaks my heart.
Ridiculously sad, but truthful, Jason Robert Brown is a genius.
misseviejay 1 year ago
NLB is awesome. Plain and simple.
I rarely enjoy listening to anyone other than my Wicked favorites, but I love listening to Dancing Through Life on the Wicked soundtrack.... ;)
BeautifullyTragicLFB 1 year ago
It makes me sad when he puts his clothing on.
jasminehare1 1 year ago 4
Actors like him, so real, come once in a blue moon.
BlueJeanBaby012 1 year ago 2
this song completely drains me every time i hear it. my heart clenches just hearing the opening bars, because i know what's coming. he acts this song so simply and honestly, it's absolutely horrifying and heartbreaking all at the same time. a lesser actor would really muscle through the emotional shifts, hardening it and making himself inaccessible. in theory, jamie is a real asshole, but NLB brilliantly manages to make him sympathetic. he's incredible. a true talent.
ummdaisy 1 year ago
he sings it so simply, yet there's so much emotion and drama there. it's amazing.
elliemakesmusic 1 year ago
so much integrity. you seem him pouring out, and his vocal quality doesn't suffer. its perfect.
chidesea 1 year ago
This is one of those songs that I LOVE but I almost feel bad that I do :p
Norbert is OUTSTANDING and he always brings it.
amgirlvicki 1 year ago
Great performance. My good fortune to have music directed a production some years ago. (My misfortune to have had to play that piano book!) Truly a great show.
Is it just me or would he be a great Kirk if they ever did Star Trek: The Musical?
Qermaq 1 year ago
I had to perform this song last spring as part of a cabaret. Performing this song might have been the most emotionally exhausting seven minutes of my life and it never got less tiring than the time before.
frams12 2 years ago
I enjoy reading every single one of these comments. I'm glad everyone else is equally the same consistency of liquid that I have just melted down to. One of my professors taught him... I think I have high hopes of figuring out how to get introduced to this man and shake his hand. This was real.
drewblakeman 2 years ago 3
Perfection.
singforyoursupper 2 years ago
Holy shit.
jsiak01 2 years ago
He. Is. Incredible. Holy hell.
schmuckyduck 2 years ago
God, I always feel emotionally drained after listening to this song. Freaking magic!!!
luckysandi77 2 years ago 2
Amazing voice. Pne of the only tenors who manages to not sound like a eunich. I love him.
Christapillar 2 years ago 5
wow.
that's all i can think to say right now.
erynn417 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
He doesn't really look jewish....
kylerco05 2 years ago
Oh boy.....is he ever beautiful.....woof.
EtrangerStranger 2 years ago 3
I have owned the CD of this fabulous show for about 4 years. I listen to it regularly coz I love it. But this is the first time I've seen a video of Norbert performing this song...and all I have is OHMIGOD!
I have always 'bought every word' he sang, but to see this is incredible. His vulnerability towards the end of the song - it starts to build at 5:30 and hits a heartbreaking peak at 5:54 - is so very magnetic.
This video is my new addiction - thanks Norbert, you rock!
mxmntgmry 2 years ago 2
amazing, beautiful, haunting.
I can't even type sentences.
Just adjectives.
legend.
peteyiom2 2 years ago 37
legendary : )
Fleepers 2 years ago 3
@peteyiom2
legend is a noun.
mllandis08 1 year ago 5
@mllandis08 haaaaaa
uknowwho889 1 year ago
@mllandis08 and I wrote legend after the list of adjectives, therefore separating it from the list
peteyiom2 1 year ago
This is my favorite song that he has ever sung in any show he has done. His voices just floats over every note, and he doesn't do his weird voice pop whenever he goes above a F, which I love. Do you hear that amazingly placed head voice note at the end of the song. It kinda makes you not want to hate his character.
Addison1Daniel2Rose4 2 years ago 4
Thanks for your description of his voice. I agree that it makes you not want to hate his character.
So many little things he does to give that number warmth and humanity. The rubbing of his eyes, the sheepish smile...the sad, wistful looks. I feel like this man has just begun to plumb his talents.
Jayee123 2 years ago
EPIC!!!!
johneugenejones 2 years ago 2
omg his singing is so effortless .
krazyforyou12 2 years ago 2
WHO IS HE TALKING TO
rent8907 2 years ago
Comment removed
billyemo 2 years ago
It's generally assumed he is speaking to his editor, Elise, but I don't know if that's ever been confirmed by JRB or anyone else.
edited:
I had it wrong, not Linda, his editor, Elise I believe is her name
billyemo 2 years ago
It infers that he's with Elise, a woman he works with. But it never comes out and says it. You can be sure it isn't Cathy.
sweeneybleeders 2 years ago
what an amazing voice. and he's so HOT TOO! double wammy against people like Adam Pascal
WildThangSE 2 years ago
I don't get that "double wammy" comment... I love both of them. They both have 2 very different voices so I don't see how you can compare them to each other.
LilTippin 2 years ago
ya i guess i see your point... they are both AWESOME in different ways. =D
WildThangSE 2 years ago
its like he's having a conversation his mouth is moving that little!!! but what a voice, its just effortless.
Mithnoviel 2 years ago
I love the audience reaction to "Kathy is waiting." Reminds me of my own reaction the first time I heard it.
aspire2nspire1983 3 years ago 4
Oh, I know. That's one of my favorite parts of the play.
BirdsongVids 2 years ago
j'aime, j'adore, je marier, je ne jamais laisser pas
sky9captain 3 years ago 2
"I promise I won't lie to you".....
ouch
kaykay4915 3 years ago 2
Aw, he's almost crying! :O
forgetregret12 3 years ago
The performance Norbert gives in this show is just phenomenal. Thanks for uploading this video. We are all blessed to even be able to say we saw it on tape lol.
thepapax04 3 years ago 2
this is BEAUTIFUL. I love this show and this song. I love JRB and Norbert Leo Butz. I wish I'd seen this live...
ssasi 3 years ago
i am stage managing a production of this show and this song kills me every time! and butz is soo hot!
5660201 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
This song is amazing. And I know this is Butz but really, he's undeniably out of tune both in this video and the recording.
mrlandby 3 years ago
i don't think tuning is atrocious in the recording
markish17 3 years ago 3
wow... this just breaks my heart everytime i hear it...
Mithnoviel 3 years ago
the first time i heard this song i HATED it because i was so sad. but after listening to it again and again i realized how good it is.. sad but good.
woahbabyitskatie 3 years ago 3
OMG ME TOO
i was like NOOOOOOOO DAMMIT!
but then i had 2 love it cuz he's awesome :)
WickedKat39 3 years ago
Im sure everyone who's heard Norbert sing has at one point had The Expression. The one expression where inside you feel like your in heaven but on the outside you look like a drunk orgasmic druggie..ya THAT expression.SERIOUSLY Norbert's such a natural at this Like.. every time he sings its like hes pouring chocolate goodness upon the audience in a harmony heaven and bliss. But if you look at his mouth movements. He might as well be chewing peanut butter. Its like its like its naturaI LOVE IT =D
Safuza 3 years ago 67
LOL perfect way to describe the NLB reaction! His voice soothes the soul
mellybear03 2 years ago
Haha! I'm poetic when I wanna be =D
Safuza 2 years ago
it really does. seriously, his voice is better than yoga for calming down. :D
wickedismycrack714 2 years ago 2
@Safuza LMAO! This is true....<3
SilverRvn 9 months ago
this is actually my fav song ever. the honesty is just so piercing, like inner monologue but a SONG! whoa! hha.
halfofom1else22 3 years ago
When I saw this musical this song made me so mad...I was like OH NO HE DIDN'T! lol
iloveAmneris 3 years ago 2
He is just so honest. Everything he does is filled with truth. Love it.
dirtyrottenryan3 3 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
It didnt do it for me. Overall the vocals were pretty good, you have some wrong and flaaaaaaat notes here and there.. just fix those. I know you are playing a bit lethargic but... the music cant be that way.
The interpretation is a bit plain... you could go alot further
dimugly2k5 3 years ago
Uhhh, you are aware that you're not advising some random amateur actor, right? You think you're directly corresponding with Norbert Leo Butz, who won a Tony award for Best Actor in a Musical for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels? Just making sure.
BorsleSavage 3 years ago 4
hahahaha think that guy up there is getting a bit big for their boots telling good ol' Norb how to sing and act!
What a tit
amr11989 3 years ago
hahahaha....the man's got a tony and a drama desk and is a genius...and you think you need to give him advice. maybe you should study up on your theater before you say anything. remember that it's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt. oh jeez, at least you made me laugh (at you, not with you)!
ravendaine 3 years ago
I will have to retract my statement, after reviewing the video I think the quality of the recording is what threw me off. It makes him sound very flat and sharp sometime.
Once I realized who he was and that it was his voice I had been listening to OVER AND OVER with the Original Cast soundtrack I feel like a bit of a retard hahaha
dimugly2k5 3 years ago
@dimugly2k5 retard
ctn04132 7 months ago
i love the groan the audience makes when he says "Cathy is waiting".....it's chilling.
slr31 3 years ago 4
The first time I truly paid attention to the lyrics, I had that same reaction. JRB's writing is genius.
majorsaxplayer 3 years ago
thanks for all the postings....this show should be considered a modern classic. Come see a performance in Rhinebeck NY Nov. 15th and 16th.
pjamsch 3 years ago
omg. nlb w/o a shirt.
omg. omg. omg.
hpfangurl2412 3 years ago 3
amen thts wht we all were thinking..
iluvnlb 3 years ago
Ugh. Gosh. BRILLIANT. Still, FOREVER and ALWAYS my most favorite song. I just LOVE the refrains either with "Hold on," or "Alright." Man.... Listen to the original recording on the soundtrack, you can hear Norbert's voice breaking near the end. It's very emotional, and the lyrics and compisition are extremely powerful and beautiful. Thank God for JRB and The Last 5 Years.
Blossomstar747 3 years ago
Not a great recording but it's clear that this is a fantastic song, and brilliantly performed here. I love the way he plays around with the vocal line in terms of time signature and pulse. Thanks for posting. :)
Nickosimpson 3 years ago
Such a gorgeous musical.
DirtyRottenScoundrel 3 years ago
Such a gorgeous NORBERT LEO BUTZ. 8DDDD
Blossomstar747 3 years ago
beautifully tragic and all around wonderful
abo1493 3 years ago
uggghhh this song, this show, thank you so much
Javaisreve 3 years ago