There hasn't been very much discussion about Carolee, who is obviously a very successful and popular stage personality. I've only heard her in three scores (A Class Act, Addams Family, and Parade) and with the exception of Parade (which I consider the weakest of the three), I think that her voice (while stunning) is a little too 'pretty' for most of the shows she winds up doing. So, who else loves Carolee?

How is Parade the weakest of the three

...yeah, it kind of boggles my mind that you think Parade is weaker than the Addams Family or a Class Act.

Anyhoo, Carolee's voice was absolutely perfect for that character. Lucille Frank is meant to be the epitome of Southern genteelness; the role requires a more refined, legit style of singing.

Carolee is straight up brilliant in Parade. Truly. She's absolutely perfect. "What Am I Waiting For?" "You Don't Know This Man?" "All the Wasted Time?" All perfect. Love her.

Yeah, the OP was a little bit of craziness, but thing I usually hear people saying about her is how insane her vibrato is. haha I know it REALLY drives some people crazy, but I usually like it. She's of course brilliant in most of her bigger projects.

What do y'all think of her as Mother Superior in Sister Act? It sounds kinda like a crazy idea, (crazy as in, not good) but I'm sure some recordings will surface eventually so judgement can be made. haha

It's ballad-heavy, it's a story that doesn't need to be musicalized, and in terms of JRB, I like his other scores better. However, even though I'm not a fan of the show as a whole, I hope you understand that I'm complimenting Carolee's performance.

While I adore her portrayl of Lucille (Lara Pulver's pales in comparison), the one thing that annoys me more than Ruthie Henshall's habit of singing through clenched teeth is Carolee Carmello's vibrato.

1. "It's ballad-heavy." I mean, okay? I kind of see your argument, but at the same time, I don't. The only songs in the score I'd call ballads are "What Am I Waiting For" (Carolee!), "It Don't Make Sense", "You Don't Know This Man", "My Child Will Forgive Me", "It's Hard to Speak My Heart", and "All the Wasted Time." Six songs out of, what, about twenty-eight? That's not "ballad-heavy." Moreover, how is "ballad-heavy" a flaw? All of the ones I listed carry weight in the show.
2. "It's a story that doesn't need to be musicalized." Can you explain this any further? I don't really understand this either. It was sort of a risky thing to musicalize the story, but I don't see why it didn't need to be musicalized. Did the story of Floyd Collins need to be musicalized? Or the sinking of the Titanic? Or the signing of the Declaration of Independence? Probably not, but all of those, Parade included, work very well.
3. This I can't really fault you on, because it's purely taste, but I personally find the score to Parade far superior to anything else he's ever done. Last Five Years has some great moments but it lacks much of any emotional payoff for me. Songs for a New World is JRB at his most comfortable, I think, writing killer stand-alone songs, and 13 is a hot mess, but the score to Parade is masterful and far more adventurous, I think. Again, just my opinion though.

Sorry if this comes off condescending. I'm just really tired and I'd like to keep this conversation moving, lol.

No worries! If anything, you've made me realize how jaded my earlier post was. Let me retract a few of my points:

1. Being 'ballad-heavy' isn't a flaw, per se; it's just an aspect I have to be in the mood for. Let's say I had a bad day at work and wanted to escape into a musical. I'd probably choose Hello Dolly before Parade.
2. I should have worded this with a lot less finality. I personally wouldn't have turned the story of Leo Frank (a powerful and moving story that needs to be told) into a musical, but I applaud JRB and Uhry for doing just that; it took a lot of guts.
3. I think you and I have the exact opposite opinions about Parade and L5Y, but as you said, it's purely taste.

I think Carolee Carmello is one of the top musical theatre actresses working today. Her performance on the Parade recording is beautiful and I also love her work in Elegies and Mamma Mia (as well as her song in the Funny Girl Actors Fund Benefit).

Dream roles:
Mother - Ragtime
Dot - Sunday in the Park with George
Diana - Next to Normal