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poebias
Fresh Face
Joined: Fri Jun 08, 2012 11:03 pm
Posts: 4
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 Randy Graff as Fantine! Hello again!
Just thought I'd open up a discussion and see how people felt in regard to Randy Graff's take on Fantine. I hear quite a bit about Patti LuPone's original interpretation, and a lot about touring actresses, and later Broadway/London replacements, but never in regard to Randy. Recently, I found the New York Times review for the original Broadway production, and was a bit saddened to hear their thoughts on Randy were along the lines of "all belting/lack of appropriate character work". Though, considering she's hardly ever discussed, and her recording of "I Dreamed a Dream" is one of the least-referred to, perhaps they nailed it on the head?
My take on the recording, at least, isn't much different. However, I find her overall character choices to be unique, and the bitter, spiteful delivery of her verses in "At The End of the Day" are pretty solid. Not enough for me to consider it a marvelous performance (by recording standards, at least), but I'm not convinced she's terrible either...
So, what do you think?
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| Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:24 pm |
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Vanessa20
Broadway Legend
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 1:06 pm
Posts: 792
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Re: Randy Graff as Fantine! Ah, Randy Graff, the beloved, the hated... No other recorded Fantine seems to have received half as many nasty comments over the years ("truly awful," "sounds like a drag queen," etc.) But apart from that review you mentioned, any comments I've read from people who actually saw her say she was an outstanding actress and that no other Fantine has surpassed her.
I've always liked her. True, her voice has a rugged edge and some of her singing is decidedly un-pretty, but those qualities make her believable as a downtrodden, suffering woman. She's unquestionably a very raw, broken Fantine, but a strong, determined one too, and one with appropriate motherly warmth as well.
BTW, I found out that pre-Les Mis, she understudied all the female roles in the original production of Grease. That surprised me - I could imagine her as Rizzo or Marty, but Sandy? But then I listened to the show's original cast recording and realized that the original Sandy, Carole Demas, actually sounded quite a bit like Randy. A less ingenue-ish voice than Olivia Newton-John or the Sandys of the revivals; much more of a raw belt. Both she and Randy seem to have been cast with the Sandy of the end in mind, not the Sandy of the beginning.
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| Wed Jun 20, 2012 9:10 am |
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Quique
Broadway Legend / MdN Veteran
Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2004 6:17 am
Posts: 3976
Location: In a Lesbian trench coat.
Current Obsession: Being Squeaky.
Main Role: Fan
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Re: Randy Graff as Fantine! I've read almost as many bad comments about Randy's Fantine as good ones. Of course, the vast majority of all those comments are by people who never saw her in the show and they base their entire opinion of her performance on one or two things about her vocals alone that they either like or dislike. For the record, I adore her.
There isn't much of her performing the role so I can't guess how good she was on stage but I have a soundboard of the OBC and she gives a very strong performance. She was definitely not bad in the role but like I've said before, the characters of this show tend to be shoved into a mold that people refuse to accept when not done exactly that way. It makes no sense because a lot of these character "traits" that people insist on are character traits belonging more to the original actors' own personal traits/character or concern some technical aspect of performing that is said to be essential to the role/s. All of that is, of course, one big hunk of baloney.
The main complaint with Randy's Fantine is, of course, based solely on her OBC recording performance and on one song. Hell, not even one song, one few-seconds long moment. Everyone seems to agree that her "I Dreamed a Dream" is great but people have long been repelled by her last note in "Come to Me," ..."..and tell Cosette I love her and I'll see her when I WAAAAAAAAAKKE!!!"
I'm not a fan of that last note but it doesn't stir hate in me either and some people have been very put off by that alone. It seems the NY Times' Frank Rich could be counted among them, as he criticizes specifically that about her performance. I don't think it's fair to allow a single blemish to determine how good someone is in a role, but whatev. Maybe she belted more during inappropriate times early on in the run? The soundboard I have is from several months into the run.
Patti LuPone made some questionable choices in her rendition early on. For example, she did this awfully dramatic, bordering on cheesy thing with her last line in IDAD. She did it briefly at different points, the latest that I know of where she does that being at the Royal Variety performance from 1992 that is up on YouTube. I think she did that because she found that last note hard to sing. It's obvious she struggles with it on every one of her performance from the cast album to that Joan Rivers interview performance. I think that speak-singing melodramatic thing was an attempt to adapt the final note to her needs/ability.
Same can't be said about Randy's, since she can obviously hit those notes (although there is a hint of strain on the soundboard) and she chooses to scream her last note in "Come to Me." To be fair LuPone sort of screamed it too, and there could be a rationale to that which is based on the novel. Neither Randy nor Patti has ever gone on the record with this and I can't say this was their reason for singing it that way but in the original novel, Fantine dies after Javert storms in and tells her Valjean is to be arrested, that there is no mayor, only a convict. Please correct me if I'm wrong but my blurry memory of that scene remembers Fantine hyperventilating or something and dying in great shock and despair. Chick didn't go in peace as she seems to in the musical. Maybe the early Fantine's adhered to the novel's much more tragic, violent passing and their way of expressing that was by screeching the hell out of that note? lol.
It would explain it, yes, but is it wise? I say no way. Just because something is in the original novel doesn't make it gospel. The novel is a wonderful resource, I'd say an essential one, for actors in the musical but not every last line should be taken into account without first realizing the musical is an adaptation of the novel. Fantine's death in the musical was obviously softened and trying to insert the novel's version in a single screech will only blow a couple dozen ear drums out and make your Fantine fall out of favor with some, lol. Again, I have no clue if this was the actual approach or reason for it by any actress who's ever been in the musical. But it's an educated guess and an example of the little things we Les Mis nuts endlessly obsess over. 
Of course, most of those little things aren't guesses like this is. Then we'd all be more delusional than 'Ponine!
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| Thu Jun 21, 2012 10:31 pm |
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SnoopMK
Fresh Face
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2012 6:02 pm
Posts: 3
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Re: Randy Graff as Fantine! Ah, the old Randy Graff debate! I remember this from way back on other boards. I personally really like Randy's performance on the cast album, and I don't mind the rough note at the end of "Come to Me" because it fits Fantine's desperate situation.
I have seen Randy perform live (not as Fantine, though) and I think she's a great performer, and I do agree that her Fantine has gotten more flak than she deserves.
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| Fri Jun 22, 2012 6:17 pm |
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