Guest fountainhall Posted February 7, 2012 Posted February 7, 2012 Madonna has finally announced dates for her new World Tour. Plans are for her to perform first in Israel, then 26 dates in Europe including two in the UK - London ‘s Hyde Park on 17 July and Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium on 21 July where tickets will range between £40 - £125. The North American section of the tour starts in Philadelphia on 28 August and continues until late November. South America and Australian dates will be announced soon. http://www.madonna.com/news/title/2012-world-tour-official-press-release Quote
Bob Posted February 8, 2012 Posted February 8, 2012 I've never been a huge Madonna fan but I rather enjoyed (thanks to the gracious hosting of Khun Khortose) her show during the Superbowl halftime. Still looks and sings pretty good for an old broad! Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted February 8, 2012 Posted February 8, 2012 Still looks and sings pretty good for an old broad! A-hem! In her early 50s, she qualifies for the sobriquet "old broad"??? So how do you describe two of America's greatest music theatre stars, I wonder? The truly wonderful Elaine Stritch was doing eight shows a week on Broadway last year in Stephen Sondheim's "Little Night Music" - aged 86. And 91-year old Carol Channing still drags her facelifts around America in her regular one-woman shows. Madonna is a mere spring chicken! Quote
Guest thaiworthy Posted February 8, 2012 Posted February 8, 2012 I have 38 songs by Madonna in my iTunes library. I am a big fan. Her tour looks very ambitious. I hope she is still able to do it when she is as old as Channing, but I don't think Carol and other Broadway stars put forth the same amount of energy on stage as Madonna. As far as Broadway stars, I have always been a fan of Ethel Merman. I was very sad when she died. She could really belt out a song. Easily my favorite among all the Broadway stars. Quote
Bob Posted February 8, 2012 Posted February 8, 2012 Madonna is a mere spring chicken! Well, compared to us, she sure as hell is! When I was 8, I thought an "old broad" was a girl about 14 or 15 but, once I hit about 30, I've somewhat affixed the label to most females over 50. At 53 years of age, Madonna is in better shape than 99% of American women her age and she's still rather foxy as hell. Both Elaine Stritch and Carol Channing have proved one can stay in good shape and still be active as hell into their elderly years (although Channing, absent some substantial air-brushing, hasn't looked all that good in 40 years!). Now, as concerns Ethel Merman, I'll grant you that she could belt out a song (delicacy wasn't her forte) to the extent one wanted to either turn the volume down or actually push the mute button; however, she was never in reasonable shape (or under a couple of kilotons) during my lifetime. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted February 8, 2012 Posted February 8, 2012 She could really belt out a song. Sorry to disagree, but wasn't that her problem? The "belting" part. Although I never heard her 'live', it always seemed to me, as Bob suggests, that she had just one style and one volume setting - 'brassy' and 'fortissimo'! Compare that with the subtlety other artists brought to their roles: Broadway greats like Mary Martin, Julie Andrews, Angela Lansbury, Patti Lupone (in the right part - Sunset Boulevard was very much the wrong part, but then she was fired from that after opening the show in London and never performed the role actually on Broadway!), Chita Rivera - and occasional Broadway artists like Liza Minnelli. La Merman doesn't come close, in my score! Quote
Guest thaiworthy Posted February 8, 2012 Posted February 8, 2012 Sorry to disagree, but wasn't that her problem? The "belting" part. Although I never heard her 'live', it always seemed to me, as Bob suggests, that she had just one style and one volume setting - 'brassy' and 'fortissimo'! Who said she had a problem?! Stage performers need to project their voices. I see nothing wrong with that or a consistent style or volume setting. It's just part of her persona. Couldn't you say a lot of singers have their own particular style of presence? It all depends on your point-of-view. I don't know how being "in shape" has anything to do with singing. While i like the slimmer lady singers too, I like them for their voices rather than their lack of girth. If you're listening to a tune, who cares how much they weigh? Besides, they all have their particular attributes. Like a lot of things in the appreciation of the arts, I guess it's just a matter of taste and personal appeal. If you really want to see an in-shape Broadway performer though, you could also have watched Mary Martin flying thru the air! Just think happy thoughts. Quote
