Anyone can play the hero, but it takes a lot of talent to play the villain and have the audience hate you. It's a lot more fun to show your dark side for once anyway.
i played ursula in my high school's production of little mermaid and apparently i made a lot of kids in the audience cry but a lot of adults loved my performance. it made me both proud and sad bc i love kids so much! ;u; the things we do for theater
EloiseRaeCullen you are right anything for theater I am playing Edna in Hairspray and I am a girl and the also want me to do the Harvey Fierstein voice witch is very hard on my voice
Carroll was PERFECT for the role of Ursula, but I doubt she could endure a Broadway run singing at least 8 shows a week. Carroll was already an old lady at the time of this production.
WARNING : this incredible performance will cause you to get multiple goose bumps and possible be driven to tears, also check to see if you're uncontrollably smiling afterwards.
I think the costume does the performer a disservice in this. In the film, Ursula's animation is super fluid and dynamic and you get that sneaky, witchy octopus-y feel just in her *ahem* body language. This costume doesn't let Ursula move at all. I mean, I know they can't recreate tentacles for the stage, but with those giant glove/sleeve things she can't even move her arms.
For me the reason why this performance doesn't work is that it just feels so hammy (not in a good way, and yes I know this is broadway), there's way too much winking at the audience, and over all it just comes across as a soccer mom playing a villain in a little kid's home movie.
I love her high notes after the modulation(key change) in this version! I tried singing the film version but it goes to tenor range /= Anyway, I think this was a stunning performance!
Sherie's voice is wounderful and the acting is amazing she fits Ursula perfectly. The energy's insane you can hear she had a blast playing the character and she killed it with the highnotes super talented best live version❤❤❤❤❤❤
"your vibrato, your legato, even if your belt they all be safe inside!" love it :) but only people who really follow musicals will get a kick out of it!
You can't really see it but the costume is kind of cumbersome. It's a corset midsection with large tentacle attachments at the back. Pretty difficult to just stand in let alone dance around haha.
I love that devilish smile at 3:44 ... She has a great voice, which played great evil Ursula. To me this is better than the cartoon, more singing, less talking
First, things that is her eye make-up that makes her eyes look closed. I think this is the best performance I have seen of this song, besides the original. Not a soccer mom.
for the Latin American version of the animated movie Ursula voices was a drag and it's amazing this song in Spanish is named pobres almas en desgracia look for it is great
Daniel Jones normally I would disagree with you, but yeap. They cant find a contralto to be Ursula so I agree. Put her in drag. Make Ursula a tenor. At least the voice would match a little better than a shouting soprano.
Three things: 1. The orchestra crescendo from 6:21 until the end is amazing. 2. What was the point of Ursula's tentacles spreading out like that at the end of her song? I mean, I know in the movie, she does a spin into the air at that point, but if that's what that was, it didn't translate well. 3. I hate that you can occasionally see Sherri's legs walking under her costume. They should've had her on a motorized track or something. Like I assume Sierra was for Ariel.
This looks so awesome! I love the costume adjustments they've made to suit the movement, tis most amazing! And areals ascent! Woow :D Thank you for upload :D
Ursula's costume is amazing!! Omg....I just...ugh. I get that this is different from the original movie, and I'm not saying it's better or anything, but these people are really talented. The actors can act, have amazing voices, the costumes are beautiful, and they somehow managed to recreate this magical underwater world ON A FUCKING STAGE. I agree that it's way different from the movie, but something a lil different is nice every once in a while...
1/2 Can we also point out the vast difference between singing live and on stage and singing in a studio? Not to mention that she doesn't only since this once. She sings it with consistent quality 8 times a week. Pat Carroll may have done a better job with a studio recording, but comparing two different singers, in two different time periods, two different performance styles (required for the different settings), and of course the fact that we grew up listening to Pat Carroll's version...
Obviously no one will beat Pat Carroll, she is the original. The original cannot be beat, it sets the standard. Sherie was great, no she didn't move a lot, most actresses who play Ursula don't move much, except to usually throw Ariel around onstage. And besides, can you imagine how heavy the costume is? Those tentacles are pure plastic and some metals. I'd love to see your version of the role of Ursula considering I doubt most of you can even sing let alone act of dance all at the same time.
Singing is amazing! Acting is . . . i dunno I don't think she's playing the character as 'loud' as she needs to be. Ursula is commanding and extremely dangerous- and she knows it. She's egotistical and should absolutely fill the stage . . . I feel as if this actress just couldn't quite pull the huge role of Ursula off.
The thing that bothered me the most, was that this "Ursula", had 8 tentacles... EIGHT! It's supossed to be 6 tentacles, since the other two tentacles are her arms... She's an amazing singer, but I can't feel the "Ursula" vibe, she's missing something... but still, loved it ❤
Alex Carrillo Ursula only had six in the movie because it was easier to animate six than eight, I saw that in a behind the scenes thing here on RU-vid.
I've always loved this version of Poor Unfortunate Souls. Absoloutely stunning singing and visuals. Unfortunately, it does not reflect the dark and chilling original version. A bit too much humour was thrown in, Ariel's character did not once pause to think of the drastic consequences (therefore making the whole sacrifice seem less powerful to the audience, for the sake of a quick laugh) and it felt like it was trying to make the audience love Ursula too much. In the movie she made us uneasy, yell to Ariel 'don't do it!' and feel fear when she returned later to claim Ariel. Here, it's all about how pristine clean, trusting and joyful she appears to be, like the perfect telemarketer than the black market briber. Less of the infamously creepy and threatening Sea Witch, more of an underwater Mother Gothel. But I digress, it's easy to look past those little flaws and be mesmerised by the entire performance. Scott and Boggess are phenomenol in their talents. The score is more bouncy and silly, though still carried some magical element in it. The final part has always been a showstopper for great reason and hope to see it here in Australia some day.
I admit that in the past I've been a nasty They weren't kidding when they called me, well, a witch But you'll find that nowadays I've mended all my ways Repented, seen the light, and made a switch To this True? Yes. And I fortunately know a little magic It's a talent that I always have possessed And dear lady, please don't laugh I use it on behalf Of the miserable, the lonely, and depressed (pathetic) Poor unfortunate souls In pain, in need This one longing to be thinner That one wants to get the girl And do I help them? Yes, indeed Those poor unfortunate souls So sad, so true They come flocking to my cauldron Crying, "Spells, Ursula, please!" And I help them! Yes I do Now it's happened once or twice Someone couldn't pay the price And I'm afraid I had to rake 'em 'cross the coals Yes I've had the odd complaint But on the whole I've been a saint To those poor unfortunate souls Have we got a deal? If I become human, I'll never be with my father or sisters again. But you'll have your man, heh heh. Life's full of tough choices, isn't it? Heh heh. Oh, and there is one more thing. We haven't discussed the subject of payment. But I don't have- I'm not asking much, just a token really, a trifle! What I want from you is - your voice. But without my voice, how can I- You'll have your looks, your pretty face. And don't underestimate the importance of body language, ha! The men up there don't like a lot of blabber They think a girl who gossips is a bore! Yet on land it's much prefered for ladies not to say a word And after all dear, what is idle babble for? Come on, they're not all that impressed with conversation True gentlemen avoid it when they can But they dote and swoon and fawn On a lady who's withdrawn It's she who holds her tongue who get's a man Come on you poor unfortunate soul Go ahead! Make your choice! I'm a very busy woman and I haven't got all day It won't cost much Just your voice! You poor unfortunate soul It's sad but true If you want to cross the bridge, my sweet You've got the pay the toll Take a gulp and take a breath And go ahead and sign the scroll Flotsam, Jetsam, now I've got her, boys The boss is on a roll This poor unfortunate soul
The girl doing the transformation is not the lead Ariel, It's another girl in a special costume she can kick off. The lead Ariel meanwhile changes in the shell, and runs in to the middle of the stage when it gets dark to stand up.
***** Sorry for the late response. It's not about doing better, it's about the style mostly. It sounds to me like she is barely even singing. She is just talking and trying to sound funny. It isn't funny to me and I prefer the Disney movie's version. I'm surprised that people think it's good because it is just boring to me. Also using "Can you do better?" as an argument is fallacious because it's not like I'm judging her based on my own merit as a performer. Regardless of how well I feel I could perform this role, thinking "I think she's great because she can do it better than I can" is pretty dumb, especially if I don't expect I could do it very well. However, comparing her with other people in her position would make sense to do. I probably wouldn't do "better" than her, but I am not on Broadway or trying to be a singer/actor so my own level of skill is irrelevant.
I wish she didn't sing this song so straight and boring. There's no body, no character. I mean, she is a fabulous singer but this song isn't as fun or hearty as other performances.
It's not supposed to be fun or hearty? She did an excellent job of being "sarcastic," which was the point of the song. She doesn't really care about these "poor unfortunate souls", and she's not really helping them. lol.
I had the same response with starilie but with your rebuttal, i now understand the interpretation of her character. A sense of bland monotony that evokes her callousness. But I wish she had infused a greater sense of fun and variation in her performance.
