The Disney Performers - How did they sing?

Last week, my wife and I got to visit "the happiest place on Earth," Walt Disney World in Florida.  It was a lot of fun and I thought I would give you all an idea on the many live, theatrical performances at Disney.

Most of the live performances we saw were at Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.  I must say I was EXTREMELY impressed with the singers at Animal Kingdom.  The Lion King show, in particular, featured some great voices.  The dancing and acrobatics were also wonderful...visit this show if at all possible.  It was a little hard to tell with the Nemo show, as the music was geared toward young children, so the singers sang with very bright, no vibrato tones that kids tend to favor.  However, the acting and puppetry were wonderful. 

At Hollywood Studios, results were mixed.  The Little Mermaid show's Ariel sounded a bit tired and perhaps bored, but certainly she knew what she was doing.  Unfortunately,  Beauty and the Beast was disappointing.  The girl singing Belle was not a strong singer: very nasal, and often wandered off-pitch.  It is possible she was sick, but colds tend to reduce the vocal range and stamina.  Intonation (matching pitch) and nasality can be worked through even when you are sick, unless the cold is REALLY rough.  Gaston was a little better, but it was obvious he was hired because he looked the part...his singing and acting were average.

DWS