Do Broadway Actors Lip-Sync?

[zev_steinhardt]

I've noticed that in some Broadway productions, during particularly active song and dance numbers, the actors/actresses are still able to maintain a good singing voice despite the dancing. They don't sound like they are out of breath at all.

My question is, very simply, do they lip sync? Or do they train to be able to be active and not have it come out in their singing?

Zev Steinhardt

[Annie-Xmas]

Absolutely NOT. Broadway is live, live, live. Them singers is in good shape.

Don't ever suggest this again.

[DooWahDiddy]

The day Broadway actors lip-sync is the day I quit my job and become a toll collector on the Henry Hudson Parkway.

--DooWahDiddy,
Music Director

[Odesio]

They had a strike not to long ago over some theaters using canned music. Funny enough, the Wiggles get asked this question a lot because they dance and sing during their shows. If you're in good shape, which most broadway dancer/singers are, then it isn't a problem.

Marc

[Annie-Xmas]

Broadway performers have to be in excellent shape. They have to be able to sing, dance and act eight times a week, doing the same thing over and over and keeping it new. All Broadway contracts have a clause that if a performer is suspected of doing drugs, they can be thrown out on their ass.

There's a saying amongst actors: TV will make you famous. Movies will make you rich. Theatre will make you good.

[DooWahDiddy]

Originally Posted by MGibson

They had a strike not to long ago over some theaters using canned music.

Marc

But, just for clarity's sake, that strike was regarding the fact that some theatres wanted to use a canned orchestra, not lip-syncing actors.

[lightingtool]

Large choral numbers do occasionally have some help during or after a large dance number in many theatres. The chorus will record the song in a studio, then the studio will add a metronome clicking to a separate channel on the recording which will not be played over the sound system. The studio also records a few measures of just the click before the singing starts (which is why this is commonly referred to as a 'click track'). In performance mode, the music director wears an earpiece that receives the lead in metronome click so he can adjust the tempo of the orchestra (if needed) before the prerecorded vocals start. The cast will continue to sing, and the click track will give a little extra boost to the volume and quality of sound. If it's done correctly, it is very hard to tell when a click track is being used, because the actors continue to sing onstage. The final result is the audience hears a mix of prerecorded and live voices that are blended together, with the live voices being the most prominent. (I don't think I explained that very well, so if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask.)

Incidentally, the actors union (Equity) must be contacted prior to any use of a click track. They often will lobby for the theatre to hire more actors to sing into a mic offstage to fill out the sound, rather than use the click. I'm pretty sure this does happen on Broadway - if the entire cast is not onstage, they may be singing in the wings to help fill out the sound after or during a dance break.

[baronsabato]

The title song in "Phantom of the Opera" is supposedly pre-recorded because the characters spend the entire song running around the stage. I can't remember whether or not the actors actually lip-sync though.

[Eyebrows 0f Doom]

Originally Posted by baronsabato

The title song in "Phantom of the Opera" is supposedly pre-recorded because the characters spend the entire song running around the stage. I can't remember whether or not the actors actually lip-sync though.

Yes, they do. This song is indeed pre-recorded because during it the actors have to run backstage and climb up several ladders in order to get to the top of the travelator in time for them to re-enter onstage. They also use two pairs of doubles during this scene as well.

"Why So Silent" in Phantom is also pre-recorded because in this scene the actor playing the Phantom has to wear a large full-faced death's head mask, that appears to sing along to the music. This effect is done by having the lower portion of the skull affixed to the actor's mouth and by him opening his mouth very wide can create the desired effect of a talking skull. There's no way for him to sing at the same time.

[si_blakely]

Connie Fisher - who won the lead in The Sound Of Music (West End, London) in a reality TV show, has been using a pre-recorded vocal track on a couple of songs to boost her voice after stressing it by singing too hard.

It is (apparently) not uncommon. The sound engineer works to manage the fade between the tracks to keep the singer sounding strong when they start to give out (usually on the leading, high or strong notes). Otherwise, the singer is doing most of the work.

Some people apparently feel cheated by this. But it is an old tradition - in opera, often a understudy or chorus member would sing the lead for a principal who was unable to sing themselves, or who was not up to the role, but who could do the appropriate acting.

Si

[Stan Shmenge]

I saw Elton John's "Red Piano" show in Vegas a few months ago, and it was pretty clear that he couldn't hit the high notes like he used to. Sometimes this was covered by a simple change to the vocal arrangement, but where this could not be done, you could tell that his "background vocalists" were actually pulling the freight. Great show, btw. Elton is having a lot of fun and you will too, if you like him at all. Highly recommended.