Shifting Gears in Multiple Styles: An Artist and Teacher of Singing’s Journey with the 2011 Revival of Follies

NATS member Edrie Means Weekly has been a pedagogue and performing artist of both opera and musical theatre for over 35 years. In this article, Edrie discusses the audition process at the Kennedy City and in New York City resulting in her being cast as a standby for five Broadway stars in the 2011 revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies starring Bernadette Peters. Four of the five roles have large solo songs including the iconic songs “Broadway Baby” and “I’m Still Here”. The four songs were each written in a different musical style ranging from classical to full out traditional belt. As a vocal pedagogue, she discusses the styles of each song and the Vocal Stylisms or effects she added for emotion and expression to enhance the style. Edrie also includes one of her own vocal exercises she developed for herself back in the late 1980s to create laryngeal flexibility as she performed professionally in opera and musical theatre. She includes a couple of stretches useful for singers and dancers which were provided by Follies Broadway choreographer Warren Carlyle. Edrie talks about track cards and being a swing and discusses her preparation to build stamina to sing and dance a seven-minute tap song. Edrie Means Weekly’s article provides advice for those preparing for singing multiple styles in one show.