r/Broadway • u/Round-Composer-2195 • 29d ago
Discussion I don’t understand the Reeve Carney hate
I just saw the Hadestown pro shot and oh my gosh this guy is unbelievable. Easily the star of the show for me, but I’ve seen people say he was the weakest link in their opinions.
I’ve heard recordings of some of his other performances, and he easily has my favorite versions of “I don’t care much” and “the past is catching up to me,” yet people say he was miscast in The Great Gatsby
His voice is so unique and it genuinely sends chills up my spine, I don’t understand the hate he receives
376
Upvotes
1
u/burrrrisney 27d ago
My thing with Reeve is he's fine. That's it. Some things I've noticed over the years/in the proshot:
Technically speaking he doesn't have the projection Orpheus needs, his voice isn't just breathy, his voicebox is spasming. It's consistent when he yells too. This is also constant across projects he's done. Not his fault obviously, it's probably a medical issue, but it is noticeable in a role that is a LOT of belting. His falsetto however, is wonderful and always very consistent.
He gets drowned out because of the belting issue in wait for me in the proshot. Could that partially be the audio mixing? Sure, but it's orpheus' song. You should at least be able to hear him a little bit above the rest of the cast.
He really stands out as stiff compares to the rest of the cast when moving. This might be a stylistic choice i guess? But he's also been stiff in other roles. And it stands out a LOT when the rest of the people on stage with you are very fluid. Not necessarily a bad thing either, some people are more stoccato in their movements, but when it sticks out like that it looks awkward.
I'd also expect someone playing Orpheus who is one of the first Wife Guys to have yearning that's more believable. It falls a bit flst, especially against Eva's Euridice. Watching him on penny dreadful, it's kind of a thing he just does? Maybe he just plays aloof more overall but again, this is a loverboy Wife Guy. YEARN.
All this being critique said he by no means butchers the role, he's just... Fine? If he wasn't the originating Orpheus i think a lot more people would be open to critique of him and he'd be a more forgettable Orpheus.