What makes them (Laura and Max) better than others?

Gramps · Veteran Member

What makes them (Laura and Max) better than others?

Laura Mom · Senior Member

Gramps, how fun are you? I think those of us who are in the category of having lived a few years enjoy sharing observations and things we've learned over time. It's interesting you should even ask this question of what makes our favorites a step above others. For at least 10 years Laura was involved in competition dance and she and I GREATLY enjoyed watching other teams and searching for the one or two on each team who always stood out in some unique, noticeable, outstanding way. We'd try over and over again to disect it and figure out--what was it? In dance it was often more of a crispness to their movements, or a special grace, a fabulous smile, a sort of confidence in themselves and nothing short of joy in what they were doing. Of course, technical ability was important and as you said, "a given," but technical ability alone was not the "it" factor. One of my ways of describing the "it" factor is to call it radiance. It is nothing short of something supernatural. I personally believe it is God-given and it is powerful and it is attracting and it is absolutely eye-catching and thrilling. Passion could come close to describing it also, but the "it" factor might even be above passion. It is ownership of a song, or a scene, or a moment. It is the capacity to be transluscent and show others the depth of that song, or that scene, or that moment. When Laura raised her arms at the end of "Jesus Christ Superstar," and her soul screamed, "Are you who THEY say you are?" you knew the turmoil she was in. You knew what she felt, you knew the agony in her spirit. You knew the depth of her doubt. And the greatness of that moment almost knocked over even Andrew Lloyd Webber! When I saw it, I was at Laura's high school that night watching it with a big group of friends and fans on a monstrous screen they set up for us, and I absolutely leapt out of my seat and nearly starting crying. It was uncontainable! O.K., I concede that I am her mom and at least half of my elation was seeing my daughter do well--especially after David Ian's difficult comments the week before, but it was WAY more than that. I was bowled over by her portrayal. I FELT all that she felt. I was "staggered" by it--just like Andrew Lloyd Webber. This quality is unique--even among some professionals in theatre. It's what separates great from magnificent. When you see it, it staggers you! Laura and I once felt this repeatedly while watching a certain matinee Broadway production one Saturday afternoon of "Aida." The actors were so ON that day, so PRESENT, one fed off the other and song after song the entire audience went NUTS! It was the single greatest performance I have ever seen. In the father-son battle song in that show, that son virtually spat at that father in scorn. And the unquenchable, turmoil-filled passion he had for Aida grieved us at times. GRIEVED us! Here we were two perfectly rationale human beings sitting in a theatre deeply investing in every character. We were aware of the depth of every character--we felt all the complicated entanglements of their emotions. There were THREE standing ovation moments by the audience in that show and you just could not help yourself! Obviously, I'm still thrilled by it when I think about it today. I cannot listen to the CD of that musical without reliving some of those great moments. What is "IT?" That's IT! There may not be words in the English language to describe it.

AZN Danny · Veteran Member

You can see Max and Laura's talent shine through in their "Endless Love" duet in the Finals show.

grannygreaser · Senior Member

Well, Gramps, you know I'd eventually come in on this question...

Your analysis was great on the technical aspects of the performances.

This is quite a question to try to answer, but I can answer from my point of view. I actually started watching the show on duets night, so that was my first exposure to any of the contestants.

Right off, Max impressed me so much that I became an almost instant fan. I found myself thinking, Wow, he is really good. But what I was seeing was the emotion he was putting into the performances. He was the only one that was really acting what he was singing. Plus he was so at ease on stage that you felt he totally belonged there. On that night Laura was behind Ashley in my thinking, but really I felt Laura, Ashley and Allie were about the same in that round of performances. I hadnt, at that point, seen Laura do JC Superstar. In the next week, it was men only and I was once again totally captivated by Max. He did a really strong performance of Hard to Handle and again, totally comfortable in what he was doing, which translates to a natural feel in the characterization. Plus Max has a delightful sense of humor that comes across in his performances.

By the next week, I think I had caught some of the earlier episodes and had seen more of what Laura was capable of doing, so by this point, I put Laura ahead. Dont Leave Me This Way solidified that position in my thinking. Max just totally sucked you in with Suspicious Minds with an acting performance that was a standout. They both totally owned their numbers. So I had now settled on Max and Laura. They had good acting skills, ease on stage and even more, they had become Danny and Sandy. Looking at the others, they just werent the ideal choices for the roles.

While Chad, Derek or Austin could have done a good job of playing Danny, they werent my image of Danny. Austin was very clearly a well-trained singer and dancer, but was too precise to be Danny. Whats more Derek and Austin both hadnt really progressed that much from the beginning, not showing us anything new and Austin didn't let the emotion through. Max had the character down. He was the greaser from high school. These werent the jocks or the popular kids in school. They were cool guys, identifying with the gangs they belonged to and Danny was a little insecure and hiding it with his image. Kathleen Marshall called Ashley a goddess of a Sandy and that was not my image of Sandy. She wasnt the homecoming queen, but she was the new cute girl in school trying to fit in, becoming a cheerleader. I remember an adorable young girl like Laura when I was in high school, who was just an instant hit in school and was elected to the cheerleading squad because she was so cute. Laura fit this image much better.

So really, I chose my Danny and Sandy based on the qualities that Max and Laura had in spades-- comfort on stage, which meant they were at ease with the performance, the ability to tell the story physically in their voices, body moves and facial expressions. They were fresh, filled with energy and totally charming... And they definitely have the it factor, the charisma and glow that really sets actors apart. They own the stage when they are on it and your eyes are drawn to them. Which is why I am willing to make a trip from Nevada to New York to see them live because I believe they will be positively electric on stage!

Gramps · Veteran Member

Gramps to Granny.

I completely agree with you and think probably we are saying the same thing with different words. I mentioned the techincal aspects because I thought they were interesting and it didn't seem as thoough anyone else was mentioning them. When I had my rather brief run wih summer stock I had never "acted" before (and I am not sure I really did then) but I was totally taken a-back by the technical skills of the trained actors in the company.

It sounds trite, but they really did know what they were doing. Their experience and training was obvious from the first rehearsal on. It was bit intimidating, but oh, it was such fun.

cpathens · Veteran Member

I'm just going to quote Granny, because I agree so much with what she said.
(but Granny, your small type is murder on these old eyes :) )

Regarding Max:

But what I was seeing was the emotion he was putting into the performances. He was the only one that was really acting what he was singing. Plus he was so at ease on stage that you felt he totally belonged there.
That's what impressed me so much with Max. Other Danny's were good performers, really good, but Max became his character the minute he was on stage, and never gave it up. I felt that many of the others never committed completely to that with their songs. The judges commented on this during the Grease Academy performance. His voice may not have been the strongest, but was always in character, had that ability to draw you in, and made it all look so effortless.

Gramps · Veteran Member

Yes, I agree with what you wrote. To me, there is a sense of honesty in his performance and he seems to be a friendly, fairly relaxed guy in reality and that probably shows through. A highly trained and experienced actor can produce a great deal of that in his/her portrayal and this is not dishonesty (though it isn't real) but is simply something a dedicated performer learns how to do.

If an inexperienced performer were to do that it might very well have the appearance of dishonesty or insincerity. I feel that what one sees in Max is probably what you get---most of it is probably really him and that serves him well in this role. How it would be in some other kind of role is hard to say.

As Laura's mom has said, Laura is pretty much what you see and this is certainly refreshing to the viewer.

My only hope is that each of these two young people have enough sophistication to avoid being taken advantage of in the big, bad real world out there. I suspect that is what David Ian meant when he made his what-at-the-time seemed-to-be caustic remark that Broadway Pros might "have her for breakfast." She may very well have subsequently convinced him that she is probably a tougher gal than her persona suggests.

When she was praticing the "Danny what are you trying to do?" kissing scene she went from innocence to dismay to bit of fire in her eyes and body language in just a second or two. That's good acting and probably what Ian wanted to see.

grannygreaser · Senior Member

Gramps wrote:

If an inexperienced performer were to do that it might very well have the appearance of dishonesty or insincerity. I feel that what one sees in Max is probably what you get---most of it is probably really him and that serves him well in this role. How it would be in some other kind of role is hard to say.

When she was praticing the "Danny what are you trying to do?" kissing scene she went from innocence to dismay to bit of fire in her eyes and body language in just a second or two. That's good acting and probably what Ian wanted to see.

You're right on this, Gramps!

On Max, I have seen his "Echoboom" movie and his character is totally different. He is very good in it, plays a "stoner" with conviction and you really believe him. I think that most really good actors take parts of their own personality and use that when they create a character, which is what brings honesty to the role.

But the other part of it is the commitment. Is the actor willing to go there completely? As you noted in the brief acting scene we saw with Laura, the reactions were there and they were "real." I think that if an actor is good, you never get the sense that they are acting. They are in the moment and being the character.

We only saw a little of Max working with Allie, but he was showing the same qualities although Allie was having trouble reaching the emotions. I wish we could have seen more of the acting scenes.

As Laura's mom mentioned, when it works really well, when the actors are "in the zone", then you get a truly amazing performance. As an audience member, you really get pulled into it.

And sorry about the small print on the previous post... it looked so large when I was composing it that I changed the type size and it turned out smaller than I thought. My old eyes don't like it either! bleh

grannygreaser · Senior Member

Back to Gramps

Gramps wrote:
When I had my rather brief run wih summer stock I had never "acted" before (and I am not sure I really did then) but I was totally taken a-back by the technical skills of the trained actors in the company.

It sounds trite, but they really did know what they were doing. Their experience and training was obvious from the first rehearsal on. It was bit intimidating, but oh, it was such fun.

You're one up on me. I never did any acting... absolutely froze in panic during an audition. But I can sing in front an audience and have done folk music semi-professionally. And I have done props, lighting and costumes for community theaters, although not for a while now.

And always, it was wonderful to watch the actors who could turn it on once the curtain went up and just gave great performances. The training is truly something that you don't imagine as being as extensive as it is, until you see an inexperienced actor next to one who has been doing it.

When I first heard about the Grease casting show, I thought, "surely they are not taking inexperienced actors for this?" Which was why I tuned in to see how the producers were handling it. Except for a few, every final contestant had quite a bit of musical theater background. But I really didn't envy David Ian, Kathleen Marshall and Jim Jacobs in having to sit through all those initial auditions!

sexy_babez · Newbie

I also agree with you... max had everything, that goes on brodway.... as also he is charming, nice guy, great heart..funny, good looking.... deserve it..and he got it!! im so happy for him.....

as laura... she is soo cool, really nice, nice voice!

smile

Ray · Senior Member

The quick answer to the question posed by Gramps is.....TALENT.

Laura is more musical than Ashley, who was her only serious competition. In the various duets, when their phrases were juxtaposed, Laura's use of shading, coloring, dynamics, etc., was obviously superior to Ashley's rather blunt approach. Laura is a finely tuned instrument, and this is what comes through when she performs.

Max had me from "Summer of '69". The talent is so immense, I don't want to get started.
Just one point...."Hard to Handle" was a big surprise at the time, but going back to "Summer of '69", there really isn't all that much difference. He added some bravado and swagger to his body work, and some declamatory thrust to his beautiful tenor.... and Voila! He was Danny!

sexy_babez · Newbie

I totally agree with..laura is better then ashley... max had everything.. im so happy he took the guys down.. and that he won..go max!!

karidaberixx · Senior Member

it's the X-factor...an unexplainable power they have on stage

Luxana · Member

We have orchestra tickets for end of October. My husband of 30 years and I are flying to NY from South Florida just to see Max and Laura in Grease. We watched the show together, and from the beginning, we both loved Max so much, it was uncanny, and grew to love Laura! This will be our first ever Broadway play. We are staying at a hotel that is right next to the theater where Grease is playing! We absolutely loved all the judges. We voted countless times for Laura and Max; my guess is we voted 50 or 60 times, until time gave out! Oh, my god, we can't wait to see the Broadway production! Thank you to all the people involved in this play. We are Jimmy and Elaine and we love you all!

Luxana · Member

Oh, what makes Max and Laura better? Laura is the consumate Sandy and Max is Danny, the American Dream. The moment that David said Max was the most talented (before actual voting), we were hooked!

greatwhiteway · Senior Member

I thought Ashley would have made a better Sandy because she was much prettier, and, to me was thus more of a prize than Laura would have been, and thereforemore beleivable as Sandy. But before I am banished from the board and labelled a sourpuss or anything let me say that I do think Laura's acting was a bit more convincing. But I didn't see any chemisrty between her and either Max or Austin. Maybe because I liked her better but I thought Ashley had better chemistry going with both the guys. I think Laura won because 1) she acted a little better in that you saw more expression in her face....which was at its best when she called Max ( Danny ) ..."STUD'' at the end of the finale. And 2) David Ian said she would be eaten for breakfast...I think that got her noticed by a lot of people.
Max won for a lot of reasons...personality, underdog status, laid back dude attitude...but I think mostly for his ability to portray through his facial expressions, and body language many emotions, especially...the strong yet vulnerable man. David Ian called Austin, Tom Cruise. IMHO, I think Mr. Ian got it wrong. Max was the Tom Cruise of that duo. I think one of Tom's secrets to success is that he plays the type of character a woman loves to fall in fantasy love with...strong exterior tempered with new a age sensitive interior. i think Max pertrayed that best.

LauraFan1 · Senior Member

Okay, just one thing: I don't know what show you were watching, but to me, on screen Laura was BEAUTIFUL, Ashley was cute, but couldn't hold a candle to her. I was also lucky enough to meet Laura in person, and she is gorgeous and just a perfect Sandy. Broadway is sooo lucky to be getting her, she is beyond talented and will blow everyone away, just wait and see!!! I think her and Max are the perfect pair, and I'm SO happy and thankful they won-----I'm counting the days until September when I can see them in person :) smile

greatwhiteway · Senior Member

I was watching the same show as you. The one where Kathleen Marshall called Ashley a goddess and Laura....down to earth. They were both good, and there is no need not to give credit where credit is due....

Ray · Senior Member

Max is the greatest thing since sliced bread....and Laura is the perfect jam.

Calling Ashley a goddess (even with a small g) is one of Kathleen's sillier comments.
Not that I have ever actually seen a real goddess, but I think of the human counterpart as being mature and sophistocated, like, say, Sophia Loren, Catherine Zeta-Jones....you get my drift.

Kait · Senior Member

I understood what Kathleen meant with the Goddess comment, and I can't imagine that she (or anyone) wouldn't say that Laura is perfectly gorgeous also, although in a different way. Ashley is just sort of striking, like a living Barbie doll.

Ray · Senior Member

Ashley is a type of beauty, but she is simply too tall for Max, especially in heels at the end. She would ruin the show. Derek has the bulk to handle her, but not Max.

reniefran · Senior Member

Well Gramps what I saw in Max and Laura was not only are they immensely talented they know how to take direction. Whatever the judges asked of them they did. Part of making it work for you like they did is to take direction but still make the performance your own. The others though talented didn't seem to bring anything new. They didn't seem to hear the suggestions. I think they also have "it" like Laura's mom said. It to me is passion, desire, confidence plus God given talent. Nothing about what they do seems forced it is natural and relaxed. You can see it in their eyes that they know the real source of life and I believe that He gifted them and equipped them and placed them there. biggrin

Laura Mom · Senior Member

Wow, Reniefran, well said!

Jane, Laura's Mom

reniefran · Senior Member

This is something I'm passionate about if you can't tell. I am learning at the young age of 54 that if you want to do something then give it all you've got. I really believe that if your not emptied out when you finish then you haven't done that. smile

showgirl4E · Member

reniefran wrote:

Well Gramps what I saw in Max and Laura was not only are they immensely talented they know how to take direction. Whatever the judges asked of them they did. Part of making it work for you like they did is to take direction but still make the performance your own. The others though talented didn't seem to bring anything new. They didn't seem to hear the suggestions. I think they also have "it" like Laura's mom said. It to me is passion, desire, confidence plus God given talent. Nothing about what they do seems forced it is natural and relaxed. You can see it in their eyes that they know the real source of life and I believe that He gifted them and equipped them and placed them there.

WOW reniefran! You took the words the words right out of my mouth. I couldn't have said it better myself. I was sure other people must have seen it too since they won. It's great to hear it straightforward and simple the way you put it. Thanks!

reniefran · Senior Member

Anytime. I have reached the age in life where I have decided that it's okay to just say what you think.

showgirl4E · Member

reniefran wrote:

Anytime. I have reached the age in life where I have decided that it's okay to just say what you think.

Wish it was that easy for me. Thanks! again, and keep em coming.

ThatGirl · Veteran Member

reniefran wrote:

Well Gramps what I saw in Max and Laura was not only are they immensely talented they know how to take direction. Whatever the judges asked of them they did. Part of making it work for you like they did is to take direction but still make the performance your own. The others though talented didn't seem to bring anything new. They didn't seem to hear the suggestions. I think they also have "it" like Laura's mom said. It to me is passion, desire, confidence plus God given talent. Nothing about what they do seems forced it is natural and relaxed. You can see it in their eyes that they know the real source of life and I believe that He gifted them and equipped them and placed them there.

Wow-I couldnt agree with you more! I loved watching Max transform into the role of Danny right before my eyes and I loved watching Laura deliver on everything that the Judges asked. I think another aspect of their performances that set them apart from the others was their ability to make their partner shine-no matter who that partner was. Max was equally good with Ashley, Laura and Kathleen. Laura was wonderful with Austin, Max and Derek. Some of the performers were strictly solo performers, some were good with select people, but Max and Laura were good with whomever they were paired.

reniefran · Senior Member

So true. And being able to be a part of a group or perform solo is also what will be a tremendous shot in the arm to their careers.