Quote: Paul Wimsett @ 9th June 2018, 5:54 PMThis would kind of explain why Mrs Brown isn't good at being Mrs Brown, Chaps?
Um. I don't think so. Mrs Brown sounds like a bloke in drag.
Tracey has to accentuate things being a comedienne. (Sexist label!)
Her Michael Gove didn't sound like him either but that's not the point.
I'm not sure I get you, Chaps. It's rather a neutral Irish accent which might be male or female. I think you are seeing a man in drag possibly which is clouding how you hear the voice. In the same way you are seeing a woman "in drag" which makes you feel Tracey Ullman can't do Jeremy Corbyn. But it's just an idea of him in any case.
I love the show! I couldn't give a t-ss about the Corbyn impersonation. The Corbyn cult are insane. If you've seen Saturday Night Live in America, they hardly ever sound like the real person. Ullman is not an impressionist, even though the Beeb likes to dub her one. In fact, she went out of her way and avoided impressions. She was all about original characters. It wasn't until the late 2000s that she started doing them because comedians that do sketch shows were expected to do them. Her Renee Zellweger and Arianna Huffington are legendary. She recently said that she more so interprets them and takes on their essence and I happen to agree. I wouldn't want to see a straight up impersonation of someone. I enjoy comedians who take a part of a real person's personality or voice or mannerism and magnify it (Theresa May always sounding hysterical).
Ullman said that even she has her limitations due to gender. For a satirical show though, it shouldn't make a difference. The message is what's important. The majority of the people on shows like Dead Ringers don't sound nor even look like the real person. Tracey studies people to a scary degree, even their posture and stance.
Bottom line, "Tracey Breaks the News" is funny and packs a punch. I wasn't a big fan of the previous show "Tracey Ullman's Show". Some bits were great but others fell flat. I'm familiar with her American work (the 80s Tracey Ullman Show and HBO's Tracey Takes On). I know what she's capable of. I would watch a spin-off show of Ullman's Camilla Parker Bowles any day, even Judi Dench or Maggie Smith... even Theresa and Philip. I love seeing her characters doing everyday mundane things.
Are you familiar with her pre-American stuff such as Three of a Kind?
I've been an admirer of Tracey Ullman for many years.
Sadly, however, this show is in dire need of some funny material. Everything about it is high quality - except the scripts!
