Many viewers express surprise that Meryl Streep has turned out to be such a good singer. Streep not only sang well but infused her character with thrilling vitality, range and thespic commitment.
How could she have turned such a good singer? The fact is, Meryl Streep studied at Yale, where she honed not only her acting ability but also her singing skills. “Mamma Mia” is not her first musical role. She starred in other roles where she displayed her thespic talent in singing. When the film version of “Evita” was being cast, Streep was among the frontrunners until commercial considerations prompted the project’s producer to give the role to a more bankable Madonna.
Streep’s sterling record has been shown from her early films in 1977’s “Julia” “The Deer Hunter” and “Kramer vs Kramer.” Her award producing performances in “The French Lieutenant’s Woman”, and later her Best Oscar performance for “Sophie’s Choice.” Other exceptional characterizations followed in “Silkwood”, “Out of Africa”, “A Cry in the Dark,” “Postcards from the Edge,” “The Bridges of Madison Country,” “Dancing at Lughnasa,” and the recent “The Devil Wears Prada”, for a total of 14 Oscar nominations.
