The whole Lea as Elphaba matter

[artist_in_waiting]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 1:12am

Being the objective individual that I am (Ahem! I hate having to blow my own horn but it has to be done lol), I am now soliciting the impartial opinions of those who saw the highly controversial footage of the 3-month pregnant Lea's DG performance. Could she or could she not pull Elphaba off? Let's settle this once and for all.

*Note to those who have the footage... Please don't post the link here anymore so as to avoid deletion.. I have been apprised by the moderators that it is not ethical to do such..
Updated On: 12/29/05 at 01:12 AM

Posted: 12/29/05 at 1:21am

i am bummed i didn't log in when the clip was out there! LOL!
anyway..i think Lea is incredibly talented but i do not think she would impress as Elphaba. her voice is beautiful but too thin for this role and NO way could she do it 8 shows a week. if she DID do it she would most likely be the first to have an alternate for two shows a week. lea might be a good choice if the show needs a name for the leading roles..which it doesn't. it probably won't ever. they need someone who can scream the crap out of the endings of the songs! that isn't going to be lea...i am surprised she would even consider want to do the show in the first place but everyone has different dreams!

[artist_in_waiting]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 1:26am

Well she definitely impressed me more than Stephanie Block did. I saw her at the Kennedy Center in DC. Having heard Lea's rendition, I expected so much of her. Let me just say I was rather underwhelmed.
Updated On: 12/29/05 at 01:26 AM

Posted: 12/29/05 at 1:30am

andrew is not a stephanie block fan either. i think eden is gonna blow the roof off the gerswhin with those song endings..how does she sound on the REST of the song besides the screaming end?
i didn't care for shoshana because i didn't feel like she was a GREAT singer(for musical theater)..she could sing the ends of the songs but DURING the rest of the song i was "underwhelmed". she seemed strained and had to make VERY STRANGE faces to hit the more subtle notes..it was just weird.

[artist_in_waiting]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 1:44am

Stephanie did good apart from the ending where she avoided hitting the higher notes entirely. Her performance was still very reasonable. And yes, I also think Eden will blow anyone away as Elphaba. The Brooklyn guys are even marketing her as "having the same range as Mariah Carey". Only she has "more charisma", according to them. I have her live rendition of DG over piano and yes, the woman has barrel-sized pipes. The question though is whether or not she would bring anything to the role. Everyone who has sung DG, apart from Lea that is, sounded very much like Idina (Eden screamed higher notes to be fair). I believe Lea can add her own flavour to the role and make it her own instead of just being another Idina replica.
Updated On: 12/29/05 at 01:44 AM

[emo_geek]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 1:49am

Eden changes from belt to regular singing flawlessly....her normal singing voice is outstanding!

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 2:54am

Yeah, i wish Eden was touring because I would travel great lengths to see her. I wish I could score Wicked tickets for March. If anyone has the Lea clip...not that i'm asking for it cause that's wrong...but um yeah, pm me please ha. thanks.

[o_kheem_o]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 10:37am

okie.. well i got to see the clip. I'm a great fan of lea salonga.. yeah sure.. and i was one of those people that totally believed she'd be the best elphie ever.. just co'z she's "lea salonga". but after that clip... i agree that she's just not suited for it. she sounded beautiful, but elphie's role just NEEDS to be strong and to belt out on those key notes... and i'm sincerely asking here... does pregnancy seriously affect your voice THAT much, that you can't even hint that you can hit certain belting notes before your delivery and tell ppL afterwards that you can? co'z it doesn't look like she can belt those seriously high ones... my curiosity. again - a lea fan and just my opinion...

[artist_in_waiting]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 1:01pm

while the clip may serve as some sort of a gauge, in all fairness, it sounded nothing like the original performance. she was fantastic! hence the ballistic crowd. keep in mind that the footage was taken using a digital camera and not a regular camcorder so it's as raw as it can get.
Updated On: 12/29/05 at 01:01 PM

[augustine73]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 1:35pm

yes. lea can... i like idina but lea doesnt need to sound like idina.. she's lea salonga after all.

[Broadway_Bound_Star]

Posted: 12/29/05 at 2:37pm

I saw her perform it and.. well... she was "ok" it was a safe performance.. wasnt too bad wasnt too good. and she couldnt do it 8 times a week. But maybe if it was a one time thing she could but her voice couldnt do it.

[artist_in_waiting]

Posted: 1/13/06 at 12:07am

just thought i might resurrect this thread coz i'm bored and haven't got anything better to do.. lol

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 1/13/06 at 12:10am

It BAFFLES my mind that people don't like Stephanie...


I have never seen a better performance in ANY role, by ANYONE. Vocally, acting...her voice was crystal clear, HEALTHY, proper belting..and HOW the hell does she put THAT much energy into a role 8 shows a week??

She is my idol, she gives me hope that someday I too can be a soprano belter and not damage the hell out of my voice like Idina.


The End..sorry if that got off-topic :)

[mrkringas]

Posted: 1/13/06 at 12:13am

Ummmm guys I hate to bring this up BUT Kim is waaaaaaaay tougher on the voice than Elphaba is. More stage time, more dramatic belting and just as big a range.

Lea managed that just fine. btw there is a good reason Cameron Mac had an alternate Kim and Eliza Doolittle. These are roles that are best served by giving the lead 2 shows off and sharing it around a little. They are stressful roles and carry both Saigon and MFL. Perhaps the producers of Wicked could learn a thing or two and follow his lead?

[artist_in_waiting]

Posted: 1/13/06 at 12:16am

I don't dislike Stephanie at all. Vocally, I don't believe she is that impressive but I think she is tops in the acting department.

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 1/13/06 at 12:26am

Vocally, Lea undoubtedly could sing Elphaba's songs. She sings with proper technique and she does not recklessly belt. I see no reason why Elphaba must be sung so recklessly as Idina did or as Shoshana: screaming through Elphaba's songs is just not good for any woman's voice who's playing that part.

I think Lea can sing Elphaba without ruining her voice in the process and, more importantly, keep her voice intact by the end of her run. I saw her sing both POPULAR and DEFYING GRAVITY live at Carnegie Hall and her versions were pretty damn good. The bootleg DEFYING GRAVITY clip is not an accurate representation of her vocals at all. I'm not crazy about her doing WICKED, but if she really had to do this show, I would rather hear Lea as Glinda because her legit soprano is quite lovely. It would be nice to hear her sing in that range.

Posted: 1/13/06 at 12:27am

it depends on who the singer is as to whether Elphie or Kim is tougher....for LEA, who Miss Saigon was written around, Kim is easier for her ..plus she is amazing and makes it sound easy! I like a different voice quality for Elphaba that what Lea has but i ADORE Lea and i think she would be a fine Elphaba. i can assure you SHE wouldn't do 8 shows a week of it though and i don't think ANYONE should be doing 8 shows a week as Elphaba OR GLinda. Those are two of the toughest roles out there. Kim is a definate MIX belt whereas they seem to want a 100% chest belt for the endings of the songs out of the Elphies. i think Stephanie is amazing, i really do..but her voice seems split in this role..she has the crystal clear thing and then she goes into this deep dark part of her voice at odd times...i am not saying she isn't great..but i feel a jolt whenever she switches..in other words her voice isn't as seamless as other elphabas...that doesn't mean she is BAD so please don't say nasty things to me!! i think her acting is AMAZING...probably the best as far as acting...i am still pretty blown away by ana at the moment...

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 1/13/06 at 12:27am

Wicked may not be MORE vocally demanding, but it is a completely different STYLE. Riffs and a POP styling..which is much harder for trained vocalists to do.