Did anyone see Kerry tonight?- Page 6

[defyingravity07]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 12:47am

I'm thinking that kerryellis IS Kerry Ellis. If it is just say so we won't jump on you.

[kerryellisfan]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 2:02am

Julie will be on for the matinee today, just a little heads up.

[winston89]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 2:18am

The Apollo Victoria in terms of seating has 2208 seats while the Gershwin has 1933 seats. The Gerswhin is still the biggest theatre on Broadway. Not just in terms of seats but in terms of the general size of the theatre. I don't know if the size of the stage/production is bigger in London or if it is just the number of seats that are more then on Broadway.

I didn't mean that Broadway was a bigger stage in terms of size. I ment that figurativaly rather then in the literal sense. I ment that for a lot of theatre actors around the world they consider Broadway THE place to perform which is one reason why so many west end performers when they get the chance jump on it. There are a lot of performers in the West End who consier performing on Broadway to be a bigger deal then performing on the west end. Not to say that the west end is bad in anyway. It is just that Broadway has always been in a league of its own.

And, Kerryellis. if you are Kerry Ellis then its okay to say so. Becky Gulsvig who is going to play Elle on tour created a username beckygulsvig to answer the quesions that the fans posted. So it isn't unlikely that you could be Kerry Ellis.

Anyways, do you know if Kerry is going to go on Wednesday night? I got a ticket just to see her in it. i am hoping that she is going to be there. I am not saying that i won't see the show if an understudy is in the role of Elphaba. I am just saying that I would rather see it with kerry in the role then anyone else.

[IssaMe]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 5:54am

Well, I do know Annaleigh...and it is my belief from knowing her in real life and seeing constantly her on stage, that she is NOT playing herself. She is a talented ACTRESS...and a brilliant comedienne.

You may not personally like what she is doing (I LOVE her Glinda - but some people don't...and frankly, I didn't at first either), but to accuse her of only playing herself is a bit unfair. Of course, it may appear that way to some people - but that doesn't make it so...

[SirNotAppearing]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 8:22am

Wow, the Gershwin's the biggest? Which one's the smallest? Is there a list somewhere?

[steven22]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 8:41am

for anyone going to todays Mat...Julie will be on

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 8:53am

Sirnotappearing, ibdb.com has a list of Broadway theatres and how many seats each has.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 10:01am

The Gershwin is the largest, the Helen Hayes (currently the home of Xanadu) is the smallest.

YAY for Julie Reiber going on this afternoon!!! Can't wait to see she and Aaron together!!!

[obsessedjb]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 10:23am

"As Long as You're Mine" on Sunday was the hottest version of that song I've ever seen. She and David were adorable together.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 10:29am

I saw the show last night...I believe it was my 20th time seeing WICKED...I retuerned to the show to see Kerry Ellis and Aaron Tveit as Elphaba and Fiyero, respectively.

Before I review the cast, let me just say that the show is in fantastic shape. I first saw the show in March 2004 and the show is as fresh as it was four years ago. The ensemble is very energetic (and many of them have been there a long time), the large orchestra sounds great, the sets, lighting, costumes are still incredible. It is a perfect show for tourists who have never seen a Broadway show and great for guys like me who enjoy the show and like to see every cast change. The audience last night was filled with a school group, and they were VERY enthusiastic, which made the show even better. Also, this skeptical couple behind me were saying towards the beginning of the show "We paid so much for these tickets. The show had better be good!" At intermission, I turned around and asked if they were enjoying it, and they said they loved it and couldn't wait for Act 2 to start.

Now onto the cast. Cristy Candler as Nessarose and Lenny Wolpe as The Wizard are cast members I had seen many times before. They are both fine in their respective roles (though there are others I prefer). Jayne Houdyshell is now in her second week as Madame Morrible (also her second stint in this role) and she is better than ever. Her characterization is truly fantastic. She is so evil by the end and her tone of voice clearly conveys that. I adore her in this role...the best since Carole Shelley.

I had seen Kendra Kassebaum as Glinda many times before last night and have never been disappointed. Last night was no exception. Her line deliveries are always perfect and I also love the quality of her voice. It is incredible to think that she has been playing this role on and off since March 2005 and there are no signs of walking through at all. She is stunning. Also, I really loved how she changed some of her line deliveries to play off how Kerry Ellis was playing the role of Elphaba. I had seen Kendra with Stephanie Block and Julia Murney and she was very consistent. It was great to see her change it up slightly with Kerry Ellis.

Aaron Tveit's first performance as Fiyero was last night, as many of you know. I had seen him in NEXT TO NORMAL and SAVED off broadway earlier this year and thought he was excellent in both shows. I was very excited to see/hear his take on Fiyero. Maybe it was first-night jitters, but I just thought he was OK in the role. First of all, he is very tall and I thought he looked kind of awkward in the costumes...plus Kendra and Kerry are very short (and Kerry is tiny) so he kind of looked like a giant next to her. He seemed very unsure of himself during "Dancing Through Life" but made it through. I enjoyed his scene later on in Act 1 where he was bringing the lion cub back to safety. He was much more confident in Act 2, and I loved "As Long As You're Mine." His voice blended well with Kerry's, even though they didn't really look like they could be a couple. He will improve with time and audiences will love him (he is incredibly good looking), but I still think Sebastian Arcelus was the best Fiyero I've ever seen.

Kerry Ellis, contrary to prior negative remarks about her, was a wonderful Elphaba. Maybe I went in with negative expectations, but I enjoyed her take on the role. She plays Elphaba very young, and she is so petite, that you don't expect her to be able to belt out to the rafters. And frankly, she didn't really do so in Act 1. I thought her "Wizard and I" and "Defying Gravity," while perfectly on key and well-sung, could have been louder and more powerful. I was thinking, maybe that is just the tonal quality of her voice, but then she sang "No Good Deed" in Act 2, which was perfection. Maybe she saves her voice for that song to "wow" the audience. Or maybe it is a character choice, since Elphaba is more timid in the beginning of the show and more sure of herself at the end of the show. In any case, it worked well. I also enjoyed many of her line deliveries, including "We can't all come and go by bubble!" Her British accent did not bother me so much...she tried to "Americanize" it, but every once in a while, you heard a hint of the Brit in her. She will improve as she plays more performances here in New York and she and Kendra seem to work well together.

At the stage door, it was a mob scene, unlike the last few times I had seen the show. But every actor was more than gracious. Both Kendra and Jayne recognized me, since I had seen them many times before, and thanked me for supporting them and the show. Kerry was very sweet and humble and Aaron was nice as well. I asked him if he was going to be in West Side Story and he said he is auditioning, but nothing has been finalized yet.

Overall, a fun night out at Wicked. I'm glad I got to see the new cast. Congrats to Kerry and Aaron, and here's to a healthy run in the show.
Updated On: 6/25/08 at 10:29 AM

[IssaMe]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 11:21am

Julie Reiber will also be doing this Saturday's matinee (June 28th)...Kerry may also call out for an evening performance or two this week, but hasn't yet.

[suicidalmickeymouse]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 2:26pm

I'm going on Saturday 7/5 evening performance, which Elphaba will I most likely get?

Also, how has Kendra's attendance been lately?

[legally_popular]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 2:43pm

Thanks for your review, WaT. I'm sure Aaron will settle nicely into the role. Can't wait to hear more about him. Although I'm sad about David being gone, I was thrilled to hear Aaron would be playing Fiyero.

[suicidalmickeymouse]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 2:45pm

Yeah, I'm really sad David is gone. He was so good and came out all the time at the stage door!

[obsessedjb]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 3:18pm

SMM, you will probably be seeing Kerry.

[defyinggravity42694]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 7:15pm

"Julie Reiber will also be doing this Saturday's matinee (June 28th)...Kerry may also call out for an evening performance or two this week, but hasn't yet."

IssaMe, where did you hear this? I'm a huge Kerry Ellis fan and bought my ticket all around seeing her! Besides that fact that I love Kerry, I also really am not that crazy about Julie Reiber and have tickets for the June 28th Matinee.

[obsessedjb]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 9:17pm

Julie confirmed to me earlier today that she is doing the matinee this Saturday.

[yankees1253]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 9:21pm

kendra attendance is great so far, i have not read any understudies for her yet.

[obsessedjb]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 9:24pm

Actually her first weekend back she did the LEAP OF FAITH reading and Lindsay K Northen went on at least twice.

[DefyGravity777]

Posted: 6/25/08 at 9:47pm

Lindsay went on 4 times for Kendra(who got sick then). Wasn't Katie Adams on vacation and Heather Spore hurt? That's why Lindsay went on all weekend.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/26/08 at 12:13am

Saw the matinee today...

Julie was in-freaking-credible, just like she was last time. I was so happy to get to see her again, and I'd love to go back and watch her again. Her voice is stunning. She has some amazing riffs, all of which are fantastic. My favorite one is this amazing riff she adds in No Good Deed- the riff she does on the second, "Fiiiiiyyyyyyyeeeeerrrrrroooooo" is out of of this world. No Good Deed is by far her best song (though the others are equally amazing), and is without a doubt the best rendition of this song I've heard an actress do. I've gone on about her before, but that's just because she blew me away (and the first time I saw her I had no idea who she was. It was her first night with the Broadway company and I remember texting WAT and saying, "Some woman named Reiber is going on tonight.). This woman needs to be a full-time Elphaba somewhere.

Aaron (who I'll post more about in the Aaron Tveit thread) was great. I wouldn't say he was amazing, nor is it his best work, but that's because I don't think anyone could ever be amazing in this role. It's just not that well written. He does have lots of charisma and charm, and sings incredibly well. He's probably the best I've seen play this role. He and Reiber do a fantastic As Long As You're Mine, which was generating so much heat I wondered if the smoke alarms were going to go off.

I have no idea where Kerry Ellis was, but Reiber and co. certainly didn't disappoint this afternoon.

[suicidalmickeymouse]

Posted: 6/26/08 at 12:15am

God, I need to see Reiber.


PLEASE!

[defyinggravity42694]

Posted: 6/26/08 at 12:28am

adamgreer, you just made me feel so much better about seeing Julie on Saturday, thank you!

[winston89]

Posted: 6/26/08 at 12:38am

I saw the show tonight with Ellis in the role of Elphaba. She did use her american accent most of the time. I sort of was expecting that she would be talking in her normal english accent considering that when Idina did the role in London she didn't change accents at all and I thought that for this show it wouldn't matter what accent they are talking in. Considering that the place that the show takes place in isn't real. However, she did say some words here and there using her english accent. I would say that it was a hybrid between the two.

She is by far one of the best acted Elphabas I have seen. I really felt that she acted during the songs rather then just flat out belting them to show off her voice. Her voice was amazing but it was clear she stayed with the score and didn't do anything creative with riffs or things like that like some actresses playing the role have done. However, she did let go just a little bit during Defying Gravity and let out a little growl. However, it was nothing to write home about (ironic since I am writing about it at home.) I am very glad I saw her and was looking forward to seeing her ever since I heard she was going to do the show on Broadway.

From what I have read and from what I have seen of her on youtube. She usually lets go a bit more and does a good job of hitting it out of the park on a regular basis. However, when it came to her singing the wicked material I never really heard any clips of her from an actual show. Just things from west end live and different TV spots here and there. I don't know how she normally does it when she sang some of the songs during an actual performance. But, I am very happy that I saw her. And I very much was looking forward to seeing her. There was nothing about what I saw on that stage that left me feeling let down or wishing I got more then I did in any form or fashion. Kendra was great as Glinda. It was the third time I had seen her in the role. For someone who originally was not sure that she could hit the high notes because she considered herself an alto and not a soprano she did an amazing job and does have an amazing voice and an amazing range. She did crack during her first line in No One Mourns The Wicked. However that was it.

I did like Aaron in the role of Fyeiro. But, as it was said, there isn't much to the role considering that it isn't that well written. However, he did a good job with what the part was and was one of the best actors I have seen playing the role. I had enjoyed seeing him in Saved and just saw him on Sunday the closing night of Saved and it was interesting seeing him play two totally different roles only a couple of days apart. I would like to see if I have the chance to catch Kerry later on in her run that way I can see if she has changed. If she has done things like let herself go just a little bit more or if she fully uses her original accent. But, the way I saw her perform the role tonight was fan friggen tastic and if she were to do the same thing again if I do get to see her in the role again then that is more then fine by me.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 6/26/08 at 12:45am

Ugh. Saturday's matinee appears to be sold out. I'll have to keep checking and hope for a house seat to get released.