Ravenclaw said: "For me, it's Chenoweth--no competition. Not only was the role tailored to her vocal talents (nobody has sung the soprano sections better, in my opinion), but she lit up the stage with a true star energy. Brantley's review was tepid for the show on the whole but a love letter to her performance. Many Glindas get big laughs but lose the stakes of the story, while others land the emotional arc but miss some of the humor. Chenoweth delivered on both fronts and created a model that others have strained to recapture.
Idina is my favorite Elphaba, but some replacements (Ana Gasteyer, Stephanie J Block, Carmen Cusack) have come awfully close. With Glinda, nobody has really come that close to Chenoweth, in my opinion."
Agreed. Chenoweth and Menzel were wonderful together. For me, there has to be a chemistry between the two actresses. I saw Kassebaum with Stephanie J. Block. I have become a fan of Ms. Block's but I was not crazy about her Elphaba on the tour. I don't have my Applause magazine handy but the second time I saw the tour around 2009-2010 in Denver, I am almost positive Julia Murney was in the role of Elphaba. I attended the "preview" performance (It was for tech mainly but a paid performance). The understudy went on and I want to say it was Natalie Weiss (If anyone can confirm this or correct it That would be great!). She blew the roof off of the Buell. Her "Wizard and I" was impeccable and her "Defying Gravity" left me jaw dropped. Loved Idina and she is my favorite overall, but Weiss(?) sang the hell out of that role. I can't remember who the Glinda was. She was fine but felt like she was copying Chenoweth.
Just give the world Love. - S. Wonder
Updated On: 8/31/20 at 03:48 AM