Heather Headley and AIDA - an Appreciation

[DBillyP]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 10:39am

Good morning! I was listening to AIDA, something I have not done in a while, as I got ready for work today. (It just happened to be one of the CDs in my player because I sometimes leave music on for Truman, my puppy, and I think every puppy needs to know the divas. )

Anyway, as I listened, very happy memories of seeing Heather Headley as Aida came flooding back to me. It was one of the most exciting and electrifying performances I have ever seen on stage. She had such a raw energy and intensity, not to mention the chemistry with Adam Pascal and the divine Sheri Renee Scott.

Oh, and she can sing too!

Thank you for letting me share. Though I work with mostly lesbian and gay people, not one of them that is here today would understand like you all do!

David

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 10:42am

I'm saving my sentimental post(s) for a couple of weeks from now, but I am glad you shared! I didn't get to see Heather live; she was out sick or something, unfortunately.

Gosh, I can't believe it's actually been almost a year.

[whatacharacter]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 10:43am

Where is Heather Headley??? Any chance of her being in Color Purple? She would be much better the Seycon!!! Anybody know of any upcoming projects she has?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 10:47am

(SAycon.)

And Heather doesn't sound like she'll be returning to Broadway any time soon.

Now, we wait for people to come along and post what a bitch she is for not wanting a career on stage, using it as a stepping-stone, etc, etc.

[mabel]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 11:02am

Yeah, her comments about her time on Broadway a few years ago kind of irked me.

Oh well...Three cheers for my happy little guilty pleasure show! When it was good, it was grand campy fun with some lovely touching moments; when it was bad...well...Yeah.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 11:16am

I didn't get to see her live, I saw Simone, Adam, and Felicia. Which I guess, with the exception of Idina, was the second cast? I lived on that cast reocrding for a while, until I got WICKED a year or so later. I remember bieng at the show and during intermission, I *literally* ran to get the cd I needed it! Then when I heard Heather I loved her! I also really like her "Shadownland" from "THE LION KING."

[Unknown User]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 11:18am

One of the 10 greatest performances I have ever seen in a theatre!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 11:21am

WickedGeek, the casting wasn't really strictly rotated as a whole; I think Maya Days came before Simone, and there was definitely more than one other person to play Amneris before Felicia - Simone and Felicia were in with Adam up until he finally left. Their end dates were around the same as his.

Updated On: 8/19/05 at 11:21 AM

[musicnmath]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 11:21am

I have to agree - she was phenomenal. (Adam was out that day, though I was truly there to see Heather.) I was truly in awe. It was such a disappointment that she didn't sing at the Tonys (since the show wasn't nominated). I cherish the memory of seeing her live.

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 11:29am

I absolutley adore her.

"Yeah, her comments about her time on Broadway a few years ago kind of irked me." Anyone care to fill me in? Thank ya

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 11:30am

She basically said that she didn't plan to return to the stage (at least anytime soon), and that she saw her time on Broadway as a stepping-stone to bigger and better things, such as an R&B recording career.

Updated On: 8/19/05 at 11:30 AM

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 11:32am

Thank you..Ooooh. oooh but Broadway is bigger and better!

But whatever floats her boat. She's still amazing.

Updated On: 8/19/05 at 11:32 AM

[showmethetony]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 11:56am

AIDA was my first Broadway show...I saw it with friends for $10 standing room only. I cried through the entire thing - every time she opened her mouth to sing. She is incredibly talented...as my friends put it, she "preached" it during The Gods Love Nubia...Seriously - she is phenomenal. It is a shame she isn't doing more on stage. Her R&B album is okay, but she really has a stage presence and awesome vocal strength that is better for broadway...

[DBillyP]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 11:59am

I knew in posting this I was potentially opening a can of worms. As much as I would love to see her return to the stage, I do not begrudge her the desire to do other things. It would be selfish of me to want her to do nothing but theater, when that is not where her heart is.

There is another thread about performers looking bored or unhappy. I certainly would not want to pay $100 to see Heather, or anyone for that matter, in a show if she would rather not be there. I am content with the memory of an amazing afternoon in the theater.

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 12:16pm

Heather's comments on broadway have really been blown out of proportion. She was not demeaning her time on Bway (after all, she DID come back to Bway for two concert events, and has loved her Bway fans and co-workers better than any diva I know).

As far as her performance in Aida goes, it is -- without a doubt -- the single most amazing performance I have EVER seen (stage, screen, tv, whatever). Uh-May-Zing.

Updated On: 8/19/05 at 12:16 PM

[Thenardier]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 12:18pm

Probably because of her performance in Dreamgirls.

[mabel]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 1:26pm

I think she only came back to do those concerts because no one else would have her, touch!

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 1:30pm

mabel,

Now that's not so true, mabel. You must know she's highly sought-after. You can't give a performance like hers AND be an amiable person and not be sought after.

[mabel]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 1:33pm

I know, I know...hence the




She's insanely talented, but I do think it'll be a while before she's back on Broadway in a proper show...not counting concerts/benefits, etc. And that's a shame.

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 1:35pm

At the risk of being flogged, I admit I think she'd make the best possible Elphaba.

Then again, I think she'd make the best Glinda, too. So, my opinion is useless.

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 1:46pm

Heather Headley as Elphaba would be a dream come true. And that's coming from a non-obsessive Wicked fan.

[silent]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 2:39pm

I'd really like to know why her website hasn't been updated in months. I know she's been working on her second album for the last two years but damn....leave a note or something!

[TennesseeTwang]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 2:51pm

"Heather Headley as Elphaba would be a dream come true. And that's coming from a non-obsessive Wicked fan."

A fan suggested that to Heather during an online chat session and while she tried her hardest NOT to sound taken aback, she clearly was. She said something about the role having shoes that were too big to fill, but you got the distinct impression that she was not at all interested and was perhaps a bit offended at the suggestion. Not everyone thinks that Elphaba is the be-all and end-all of female Broadway roles and Heather probably is one of those people. Besides, while she's far from that now, Heather was once so hot on Broadway, that composers wanted to write vehicles especially for her. I'm sure that she would see being a replacement - even in a coveted role - as a big step down.

I also was one of those people who felt that Heather sounded a bit "up herself" in some interviews after the massive praise she got after her starring stint in Aida. But in later interviews she said that she actually missed Broadway far more than she had anticipated and that she felt at home there. She said she definitely wanted to return, but only in the right vehicle.

Also, quite frankly, I think she was humbled. Both she and everyone else expected her R&B album to do far better than it did sales-wise. People were expecting it to sell Beyonce or Alicia-sized numbers when it only went past gold. That's certainly no disgrace and most Broadway singers would kill for "just" gold albums. But much more was expected from Heather.

The trouble is, that CD needed much more pop infusion. It was far too middle-of-the-road to sell like everyone had expected from such a hot talent.

Therefore, much of the heat that she got from her breakthrough role on Broadway, dissipated. And people who never liked her in the first place cackled and said their I told you so's.

And frankly, even though I am cautious about throwing around the "R" word, I think that some of the "Let's bury Heather's career" stuff was racially motivated.

I mean what else can you say about people who say ass-backwards things like "She's no Idina." Well of course she isn't. They are two different people. But some of those insane Wickedites don't think it's enough for Idina to succeed. Everyone else must fail for Ms. Menzel to get all the praise she deserves. That means nobody else other than Idina can sing or act or has charisma. And Heather is one of their favorite whipping girls. Stupid, vile, racist, little gits.

But anyway, I don't begrudge Heather a successful recording, movie or TV career if that's what she wants. And I think she does, seeing as how she's said that her career goal is to win an Oscar an Emmy a Grammy and a Tony.

She has formidable talent and she works hard. So she's as deserving of success as anyone else and more deserving than most. But she needs to step it up because time keeps slipping by.

And WORD about the abandoned website. A low profile can be good. But right now, she has NO profile.


Updated On: 8/19/05 at 02:51 PM

[Chloe]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 3:04pm

Very well said, Tennessee, though I wouldn't be quite so harsh against Idina's thoughtless but *very* young fans. I'm so sorry to have missed seeing Heather in Aida. The only time I've seen her perform was at the Elton John Kennedy Center Honors concert last year. She sang with incredible emotion and understanding, but I felt her voice wasn't quite at its best and wondered if she's been contending with vocal issues. I hope not, and that she'll find a show that will do justice to her talent.

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 8/19/05 at 3:15pm

Heather was not in failing vocal health at the Kennedy Center Honors. She was just pitchy (as she often tends to be). But, what is amazing about her, is that no one who sees her live cares if she is pitchy -- because she is so human. She gets the order of art right: (1) Be human, (2) be an artist, (3) be a technician of your art. If that makes her flat/sharp, if it makes her vocally tired, if it makes her "too big", she doesn't care...and rightfully so. More actors need to learn from her, and stop concerning themselves with "technique".

I add my voice to the "please update the website" sentiment. I also say that someone should write her a new Broadway role (maybe even a straight play???).