Idina Menzel and her "flying machine"- Page 2

[tennis85]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#25

Posted: 7/2/04 at 3:54pm

I played Wendy in a regional production of Peter Pan and flying was a bitch! The harness made it very hard to breathe, much less sing. Maybe that's why Idina doesn't actually fly. And I agree with her rising on the "machine" symbolizing her rise to power. What do you think?

"I'm gonna jump! Don't do it! Okay!"

[redhotinnyc2]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#26

Posted: 7/2/04 at 3:56pm

I think thats ridiculous. READ THE BOOK.

"I don't really get the ending,all i can go with is when after several months,Judith saw Pat sang,and later she kissed him on the toilet,after that the story back to where Pat went down from the stage after he'd sung,and he went to the italian lady.I just don't get it,what Judith exatcly meant when he kissed Pat that she had seen,and did Pat end up together with The Italian Lady?Please help me,thank u very much!" Quote from someone on IMDB in reference to a movie he/she didn't understand. Such grammar!

[CapnHook]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#27

Posted: 7/2/04 at 3:57pm

The book is not the musical. The musical was BASED off the book.

"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle

[BwayTheatre11]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#28

Posted: 7/2/04 at 4:02pm

Wow, you are really defending this flying effect.

CCM '10!

[CATSNYrevival]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#29

Posted: 7/2/04 at 4:16pm

Overall, as odd as it looks with her just standing there, I don't think it would look right at all if she was moving, but if we must - if she had trouble belting in a harness, couldn't they have lifted her and switched to a recording so she wouldn't have to worry about hitting the F every night? It's not like it would be the first time something like that has been used...

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#30

Posted: 7/2/04 at 4:20pm

Please. It would be so corny if she was singing "Defying Gravity" while dangling over the audience. I am partial to the way that Joe Mantello did it for this show. It was extremeley climactic.

[J.]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#31

Posted: 7/2/04 at 5:37pm

Thats right they did fly in Witched of Eastwick. See, if Cameron Mackintosh had produced WICKED I bet they would have found a way. Theres got to be one. Is there a harness that only holds your pelvic region so your torso is free? I would not have had her fly over the audience but I would expect movement on stage. The idea of her taking off after she has sung and had a longer orchestra playoff I think would have added more.

[broadwayguy2]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#32

Posted: 7/2/04 at 5:41pm

J, you are refering to a sommersult harness. The harness only covers your thighs and waist and the wire attach at your hips. The only downside is trying to balance while belting.

[Sumofallthings]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#33

Posted: 7/2/04 at 5:42pm

In response to the subject of this thread, would it be referred to as a flying machine? Or a floating machine? Eh?

BSoBW2: I punched Sondheim in the face after I saw Wicked and said, "Why couldn't you write like that!?"

[tennis85]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#34

Posted: 7/2/04 at 6:41pm

Ridiculous, eh? BTW, I did read the book, redhot :)
I was refering to the musical, not the book, darling.

"I'm gonna jump! Don't do it! Okay!"

[Sumofallthings]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#35

Posted: 7/2/04 at 7:11pm

Eh? Eh?

HOW DID THEY NAME CANADA???


C, Eh? N, Eh? D, Eh?

BSoBW2: I punched Sondheim in the face after I saw Wicked and said, "Why couldn't you write like that!?"

[moonys_autumn]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#36

Posted: 7/2/04 at 7:12pm

My only issue with the flying is that she doesn't actually ride the broom, she just holds it...

If only you could know the things I long to say... if only I could tell you what I'm dieing to convey...

[tennis85]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#37

Posted: 7/2/04 at 8:36pm

Canada? What?

"I'm gonna jump! Don't do it! Okay!"

[Unknown User]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#38

Posted: 7/2/04 at 8:43pm

It's amusing to me to read how some are annoyed at the lack of sophistication of the "effects" in a show that its critics deride as nothing more than 'throwing all the effects at the audience to see what sticks.' Whatever side of the arguement you happen to find yourself, I can only share that when I saw the show, the audience was on their feet and screaming at the end of ActI - so something was working for somebody.

[WICKED rox my sox]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#39

Posted: 7/3/04 at 12:11am

heres a COMPLETELY different reason. while everyone makes good points about the diaphragm (sp?) and not being able to sing, and precautions to safety, everyone is forgetting the time factor. it takes time to get hooked up into a harness, and to get out when you NEED to be on stage. so, therefore she would need a double, which could cause MANY complications.

when i was in disneyland, they had an aladdin show, where aladdin and jasmine would fly on the carpet (very cool), but it was very obvious to the audience that they were not watching the right aladdin and jasmine that they just saw. and i know the audience is supposed to have 'a willing suspension of disbelife' but sometimes you might need to take something away, in order to give a better performance as a whole. by the time in the 2nd act where elphaba could fly, everyone is used to how their elphaba looks and sounds like. by making a double of elphaba, people will just get confused, and a cheasy show.

[J.]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#40

Posted: 7/3/04 at 12:27am

see there you go! disney knows how to make a fun special effects speactacle! mayby they could have produced a spectacle. Basically this show was advertized as a "spectacular spectacle" and being someone who saw STARLIGHT EXPRESS 48 times and knows what a speactacle is this show is not as big a spectacles as lion king and such.

[TheQuibbler]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#41

Posted: 7/3/04 at 12:28am

...shut up.

[broadwayguy2]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#42

Posted: 7/3/04 at 12:28am

I know what you mean, ROX.

[J.]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#43

Posted: 7/3/04 at 12:56am

what the hell is wrong with that post? its completely true. I love wicked and im going to see it many more times. you can tell people expected the damn witch to fly and she didnt. its fine though. its not as big a spectacle as others. simlple staement. jesus ****ing christ.

[J.]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#44

Posted: 7/3/04 at 12:57am

why the hell is this damn board censored??

[Unknown User]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#45

Posted: 7/3/04 at 1:05am

Because it would be FAR too easy for some here to fall into a pit of depravity and nonsense. Keeping a little decorum shouldn't hurt the ability to make your point.

[perfectliar]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#46

Posted: 7/3/04 at 2:26am

"disney knows how to make a fun special effects speactacle"

Disney used body doubles and voice recordings. That's cheap, cheesy, and a rip off.

[broadwayguy2]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#47

Posted: 7/3/04 at 2:27am

you mean they use TWO beasts?!? **gasp**

oops

[Musetta1957]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#48

Posted: 7/3/04 at 2:39am

Please realize that I do this out of love.

"What the Hell is wrong with that post? It's completely true. I love Wicked, and I'm going to see it many more times. You can tell people expected the damn witch to fly and she didn't. It's fine, though. It's not as big a spectacle as others'. Simple statement. Jesus F*cking Christ."

[gabybon]

re: Idina Menzel and her 'flying machine'#49

Posted: 7/3/04 at 7:21am

It's just my opinion:
First: I don't think that Schwartz style is very close to Wildhorn style...Wildhorn is more and more pop, their songs seams to be made for the same "Barbra Streisand or Linda Eder" pop album (I like some songs but are not so theatrical...).
Second: I prefer the not flying scene of "Wicked" but the big wonderful score of it..."Eastwick" was a big E.F.X show with a mediocre score and a mediocre book (In London was a flop and the cast album is in my collection only for the good performance of stars like Maria Friedman but i don't remember one of the silly songs!)...just my opinion