Idina Menzel's Tony performance — Page 4

I'm not saying you're projecting but you can see how much the separation from Taye has taken its toll.

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In the usual Idina way, there is far too much shouting and not enough singing for my liking. It really wasn't pleasant to listen to.

Sorry. I really did not hear any "shouting." I definitely heard some rasp, but the power in her voice was palpable.

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Whoever above mentioned the staggering demands of this role 8 times a week, I heartily concur. When I saw it in April, on a Sunday afternoon, I couldn't believe how much music she has to put over in 2 1/2 hours. And since it's all written for Menzel, it makes the most of her money notes, and what she does so persuasively. Last night, she came off 8 performances and it sounded effortless and fresh; to my ears, not even a glimmer of vocal fatigue. The part strikes me as a beast to concur on matinee days (though I'm not a singer; would love to hear someone weigh in). I found the song's cuts -- we lost about a minute and a half -- marred its build slightly, but mostly it worked. I agree that the camera should not have been in her face. It's a big performance, pitched to the Rodgers, and this number is the one in which she takes the roof off. Money well spent last night by Stone and the "If/Then" folk. As long as she's in this show, people will come. What last night suggested: if you go, you will get returns on your buck.

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"Sorry. I really did not hear any "shouting." I definitely heard some rasp, but the power in her voice was palpable."

I don't understand what people mean when they say "shouting". She was singing, and she was singing loudly. is that considered shouting? *scratches head*

She sounded great and hit every note. And this is coming from someone who thinks she tends to be pretty unreliable live. Her technique has never been better.

"I have heard that she has been ducking out of performances because her voice can't handle eight shows."

Err, she got sick once during the run, but otherwise I haven't heard of her missing any shows.

I thought her performance was great, but I really didn't like that song. It sounded like a bad self-help book. Nothing like the NEXT TO NORMAL Tony performance, which was one of the most electric performances I've seen at the Tonys. The one performance that made me want to run see the show was GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE's number, it looks like such a delightful musical, the staging was fantastic.

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"as a singer who is going through both classical and musical theatre training in college....We are trained to sing with good technique, breathing and vowel structure, which I feel unfortunately Idina lacks."


If you are in fact normal college age, Idina has been training as a singer for what I can only guess is longer than you've been alive. She might know what she's doing. Nothing against the techniques you are probably learning, but she has a different one, and it has gotten her very far.

Not to mention, if this show was so vocally taxing, one imagines she wouldn't have decided to do a sold out concert at Radio City Music Hall on her one day off.

She did miss the second act. To one performance. When she was ill lol
I'm not gonna argue Idina's vocal technique though. She has stated many times that she works hard to maintain her voice and is always working with her vocal coach to guide her voice to being as healthy as possible. I've seen her live, and her voice when its not under the pressure of live television, is immense. Her critics can certainly have their opinion. Idina's voice is very dividing (some love it, some hate it) but seeing her do these songs live is something else. I truly believe that you can't judge her based off of television performances because her biggest fault it seems is tripping herself up. She seems to get incredibly nervous before huge events (like the '04 Tony Awards, the Oscars, etc.) but last night she sounded amazing.

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I think she only ducked out of the second act the show once before she was off sick for a few days.

I don't understand why people are hung up on Idina's singing technique. Isn't that up to her to worry about how her voice will hold up? I think it's admirable that she still has the dedication and love for her craft to keep performing at such a consistently high level. I think it's more enjoyable to just watch the performances actresses give rather than critiquing their personal training.

Her performance last night was truly breathtaking. I believe it was mentioned in a spot for If/Then, but I think it describes her performances well: there's a moment when a star becomes a legend. This year is Idina's moment, and she shined last night. I'm proud to be a fan.

Updated On: 6/9/14 at 06:44 PM