Idina Menzel to Star in London WICKED- Page 5

[Horton]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 1:41pm

Does anybody have any ideas of who she could be replaced by, either from the West End, or from Broadway?

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 1:41pm

It begins already!

[Practically Perfect]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 1:44pm

I am excited to see Idina play the role again, but I think it's a bit of a cop-out; there are very talented british performers who could play the role just aswell as Miss Menzel. I'm sure that my fellow brits will go crazy for her.

Mary P x

Posted: 4/21/06 at 1:49pm

One of my teachers is great friends with the Martin Lowe,who was casting wicked in the west end and we were out at a pub in Edinbrough with him in a few months ago and he asked one of my friends how high she could belt, because she has the right look for Elphaba. They must not have found what they wanted in people over here, or just assumed that Idina would bring in more money since she's on the OCR. I was lucky enough to see the OBC the Jan. it opened in NYC, well actully I saw taye Diggs instead of Norbert, but still Taye and Idina together was awesome!

[SirLiir]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 1:50pm

Interesting to see this! Good move on her part, especially since it's a limited run. I hope she does well.

[Claire2141]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 2:21pm

On the fan girl point...to be honest I really don't think that'll happen in the UK. As people have said before she really is an unkown here and it's a very limited run.

I think we're all safe!

[mrkringas]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 2:26pm

We have plenty of performers who can belt into the heavens over here. Its just that there are few shows that give them the chance to show that off. From a number of benefits and other gigs I can attest that there is no shortage of take over candidates in London! Oh and most can act too

Kerry Ellis
Cassidy Janson
Jenna Lee James
the numerous folk who have played Sophie, Meat and the better ones from Fame!

just to name a few anyway

[zoomzoom]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 2:34pm

She's the one I want... It's Herrrr!!!!!!!!!

[ihearttheatre]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 2:39pm

*blinks* For real?

Good for her, I guess. I'm really surprised.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 2:40pm

London's about to get hotter.

And I don't mean the weather.

[lovepuppy]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 2:45pm

Everyone keeps talking about the mountains of money she likely was offered. How much do you think she's getting?

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 2:48pm

Great, now all of the crazy Idina fans are going to beg to move to London.

[Claire2141]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 2:53pm

I would love Jenna Lee James to take over....

In a way it's nice Idina's doing a short run...means that she can establish it and then let it run with a new lead. Very clever.

At the most it will be 96 performances so not that many really.

No crazy Idina fans here as yet...we can hopefully enjoy her with out screaming people!!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 2:53pm

Who are the crazy Idina fans these days? Dare I say, their presence on this board has diminished a bit? WICKED is like, OMG, totally three years ago; can it be some of these teens have *gasp* grown up? Or have they merely shifted their allegiance now to all those other bitches that’ve played the role?

At any rate, I don't think we have to worry about American teens flooding the Apollo Victoria stage door. Perhaps she'll find some crazy British fans to stalk her, but I can't imagine them being so trashy.
Updated On: 4/21/06 at 02:53 PM

[Claire2141]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 3:03pm

We've never had a case of major fandom here for such an unknown (which she is here) before.

Only ever really seen it for the ex pop/soap stars...and Michael Ball of course.

And I've never seen anyone dressed like a character apart form at Rocky Horror and Sing-a-long-a-Sound-of-Music.

[greenegirl87]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 3:10pm

I am just glad its a short run, so she can get all of the perks of doing this show again in another country, but then come home and HOPEFULLY do some more NY theatre!!!!

[wowobball2000]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 3:13pm

I was so shocked that I couldn't even read the other posts because my mind is having a hard time grasping the fact that she is going to be Elphaba again after she spent so long trying to get away from that role!

Updated On: 4/21/06 at 03:13 PM

[PJ]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 3:16pm

I was surprised to hear this. But it's not like she won't be getting nice paychecks for this. At the end of her Broadway run, she was making 50G a week. I wonder what number was thrown at her this time to lure her back into the show? Lucky.

And Chenoweth will never return to Wicked. I love me some Kristin, but the girl doesn't seem to like sharing the spotlight. This obviously doesn't work in a two-lead show like Wicked. And even if she did want to go back, the producers most likely wouldn't have her after the way she acted last time.
Updated On: 4/21/06 at 03:16 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 3:19pm

I bet Menzel is making something similar to what Nathan Lane made when he opened THE PRODUCERS in London. If all her expenses are paid while she is there and her pay check is in Pound Sterling (nearly double the value of the American dollar) she will have a nice bag of change to bring home to Taye.

If she's smart, she negotiated a percentage of the weekly profits.
Updated On: 4/21/06 at 03:19 PM

[Claire2141]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 3:30pm

Yes plus cost of living is so much here that she can negotiate a lot more.

Plus 3 months is nothing at all, also it's a new audience. One who has very little knowladge of her and that might be a nice challenge/change for her, after the fandom I've heard about in the US. The show is quite unknown to the masses too which means she has a clean slate. In that respect it's very different than if she was returning to broadway, so it's not quite so awful that she's returning as Elphaba.

I am really looking forward to this...

[greenegirl87]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 3:32pm

I think there would be a lot less complaining about all of this if most of the people on the board could actually go and see the show....

[magic8ball]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 3:38pm

I just hope that the sum that they are paying her is worth the cost that it is going to take on her voice.

That show really took its toll on her cords. The Idina of "Rent" and "The Wild Party" and the post-"Wicked" Idina are startlingly dissimilar.

[mikeyb16]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 3:46pm

im happy for her to win the role again. im seeing the show in london in late sept/early october so it be great to see her perform for the 1st time. i wanted to see her when she played the role on broadway but i never had the chance to. so lucky me then

[landryjames]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 3:49pm

A couple of confusing things about this thread. There are many posts from "surprised" people who thought that Idina was trying so hard to get away from the role. I have read many articles and interviews with Idina, and this was never indicated to me. She always seemed so grateful for the part. Just because she left the show on Broadway (after a very lengthy run) doesn't mean she ever was trying to escape Elphaba. She has a lot to be proud of with the role. Someone please enlighten me on the "fact" that she was trying to move on (sure she did some other projects, but all artists do that) Barbra Streisand reprised Funny Girl in London, and she had a million projects going at that time in her life.

Secondly, PJ--who said that the problems that Kristin had behind the scenes were all Kristin's fault or that she can't share the spotlight? That is mere speculation. It probably was a variety of things. And remember she did not cut out on her contract early, she just didn't extend. She has that right.

I bet the producers would pay an arm and leg to have Kristin back. Maybe they wouldn't put her with Idina in London--but if Kristin wanted to return to the role, she could in half a second.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 3:53pm

I actually think that if most people knew the details of the fued, they would probably side with Chenoweth. That doesn't mean that Idina is a bitch or a bad person, she just had some personal issues that hopefully have since been resolved.