All this talk of Idina's breathing and the use of her tongue is just nit-picking. Apparently, her "poo technisue" has got her far enough for two Tony nominations and a win. Not to mention the fact that she's not the one missing performances due to illnesses or vocal problems. I love Tonya Pinkins, but she was straining quite a bit to reach her top belt (unsuccessfully most of the time) and you could hear how vocally tired she was. Idina's performance was right on pitch and her belt was effortless. She struggled a little to keep up with the orchestra at the beginning, but I think it was more to do with working with a different MD and adjusting for the cuts in the song that did not occur in the most musically logical places.
Nearly every Broadway singer has their little quirks that make their voice unique and recognizable. The most famous Broadway divas all have unusual qualities AND techniques. Patti has the diction thing, Betty Buckley has the tight vibrato, Mary Martin scooped her notes up and down, Ethel Merman was famous for starting a note with the pitch of the last note and then dropping quickly to the new pitch to puctuate the ends of phrases, Donna Murphy scoops down often, Bernadette has the nasal quality, Carol Channing and Elaine Stritch were not known for their vocal techniques, but were adored by millions, Glen Close has the Grand Canyon between her head and chest, and so on.
Idina will be just fine. I'm happy for her and wish her all the best. I hope to see and hear a lot more of her in the future.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian