Idina's Replacement- Page 3

[jmaclover]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 12:50am

Well, I think the makeup looks good on white skin. Not to mention the change in other facial structures.

[Merrydothe]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 12:52am

Agreed. But I guess we do have to keep in mind that we haven't seen it on anyone but "white." We will have to see. :)

Posted: 12/5/04 at 3:05am

Can sombody please explan Eden Espinosas appeal. OK so she can belt really high, but other than that and her good looks, I dont really think she has anything going for her. Im sure she is a lovely girl, I just dont see the big hooplaa over her.

[Mythus]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 3:07am

Hoopla!

Sorry, I just...really like that word. *shuffles off to Buffalo bed*

[Al Dente]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 9:51am

It's "flavor of the month" syndrome. It'll be over as soon as the next Elphaba (or whatever popular character) is hired and it'll be all about "her" and her legion of clones much like every other casting situation in long running shows. Can you really tell any discernable difference between Menzel and Espinosa? They're all freakish clones of one another. Think RENT.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 11:55am

Amen, Al. I think the part of Elphaba, as configured by Schwartz, has some of the Evita syndrome attached. A showy role for a showy belter with some very vivid drag attached (green make up, iconic costumes). So many young women with big voices are going to play this role, in NY and elsewhere, a la the multitude of Evitas, Menzel's career will be determined by what she does after this show. (And if anone screams that Evita will always be Patti LuPone, I'd remind you that the box office remained huge after she left for a couple of years, and even while she was doing the show, the matinees sold out with first Terri Klausner, and then Nancy Opel.)

[Idina's BIGGEST fan]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 12:02pm

I wonder if the green looks better on black skin? I'm ure either way, it'll still look good.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 12:23pm

Okay, this thread is frustrating me so I have to put my two cents in. Realistically, Eden Espinosa would be a fool to leave “Brooklyn”. For one, Brooklyn is running at about 70 percent capacity, on some weeks it runs at 80 percent. The running costs for that show are likely low, small cast and all. So, the producers of “Brooklyn” will likely try to keep the show afloat, at least until Tony time. And number two, the Tony. Why would Eden leave a show where she is almost guaranteed a Tony nomination? This is a very weak year for women’s roles in musicals, and she is likely to get a nod. Statistically performers who are in shows that are still running at Tony time, have a greater chance at the nomination and perhaps, the win. Think Bernadette Peters in “Into the Woods”. She was out of the show by the time nominations came around, and she was off the list. This could happen to Eden as well. Sure there are exceptions, but most Tony winners are still in their shows when Tony time comes around. Sure the nominating committee may have seen Eden when “Brooklyn” opened, but some of the voters may not have, and her presence in “Brooklyn” is necessary for her win. So, as much as I’d love to see Eden in “Wicked”, she’d be smart to stay in “Brooklyn”, and in reality, she probably will. And, if she wins the Tony, her salary in “Brooklyn” will go up. So, there you go.

[SallyBrown]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 12:31pm

I had started a thread about women who might be nominated for the Tonys this year, and I was told that Eden was more of a supporting actress than lead actress, and even if she does win any Tony, does that really mean that she'd get a bigger salary? I mean when Roger and Kristin won their Tonys, the show closed the following week, ok so thats a bad example cuz YAGMCB wasnt doing too well financially but..ah well none of that made sense lol sorry

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 12:39pm

Some performers have it built into their contract, that if they win the Tony, their salary will increase. That is one of the reasons Tonya Pinkins did Caroline, or Change...And, I belive the general consensus is that Eden is a lead, not featured. I'm sure they will try to submit her as a lead, as she actually has a better chance of winning in that category.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 6:10pm

You're absoulutely right about the "Evita" syndrome Auggie.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 6:20pm

No offense taken, Merrydothe. (I don't know if that was directed at me.) I'm not familiar with the book, so I didn't know why the actress would have to be white when the make-up and the character is green. (Can you explain? I'm curious.)


As for Eden, I'm not gonna touch the "BKLYN ROX!" debate, but I do think you have a point about her not wanting to leave until June. However, if there's a chance it won't stay open until then, she might be smarter to jump ship while she can.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 6:28pm

At this point it seems that any female with a piercing unfriendly belt and harsh, prominent features can be the green witch. I honestly can't tell the lot of them apart. Bean, Menzel,Espinosa and a handful of the women you all keep mentioning, seem interchangeable and like they could be related. How boring and uninspired. Actually Auggie, don't they all resemble Lupone?

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 6:33pm

I wouldn't call any of those women boring and uninspired. Al, why are you so bitter? Updated On: 12/5/04 at 06:33 PM

Posted: 12/5/04 at 6:37pm

Al makes a great point! They ARE interchangable. They are talented, but how are they special? What makes them standout?

[ShbrtAlley44]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 6:42pm

They are absolutely not interchangeable. Yes, they all have powerful voices that may occasionally sound alike in Wicked (could that also have something to do with how they've been INSTRUCTED to sing?), but they all brought something very different to the role of Elphaba. Their styles of singing and the music they work on outside of the show are also very different. Shoshana, for instance, covers Aretha Franklin songs (very well, I might add). It's an insult to their talent to call them interchangeable. Updated On: 12/5/04 at 06:42 PM

[Auggie27]

Posted: 12/5/04 at 7:04pm

What Al and I are commenting on are the straightjacketubg pop-belt demands of the role, in the post-Evita musical theater--and the sensibility of the singers who would fill it. The creators of this show are looking for roof-raisers. The last note in act one, high above the Gerswin stage, is the litmas test.

To my mind, it would bold to now cast Elphaba with an actor who brings out more discernable personality, some standout quirk (something closer to the complex woman in the MaGuire novel--but lets not dip back into those waters). The part need not just be a belty ingenue--it could have more eccentricity. But perhaps that's my bias.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 12/6/04 at 10:26am

Here we go again, "Al why are you so bitter", again shbrtalley, reading comprehension is a worthwhile skill to hone.

I was suggesting that it's boring to keep hiring clones of the same actress to play a role, not that any of those particular women were boring. Although I find Espinosa very void of layers (not that I expect you to understand that statement either). And since womens' looks are my stock and trade, I'll take you through it, all of the above mentioned have the same look, as if they could be of the same gene pool, very pale skin, dark eyes, dark hair, ethnic looks, if you will, prominent noses,prominent eyebrows... and on the vocal side, they have the exact same timber to their voices. And most of the woman mentioned as possible replacements with a few blonde, blue eyes exceptions, can all very easily fit into the criteria I just mentioned. So again, my honest and very casual observations, have nothing, whatsoever to do with the term, "bitter". How can anyone, even a rabid Wicked fan, disagree?

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 12/6/04 at 10:30am

"Although I find Espinosa very void of layers."

*blank stare. blinks, confused*

[Al Dente]

Posted: 12/6/04 at 10:36am

She seems (and this is just from clips) to be very one dimensional. Her witch is very akin to her BKLYN.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 12/6/04 at 10:38am

but.. but.. but.. but.. she's EDEN!

[Al Dente]

Posted: 12/6/04 at 10:40am

Yes, one of Al's untouchable ten.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 12/6/04 at 10:41am

shesedenandshesincrediblecanshecansingbetterthanNEbody!!!!

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/6/04 at 10:42am

Why is someone bitter if they express an opinion different from the majority, and especially one that is critical of something, rather than a praising opinion. I don't get it. It's a really immature "critique (if you can call it that)" to say that someone is bitter, just because they express something outside of the majority (ie not yours). It baffles me.

I happen to agree with most of Al Dente's opinions on things. Well thought out, and edjucated opinions. As for Eden Espinosa, I hate to tell you, but she is sort of dime a dozen (again my opinion). Sure she is fine, but when you look at the greats of the musical theatre (like Merman, a real belter) she doesn't stack up. There are plenty of "living legends" around, but they don't seem to make the lists around here. Marty Testa, Carolee Carmello, Audra McDonald, etc. These women have unique qualities that seem to surpass the current crop of pop-like performers such as Espinosa, Menzel, etc. Again, the media has trained us to like such creatures as these, whereas the true lady's of the stage are put by the wayside, at least on this board (not all, but most). I'm rambling and I'll stop now. I guess I just want to use the world "Timeless". Is Eden Espinosa timeless? or merely a fad?

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 12/6/04 at 10:44am

exactly. The truely memorable ones are the one of a kind performers.

speaking of merman, did anyone happen to see "Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July" on TV yesterday? merman belted out "Ruldoph the Red Nosed Reindeer" at the film's closing scene.