Idina's gasping

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:14pm

I was just wondering (and I love Idina more than anyone could ever imagine) but is her gasping while singing from playing Elphaba? Because on the OBC of Wicked & the OBC of Rent and in the first few performances of Wicked I saw (including opening night), she was fine with breathing but towards the end of her run as Elphie, she seemed to begin to be gasping a lot more. Any comments?

[Parks]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:16pm

A lot of people say it is...and it probably is. She screamed a lot of her notes. It's a very vocally-demanding role...I think.

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:16pm

You're right. Her gasping got worse towards the end of her run.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:17pm

It's because she doesn't have the right technique breathing was. Her voice is incredibly forced through her throat instead of through her diaphraghm. You can hear it when she punches higher notes instead of allowing her voice to ease into them. While it creates an electric, belty sound - it is very dangerous to her voice and makes her ability to do it occur less frequently.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:17pm

It definitley is vocally demanding...one of the most vocally demanding roles in a long while and certainly the most demanding on Bway right now, IMO.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:20pm

Please note I'm not saying it makes her a BAD performer. I'm not a huge Idina fan, but I do admit a lot of people have this habit. I'm one of them. But I'm only 18 and I'm starting to force it out of my muscle memory now and am working on fixing the problem so that it doesn't get worse in the future as it happened with Idina.

Compare Idina with Tonya Pinkins. Tonya's voice stayed strong A LOT longer than Idina's did but CAROLINE *murdered* Tonya's poor voice. I believe I heard the same happened with Tyne Daley in the GYPSY revival....?

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:25pm

Apparently she has a puff every now and then, AND since she perform with bronchitis during her run in Wicked, she may have developed asthmatic symptoms, which totally threw off her breathing.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:26pm

I highly doubt she smokes.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:29pm

Read BroadwayGirl's post. Occasionally.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:31pm

Every now and then could mean completley opposite things to certain people. And occasionally or 20 times a day, I still doubt she smokes at all.

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:32pm

Well, whatever her problems were, she sounded fanstatic today. Flawless!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:34pm

She did sound very good today. She and Tracie were wonderful together.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:35pm

I'm pretty sure she does, but I can't say how often.

She sounded beautiful today; very rested.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:40pm

I saw idina perform Wicked 6 times between October 2003 to January 2005. She definitely was not gasping in the beginning, but she definitely WAS gasping at least from June on. It was VERY distracting for me, and it detracted from her performance--although I still think she's the best Elphaba thus far (of the ones I have seen).

Someone on another thread said recently that performing Wicked "shredded" Idina's voice, and I think that's a good metaphor. What Iluvtheatertrash says about her breathing technique makes sense to me. I'm sure these two things are related.

Please excuse my ignorance in these matters, but I have a question for those of you who are trained singers. Is there any way for a singer's voice that's become "shredded" like this to be rehabilitated?

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:45pm

Rest. Long, relaxaed vocal rest.

But you need to make sure that when you start singing again, you take it slow. Not 8 shows a week. Not huge numbers. Just taking it slow, easing back into it. And CORRECTLY. Fixing your breathing and singing the RIGHT way.

I lost my voice completely for two months my senior year of high school. Only by resting for another two and slowly working my way back do I have a voice now.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 8/4/05 at 11:46pm

" I still doubt she smokes at all. "

She mentioned at one of her concerts...or I think "She Rock Broadway" about smoking. Not cigarettes, but...you catch my drift. She did say she doesn't do it while she's in a show, but you never know. And an occasionaly puff MAY catch up with someone, especially if she's developed some sort of minor asthma.

[Radioactiveduck]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 1:53am

Someone might have said it allready but...

it's because Idina, despite the awesomeness of her performance, has HORRENDOUS singing technique. She did okay in the begining, but she raped her voice and it sounded horrible for the Tony's and about 4 months afterwards. Her voice finally recovered, and then, I think, she sounded even better than when she started.

[theatrefanatic17]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 7:02am

Yes, this is all true. I have downloads from the SF preview and her "Defying Gravity".... at that time was absolutly amazing. I also have some of "No Good Deed" and D.g from around july-nov of `04 and I just can`t stand the annoying gasping. So,yes Idina really killed her voice for a while there. However, before I saw this show back in April of this year, I knew nothing about it at all. I knew none of the music or anything, so naturaly I saw Shoshana Bean. I`m sitting there, watching this show and finding her vocal skill very great. I know a lot of people like Idina more than Sho due to her belty, un-skilled screaming rather than Sho`s slightly softer,more skilled voice. You can 100% tell Sho knows what she`s doing out there with her singing and she`s is still doing great today and she`s been with the show for a good while now. Plus, she will always be my favorite `cause that was the first Elphie I saw. Howver, Ana is perfect for this role.
Updated On: 8/5/05 at 07:02 AM

[kas]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 7:11am

i read somewhere (cannot rememebr where) that ana gast. was going to school for vocal performance when she got some parts/comedy gigs. i like her sound on the HAIR cd. she is powerful but very natural.

[AllNite429]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 8:48am

Idina's gasping the two times I saw her perform Elphaba was only noticable it in the beginning of the show during "Wizard and I". After that either she warmed up into the vocals or I just didn't really hear it after that.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 8:52am

She smokes, get over it.

[Marquise]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 9:01am

You people read way too much into gasping

[Hanna from Hamburg]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 9:03am

Theatretrash -- regarding Tyne Daly and Gypsy, when I saw her I thought she had vocal problems. There were even a few times when she had to stop singing altogether, because she couldnt' produce any sound. Then the cast recording came out and I realized that she sounded the same way on the recording. She has no technique PLUS no real voice. You hear the same thing in any singing she attempts. The rigors of singing Gypsy and trying to live up to the Merman stamp on the role might have made her situation worse, but she really didn't have a voice when she went into the show.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 9:21am

While I heard Tyne Daley was a force not to be reckoned with and brought down the house, I also heard her voice just could not handle the part. So sad...

[Hanna from Hamburg]

Posted: 8/5/05 at 9:28am

Well, that statement regarding Tyne is open to interpretation. I've never been a fan of seeing actor's technique. Tyne has always gotten raves about her acting, but I always have been able to SEE her acting. I'd rather see a character on stage (or film or TV) instead of seeing the years of training and the acting techniques that a person is utilizing. Personally, I did NOT enjoy Tyne as Mama Rose, but loved the rest of the show.