"Menzel broke character last night during that number and cried for a moment before recovering."
Wow. That's pretty upsetting to hear. I hope everything is okay with her. She carries so much of that show, it must be quite hard on her. Hearing that she's out tonight as well. Wishing her a speedy recovery, from whatever it is that ails her.
Stand-by Joined: 7/26/14
It seems like Idina has had a really rough week. I am happy to read the positive comments regarding jackie burns performances. She is such a talent. I wonder whats up with Idina? I hope she feels better.
Leading Actor Joined: 6/14/11
James wasn't out at all today. Just LaChanze and Idina.
If she cried during "I Hate You", it doesn't sound like breaking character, but rather, more like being fully in character.
SPOILER
After all, in the middle of that song her character finds out that her husband has been killed.
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/1/14
Regarding the spoiler, from what I understand, whoever reported the "break" is one of those people who has seen IF/THEN multiple times, enough to see what's normal and what isn't, especially since it sounded like the song itself was interrupted at an unintended place. But it's possible the rest of the audience didn't quite notice, given the context.
Does anyone know if she will be on for tomorrow's mat nee? I have tickets and would be thrilled to see Jackie!!
For what it's worth, I was at the show where she "broke character," if that's what you wanna call it. If something was wrong, the audience, including myself had no idea. It was my first time seeing the show and I absolutely loved it. I thought Ms. Menzel gave one of the best performances I've ever seen on a Broadway stage. I didn't notice any signs of her being sick at all. I truly don't know what I was expecting with this show, but it blew me away! I was deeply moved.
Really hoping to see Jackie at today's mat. I do hope everything is okay with Idina. I'm sure she is long overdue for a long vacation...
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/1/14
"For what it's worth, I was at the show where she "broke character," if that's what you wanna call it.....I truly don't know what I was expecting with this show, but it blew me away! I was deeply moved."
Glad to hear that. :) Twitter is a terrible place to try and find facts, for sure (even about who's in/out for a particular performance, apparently), and I try to keep in mind that everything is blown out of proportion there. Menzel had a little not-obvious moment, but she's fine now; though people in the cast are still under the weather, so I wish them all the best.
Has anyone had a TDF seat recently? Are they really in the last row of the mezzanine?
Stand-by Joined: 7/26/14
The way people are carrying on on Twitter - you would think she had a breakdown. I am glad to hear she is okay. I am not an authority, but what I hear from those in the know...via interviews etc., is that 8 shows a week are grueling and she also has a son with all the responsibilities that go with being a mom. I am curious as to what actually happened but also respect her privacy. Here's to good health for the entire cast - such a great show with an amazing cast - keep up the good work!
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/1/14
"...8 shows a week are grueling and she also has a son with all the responsibilities that go with being a mom."
It's not just the 8, though; aren't Broadway shows usually 8 a week? What's notable for IF/THEN is that most reviews had specifically mentioned that Menzel spends a lot of time on stage singing, which implies that the level of her stage presence is unusual, and lead role is thus more grueling than most.
Anyway, looks like Menzel is back today.
Stand-by Joined: 7/26/14
Yes, they are 8 days a week, but to your point, Idina seems to always be on stage and singing..(I am seeing it for the 4th time next week) and it seems to be a highly demanding role, plus with her name above the title, a big responsibility. She does an amazing job - takes my breath away. Seeing Jackie would certainly be okay with me too.
Saw the mat today. Full cast. Not a single understudy. Was very surprised. I could tell that both Idina and James were a bit sick. Idina did sound incredible during act 2 though.
Got tickets through tdf. Was in front mezz row e to the left. Perfect view. Saw the show in July also through tdf and was in the middle orchestra. Great seats as well. Still hoping to see Jackie on for Elizabeth soon...
Thanks for the TDF info. Rapp is still out right?
Unfortunately Anthony is still out. Curtis is okay- I prefer Anthony as Lucas though.
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/1/14
steven22, if you want to see Jackie that badly, going for one of those Guaranteed Jackie dates would be your best bet.
I guess it's not surprising that particular cast members would end up getting sick at the same time. I mean, three different people are kissing Idina on stage there. Quite a risky crapshoot, especially when singing with a sore throat could lead to more serious things. But glad to hear the performance didn't seem to suffer for it. Monday can't come soon enough for the cast, I imagine.
The amount of obsessive discussion about an actress having an emotional moment during a show and speculation as to why is really, really disturbing. Isn't there anything else you could be thinking about? Maybe she was just feeling the song, maybe it was something else. Not really anybody's business but Idina's though.
Put me in the group of those waiting in vain for Jenn Collela to get a stab at the role.
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/1/14
Read the thread more carefully, StickIt. It's done. You're late.
Understudy Joined: 6/5/14
^ no
She tweeted about the audience. Easy to determine.
Featured Actor Joined: 12/12/12
I love the show and Idina is remarkable in it. Her voice is sheer magic and coupled with these lyrics in this play it's just heaven. I've seen her 5 times so far.
I would like to see Jackie do it, but am really curious about seeing Jenn Collela do the role. Jackie apparently has a similar take to Idina's but I imagine Jenn would give it a whole new spin. PLEASE post and twitter if you ever find out that Jenn is going on for Elizabeth!
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/08
I saw the Saturday matinee. Jackie was on for Elizabeth and Pearl Sun was on for Kate. Our TDF tickets were in row B of the rear mezz which are great seats but we were able to move down.
The policy allows allows us to come back again to see Idina, which I think is really great of the producers. I thought Jackie was really great, but my family hasn't seen Idina yet so we will be going back.
Also it was my first time seeing Curtis as Lucas and I thought he was excellent.
Updated On: 9/8/14 at 09:25 AM
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
I saw the show at Saturday's matinee. Idina and LaChanze were out. James was in. Afterwards I learned that LaChanze had a death in the family and Idina had some sort of "thing" that was affecting her singing. James told me that this "thing" has been going through the cast and it's affected him, too.
I have to agree, Jackie Burns was a virtual clone of Idina.
I've noticed similarities between Jackie and Idina ever since Jackie first began her run in Wicked. (I have been lucky enough to see Ms. Burns in Wicked twice, once on Broadway and once during her first week in the tour.) Her acting even as Elphaba came across very similar to Idina's, right down to the crazy-eyes thing in Defying Gravity. The one major difference, I think, is that Jackie does not have that raw touch to her voice that Idina has, the one that makes Idina's voice so unique. Jackie's voice has a more crystal-clear quality to it, one that I think is both absolutely gorgeous and powerful at the same time. That girl has true talent; I see her going many places after this show.
Videos