Jackie Burns to Join WICKED Tour as Elphaba July 8 in Houston- Page 2

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 2:50am

I'm sure Mantello stopped working with any of the casts years ago.

[PReeves2]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 2:55am

all of the original creative team is just collecting a check at this point. Jackie is well capable of adjusting and growing into the role if given the proper chance. At this point it seems as though anyone going into that role has to live up to a standard/typecast.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 2:57am

Well I think a requirement would be to not sound whiny. She's the f*cking Wicked Witch Of The West!

[BwayBoundJoe]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 11:40am

Ok, I doubt that Joe Montello (sp?) is the one responsible for how she is singing and what notes she is singing. That is the job for the Musical Director. That also brings to mind the whole "Riffing" aspect of certain performers, all I've ever been told is that "the producers don't like it when (incert elphaba here) riffs this line." Why exactly would they care?

[adamgreer]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 11:57am

I can't speak for the tours, but I do know that Mantello does occasionally check up on the Broadway production, though not with the same regularity as say, Hal Prince pops in to Phantom.

[TreyKenyon]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 12:10pm

In regard to the "who cares about riffing?" question, I think it's more likely the creative team that is concerned with it. They ultimately want the show to remain true to itself and wouldn't want an actress (Shoshana Bean, anyone?) to take away from the portrayal of the character in order to sound extra pretty.

Actually, come to think of it, Shoshana was kind of given a lot of wiggle room in that department. I have only heard of the "Conductor/producer/stage manager told me no to" line from Marcie Dodd and Jenny Dinoia (both on Broadway).

[BwayBoundJoe]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 1:42pm

Shoshana wasn't who I was refering to actually, though her infamous last on tour could make the hearts of any 13 year old fangirl scream and whoo at the top as thier little lungs desire, there are several actresses who riff. Does Marcie riff? I saw her with the tour in Nashville last september and she did the score justice, pretty feircely (sp?) too. I know the conductor also told Julia Murney she couldn't (or shouldn't, i don't remember)do her last AAAHh riff for some reason. The one where she goes down in the middle rather than up.

[AvenueQ]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 1:51pm

I thought it said "Jackie Hoffman to Join..." Wow

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 2:02pm

I think the tour does a tech night before the official opening night. They did that here last fall. I saw the understudy, can't find her name, but she was excellent.

[TreyKenyon]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 2:05pm

I've heard the same thing about Julia and Defying Gravity. I don't remember where I read it but Marcie used to do a "riff" on the first "me down" in Defying Gravity and after a fan asked her why she stopped, she said the conductor told her not to. Similar story for Jenny.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 2:46pm

Odd, since no one seems to have told Mandy Gonzalez not to riff, and she does a fantastic job with her riffs of the score. Her ending to Defying Gravity is orgasmic.

I will agree that we haven't seen the intense level of riffing since Shoshana Bean. But, there are absolutely, without a doubt, moments in the score that lend itself to riffing, and where riffing is acceptable (the last verse of The Wizard and I, the end of Defying Gravity, the Fiyero note in No Good Deed, for example).

[njburns]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 6:28pm

Updated On: 7/13/10 at 06:28 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 6:35pm

Nice surname.

[shrekster224]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 6:38pm

So how come no one has said anything to Carrie Manolakos? She has the best riffs and crazy notes ever, and she's never been stopped. Things like in TWAI, "feeling things IIIIVVVVVEEEE never felt!" or in NGD "FIYEEROOHHHHH!" Shes amazing.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 6:42pm

Lizzie! What did they say!?!

[shrekster224]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 6:55pm

What did the njburns person say? They said she did a pretty amazing job if u ask me.

[TreyKenyon]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 7:09pm

I think it really comes down to the discretion of the creative team/stage manager. If they feel a riff works, or at least doesn't detract too much from the score/story, they probably could care less. To elaborate on the Marcie example, she would riff up but it came out like "Meeeeee-HEEEEEEEEEEEE Down" with a strong emphasis on the "H" lol. Kind of distracting and if you hear it on YouTube... a little grating IMO.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/13/10 at 7:14pm

Paraphrased: "Wah wah you are all mean! Wah wah, give her a chance!"