Julia Murney in Wicked.....huge disappointment

[LilBwayLady]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 9:05pm

....So I live in Cali and I went to NYC a couple weeks ago and saw 5 shows in 4 nights and one of them was Wicked which I saw two years ago when Shoshana played Elphaba, and I have to say I was extremely disappointed with Julia's performance. I sounded like she was straining all night. It might have been that she was just having an off night or she was tired but honestly it was quite a difference after seeing Shoshana and of course hearing Idina on the OBCR. Has anyone else felt the same after seeing her perform?

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 9:07pm

I actually felt the opposite. I was so much more impressed by her than by Idina on the OBCR and the "footage" of a few others.

[BroadwayDream1012]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 9:09pm

I do hate to say this, but I didn't like her terribly much compared to other Elphie's I've seen. She has a nasily voice, which doesn't work in my opinion. I have friends who share my opinions on her as well. I think they should bring in Dee Roscioli from the Chicago cast. She is amazing.

[antiandrewx]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 9:10pm

I loved Julia. I've seen 5 Elphabas and Julia and Idina are the only ones who have really seemed to "get it". She might have been having an off night or something, becuase when I saw her she was completly out of this world.

[LilBwayLady]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 9:26pm

i guess she could have just been tired because im pretty sure it was a night they had a matinee ealier that day. I just remember Shoshana making it look so easy and she was just so flawless in everything and although Julia might have been flawless it just look as though she had to work harder at it and i also noticed she changed some of the intervals in the songs so she didnt go as high as Idina does in the recording, but all this could have just been because she was tired from the matinee or maybe she was sick....who knows......just my opinion

[LoringsGuy]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 10:42pm

Julia was incredible the night I saw her.

She is by far my favorite Elphaba. Her singing was amazing, and of all the Elphie's I've seen, she is the only one (in my opinion) who truly nailed every aspect of the character. They all have their strengths, but Julia is the complete package for me.

[Joshua488]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 10:48pm

Wow, that's a shame. Julia Murney is the only actress to have actually made me notice that Elphaba actually has an arc to her character.

[DEFYxGRAViTY721]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 10:51pm

I have to agree with LoringsGuy. Julia is the complete package. I saw her perform twice and I was astounded. Not only did she actually play the character with feeling (unlike many others, not gonna mention an names....) but her voice is unbelieveable. And her perfect vibrato just adds to it all. She is my favorite Elphaba, hands down.

[wickedfiyeroofoz]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 10:54pm

Julia Murney sounds like a goat.

[Virgo]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 10:57pm

"I was extremely disappointed with Julia's performance. I sounded like she was straining all night. "

She could have been sick and went on anyway so the fans wouldn't be disappointed. But when you're, sick it is best to stay off because the fans will still be disappointed if you aren't up to snuff. They really can't win though, some fans asking performers to perform while sick, and/or take vacation time when they are sick. Other actors might be showing up sick and disappointing the fans. What is one to do?

[hiltyfied]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 11:09pm

Well I didn't like her very much either but I've only seen her once. Comparing her to a goat might be slightly harsh, however I found her vibrato annoying. I like Dee even less, though, so...

[IAMmyownMUSICAL]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 11:12pm

JOSH....I agree with you completely

Julia is a class act, amazing talent. BY FAR...BY FAR...the best Elphie I have ever seen

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 11:20pm

Yeah, no offense to Dee, but she wasn't too great either on the "Taste of Chicago" thing.

[LilBwayLady]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 12:30am

ya i see what you mean with the whole possibilty of her being sick....it is a bit of a sticky situation. If she was sick i definatly have to give her credit for going on stage anyway thats for sure, i know how hard that is so good for her. Its been so long since ive seen Shoshana and all i really remember is how much i enjoyed her singing, i did think Julia was really in touch with her character, and i guess if i cant rememebr much of shoshana's acting compared to her singing it must have not been as memorable....well anything from wicked toped Beauty and Beast. Anneliese van der Pol played Belle like she was tomboy. They put all this comedy in it when its suposed to be this timless classic.....sorry to change the subject just another thing i remember being disappointed with

[ashley0139]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 12:35am

Wow, that's a shame. Julia Murney is the only actress to have actually made me notice that Elphaba actually has an arc to her character.

I totally agree. Plus, her voice is pure heaven.

Julia Murney sounds like a goat.

Original. Really.

[Popular]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 12:36am

LilBwayLady - I'm a fellow Cali girl so I understand how much a NY trip must've meant and how high your expectations must've been. Sorry not all of them were met but here is a thought... why not start a thread about the ones that WERE. Surely you enjoyed SOMETHING, no?

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 1:02am

Julia does a really nice job in the role; she's been one of my favorite performers for years now. I think she has a more...mature vibe about her that makes her vastly different from most of the others who've played this role, and I think it throws a lot of people off.

However, as much as I love Julia, her performance wasn't even in the same league as Idina's.


Updated On: 7/26/07 at 01:02 AM

[softershade]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 1:03am

Julia has infact been sick lately. It started shortly after she returned from her vacation.

[BrianIdol]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 1:07am

i thought Julia Murney was amaaaazing.....she must be sick or something., stinks that it kinda ruined wicked for u this time Why didn't she let lisa do it?, who is also awesome from what i've heard.

[Jilani]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 1:07am

Sorry to hear you didn't like her . . . I saw her in Boston when she was on tour (and in fact, she was sick at the time), and thought she was fantastic. And that was after seeing several other actresses in the role, including Idina Menzel and Shoshana Bean. I also met her at the stage door, and she is incredibly nice, genuine, and generous to her fans.

[LilBwayLady]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 1:38am

Popular- ya those were honestly the only things I was disappointed with on this trip all the other shows that i saw i loved and was pleasently surprised with all the performances and i know there are people that love those shows and actors as much as I do. I only started this thread because I was curious to see if anyone felt the same about this specific topic

[jewishboy]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 5:59am

"As much as I love Julia, her performance wasn't even in the same league as Idina's."

Took the words right out of my mouth.

[smokeline]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 6:30am

I personally love Julia. She completely got Elphaba. She was true to the tough edge the character has in the book, but managed to convey that the toughness was just a front and that she "had heart" (for lack of a better phrase). And I've always loved her voice. Some people don't like Julia's toughness; they'd rather see more of her vulnerable side like Idina. (That's just something I've heard. I never got to see Idina.)

I've only seen clips of Shoshana, but I get the general sense that she cares more about the riffs than the character. She seemed to be "singing to impress, not to express," which my voice teacher yells at me for frequently. She's not bad, she just focuses on the singing more than the acting. I prefer someone who focuses more on the acting so long as they can still sing it well (as Julia can).

[scooter38432]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 7:44am

Count me among those who thinks that Julia is one of, if not the best Elphaba they've had. I agree with those who said that she "gets it". Her vocals are so strong. It's so refreshing to hear an actual, trained singer singing that music instead of Idina screaming and whining her way through the score. Another thing going for Julia is her acting. Idina is no actress. An entertainer? Sure. Popular? Absolutely. Beautiful? Undoubtedly. Actress? Hell no.

"Julia Murney sounds like a goat."
--Gee what an enlightened, intelligent posting. NOT.

If only Julia were on the OBCR! Then I wouldn't have to skip so many of Elphaba's numbers.

[cubanpab]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 8:07am

i saw Julia a few months ago. It was our first time seeing Wicked. Before that I had only seen video footage of Idina and a few of the other Elphaba's. So of course it's hard for me to say for sure since i've only seen other elphaba's on video... however... Julia was pretty much the only thing that stuck with me after the show. I thought she was incredible.

My wife even said to me afterwards that absed on the other Elphaba's she's seen, she thought Julia was by far the best. I had to agree.

Maybe she had an off night when you went? i hope you still had a good time... as for me, i didnt care for the show at all. it was cute... but that was all. just felt... cute. but i'm glad i saw it.