Kendra Kassebaum Absences Solved- Page 2

[GretchaSketh]

Posted: 11/28/05 at 6:32pm

Somethingwicked - where will you be seeing the tour? Katie is leaving the tour at the end of this week...after St. Louis! So you'll most likely be seeing Emily. I don't know if they have a second understudy at this point.

[MLE]

Posted: 11/28/05 at 6:40pm

Oh, I never thought about that. They're probably going to need another understudy, I don't think Emily could cover all those shows herself.
I wonder who it would be.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 11/28/05 at 8:27pm

"Kendra is only contracted to do 6 shows a week because she's not used to the vocal range."

I'm surprised she was even cast in the role if that is the case. The other actresses who auditioned must have been really wrong for the part then.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 11/28/05 at 8:58pm

Interesting.... I'm scheduled to see a Friday matinee in DC, so I guess I shouldn't be expecting to see Kendra? I've heard mixed reviews of her performance anyway, though, so I just REALLY hope that I get to see Stephanie. I'm okay with seeing the Glinda understudies, but I already have my hopes up about seeing Steph's Elphaba.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 11/28/05 at 10:40pm

yea i saw kendra during a matinee on sunday, she doesnt do matinees when there are two shows in one day because of her "Fragile voice" i suppose it is. haha andrew i love you, so very considerate of the other actors. Yes it is very impacting on the chords, just look at Idina Menzel now, not as strong as she was when she began wicked, belting your brains out for about a year cant do you very much good i assume

[MLE]

Posted: 11/28/05 at 11:14pm

"I'm surprised she was even cast in the role if that is the case. The other actresses who auditioned must have been really wrong for the part then."

The tour understudies are fabulous! In fact, Katie Adams is by far my favorite Glinda that I've seen! Kendra Kassebaum is also a bigger name. Kendra's acting is much more, well, crazy than the others'. That's how she stands out, IMO. Katie and Emily don't need to "spaz" to be good.

Nothing against Kendra though, I actually did like her.

[WhatDoINeedWithLove?]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 12:10am

I was just gonna say! I saw Katie Adams and Jenna Leigh Green on together! They were AMAZING! Katie was such a nice suprise!

[wickedfreak]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 12:22am

Oh....i am so jealos!!!!!! I LOVE KATIE ADAMS AND JLG!!!!!!!!!!!! I REALLY WANT TO SEE JLG AS ELPHABA!! I BET SHE IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!

[MLE]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 12:29am

Yes, Jenna was wonderful as Elphie! Steph will always be my favorite though! :) I didn't get to see her with Katie. Stephanie is the only Elphaba I've seen Katie paired with, but they make an excellent team!

WhatDoINeedWithLove?, where/when did you see Katie and Jenna?

[WhatDoINeedWithLove?]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 1:13am

i saw them their first (possibly only) time going on together this summer in chicago

[MLE]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 1:24am

Cool. I saw Katie at the Oriental twice this summer. She and Jenna only went on together once in Chicago, I believe. I think they've gone on together only a couple more times since.

[AugustusGloop]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 9:51am

Cubbiegirl, my comment regarding the splits during Popular wasn't that it was necessarily wrong. My point was that she has been allowed to make some truly over-the-top choices (the song doesn't exactly call for acrobatics), while other Glindas are constantly being told to hold back and bring it down. There just seem to be some double-standards when it comes to the direction of the show, which is odd because I know the producers would love it if all the companies looked and sounded EXACTLY the same.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 10:53am

"My point was that she has been allowed to make some truly over-the-top choices (the song doesn't exactly call for acrobatics), while other Glindas are constantly being told to hold back and bring it down."

Well, Meg Hilty is really over the top, and she is by far the best Galinda I've seen (and I've seen them all). I don't understand why they would give Kendra more liberty, I'd never even heard of her before she was cast in the tour.

[cubbiegirl]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 12:27pm

Oh ok, I wasn't aware that anyone else was told to tone it down..I thought the role sort of called for over the top silliness.

[crazyfangirl]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 2:12pm

"She's been allowed to take liberties with the role that NO ONE else is allowed to do (i.e. doing the splits during "Popular")."

Well, this is not necessarily true. Yes, there is a set choreography for POPULAR, but each actress who plays this part gets to take liberties with it, depending on how well it is recieved by the audience, and how much "clout" the actress has with the director. Jennifer Laura Thompson, for example, did something different during the "ballgown" sequence of POPULAR every night. Sometimes she jumped on the bed. Sometimes she ran off stage. Once, when the cheerleaders from the Macy's parade were in town, she made up a cheer during the song. And as a matter of fact, Jen Laura's antics ended up EXTENDING the show by a few minutes, so much so that bits of dialogue here and there were cut in order for the show to end on time every night. And we won't even get into the liberties allowed to Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the role, and broke the 4th wall all the time.

Yeah, there's probably some nepotism involved there, since Kendra had worked with Mantello previously, in ASSASSINS, but generally (at least on Broadway) actresses are given a bit of leeway in POPULAR. And, yes, the closer to the director, the more leeway you're allowed. But that is usually the case for most things.

[AugustusGloop]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 2:36pm

All good points, crazyfan...I for one have just never been a fan of the "but it gets a laugh" style of acting. I've seen actors do that to the point where they're no longer doing the show as it was originally intended.

If you've seen Kate Reinders' performance as Glinda, it might be easier to understand my point. She's probably the least broad, most mellow and best acted Glinda I've seen. Yet when Joe Mantello recently saw the Chicago production, he hated the show (he dislikes the show in general...his own fault). I don't get why people feel the need to ham it up for the audience. That's not theatre, that's stand-up comedy, and it adds nothing to the telling of the story. I blame the creatives for allowing it to happen as much as I blame the actors for doing it.

And I'm sorry, but Kendra just can't sing the damn role, so what exactly does she have to offer that's so great?

Now that I've offended everyone, I'll apologize and say that it doesn't really matter what I think as long as people are employed and the show keeps being the cash cow that it is. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[crazyfangirl]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 3:02pm

Ha ha. Well, you're dead on about Joe Mantello hating the show... it kind of colors the extent to which he bothers with it now. But then, there were a lot of squabbles between all parties (choreographer, book writer, composer, you name it) that hindered the original staging process...

I think, really, that POPULAR's preceedent was set by the originator, Kristin Chenoweth, who by nature does things over the top. The role was created FOR her, and in many cases BY her, and she was allowed much more than "leeway"--she helped stage that number, choreography-wise. So other Glindas after her are basically just preserving the spirit of the number, which is its own self-referential, over the top, goofy ridiculousness. Love it or hate it, that's just what you're going to see from any replacement Glinda.

Haven't seen any production but the Broadway production, so I can't speak for Kate Reinder's performance. She was terrific in GYPSY, though.

And agreed about Kendra. Her vocal range is completely wrong for Glinda. I was under the impression that she was between an alto and soprano (although I guess she's a soprano.) Glinda typically calls for a Coluratura (although Jen Laura Thompson got away with being simply a soprano.) Megan Hilty is a Coluratura, and I think Kate Reinders is as well. But like I said, I've never seen Kendra perform as Glinda. So don't get me wrong, she might be great, and she has a beautiful voice, but her range is just not very compatible with the part.

[cubbiegirl]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 3:24pm

What is this about Joe Mantello hating the show??

[MLE]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 3:44pm

I agree. Glinda is a stretch for her vocally. That range needed for that part is quite large though. Her acting is how she stands out, IMO. She's a bit crazy on stage. But honestly, her Popular is the funniest I've seen. That number doesn't really call for much substance so all the "over the top" physical comedy worked just fine for me!

It really was a shame about her 6 show a week contract... I saw the show in St. Louis last week, which is Kendra's hometown and they were promoting her like crazy. It was like she was "the Sweetheart of St. Louis." That's all fine and dandy, but then she would be out so much. People would come and see the understudy board and get really disappointed. (which bothers me normally, but these people had been hearing all the hype about Kendra Kassebaum) By the end of the show, though, I assure you they weren't disappointed with the understudies in the least! :)
Updated On: 11/29/05 at 03:44 PM

[catstagestud]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 4:14pm

Kate Reinder's Glinda was absolutely amazing. I saw her and Ana near the beginning of the run in July. Not only does she have a beautiful voice; her acting was outta this world!

Cheers,

C.

[broadwayfan8]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 5:08pm

Wait, I thought Galinda was originally written for Stephanie Block, not KC?

Also, what is a coluratura? I've heard it used to mean someone with a low broadway-esque range who also has good high notes, but it's usually used (I thought) in kind of a disparaging way about amateurs. Does it also just mean someone who can do both ranges well?

[cubbiegirl]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 5:14pm

No, Stephanie J. Block was originally Elphaba. In the early workshops and even before.

[broadwayfan8]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 5:17pm

Oh, sorry, I actually knew that. Spaced for a minute.

[AugustusGloop]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 5:42pm

Cubbiegirl...yes, Joe Mantello doesn't like Wicked. The entire creative process was a nightmare for everyone involved. Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman have stopped speaking to this day. Schwartz has publicly stated he won't write any new material for Broadway because of his Wicked experience.

I think it was a matter of having too many cooks. No one person ever had total creative control, so ultimately the show had no grand design. For example, ever wondered what the set was about? If you've read the book, you know. But why should anyone have to read the book to understand the set design? And speaking of the set, the reason there's so much smoke in the show (to the point where actors often complain) is because Joe Mantello thinks the set is ugly, and wants to cover it up as much as possible--not exactly the actions of a director who is proud of his work.

With all the fighting amongst the creative team, many people expected it to be a total flop (including me). Don't get me wrong, the show has a lot going for it. But it's really quite amazing that it was able become the phenomenon that it is.

[cubbiegirl]

Posted: 11/29/05 at 6:15pm

Wow..do you have articles about this or anything? I've never heard that.

Reading the Grimmerie, Stephen Schwartz's website, etc..I've never seen this mentioned (although I can see why it wasn't).

The set is strange..I understand it because of the book, but still.