Kristin Chenoweth in Wicked

I came across footage of Megan Hilty performing the song Popular in Wicked and thought she was pretty funny and adorable. But then I found some footage of Kristin Chenoweth singing the same song song in her last appearance in the show. It might not be fair to compare, since the energy for Chenoweth was off the charts given it was her last show (plus she did some hilarious ad-libbing involving a book her character had written on how to be more popular that had the Elphaba cracking up). But I was blown away by Chenoweth and couldn't help think that Hilty, good as she was, paled in comparison. So I'm wondering, for anyone who saw Chenoweth in the role and then other actresses after her, did anyone come close to matching her performance? I've never seen Wicked, by the way.

I think it's all subjective obviously, and I never saw the original witches

I do think that there have been a number of standouts in early and recent days.

Carrie St. Louis completely altered the way I viewed the character of Glinda. Brittney Johnson is also exquisite in the role. I will second the Katie Rose Clarke praise. All of the aforementioned made distinctive choices both vocally and as actresses that have proven to be quite memorable. I've really enjoyed Amanda Jane Cooper, Ginna Claire Mason, Allison Bailey and all of the wonderful actresses I've seen play the role in recent years too. I think as the show ages, the directive (at least on Broadway) is to not break the mold too much so as to facilitate tourists' understanding of the story. I think this is why, as mentioned above, it feels like there has not been as much variety in the choices made.

When it comes to recent Elphabas, I have been absolutely blown away by the likes of Talia Suskauer, Jackie Burns (in both of her recent runs) and Jessica Vosk. I think each of them made quite an impact on the role and the show. Three very different voices, personalities, and energies.

This is all super long winded - sorry - but I have never been an original cast purist with Wicked. However, there are shows where I totally align with the belief that the originals have been irreplaceable. I'm curious to hear the thoughts of Wicked fans who saw the OBC and have returned throughout the years.

I don't know how many of you were around the Internet Broadway fandom when Wicked first came out, but not only was the show a huge blockbuster and almost made Broadway sort of mainstream, but Idina and Kristin became famous right away. They were sort of famous before, with Chenoweth having a failed sitcom try and a few guest stints on NBC and other television roles, while Idina was coming off of Rent, The Wild Party (Lippa), and Aida runs, but nothing they had before compared to what their lives became after Wicked. With all of that said, when it came to the reviews, Idina got the ovations for "Defying Gravity" but it was Kristin who was the huge sensation coming out of Wicked. She got the most glowing reviews of that show that otherwise received mixed-to-negative reviews from the critics. People started thinking she'd be a great fit for all kinds of hard-to-cast leading ladies due to what they thought was her unique comedic skills and zaniness and that classical soprano in a sea of post-Rent rock musicals or belting divas that was taking over at the time. Nicole Kidman even wanted her cast in that God-awful Bewitched movie she did with Will Ferrell because she saw her on Wicked. There was a huge reason for that.

To be fair to follow-up actresses, that closing night performance of "Popular" was more a special performance than anything else. Other actresses actually found more comedy in that song later on (to Glinda's detriment at times as they turned her into a cartoon, IMO), but Cheno built that foundation for other actresses to build off from for Glinda. I remember having a bootleg audio recording of Chenoweth performing "Popular" for the one of the first times when they were doing out-of-town tryouts in San Francisco, and that audience was just eating it up. Her singing and comedic timing was just on in that recording and that audience reaction was everything a performer hopes for. It was that amazing to hear. Everything a subsequent actress does is a variation of what Cheno created for Glinda even if they put their own stamps on it. In fact, during workshops, Glinda was much more a supporting role and Fiyero was a co-lead. Then workshop after workshop (even in the early pre-Idina days where Cheno played opposite Stephanie J. Block), thanks to Cheno's input in the workshops, they kept increasing Glinda's role and realized the story of friendship between two adult women was more interesting than the romance angle (though we have to go through that love triangle storyline that I wish we didn't have to go through). So a huge part of Glinda is an extension of Chenoweth herself.

Updated On: 9/11/20 at 02:04 PM

I would've thought that Kristin would've played Glinda in a film version had it been made VERY early on.

Revisiting the pro-shot footage highlights even more how incredible she was in the role. No actress since has been able to sing the legit soprano sections quite like she did.

Updated On: 9/12/20 at 12:07 PM

Chenoweth was at her vocal and comedic peak in WICKED -- in both cases, she's gotten more broad and self-indulgent since. It was a phenomenal performance. I've seen maybe a half-dozen Glindas since, and while most were solid, none has ever come close to equaling her.

Updated On: 9/12/20 at 12:18 PM

TheQuibbler said: "It's fascinating to see how simple and effective Chenoweth's "Popular" is compared to now, where it's nearly a 10 minute greatest hits of every other pre-2010actress's quirks that don't land because at, this point, they're impressions of impressions."

This happens to many long running shows, where often times the characterizations become a parody. All to get a cheap laugh. Glinda in Wicked is probably the biggest offender, with Amra Faye Wright's Velma in Chicago a close second. The characters in Phantom have become so melodramatic they don't even resemble what was on stage in 1988. The Lion King has managed to keep its actors in check.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-WY8ST1KI

One of my favorite KC "Wicked" clips Her growl at the end always gets me!

I feel like current Kristen has become a caricature of herself. It's been a very interesting transformation to observe.

Updated On: 9/13/20 at 11:15 AM

The song "Thank Goodness" has some unintentionally funny lyrics and isn't supposed to be a showstopper, but I feel like Chenoweth performed it in such a way that I often revisit her performance of it. I've watched clips of other Glindas performing that song and it just isn't the same even when you see some trying to capture it and also hitting that high note at the end. I think Chenoweth really understood the depth of feeling Glinda was going through during that whole sequence and it was built upon what she did in previous scenes. She made sure to play Glinda's self-centeredness and ambition but she also made sure Glinda was CAPABLE of being good and having empathy. There are times where Idina's Elphaba looks so happy (like with the makeover in Popular or when she tells Glinda she feels like she finally belongs in Emerald City) and you see how happy Glinda is for her and how much she actually does understand what a big deal it is for Elphaba, and I give Chenoweth credit for that. I also think she's one of the few (or maybe only one) who paid homage to Billie Burke from the 1939 film. She would use Burke's affectations in her speech when Glinda spoke to the public in her official capacity as the Good Witch of the North.

Updated On: 9/13/20 at 01:02 PM

Globefan said: "Shows should be able to evolve without the tone getting too hammy."

Replacements feel the pressure to meet a standard. The thing is that the green performers had the bar set at mediocre, and just kept getting better. The Glindas always had it harder when trying to match the original performance.