Review of Ana Gasteyer Tonight?

[Horton]

Posted: 10/10/06 at 7:46pm

Did anybody see Ana Gasteyer tonight in Wicked, please post a review.

[JamesMacon]

Posted: 10/10/06 at 7:46pm

I would also love a review later tonight.

[myManCape]

Posted: 10/10/06 at 7:47pm

The show didnt even end yet.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 10/10/06 at 7:52pm

Or start.

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 10/10/06 at 7:55pm

haha yeah

anyone going?

well, actually, if anyone was going tonight, i at least hope they are at the theatre by now...

:P

[Horton]

Posted: 10/10/06 at 8:51pm

I am so exited!

[Anthony3]

Posted: 10/10/06 at 9:08pm

the show actually started at 7 tonight.

[Freckles1329]

Posted: 10/10/06 at 9:44pm

Yeah... give it a few more hours and we'll hear something.

[Candleshoe2]

Posted: 10/10/06 at 10:32pm

As of now, all I've heard is that her chemistry with Kate was amazing and her acting was too. Full reviews should pop up by tomorrow!

[PJ]

Posted: 10/10/06 at 10:44pm

Just got back!

First off, she is very effective in acting the role. She did a few line readings much differently from other Elphabas I've seen, and I really liked it.

The Wizard and I - Excellent. I was completely surprised that she had it in her. I've "seen" her perform this before, and it was nowhere near as thrilling.

Defying Gravity - Very good. Although they need to pick up the tempo a bit for her, as it seemed to be a bit too slow for her. But honestly, I was again surprised by the voice. I had seen Ana in Threepenny this past Spring, and I loved her voice, but I didn't know she could sing with such gusto.

No Good Deed - This is where her performance hit a sour note. It started off well enough, but by the end of the song, she seemed to have run out of steam, vocally, so to speak. She had hit all of the money notes all evening, but for some reason, when the very last one in No Good Deed came, she completely faltered. Her voice actually gave out and she stopped singing for a moment. However, after a moment of hesitation and uncertainty, she quickly picked up the note again and finished it nicely. I know it sounds unfair to judge an entire performance by one note, but that just put a huge damper on the whole evening for me. My friend also agreed.

All in all, I thought she was quite good. Had she pulled off her last big number the way she had every other song this evening, I would have loved her. Perhaps it was nerves, or she simply needed to clear her throat, but it was a boo-boo. She actually could have been a bit sick, too. Early in the performance she kept wiping her nose, which could have obviously been a runny nose, or a nervous stage habit. Anyway, she's a very well acted Elphaba. I look forward to possibly seeing her again in the future.


Updated On: 10/10/06 at 10:44 PM

[JamesMacon]

Posted: 10/10/06 at 10:47pm

PJ-
Thanks for the review! If she is sick, hope she gets better!

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 10/10/06 at 10:48pm

A friend of mine that was there tonight said, "Gasteyer had fantastic chemistry with Kate Reinders. Nothing other than that really blew me away. She has a so so voice, nice acting, and decent presence, but she can't even compare to anyone else to play this role in NY. Overall, she was good, and deffinetly not the trainwreck I expected. She is fine, but not really much more than that."

Updated On: 10/10/06 at 10:48 PM

[PJ]

Posted: 10/10/06 at 10:51pm

And can I just add that Miss Reinders is postively atrocious as Glinda. She hops and skips around like an anorexic monkey for almost three hours. Her Glinda does not mature through out the evening, even in the second act when it is necessary. Her Glinda is a complete scatterbrain who ends up being just a bit too much. She gets nowhere near the laughs that Chenoweth and Hilty used to get. I think she should tone it down...a lot. If she were a vocal powerhouse, I would enjoy her a bit more. But she lacks in that department too. She sounds good when she is allowed to use her "pop" belt, but other than that, yikes. Oh, and she does this weird thing with her hands all through the show. It's very distracting. And I know this is not something she does outside of the show, as I have seen her many, many times around the city, and the stroke hands are MIA.
Updated On: 10/10/06 at 10:51 PM

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 10/10/06 at 10:55pm

I agree with you about Reinders, PJ.

I saw her back in July with Espinosa, and although she was improved from what I'd 'heard' of her in Chicago, she was just too all over the place. She had a nice soprano and a decent belt, but she lacked any real depth or substance and was just too hyper.

As you said, she just needs to tone it down.

Updated On: 10/10/06 at 10:55 PM

[bugsers]

Posted: 10/10/06 at 11:09pm

Thanks for the reviews so far. I'm intrigued to read more during Ana's run. Bummer that she missed that note in No Good Deed. I've seen her several times live and was impressed that even though she was cleary sick for one of the performances (front row lotto seats gave way TMI about that!), she never missed/botched a note in one performance. Bummer that she did on her first night on B'way!

Truly, like was said, you cannot appreciate Ana's voice unless you hear it live! Say what you will about it, she definitely brings the power!

Well, here's to a good run for Ana! Yay for her sarcastic, angsty Elphaba!!

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 10/11/06 at 12:56am

I'm glad Ana is proving everyone wrong. I saw her when she first started in Chicago and I thought she was great. The show seemed to fly by to me, perhaps because I was in shock that I was actually seeing the show, but I thought she was great. She is a great actress. I didn't notice any weird thing Kate did, but maybe she's just picked that up or something? At intermission, I remember a bunch of people around me saying "Wow, I didn't think she could sing..." - so I feel bad for Ana, but at least she's proving people wrong. I don't know what people expected? I doubt the producers would hire someone who couldn't handle the singing? Seems like a stupid thought.

[bugsers]

Posted: 10/11/06 at 1:02am

I remember just being afraid she would sound like one of her SNL characters! Irrational, I know, but when my friends and I were all afraid we wouldn't be able to think of anything but Bobbie Moughan-Culp when she sung. By the end of TWaI, we turned to each other and were like, nope! To quote Ana, "mama can belt like a mofo!"

[Freckles1329]

Posted: 10/11/06 at 1:05am

HAHA! Can you image Elphaba singing What is This Feeling? or For Good like Jonette from the Gemini's Twin sketch??!! She'd need Maya Rudolph's help for that one! That would be something to see!

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 10/11/06 at 1:26am

Yes, her last note on No Good Deed was unfortunate, but I thought she handled it extremely well. She just didn't take a large enough breath to hold it all the way. Her voice was still incredible though...she held the note at the end of The Wizard and I and her Defying Gravity was incredible. Looking forward to seeing her again in this role.

And I LOVED Kate...yes, she is incredibly spastic and has tons of energy, but I enjoyed her take on G(a)linda. Her acting has drastically improved since I first saw her on May 30th.

[catstagestud]

Posted: 10/11/06 at 2:42am

I think that Gasteyer's Elphaba is really wonderful; a different take on the character than any others I've seen or heard about. When I saw her back in Chicago she was dead on vocally so I wonder if she was just sick. Her and Reinders together are a hoot; and I think they're chemistry is absolutely wonderful; best of luck to her in her run!!

Cheers,

Christopher

[Bwayfan4]

Posted: 10/11/06 at 4:24am

First let me say that I am a HUGE fan of this show. But, I have to agree with you 100%. I too saw Kate and Eden back in July, and was disappointed with Kate's performance. She definitely did not get the laughs that Chenoweth did. Her voice was fine...when she sang. (I felt as though there was a lot of lines that she shouted, where she should've been singing...maybe those lines were out of her range?) She seemed very rigid on stage...almost nervous...like she was trying too hard to be Glinda. (and not having fun with the part) I would love to go back and see the show again with Ana, but will not go as long as Kate is still playing Glinda. (Anyone know when she's leaving and who is replacing her?)

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 10/11/06 at 6:59am

Bwayfan4, Reinders and Gasteyer both leave the show January 7th. Jenna Leigh Green, David Garrison, Derrick Wiliams, and Carol Kane will all be leaving that day as well.

[sidneybruhl]

Posted: 10/11/06 at 7:33am

When I saw Ana do the show in Chicago, her "No Good Deed" was her best number. What I like about Ana's take on the role is not every song is done in that belty American Idol way--there is an arc and a build in her approach, both vocally and in her acting as well. By no means is this a slam to others who have done the role (I've seen Kristy and Stephanie too). I'm hoping Ana's problems tonight are just because she is a bit under the weather.

Posted: 10/11/06 at 7:43am

i loved Ana in THREEPENNY, i love her voice!

her singing is beautiful, yet earthy...she sounds human, never pretentious, & i think thats a wonderful quality!

[Auggie27]

Posted: 10/11/06 at 10:07am

I think this is the first interesting piece of casting in this show since it opened. One question: does she seem ... old for the part? That's not an age-ist point of view;the character is a college girl through the entire first act, and when I saw her in 3 PENNY she seemed appropriately cast as Nellie McKay's mother. She has a certain weight -- not lbs -- the others do not have, which seems more mature. Just curious.