Bean used theater soley as a stepping stone toward a recording career, which is what she truly wants to do (much like Heather Headley.)
She has no interest in returning to Broadway if she can help it (she has gone as far as to say the only thing that will get her back is the role of Fanny Brice in a revival of "Funny Girl," which we know isn't happening.)
The key part of that phrase, however, is "if she can help it." She left theater behind after "Hairspray" to work on an album, and when that fell through, she was forced to return and ended up in "Wicked."
She worked on another CD when she was standing by for Idina Menzel and had made it public that she would be leaving when her contract ended to further her involvement with it, but when that too failed to go anywhere, she accepted the role of Elphaba as a principle and has been doing that on and off ever since.
If this album doesn't pan out (like the others,) I'm sure she'll come back somewhere someway. Everyone needs to pay the bills.
Tonya Pinkins: Then we had a "Lot's Wife" last June that was my personal favorite. I'm still trying to get them to let me sing it at some performance where we get to sing an excerpt that's gone.
Tony Kushner: You can sing it at my funeral.
