Someone told me that Vanessa was going to be the original Elphaba....and he swore he saw her in rehersals, he also mentioned Roseanne Barr was going to play Morrible...is he a liar???
"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one".
-Felicia Finley-
Idina: This is called a kielbasa!
Pianist: It's called a 'KA-basa'...
Idina: It's called a kabasa? Oh, a KIEL-basa's a sausage, isn't it? I CAN PLAY THAT TOO! HULLO!!
Even though I'm not certain your question is to be taken seriously I'll humor you by answering..everyone should know by now that Stephen Schwartz personally called up Stephanie to be the original Elphaba. No broadway credits = bring in Idina. Some have even even been rumored to say that Stephen himself wasn't exactly pleased by that but you have to keep your investors happy.
anyone knows if she happened to rehears for the show at all?
"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one".
-Felicia Finley-
Idina: This is called a kielbasa!
Pianist: It's called a 'KA-basa'...
Idina: It's called a kabasa? Oh, a KIEL-basa's a sausage, isn't it? I CAN PLAY THAT TOO! HULLO!!
Well as much as I think Vanessa Williams has a great voice, I have to say that even if she had played Elphaba in some very early workshop well before Defying Gravity or The Wizard And I (I know, that was brought in very late... replaced another song) were written, there's no way she could pull it off now. It's just out of her range. She can sing alright - and well - but the part just requires a stronger voice and a wider range.
Yeah, unless the songs were written much lower, I don't see how Vanessa Williams could even give an adequate performance of Wicked in the shower.
I love some of her pop music and she was decent enough in Into The Woods, but there is no way she could sing some of those Elphaba songs.
Now, Roseanne could probably pull of Morrible, but I don't see why she'd do it and I don't see why producers would cast her because up to this point in her career she hasn't shown the ability to be subtle. I still maintain that Bea Arthur would be a perfect Morrible and might even convince me to pay to see the show again.
Stephanie Block was Elphaba in the workshop before the investors demoted her to standby. I doubt Vanessa Williams was ever involved, or if she was, got as far as rehearsal.
That has to be a joke... I cnnot... no, it Must be joke!
"I wouldn't let Esparza's Bobby take my kids to the zoo...I'd be afraid he'd steal their ice cream and laugh."- YankeeFan
"People who like Sondheim enjoy cruelty."-LuvtheEmcee
The person may have gotten Williams' replacement in rehearsal story in re: THE WILD PARTY. She was cast, workshopped and began early rehearsals for the Broadway THE WILD PARTY, but had to withdraw when the show was pushed further back in the season so that LaChiusa could give MARIE CHRISTINE more attention (he had 2 shows premiere within one season on Broadway, just like he will have 2 shows premiere off-Broadway this season... but I wouldn't be suprised to see SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE transfer if the season ends up with a bunch of turkeys). Anyway, Williams learned she was pregnant during this period and would have begun to show by the time the show opened, so it was mutually agreed she would withdraw from the production. If the show had lasted longer (and by God it deserved to) she would have made an excellent replacement for Toni Collette, who was absolutely brilliant in every way in the role. The premise of an African American Queenie is a brilliant one, and gives whole new meaning to the "her face was a tinted mask of snow" line... plus, there were many racially charged elements ("Golden Boy" being the most obvious, especially in the original previews version), as is Wolfe's wont, but wholly justified by the source material.
THE WILD PARTY is my favorite show, btw. Someday the world will recognize its brilliance. If you don't own the cast recording, GET IT! (even though all the "fu*k"'s have been censored for some reason, amateur group viability perhaps?)
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
To Kill A Mockingbird
The story goes as such. Idina was not part of the workshop because of prior commitments. However she was always in mind to play the role. In fact Stephen wrote defying gravity with her voice in mind. I saw a night of songs wiht stephen a few years back. At the end he said he wanted to play this song he was working on for a new show based on the gregory Mcguire novel. he then introduced Idina Menzel and said that she would be in the show to sing this power ballad if it was the last thing he did. It was as amazing then as it is today. With only a piano to back her up, idina sang the crap outta it.
Now that's a ridiculous statement elphaba610 'she can't sing'. Oh, so she has had a successful career as a recording artist and has played the lead roles in several Broadway musicals. You may not like Vanessa Williams, but no-one can be that successful in the music and musical theatre industry and not be able to sing.
