WICKED - IDINA'S FINAL NIGHT - POST YOUR REVIEWS HERE [4+ Reviews, 1 Pic]- Page 4

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 1/9/05 at 11:38pm

Well, it's hardly worth me chiming in with my two cents...but I do have to say that Shoshana is going to be perfectly amazing as Elphaba. I have to say that her "No Good Deed" is the better rendition of the two (over Idina's), that Jennifer Laura Thompson is a star and should be the next big breakout theatre performer and it was especially thrilling to spend the entire show believing Idina would make an appearance onstage in the show and not being disappointed.
This was the first time I've actually been in the audience for the departure of a major performer in a role and it was definitely one for the history books.
And I do agree that Shoshana was sadly overlooked at the curtain. They should have made a big deal about the incredible performance and energy she gave to that audience today, in spite of the fact that everyone was there to see Idina.

And, yes, the absolute highlight of the evening was the flower fiasco in "Popular." I fell in love with JLT right then and there.

[TheGaIsSilent]

Posted: 1/9/05 at 11:52pm

Re: Shoshana's curtain call ... I agree with everyone that there could have been a bigger "to do", but she'll be getting her own big ones every night from now on. Also, although it got lost in the commotion, after Idina made her little speech, she walked over to Shoshana, kissed her cheek, and was talking to her as the curtain went down.

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 1/9/05 at 11:53pm

I need to underline how well Shoshana Bean performed, given the circumstances. She went on, knowing full well that the audience had expected to give huzzahs to Idina for her last performance. There was some tentativeness at the beginning, but by the end of "The Wizard and I" she found herself, and proved to be amazing thereafter. The Elphie torch has been passed and it will be in very good hands...

It was incredibly gracious of Idina to have done the final moments of the show. She was given an opportunity to go out performing, despite the limited circumstances. And she was adored...

[VoiceofReason]

Posted: 1/9/05 at 11:56pm

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/10/theater/10wicked.html

A perfect and poignant ending to Ms. Menzel's turbulent weekend.


(ETS: a bit of a non-sequitor, but she is all over the papers because of this...if your interested, go to google.com, then the news link, an the entertainment page, scroll down a bit, and you'll see her with all the links)

Updated On: 1/9/05 at 11:56 PM

[OrdinaryJukebox1]

Posted: 1/9/05 at 11:59pm

What truly wonderful things to read. I'm sad I wasn't there to witness it myself, but it sounded like a wonderful evening. I feel so sad that this is how she had to end her run, but how lovely for her to come out during that last scene. It must have been truly touching. Just reading it, I feel touched.

I also want to say, I think it's disgusting and juvenile for anyone to make jokes about the situation that occured. You don't have to be a fan of this show, or of Idina Menzel, but I read a handful of things (on various threads) making rather light of the situation before anything was formally released. The jokes were uncalled for and just childish. You don't like her as an actor or a singer, fine, leave the thread without reading/posting. But, to go into a thread, knowing she has many fans, knowing that she's a HUMAN that could have been badly injured during her job, which she clearly loves, is just annoying to me on so many levels!

I'm sorry, I just had to let that out. I'm so glad everyone who was there got to witness this. Awesome pictures from Broadway.com. Best of luck to Shoshana and the rest of the cast!

-Vincent
(Yep, a "Wicked" fan and an Idina Menzel fan).

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 12:51am

I read some of those jokes on the threads too and I agree completely with what you said. Even if you hate Idina and Wicked to the edge of reason and beyond, there is no excuse for making light of other people's misfortunes. It's very rude and disrespectful and she is a person (no matter how much you may dislike her style or work) and she was in an accident and is probably in alot of pain right now and no one has the right to laugh about it. I'm sorry if I sound over-serious or chiding but I do find it very wrong and a very immature.

Now on to more positive talk. I really wish I could have been there to see the show. It sounds so moving and wonderful and the sad thing is that I could have gone. I was going to go to New York over Christmas/New Years and see Wicked but it fell through and now I REALLY wish I had gone. *kicks self* talk about bad luck. XD I think Shoshana and JLT will do really well in their respective parts. Though I havent heard either in Wicked, I heard some sound bites of Shoshana on her website and she has a fabulous voice. I wish them all luck.

[FindingNamo]

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

Oh shut your traps. I've loved Idina since most of you were in frickin diapers. I bought Still I Can't Be Still the day it was released, did you? And what about the article in which Idina makes a joke, "I melted, and I melted, and I melted." Oh, let's just all remain deadly serious about this. We, as a culture, must realize that these things come in threes. First the tsunami. Then this happens to Idina. Dear lord, what next?

Yeah, she had an accident. A cracked rib is painful, but it ain't friggin cancer. Cry your vicarious tears while reading about a cameo appearance and wish you could have been there (but you weren't!), wish you were Idina's friend so you could hug her (but you aren't!) and wish that one day you too can be such an enormous star on Broadway (but you won't!).

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 1:16am

Geez that was uncalled for. All we are saying is that we hope she gets well soon adn that we hope some people will stop joking about her getting hurt in a negative way. Since when did anyone say anything about her accident being more serious then the Tsunami tragedy or that we were crying our eyes out over what happened to Idina? You are making personal attacks at us when all we are asking for is some common curtesy on the boards. No we didnt buy her CD the first day it came out and BTW no i, for one, dont wish to know her so i can fawn over her and I never have but that A.) doesnt give you the right to say stuff like that to us and B.) doesn't make us bad people because we didnt purchase her CD.

[BroadwayKate]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 1:18am

whos driving the bitter bus now Namo?

kate

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 1:25am

Nobody is hoping she doesn't get better. She WILL get better. Ribs heal. The way you people are going on and on and on you would think she severed a limb or something.

There is a really important lesson here. Things change. Life turns on a dime. There is no logic or reason for things that happen. They just DO. And lots and lots and lots of times, things that happen are not the things we WANT to happen.

And Kate, shut up. Bitterness has nothing to do with it. Just sniff a whiff of reality. It is LIFE, life is NOT a musical, there aren't always the perfect happy ending. Idina wasn't killed. So it's a happy ending.

And christ, if she can make a joke about it, doesn't that give you people an inkling that maybe this isn't quite as bad as a space shuttle blowing up?

[BroadwayKate]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 1:29am

life is not a musical?...f*ck I've been learning those dance steps for nothing....

thanks namo for reminding me of things we all already know!

kate

Updated On: 1/10/05 at 01:29 AM

[idinasluvchild]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 1:31am

"life is not a musical?...f*ck I've been learning those dance steps for nothing...."

That's the funniest thing i've ever heard in my life.

And Namo...thanks again for your always witty yet slightly tragic posts. Updated On: 1/10/05 at 01:31 AM

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 1:36am

great u/n!

::rolls eyes::

[idinasluvchild]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 1:38am

jokes abound...dear god people on this board have no sense of humor....well some don't..

[QueenMuppet]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 7:35am

For anyone who's interested, there is a great article about Idina and last night's show in today's NY Times.

QM

[uncageg]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 10:13am

And there are pictures on Broad.com

[etoile]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 1:06pm

"And there are pictures on Broad.com"

Sounds like one of those porno sites that CATSny use to put up as links.

And, Namo, I couldn't adore you more.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 1:26pm

Just one more thing I have to add that has been previously mentioned, I too have to give further support for Shoshana Bean. Like I said earlier, I wasn't completely wowed by the Wizard and I but she had me from Defying Gravity to the rest of the show. Again, considering the circumstances I was just wowed. I mean I think this sums up how great she is best: a bunch of people knew I had seen the show a couple times and asked me if Idina really was better than Shoshana, because they couldn't imagine it being better. And I really wanted to say yes because I love Idina so much but I honestly couldn't. Shoshana's voice is different but it's really great. She was going after all the high notes and tearing it up. Truly a great performance!

[TheGaIsSilent]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 1:50pm

Like someone else said, it's not about better or worse. Idina and Shoshana play the character VERY differently, for the most part. The similarities come towards the end of Act Two.

[alli2]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 2:51pm

-I didn’t really feel the energy at the very beginning, when JLT came on, that’s when it started. She can’t sing the high notes as strongly as KC, but she does a fabulous job.
-I was really happy that Shoshana’s entrance was met with thunderous applause. I would’ve felt so bad otherwise.
-I wasn’t impressed with her ‘Wizard and I’ though. The audience loved it though!
-The only other thing I didn’t like about Shoshana is the parts in the first act where she gets really mad and **** happens. I didn’t believe her getting really mad. I remembered believing Idina’s, like she was furious. Shoshana’s was just like, ‘I have to act mad, damn it!’
-Her take on Elphaba is very different. She’s a much nicer, not as strong, Elphaba. She also has a very different look. I know Shoshana is very pretty normally, but she’s not pretty when she’s green, IMO. Idina’s beautiful in a paper bag.
-Sometime around ‘Popular’ JLT started going into these spazzy motions on the SL side of the bed. I didn’t understand it. I didn’t like it.
-The blooper in Popular was hilarious! Great improv skills for the both of them, JLT especially though. It wouldn’t stay no matter what. I didn’t like what JLT did during the ‘lala’s’, it looked kind of pointless.
-I wasn’t sure of Joey when he first came on, but then I really liked him shortly after his entrance. He was great. He’s no Norbert, but he’s fabulous in his own way.
-Also, RobB Sapp as Boq? LOVE IT. He’s the cutest thing ever. Except for that he’s the same height almost as JLT. Oh well. He’s So cute. I like him better than Chris Fitzgerald, I think.
-I really liked Joey and Shoshana’s chemistry.
-Defying Gravity was great. The audience was going nuts at the end. I was on the edge of tears, just because it’s my favorite part of the show. Shoshana’s voice was really really good.
-George Hearn was really good. I don’t know, I kind of like the wizard being a scrawny little old man though. Aka, Joel Gray.
-“Thank Goodness” was good. I really liked Joey in the song, his acting and voice.
-I forgot how they make Nessa’s shoes appear ‘ruby’ and I thought it was really lame. Find some way to put ruby slippers on the girl! Shining a red light? Is this a HS production? LOL. “Wicked Witch of the East” was really good, they should’ve put it on the damn cast recording!
- “As Long As You’re Mine,” did anyone ever notice they spell it with the wrong tense of ‘Your’? LOL. It was very good. I didn’t like Shoshana’s, “For the first time, I feel wicked.” Though.
-JLT was tearing up sometime before ‘No Good Deed’ so I thought ‘maybe they’re going to bring Idina on soon??’ So, when Shoshana came up for it, I had to look and listen really closely to see that it was still Shoshana. But it was really, really good. Her long ‘Fieryoooooooooooooo’ in the middle was fabulous. It was probably my favorite part of Shoshana’s Elphaba.
-“For Good” was really good, it was emotional. Not as emotional as it would’ve been if Idina was onstage, but she was there off stage! But I was glad the two were able to sing through the song. I remember listening to ‘For Good’ from Kristin’s last, and they could barely sing. It sounded terrible.
-“It Worked!” I had no idea where the trap door was, so I didn’t know that joey wasn’t looking for it. And I totally didn’t expect Idina to come out at that point. But then after I was like ‘Oh yeah! Picking up where she left off!’ She walked out onstage in a red track suit and everyone rose to their feet.
-After that, there was 10-15minutes of applause. I was like ‘Oh my God!’
-Who were the obnoxious girls in the theatre screaming, “We love you Idina!” every time that they tried to carry on with the show, which erupted more applause? Yeah, they should’ve been shot. Who does that?
-Then when JLT said, “Fellow Ozians.. I love IDINA MENZEL!” More applause.
-Now, I think bringing her out in a red track suit with not green paint on, was one thing, but this was totally unprofessional. It was fun, but I don’t think she should have done it.
-“I just wish Galinda could know we’re alive.” “Oh she knows.” More looks down from the bubble.
-Flashes? Insane. From the time Idina came on to the end of curtain call, the flashes never ceased. I’ve never seen so many.
-For curtain call, I ran down to the front row to take pictures.
-To be honest, from the time Idina had come out, to when Elphaba bows, I forgot that Shoshana had been on. I was expecting Idina to come out and bow with JLT at the end. Then I was like, ‘Ohh yeah, she was on.” I don’t think Shoshana got enough applause, but she probably didn’t take it personally. She was probably thankful it was over.
-JLT made a speech for Joey and his NKB days, and did some dance moves from NKB that I didn’t recognize, but were very funny! And she gave Joey a bouquet of cornstalks. Then he tried to make a speech and was like ‘oh ****! Oh god, sorry to all the kids in the audience! I just don’t know what to say!’ It was cute.
-Then Joe Mantello came out and brought out Idina, and revisited her first audition and it was really cute. Idina was crying, and she said she loved everyone and it was the best year of her life. It was really cute. So many flashes going off!



Also? the candle that was lit before the show and placed under the Idina poster? Um, she didn't die.

[TheGaIsSilent]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 3:12pm

Nice review, though I think you're WAY off on calling Idina unprofessional.

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 3:17pm

-Now, I think bringing her out in a red track suit with not green paint on, was one thing, but this was totally unprofessional. It was fun, but I don?t think she should have done it.


Ummm.... what? The woman has bruised ribs, and couldn't even hold her flowers, and people expected her to be in green paint?

[uncageg]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 3:18pm

Sorry about that! Broadway.com !!!! I wasn't fully awake!

[TheGaIsSilent]

Posted: 1/10/05 at 3:29pm

Well, kissmycookie, alli2 was professional enough to run "down to the front row to take pictures" so it really doesn't make her any better than the girls in the mezz screaming I LOVE YOU IDINA.

Posted: 1/10/05 at 3:50pm

TheGaIsSilent - Think before you post. Because I was there with those girls in the front row of the mezz screaming "I LOVE YOU IDINA" so just shut up...what do you care what they do?

Anyways yes I was there last night. I took a gagillion pictures when Idina came out...here's the website:

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=6253911&uid=3080134&members=1