Who is taking over for Julia and Kendra in October when they leave Wicked?- Page 5

[little_sally]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 1:01am

when fandoms collide

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 1:06am

I don't like Spring Awakening, but I must admit Lea has a nice voice. As if Wicked doesn't have enough fangirls...
Updated On: 7/6/07 at 01:06 AM

[robstyle001]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 1:13am

they should wait 5 years then use lea. like when sales go down, what are they trying to do beat jersey boys? sales cant go up much more. will she be the youngest elph at 20?

[MungoGypsy8232]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 1:24am

what about for glinda?

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 8:17am

It's not official, but it'll most likely be Erin Mackey.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 8:50am

Lea's first performance as Elphaba is October 9th. Not sure when her last in "Spring Awakening" is.

As the previous poster said, the most likely candidate for Glinda is Erin Mackey of the Chicago production as she is the same age as Lea and would look appropriate opposite her.

Mackey leaves the Chicago company in September and has been recieved very favorably there, so the odds of her being the one brought in are pretty good.

Updated On: 7/6/07 at 08:50 AM

[Justin D]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 8:50am

all i can say is THANK GOD I AM SEEING IT IN SEPTEMBER BEFORE JULIA LEAVES.

[HBBrock]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 8:52am

So the two main stars in Wicked are going to be pretty young...how do you think they will pull off being a lot "older" in Act 2?

[jordangirl]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 8:56am

Oh lord. There will be a new, hybrid breed. I'm actually afraid of a combination Wicked/Spring Awakening fangirl and what it will look like. *shudders and makes plans to stay FAR FAR AWAY from the Gershwin*

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 9:03am

Wow. Why would someone who is just coming off originating a lead role in a hit show want to be the 47th Elphaba replacement?

[HBBrock]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 9:06am

Because it's the biggest show on Broadway. And Spring Awakening will never be that big regardless of its Tonys.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 9:14am

Which would make sense if she were the first replacement, or if it was a role that was usually cast with a "name." Honestly, I couldn't tell you who the last three (perhaps more) Elphaba's have been. There's no prestige left.

[Elphie4ever]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 9:37am

I always thought SJB will take over after julia
i will wait for a offical confrimation about this
but lea... who knows could be true

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 9:43am

Idina, Shoshana, Eden, Ana, Julia...if it is indeed Lea, she will be the fifth replacement.

[iheartamc10]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 9:47am

I don't believe it for a second that Lea Michelle will be the new Elphaba... no way would she leave SA.. That is just dumb!

Now, Erin Mackey I could see coming from Chicago.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 9:52am

"no way would she leave SA That is just dumb!"

So she should stay until she dies? People leave shows all the time (and quite frankly, I'd rather leave Spring Awakening for Wicked any day. Wicked's in no danger of closing any time soon.)

That said, if you look at it, she did get a raw deal in Spring Awakening (if the Tonys situation played out as the rumors go). Having seen everything she's done, I don't think she has the voice for it, but I could be wrong.

Hey, and if it's true, Godspeed to her. Fly carefully. Updated On: 7/6/07 at 09:52 AM

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 10:11am

Michele has always been very vocal about wanting to play Elphaba. I think, in her eyes, to go from a featured role in a new musical to the lead in Broadway's biggest isn't that bad of a trade off, even if she is the fifth replacement.

From a November 2006 interview with Playbill.com, shortly after "Spring Awakening" opened:

Q: What are some of your dream roles?
Michele: Oh my gosh, I have so many. I will be honest — I want to be Elphaba in Wicked. Let me be Elphaba in Wicked, and I'll be happy. [Laughs.]

And to those who say she'd never leave "Spring Awakening", keep in mind that Wendla is supposed to be 14 and Michele is about to turn 21 (if she hasn't already.) It would have been only a matter of time before they would have replaced her because of her looks anyway, so why not leave not with another high profile job offer on the table?

She's been involved with the role of Wendla for what... six years now? I'm sure she's ready to move on.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 10:16am

If it's a dream role for her, and her agents agree with the move, then that's great. Thanks for that info, somethingwicked.

[MungoGypsy8232]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 10:51am

I'm just thrilled they are bringing in someone new! Any clue who is to replace Erin in September and if Dee is renewing her contract?

[gustof777]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 11:03am

I wonder if maybe she'll do her bit in Wicked and come back to Spring? I just remembered a lot of people saying they were contracted through November. I have to admit though, Lea is just about the only thing that could get me to go see Wicked again.

[bwaygal1]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 11:37am

I think Lea would be good in a few years. She's too young for the role. She turned 21 very recently and is not vocally mature enough, IMO, to tackle the role. (Although SA really doesn't give her a chance to show what she's got.) Maybe I'm wrong and she has more of a range. I don't know.
I'm rooting for a Brescia/Davie team.
(Davie would be fantastic. It'd be good to get someone fresh in that role, too. It'd bring me back for the first time since 7/04.)

[me2]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 11:46am

When/If her career takes a downturn, I could see Katherine McPhee being a replacement cast member when the show is in its official stunt casting phase (though McPhee is smart enough, she may insist on going the route of originating a role).

By the way, my "hanging on for dear life" reference was to a song Jennifer McGill (mentioned WAY earlier in the thread) on the MMC album.
Broadway Blog: The Importance of Broadway Revivals

[jennyish]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 11:49am

I think I may have to disconnect my internet until Lea's "Spring" replacement is announced . . . I can already see the bloodbath . . .

[ComaBaby01]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 11:59am

The video of "Mama Who Bore Me" from the Drama Desks shows that Lea definitely has a range, even if she's flat most of the song. I personally am not for it at all. I also don't think it will raise ticket prices... She wasn't nominated for the Tony, few people will remember her, I think, from her stints in Ragtime, etc, and only theater people (meaning us) will truly know her, and even then, you can see just from this thread who's a fan and who's not.

[popular_elphie]

Posted: 7/6/07 at 12:06pm

What's funny is that she's been with SPRING for seven years, but because Elphaba came up, she's dropping the show she's been with forever to be in it.

It could also be because (I've heard before that) the producers did not want Lea to continue with the show, as they wanted a younger Wendla. It could be possible they weren't going to renew her.

But, yeah, it's Lea. The whole Stephanie/Sebastian thing didn't work out.