Who's Your Favorite Elphaba? — Page 4

Idina of course!! When i saw Shoshana, i was kind of disappointed, especially with defying gravity, her voice was great but it wasn't very powerful and it didn't give me chills like Idina's did, although i loved Shoshana's version of No Good Deed.

I haven't seen all the Elphabas, so I'll have to rank the ones I have seen.

1. Stephanie (she does it all...she's raised the bar)
2. Ana (surpise performance of the year...can't wait till 3Penny!)
3. Eden (couldn't believe she was "the star's" understudy)
4. Idina (originally brilliant...next 5 times, constantly coming up for air)
5. Shoshona (did not care for at all...and I gave her 3 solid tries)

Glindas

1. Megan (How can someone so young be such a sophisticated performer?)
2. Kendra (She plays the role really "blonde.")
3. Kristen (Solid, funny and annoying.)
4. Kate (She exposes Glinda's silly shallowness better than any of the others.)
5. Jennifer (Loved her in Urinetown, but not in Oz.)

Morribles

1. Carole Shelley (a total BEE-ATCH with incredibly good diction)
4. Rondi Reed (Scary in the way a headmistress/press secretary should be)
2. Cristy Chandler (Elegant and evil but oh so lovely)
3. Jan Neuberger (A prettier Frau Bluecher...she could scare the horses away)
5. Rue McClanahan (Aunt Clara from Bewitched meets Baby Jane. Unforgettable...in that baaaaad way.)

Wizards

1. Dave Garrison (First actor to actually nail the character.)
2. Gene Weygandt (Loved him!)
3. Ben Vereen (His balloon landed on Braodway in the wrong decade.)
4. George Hearn (A little too Reagan-esque for my tastes.)
5. Sean McCourt (Adorable, sweet, but too young to be the wizard.)
6. Joel Grey ("I don't care for him," to borrow an Edna Turnblattism.)

Fiyeros

1. Norbert (I'd love him even if he had starred in "In Your Life.")
2. Sebastian (Meticulous in his interpretation...and cute as a button.)
3. Kristoffer (Very, very good. Saw him in NY & Chicago...thought he was just great.)
4. Joey (He was very "capable" in the role but it's not one for the history books.)
5. David (He was just too bland for my tastes.)

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Updated On: 1/23/06 at 03:24 AM

Eden Espinosa. She is such a powerful and agressive Elphaba. I loved her and her voice.

Also, Shoshana Bean, because her voice is amaaazing.

I assume you're talking about when she injured herself.

You do know she had the accident the day before her final performance, right? She wasn't planning on coming back.

Updated On: 4/1/06 at 01:29 PM

EDEN

1. Jenna Leigh Green. This girl is beyond amazing. Her voice is strong and clear. She gave me chills during Defying Gravity.
2. Idina Menzel. I don't think this needs explanation.
3. Julia Murney. Her voice blows me away. So amazing.
4. Stephanie J Block. I really like Stephanie, she was my first Elphaba, but certainly not my favorite.
5. Shoshana Bean. I'm not even going to go there.

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From the clips I've heard of Jenna online, which I will admit may not be even close to how she sounds live, I think if I was forced to sit through one of her performances I'd ask for my money back.

Updated On: 4/1/06 at 04:04 PM

I did not really love Jenna, I just did not think that vocally she could handle it. I mean as the night went on you could here her voice deteriorating song after song. I still think Eden is the best, and I totally agree with what others said about her, she was not an actress painted green like all the others playing Elphaba. She was Elphaba. (also with Jenna it was hard to like her after all those years of putting down Sabrina, yes I know what you are thinking) Stephanie is my second favorite, I just thought that she was really good, and Eden was different. I did not like Idina, I think that whenever Idina sings live she is flat. Shoshana Bean, I just did not like, I mean I just do not think that she can carry a Broadway show. I thought that she was never able to be serious, she always had to be funny, and the whole meaning of the show was destroyed.

Idina - She's the best actress I've seen do the role, and therefore PERFORMS(different than sings) the songs the best. She doesn’t just belt and grandstand every number, her voice is indicative to the emotion she is portraying. That’s something she dosn't get much credit for. Most people hear her voice and don't look any further, they miss the subtle nuances of her performance. That's not just true for this show, but for Idena in general. For as much as she is loved I honestly think she's underrated.... IMHO

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MORE than worth it.
check your PM's

Shoshana Bean! She's just amazing. She was able to raise the bar for next Elphie's.

I think Stephanie J. Block's acting was superior to Idina's as well as her voice.