Wicked Review - 12/14

JLT's standby went on as Glinda and completely blew me away. She was undoubtedly the most consistently strong cast member of the night. While I love Idina, Megan Hilty put her to shame.

During "The Wizard and I," it sounded like Idina was rushing, which was not pretty at all. She got a little better as the first actor progressed, although "I'm Not That Girl" was nearly horrible. She made a very strange vowel sound on the low note singing "girl" that sounded like "gowrl." "Defying Gravity" was very well done, and from there on out she was much better. I guess because Idina lost the Tony for Rent (in which I thought she owned the stage) and won it for this role... I was expecting much more than I got. Some lines in act one were boring and monotone. She seemed to not understand who her character was until around the scene featuring "Something Bad." However, "No Good Deed" was fantastic.

Joey McIntyre was pretty bad. I didn't know what to expect when he first opened his mouth, and I was not pleased with what came out. His acting was terrible, and his singing wasn't much better. "As Long As You're Mine" sounded like it was in a lower key and didn't come off as powerful as it did on the cast recording.

Christopher Fitzgerald was great, I absolutely loved him. George Hearn did well also. No one else standed out enough for me to really notice whether they were good or bad.

Overall, I enjoyed the cheesiness of the show. It was a fun, brainless night out. I was expecting more though, after all the buildup on this board and many other sites, especially from Idina Menzel. She blew me away in Rent but failed to make a very lasting impression on me in this.

I'm so happy about Meg's great review... and I can't wait to see her on Saturday

I agree with BG2. I find Wicked to be one of the most dragged out shows, and after 2 hours of her saying every line in the same way, I get a little bored. Last time I saw it, I kept looking at my watch wondering when it was going to finish.

I must say, and this is prolly cause I'd only ever heard the raving about Kristin, that I was pleasantly blown away by Idina when I saw the show - it was back in July but I thought that I'm Not That Girl was the one that caught me most offguard and impressed me acting wise. It was just so focused, honest and she kept it moving so well.

Just wanted to add my two cents. I'm sorry you had a bad Idina experience/performance - I left having been incredibly (like, no words can describe it) inspired by her as an actress.

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I have and always will maintain that Idina is a *****y actress.....I agree 100% with Broadwayguy2

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Updated On: 12/15/04 at 07:40 PM

Their "For Good" made me cry. Their voices blended perfectly together. They were about the same height, too.

I'm going to see WICKED again Feb. 1st.. Can't wait to see Shoshana Bean in the role!

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In response to that, I had a friend see it last week and she called my other friend during "Defying Gravity" and she apparantley was doing a bunch of optional *higher* notes throughout the song. I doubt that she's just letting the part just sit there. I saw her in April and she was amazing.

And yay for Shoshana and Megan! They're both from Washington State, and I've had the priviledge of working with Megan before. She's fabulous!!

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Hmmm, I really don't know what to say about all of this.

I wonder if the people who say that Shoshana is better or even equal to Idina are sitting on their ears during the show. As I have said before, I'm not a fan of Idina either but give the woman some credit.

My friend dragged me to the show when Shoshana was on as he is a huge fan of hers. I heard only good things about her, so fair enough, maybe my expectations were too high but I was disappointed (and so was he as a matter of fact).
She can definitely sing but she is nowhere near Idina's league.

I have now seen Shoshana three times and although I must admit she was vocally excellent last night, she usually has a few vocal issues to deal with (interrupting notes and re-starting them because she cannot hold them long enough). Twice she had to end No Good Deed with 'Agaaaaiiiii *stops, takes big breath* iiiiin'. Now I have seen Idina on bad nights but she can hold this note without a problem. And please don't forget that Shoshana hasn't had a demanding schedule yet but just the odd show.

Having said that, Idina obvioulsy has her own issues, like 'that gasping'. It doesn't bother me too much but I can see why it would annoy people.

What surprises me is that people say she can't act. Yes, she is not the best but her acting skills are far more superior than Shoshana's or Kristy Cates'. I think I learnt to appreciate Idina more after having seen Shoshana and Kristy...

Elphie, after having read your review I really hope you get to see JLT at some stage. Although Megan is a solid performer and has a beautiful voice, her Glinda is... well, boring compared to JLT. She is almost too normal and not campy at all. I personally think, JLT is the current 'real' star of this production anyway

Perfectliar, I was interested in reading your comments. When I saw Wicked for the first time with Joe Mac I was expecting the worst. But I'm glad to say I was proven wrong, I think he's doing a great job. He has a lovely voice and he is just a natural actor, his performance certainly works for me.
What I have noticed is how well Idina, JLT and Joey work together, I always miss the 'connection' when one of them is out.

Sorry about the long post, by the way

QM

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woah woah woah...Joey was ten times better than Norbert??? No way! Norbert is unbelievable...and yes, I'm sure his endless hours of rehearsing for New Kids made Joey the "fabulous" dancer that he is today, but who cares? Norbert can sing circles around Joey! Joey struggled with notes that Norbert effortlessly pulled off. When I saw Joey, he was very shaky vocally. (And this is coming from a Joey fan). Someone else mentioned that Joey and Idina's "As Long as You're Mine" sounded different, and it definitely did...they changed the harmonies, and (i think) it sounded like Joey was singing the melody and Idina was singing the harmony, which just sounded BAD. I was very much looking forward to that song because my seat gave me a perfect view of Joey, which I was excited about cause he IS Joey McIntyre :) But he kept making this weird face at Idina so that annoyed me too!

I guess it depends on what you're looking for in a performance, but in Fiyero, I'd much rather see better acting and singing than the two seconds of dancing...which in that case I'd much rather see Norbert.

and yeah i know it's a post about Shosana vs. Idina...:-P

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I don't think Norbert is an a**** (whatever it is) in real life but I still prefer Joe's portrayal of Fiyero

QM

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Now, everyone has a right to their own opinions. I agree 100%! So, this is mine. I keep reading that Shoshana will "tear it up," and quotes such as that. I enjoy her voice, it's wonderful. But, I've heard her sing "No Good Deed," "The Wizard and I," and "Defying Gravity." I was left feeling VERY empty. The first time I heard Idina sing it, my hair stood up! When I heard Eden Espinosa sing it, again, hairs on end. Shoshana didn't do it for me. I kept waiting to hear her tear something up, that I was left feeling blah about it. Maybe she'll sink her teeth in more when it's hers and only hers, but we'll have to wait and see about that.

As for acting. I'm sorry, Idina Menzel is quite gifted. Luckily I was close enough to the stage when I saw her, that I could see her eyes. If you could watch her eyes during "Defying Gravity" and "No Good Deed," you'll see what I mean. When she first enters and during "Dancing Through Life," her face shows such embarassment and pain. But, during those other songs, she looks almost possessed!! No one here has to agree with me, that's just what I got from her performance...it did win the Tony, after all? I know, everyone will yell, "THAT MEANS NOTHING!" I'm not saying it means everything, but it means something!

-Vinny

I saw Randy Harrison in Wicked and he didn't seem "too gay" to be in love with Glinda. He wasn't flambouyant or queeny or anything. Yes, he is gay in real life and his character is gay on Queer as Folk, but in Wicked, he was just Boq and played the character pretty well. Boq is a fictional character in a fictional world. How butch is he supposed to be?

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