Wicked's Kristen Chenoweth Promoted more than Idina?

[Elphie]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 10:27am

"WICKED is charming, irreverent, elegantly theatrical and filled with talent! Idina Menzel, as the Wicked Witch of the West, is stunning, and Kristen Chenoweth, as Glinda the Good, is flat-out, wrap-up-the-Tony-and-take-it-home-now great!"
-Contra Costa Times, From a Promotion Brochure For Wicked's Run on Broadway

One word to describe Idina's performance. I didnt know you could desribe the heart and soul that Idina pours into Elphaba as "stunning." But Kristen Chenoweth should get a Tony just because she has the part built on great comedic timing. I know this has been debated back and forth over this board since WICKED has opened on Broadway, but do you think that WICKED is promoting Kristen over Idina and pushing her more as the attention-getter?

Okay, Kristen is amazing and I dont feel she is an "overated blonde" as some have said about her here. She is the perfect Glinda. Her voice is so powerful and beautiful, sweeping elegantly and with ease through a four octave range. And she is adorable. You can't help but laugh at everything she does. And "Popular" is a show stealer. BUT! Idina'c character is so much more difficult than Kristen's. She displays so many emotions and really nails Elphaba. She brings Elphaba to life and she seems like a real person you could hold a convesation with. Her voice is filled with passion when she sings, and o god, the notes she belts! I think Idina was robbed in this review. She's not a Tony-award winning performance?

Tell me what you think about this review.

[macbeth]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 10:32am

They're both being promoted here, you've just cited one example that was probably used because of how glowing a review it was, more than for who it was about.

[Elphie]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 10:33am

I still think Idina deserves a little more than stunning.

[krisjoseph]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 10:35am

Please explain how:

- describing Idina Menzel as "stunning" is robbing her
- the Contra Costa Times "owes" a better review to Idina over Kristin
- the publicity people working on "Wicked" are expected to pick and choose compliments from reviews that highlight one person over another, or don't

I think it's a review. A review, like any written piece, expresses one person's opinion. Reviews are not the be-all and end-all of how shows are received. And if I were the people producing this show, I would pick the quotes that help sell tickets; how they affect the dynamics of the cast are really of no concern.

There is something to be said about the perceived difference between an excellent actress who's doing a great job of a crowd-pleasing part, and an excellent actress who's doing a great job of a very difficult part... but that's how the real world works.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 10:51am

The women get equal promotion in all print ads, radio ads (the famous snippets), and outside the Gershwin ("Menzel is the news here!" next to her Defying Gravity defiant pose). In fact, other than SIDE SHOW, I've never seen such care taken to keep the focus on two stars. There are debates raging at boards like this about which woman's performance is more difficult to sustain, which is more accomplished, etc.etc, but in the real world practice of the biz of theater -- including the shared curtain call -- there has been painstaking attn paid to make sure this is seen as a show featuring TWO young stars. That Chenoweth already had a higher profile cannot be ignored. But it's not being exploited by the Wicked producers.

[robbiej]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 10:55am

To add to that Auggie,

I'm having a hard time mustering any sort of sympathy for these two (very talented) actresses who have the roles of their careers and will most certainly be nominated for Tonys. They both are receiving great acclaim, have stellar careers and will be making lots of money doing they thing they love to do for the rest of their lives.

I should feel sorry for either one why?

[Auggie27]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 10:58am

Amen, Robbiej. 'Wish someone would call me stunning.

Updated On: 1/28/04 at 10:58 AM

[Elphie]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 11:17am

I agree with your posts. I understand its just a review. But in this promotion ad, there is nothing said about Idina other than "stunning." I just think she deserves more credit...thats all. I didnt know it said that on the marquee. Go Idina!

[JoizeyActor]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 11:37am

Not every ad is going to compliment Idina to death, there's plenty of ads and reviews that give attention to each girl individually as people have said...

[Elphie]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 11:38am

Okay I understand. I should have thought this out a little more before I wrote the post. Snow days make me go insane sometimes and post wierd things haha. It's my mistake. I just love Idina Menzel!

Updated On: 1/28/04 at 11:38 AM

[bestofbroadway]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 11:51am

And Elphie- what gave you the idea that what Kristin does on that stage is any easier than what Idina does? What makes you believe that the role of Elphaba is harder than Glinda? Both roles have their meat to them and comedy is as hard to play as tragedy. I think both women are wonderful and that "stunning" is an extreme compliment. What is better than "stunning"? Well maybe only "flat-out, wrap-up-the-Tony-and-take-it-home-now great!" And if I do say so myself I agree with this reviewer in theory, although I believe the Tony will most likely go to neither because of the split votes and go to Donna or Tonya instead.

[Elphie]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 12:07pm

I made a mistake.
I wish I never posted it.
You happy now?
I feel both ladies performances were excellent. I cried so many times during WICKED you could never imagine. I just felt more Elphaba, saw her more as real character, saw some of my emotions in her. And plus it was a huge bonus for Idina Menzel to be playing her because she has been one of my favorites for such a long time. Alright, I didnt mean to down Kristen Chenoweth, I didnt mean any harm. I love Kristen! I wish I could be funny like that on stage. I can see how my words could have been taken the wrong way and I should have taken into consideration that Idina probably gets lots of reviews just devoted to her- I just havent read them. I'm sorry about the whole post.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 12:13pm

Of course Kristin is the perfect Glinda. They wrote the role for her! Originally Glinda was a supporting role. But Kristin was so great in the reading they redid the role to make her a lead. And the wrote it specifically to what Kristin could do. Idina is equally amazing. I think that the Wicked quote is there mainly because Wicked opened to mixed reviews. So they are trying to dig up as many positive reviews as they can.

[Elphie]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 12:23pm

Did anyone on here see the WICKED in San Francisco?
In the brochure I got in October, there are all these pictures- and some of these set pieces and costumes I dont recall. And Norbert as Fiyero has some funky drawing on his face in one of the pictures. May be my eyes are just bad, but I dont recall this. ???
How many Elphabas were there before Idina?
The only two I knew of were Stephanie J. Block and Sutton Foster.
I knew that Kristen had been with the production from the start and I think the same for Carole Shelley. What about Joel Grey and Norbert Leo Butz? Oh and why didnt Stephanie or Sutton do it thought its pretty hard now to imagine anybody else but Idina?
I think Sutton would be good as Elphaba- a different kind than Idina and Stephanie would be fantastic as well. They just wouldnt be Idina (if thats better or worse), of whom we would compare them to naturally.

[wickedfan]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 12:28pm

Do we know for sure that Sutton was once Elphaba? I know why Stephanie didn't get the role in the end, mainly because Idina had more experience orginating roles so they took the safer (and i think smarter) turn and went with Idina. Some costumes and sets have been changed. Such is the case with Kristin's in popular, in San Francisco it is whit and plue, here it is pink. And also Kristin's hairstyle as Glinda (in the ball gown) is different to what it is now.

[JoizeyActor]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 12:50pm

The character Fiyero has tatoos or markings on his face, but in the San Fransico run, the audience had trouble seeing the markings clearly and most people thought they were bruises or something like that, so they got rid of them.

Afterall, if you are in the back of theatre and there are dark spots all over an actors face, you wouldn't know what they were, either.

[JoizeyActor]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 12:52pm

And if you were such a big fan of Idina going into this, you are obviously going to like her better and feel for her character, because your mindset is that she is the best.

For someone who has never seen or heard either of the girls, they may tend to lean a different way.

[Elphie]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 2:26pm

Okay I admitted I was wrong in posting it, just let it rest Joizey.
And I never said Idina was the best. I just said I felt more for her character.

I posted on here about a week ago asking what was Sutton's involvement with WICKED seeing it mentioned in her bio and someone said that she read for Elphaba. So I'm going on the reliance of that.

Updated On: 1/28/04 at 02:26 PM

[JoizeyActor]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 2:33pm

You're not wrong in posting it, its only opinions. There's not real facts involved.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 4:56pm

It seems that Tonys should push Idina as actress and Kristen as Supporting? Any comments?

[NYCbabe3789]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 5:47pm

There was an article back saying that Idina and Kristin would both be entered as leading actresses. As much as I want a tie, I don't really think it would be fair for Kristin to be entered into the supporting category, because her role just isn't supporting. My first choice for the tonys this year would be for there to be a tie between Idina and Krisitn. If not, give the tony to Idina!

[BudFrump23]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 5:52pm

Perhaps they'll both cancel each other out of the running.

[Broadwaylilhead]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 6:26pm

Was this post started by Idena's publicist?

Absurd!

I think you all worry more about this stuff than THEY do....

[Elphie]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 6:29pm

Yup, I'm Idena's publicist.

[TheGirlinTheFrock]

Posted: 1/28/04 at 6:46pm

I have read alot of reviews for this show and was suprised to see them focus more on Kristin. For what reasons? I dont know. What i do know is that the show is doing amazing!! As for the Tony's i don't think it would be right for Kristin to be nominated as Supporting Actress. If it was up to me i would nominate both for Best Leading Actress but give the Tony to Idina. Like the curtain call, the two bow together. i dont think it would be appropriate for one to be put as a supporting actress, just how they cudnt make one go out before the other for their bows.