i applaud the producers' loyalty!! (wicked)

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 1:52am

this is a fresh thread in response to the michelle federer's relacement thread.
i APPLAUD the producers' loyalty to the actors who are working on Wicked. i truly feel that performers are loyal when they make a committment to do a show and it is SO rare in the show biz world that it is really recognized and appreciated by the producers!! YAY Wicked producers!!!!! i hope this sets a precedent for future shows. i am not saying that someone deserves to be promoted, moved up to the lead they are covering, or asked to join the broadway company from tour...JUST BECAUSE they SEEM to be "next in line". these producers and mr mantello are hiring wonderful performers who deserve to be promoted because they are AWESOME! it IS harder to teach a fresh new person the show to begin with, but i am just so happy to see the producers/directors being loyal to these people who are working so hard to do the show! ok, i think i made my point. but i am just really happy about this! jenna must be ECSTATIC! congrats to her!
Updated On: 12/23/05 at 01:52 AM

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 1:58am

oh andrew i love your thoughts and opinions! *swoons* hehe

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 2:00am

Nothing has been announced yet. Just because someone on here said Jenna will replace Michelle, it doesn't necessarily make it true. I'm not accusing this person of lying, but there have been a lot of untrue Wicked rumors: the Callaway sisters as Elphaba/Glinda, Liza as Morrible, etc. I personally would love for Jenna to take over, but I won't believe anything until it is officially announced.

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 2:05am

it is called rumors my friend, rumors is what the theatre world is made up of and thats what makes it exciting!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 2:08am

ok, well it might be a rumor...i didn't read the thread closely enough..sorry...BUT...it IS a trend for the Wicked creative team to use the people they have already hired when changes are being made. did that make sense?? its late! i am high on christmas shopping! OY!

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 2:10am

haha i love shopping highs!! though i dont go shopping much, I hope Jenna gets it, yea made perfect sense, no worries; i was actually directing the comment to Elphaba3

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 2:13am

I didn't mean to sound harsh. Just wanted to make it clear that nothing's official yet. :)

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 2:20am

i didn't take it as harsh! no worries! i just felt a little foolish because it SEEMED the thread regarding micheles replacement WAS official...my oops...=)

[.LittleWing. 0224]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 2:22am

OT, sorry but... broadwaybelter, when did the title treatment for wedding singer get released?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 2:50am

Elphaba3, I think it's safe to assume that everyone knows when something is "official" or not... Rob/Craig and the other great guys who keep this site so up to date always link news items (and often report it themselves).
But the great thing about this community on the boards here is we can chat about our wishes/wants/hopes in terms of casting. If a thread is started based on a "rumor", it only sparks great debates and conversations.
I'm not attacking you in any way... but I've noticed a lot of people writing in about how "don't get too soaked up in this, we haven't heard anything official yet". Who cares?!
(And I mean that in a fun, let your hair down kinda way... no other tone implied here.)
My 2 cents,
DT

[Celestial Entropy]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 2:58am

I'm a fan of Wicked... but I don't think loyalty is in the producers game. Look at Stephanie J. Block... she put over 2 years in to Elphaba, while Wicked was being developed. In her own words, she was heart broken after putting in so much work, when the producers decided that Idina would be the official Elphaba.

You can read it yourself:

Stephanie J. Block interview

[adamgreer]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 9:34am

The Block thing is totally different from this.

These producers have been incredibly loyal in promoting and moving around members of the cast. Consider:

Both Elphaba replacements (Shoshana Bean and Eden Espinosa) were standbys for the role at one point.

Megan Hilty was a standby.

Carol Kane and Derrick Williams are moving from the tour to Broadway.

Kristy Cates has gone from the ensemble to Elphie standby to soon to be Elphie in Chicago.

Stacy Morgan Lewis has gone from Broadway standby to Chicago Glinda.

Katie Adams is moving from the tour to Broadway standby.

Kristopher Kussick went from Broadway understudy to Chicago's Fiyero.

I'm sure the list goes on. I think it was Kate Reinders who said the producers told her that once you join Wicked, it's like being in a "family".

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 9:49am

I'm not accusing this person of lying, but there have been a lot of untrue Wicked rumors: the Callaway sisters as Elphaba/Glinda

That wasn't a rumor. It was a joke in response to all of the other WICKED rumors that litter the board.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 12/23/05 at 12:31pm

Jenna isn't replacing Michelle. Cristy Candler is (temporarily,) and when Jenna's contract expires, she'll replace HER. And no, this isn't official, I didn't claim it to be, but..

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/24/05 at 12:59am

so good...if THAT's true then they are promoting Kristy..who i also like a lot!
ok..so...as far as Stephanie not getting to Bway...YES...i was on of the first to say that i was very SHOCKED when SHE wasn't the one asked to take over for idina...or now for Shoshana..i don't get it..but someone cut me off and said that perhaps it was STEPHANIES OWN decision not to do Bway..perhaps she didn't like the terms or didn't want to tie up another year of her career in Wicked. Who can blame her?? BIG things are out there for her, i have NO DOUBT. but in the end, i don't think stephanie regrets NOT having opened Wicked in place of Idina. She just doesn't seem like the kind of person to hold bad feelings like that... she knew that just because she was involved in the readings didn't mean that she was guaranteed the job once the show went to broadway...as a matter of fact 99% of the time the actor in the reading DOES NOT open the Broadway company!! its heartbreaking but true. do i think stpehanie would have been BETTER than Idina? MAYBE..i think that the show might have been an even better vehicle for Kristin (like she needed it) if they had opened the show with Stephanie. not because Stephanie isn't as talented as Idina, but because Stephanie wasn't really as known as Idina. People might have focused EVEN MORE on Kristin. i THINK... just a speculation from personal experience. ANYWAY..it doesn't matter NOW. i HONESTLY believe that doing Boy From Oz gave Stephanie more exposure and respect in the theatrical community than even WIcked would have given her. AND FOR GOD'S sake..she is NOW good friends with Hugh Jackman...i say, Wicked, Shmicked!

[broadwaybelter]

Posted: 12/24/05 at 1:15am

OT again but .LittleWing. 0224 the wedding singer logo is on laura benanti's official site