warning-Wicked....Why doesn't she FLY??!!!

i posted too soon..i meant to write this too:

here is what i think..of course she doesn't fly because who the hell could sing the ending of "defying gravity" while they are FLYING...BUT...i think that they should pre-record the ending of "defying gravity" and let the lady FLY and lip synch...
don't bite my head off..they do it in Phantom! the ending of the phantom of the opera is a recording! she only has to hit that D ONCE in the studio and thats it..AND..did you know that as long as she can hit a C they can digitally make it the higher note..so christine never has to really EVER sing that high??! so they should just do that with Elphie...it sure would save her vocal chords!

DUCKING and ready!
but really, don't answer if you're annoyed by this post..
i am curious to know others thoughts AND I SEARCHED and found nothing!

But Andrew, Would you desire to see someone you know couldn't sing a role in a role you pay to see? That is interesting you brought this up, On New Years Eve, The "Amazing" Kreskin predicted a BIG DEAL regarding a well beloved woman singer/performer who will be exposed as a fake after MANY years, a la "Milli Vanilli", and that there was never any way she could have sung that perfectly - He said it would happen in public and she will be heard singing with an orchestra, but the one you will hear is more elaborate than the minimal one onstage.
Anyway, Yes, I would love to see Miss Elphaba really fly and end act 1 directly over the heads of her screaming fans and skywriting, like in the film where she writes "SURRENDER DOROTHY" - only here it will say "Intermission", a la the wooden rabbit from the other top grossing musical.
I would also like to know, How did David Copperfield "Fly" without peter pan wires all over and on TV as well, and Broadway has not found out how to do it yet? I must admit, That was amazing to this very day. Why can't "Wicked" (The Big Business) BUY that secret and get her off the cherry picker and above the heads of her fans already?

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He didn't say, But it sounded like either a Broadway Actress (Where there is an obvious known orchestra) or, I almost felt he was giving an impression of a Streisand or Celine Dion, Someone with a "Beloved" background... would have to be pretty big I would say. The strange thing is, Kreskin is right a lot of the time.

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DT - No, it wasn't for Defying Gravity. They tried a new flying effect for the entrance to No Good Deed. I'm sure you can search the board for details on the actual accident. In short, a strap on her harness broke and then the computer controling the lift continued it's program in lifting her and it took a few tries and a crash into the lights before they got her down.

Updated On: 1/11/06 at 03:00 AM

I love the way Defying Gravity is done. It's great that the put away the old Mary Martin cliche flying and really focused on the look, the talent, the power, the emotion. It always gets a huge response from the audience and I don't think any other way would. As far as flying somewhere else, seriously get over it. The show is about what you DIDN'T KNOW about the witches in Oz. If they added more flying I'd expect the ruby slipper, Dorothy, Toto and Glinda's bubble to be pink.

Now can we calm the sea of random Wicked threads just a little.

They didn't do the flying in a more "traditional" way (like in Peter Pan) because it would have required the use of a harness. And using a harness would have affected on Elphaba's vocal performance in that particular sequence because then she would have been sitting on a broom (most likely) and she wouldn't have been able to fully use her diaphragm and midriff to support her voice. And in a high-key belting that support is really needed. And they wanted to do it live. So they decided to find another way to do it so that Elphaba's actor can stand up instead of sitting.

As far as I know, they did try out different options for Elphaba's flying but in order to pull it off live they thought this final version was by far the best way to go.

They could have had Elphaba flying over the audience while singing. At the end of the First act of The Witches of Eastwick, the three divas were flying over the audience while singing in harmony. They all had a different path and where flying up to the balcony which makes me think they could have done it with Wicked.

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Matty, I don't believe it's different on tour with the flying effect. As a matter of fact, Stephanie Block did a segment on TV about the affect in Chicago and it's exactly the way it is in NY.

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One other thing... I have heard it discussed that the broom in just a symbol in Wicked and that something Elphaba is saying in DG is that she doesn't need the broom to fly... She can do it on her own... she doesn't need anything to help her any more she is perfectly cabeable... So maybe thats another reason they didnt want her sitting on the broom...because it takes the power away from the character and gives it to an object and makes it seem that without the broom, the witch has nothing? And its making me chuckle to think of the witch flying around without the broom a la peter pan....ehehe. Somehow I don't think that would work...

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I completely agree. They should change this on Broadway. I love how that broom in Chicago and on tour floats in from the side of the stage. It is so much more powerful and helped me believe Elphie could make herself fly. Also, maybe I'm reaching here, but I think people are so hung up on Elphie flying on her broom because we are used to seeing witches flying on brooms. I don't believe it is ever mentioned she needs the broom to fly, we only assume that she would need it. She made the broom levitate with the spell from the grimmerie so it doesn't seem too out there that she couldn't just make herself fly.

Does anyone recall the moment in DG where the broom comes out of the stage trap door and she is holding the broom for the rest of the number? Guess not. Also, why would they need to pre-record the last notes if they have an impeccable track record of properly casting the role to assure that it's sung the way they want it to be. Yes, the effect is dismal compaired to WHAT they COULD do, but I have always heard these stories of Idina being afraid of heights and they just found the final effect less expensive and easier on the green girl, so they kept her on-stage.

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