[Lepitot]

Just wondered who everyone's favorite Elphaba's and Glindas were. It might be a mistake to start this thread as everyone has different favorites and then battles erupt on places like youtube where everyone bashes the others favorite actress.

Anyway, who are your favorites?

Mine are:
Glinda: Kristen Chenoweth, just because her voice is so perfect for the character. Although, I had an understudy whose name I've forgotten, and she was amazing. I saw it on tour in Pittsburgh with Steph Block and Kendra was out.

Elphaba: Idina (acting wise...and vocally for some songs) but also Stephanie J. Block for some songs. And of course Shoshana rocks the house on many of the songs. I really can't decide for Elphaba

I have no opinions on any of the other characters, except that Carole Shelley is a great Madame Morrible.

[wicked_boy]

Elphaba: Stephanie's looks/ face. Sho's voice. Julia's acting.

Glinda: Kendra's looks. Megan's funniness. Kristin's voice.

[pish123c]

Kristin seems to embody what Glinda is all about, as far as the looks and voice, but I think Kendra is much funnier and does a great job at acting the part.

For Elphaba it's a tossup between Julia and Shoshana. I'm leaning more towards Sho though, since Julias voice is a little too mature for whats supposed to be a college age girl. Sho just seems like she is Elphaba to me, although I do have a very special place in my heart for Julia.

However, Julia and Kendra are my favorite Glinda-Elphie pair, if that counts for anything.

[music is my life!!!]

idina and helen

alot of people don't like that combo but i thyink they're both great!

[actor]

Elphaba: Idina Menzel

Galinda: Kristin Chenoweth (Megan Hilty a close second)

Fiyero: Norbert Leo Butz (Adam Garcia a close second)

The Wizard: Joel Grey

Nessa: Katie Rowley Jones

Morrible: Carole Shelley


That's most of the Original Broadway Cast lol

[Elfie Lou]

Elphaba: Idina Menzel

Glinda: Helen Dallimore

[^Defying_Gravity^]

Elphaba: Julia Murney/Kerry Ellis

Glinda: Kendra Kassebaum/Kristen Chenoweth

Nessarose: Jenna Leigh Green/Jennifer Waldman

[Timmy_Wishes he was Quast]

Elphie - Kerry Ellis. - She just rocks my world.

G(a)linda - Though i've only seen Helen live i think Megan is fantastic from what i've seen on you-tube.

I simply adore Susie Blake as Madame Morrible

Katie Rowley-Jones IS Nessa. Period.

I'm in-different to all the other characters. I have yet to see/hear a performance with which i can say YES you ARE the definitive!

[Glissando]

(Kristin Chenoweth is my hero. Complete with similar vocal range.)

[shakalakababy]

Elphaba: Definitely Eden Espinosa, I just really like her. Sho, stephanie, and idina are close behind though

Glinda: As much as I love Kristen Chenoweth I think i'd have to go with Kendra. She just brought so much more to the role in my opinion

[kozafluitmusique]

I've only heard the OBC, and I love Kristen and Idina.

[wickedboy]

Going only from who I've seen live, because YouTube and bootlegs just don't match up to the real thing, I'd say:

Elphaba: Idina Menzel for both her voice, and acting. Idina IS Elphaba for me. Although Ana comes very close in her acting, and Kristy in her voice.

Galinda: Helen Dallimore has to come out the winner, her comedic timing and unique take on the character were so original, but Kate Reinders comes a close second in vocal talent.

Fiyero: Kristoffer Cusick, easily, his voice is amazing, his acting spot on... and damn is he hot! Although I'll admit to have enjoyed Derrick Williams and Adam Garcia as well.

Madame Morrible: Carole Shelly. Need I say anything here?

[Lepitot]

Hellen Dallimore? Really? that surprises me. I've only seen her in the Royal Variety Performance, but she seemed way too sophisticated for Glinda.

However, I realize that it was just one song out of the show. I heard from my friend who saw it in England that she was fantastic. So, obviously I was wrong to think she wasn't good just because of that video.

I'm glad that people liked her. I think if I saw Wicked with a bad Glinda I'd be heartbroken lol.

[wickedboy]

Lepitot,
I have seen Wicked with many, what were to me, bad Galindas. Many of them play her way too stupid. To me, Galinda is not stupid, she may be egotistical and self-centered, but she isn't stupid. If she were, I wouldn't see a person as intelligent as Elphaba being her friend.
Just my thoughts.
-Austin

[Lepitot]

I didn't say she was stupid. Dallimore just seemed too propper to me. Dallimore almost seemed like she couldn't play ditzy at all. But, obviously that's not the case and she's good.

[wickedboy]

I didn't mean to say you said Galinda is stupid, I was just saying many of the actresses I've seen in the role play her too stupid in my opinion. I just view Galinda as egotistical but intelligent. That's just how I see the character, and my perception of the actresses' performances, I didn't mean to say you said she was stupid at all.

[reedzee]

Both times I've seen Wicked, Shoshana and Megan Hilty were the leads.

Both times, they were great. Shoshana's very funny, and Megan's just adorable as Glinda.

[wicked_boy]

Glinda is stupid and blonde, untill Act 2, when she grows up.

[London_Mungojerrie]

Elphaba: Shona White - She is the best singer, the best actor, the most realistic, and has the most amazing riffs in the world.

Glinda: Annelene Beechey - Amazing, just AMAZING. Words cannot describe her Glinda. She is the greatest Glinda ever.

Fiyero: Olly Tompsett - he sings, he dances, he acts, he RIFFS. Period.

Madame Morrible: Miriam Margolyes - She is scarey, and is the most amazing actress.

Nessarose: CAROLINE KEIFF! She IS Nessa. END

Boq: James Gillan - You can't not love this guys Boq. He is so cute, so sweet, and plays Boq with a great Scottish accent

Wizard: Andy Mace - He does star jumps and funny random things in 'Wonderful'. How can you not love that?

Dr Dillamond: Martin Ball - We will miss him so once he leaves this Saturday But he is great, just Great.

[Catherine]

[music is my life!!!]

megan hilty is officially my favourite G(a)linda!

helen is a very close second but i changed my mind after i saw megan's version of popular!

[*BroadwayLights*]

hmmmmmm...this is tough

Galinda: I absolutely love Kristin Chenoweth's voice, but Kendra Kassebaum is just as phenominal, yet Megan Hilty is also great. I think I'll go with Kendra on this one, for now.

Elphaba: Idina Menzel always holds a special place in my heart. She is a true Elphie in every way. And not to mention her voice is amazing. I am also a huge fan of Shoshana. However, I must go with Idina.

[Salome]

lousy show..but actor wise I loved

George Hearn,Joel Grey and Carole Shelly.

[Catherine]

[Salome]

very grandfatherly and wise...his underlying facist motives were all the more shocking.

[Catherine]

I wish I had seen him...

[actor]

salome, what do you think of idina menzel?

just wondering.

i already know that you very much dislike kristin chenoweth.

[Salome]

Menzel is quite a strong actress..very talented. I dont think Elphaba showed her to her best advantage.

[wicked_boy]

[Salome]

actually most Wicked fans think she can do no wrong.

her strongest role was "Wild Party". sheer dynamite.
She was also wonderful in Rent.

but Wicked doesnt show her off well..plus the score isnt right for her voice.

[Eponine93]

Salome... how could you see both Hearn and Joel Gray? I thought you only saw the show once.

[Salome]

I Only saw it once live.

[Eponine93]

Oh... ok...

I was just kidding with you, though. I judge actors off cast recording all the time. I wish I could have seen Joel Gray though... from what I can tell off the recording, he sounded absolutely incredible. Hopefully the Wicked fangirls will look him up on say, IBDB, and familiarize themselves with his previous work.

[wicked_boy]

[Salome]

[ClaraNaccarelli]

Idina and Kristin!

[pish123c]

[elphabawest]

Elphaba: Kerry Ellis all the way. I'm sorry, I've never been an Idina fan, especially not in WICKED, regardless of whether she won the Tony or not. Kerry had that spunk and power as Elphaba. She brought emotion into the role when needed. I love her to bits, I think she's absolutely brilliant. Either her or Julie Reiber.

Galinda: A toss-up between Megan Hilty and Helen Dallimore. I think they were both adorable.

Fiyero: OLLIVER TOMPSETT(sp?)!!!! I think he's gorgeous. My absolute favorite. Either him or Adam Lambert.

Nessarose: Katie Rowley Jones or Jenna Leigh Green.

[Elphaba22]

For Elphaba, I have seen Kerry Ellis once and Victoria Matlock, whos new to the tour, but used to be understudy in Boston, four times. I actually flew to London on the sole purpose of seeing Idina perform, because I have never seen her live. She had fallen ill the morning before the performance I was seeing. Since I was only staying for that one night, I couldn't get a chance to see her. I was so upset. I talked to the stage manager, and I gave her a note she could possibly give to Idina, but i'm doubtful that she ever got it. I saw Victoria Matlock, and her voice was not like Idina's in the slightest, but I loved her for many reasons. I met her after the show, and she was delightful, and I have seen her three other times since as Elphaba. She's a truly passionate performer, I can jsut tell when I see her sing.

As for Galinda, I saw Kendra Kessbaum and wasn't the biggest fan. Her understudy was very good though, I saw her too. I also just saw someone recently as Galinda on the tour and she was absolutely insane, which made her wonderful and different than any Galinda I had ever seen before.

[Mistress]

Going off bootlegs and the one live performance I saw with Megan and Shoshana, my fav Elphabas are Shoshana and SJB and fav Glinda is Kendra (when paired with Julia) with her horny-six-year-old-on-crack act in Popular which makes me laugh every time. Megan is a close second with her pink panties and awsome chemistry with Sho. Seconfd fav Elphaba is Julia Murney because of her acting...she does so many things differently and it makes her unique. Like in one No Good Deed clip I saw, instead of doing the usual angry Elphie, she took a different route and was much more depressed, and sorowful, which was just heartwrenching to watch, especially when she did "Enough, so be it, so be it then"...

Fiyero...dunno, somehow Sebastian Arcelus sticks out for me...I guess because he never faltered in As Long as You're Mine when Julia had her hands on his butt ...and he's easy on the eyes. He'll definitely be at the top of his game with his wife, SJB.

[santtu]