Archive for Musicals.Net Musicals.Net |
| alcockell |
UK cast change - would it still be worth budgeting to see?hi folks,OK - so it's post-cast-change... I'm quite overweight - so am not sure about comfort etc in the theatre near Victoria where Wicked's being run. Is the new UK Elphaba any good? Or might it be more practical to just wait for the film? Or a concert-version where they might get a dream cast back together? |
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| wtfchuck |
Has it got back to Alexia Khadime yet?
If so then she is well worth going to see. |
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| alcockell |
How does she rate compared to Kerry Ellis? | ||||||||
| wtfchuck |
I haven't seen Kerry so i couldnt compare them. But i prefer Alexia to Idina and a friend of mine (who sees Wicked on a monthly basis) prefers her to Kerry. | ||||||||
| alcockell |
There are also quite afew critiques around of the play's book... just that 60 quid is a lot of cash.. and as I live out away from London, I'd have to book well in advance...
What is your *honest* opnion of the production? Or is it one of those that would warrant 15 quid for a DVD more... at that point when a film is done? |
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| wtfchuck |
I'd say the show is worth going to see, the plot is welldone and entertaining, with brilliant music and performers.
The one comment i would have to make is that you can tell the target audience is young women (13-25) by the way it is written. Still throughly enjoyable. and the film hasnt even started proper production yet. It may not even ever happen. And it definitely wont be anything like the stage version. There'll be heavy editing. |
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| alcockell |
Ah.
I'm 38, and male. Bit of a Tolkein fan, and on the autistic continuum. On watching some of the VTs up on Youtube, one thing that *really* annoyed were all the screams of some of the FanGirls. Almost at Beatles-in-Shea-Stadium-without-foldback volumes... I also read the book, which.. you're right. would make for a better source for a screenplay. |
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| wicked_boy |
See the show! | ||||||||
| Mistress |
If you've already read the book, I'd recommend skipping the show, unless you're okay with it being seriously dumbed down onstage. Winne Holtzman got rid of anything remotely adult or political, it's very much aimed at the family/teen audience. And you'll probably be sitting there the whole time thinking about everything that's missing (which is pretty much everything), which is why I'm glad that I read the book after I saw the show. The show is still good, but if you know the book, everything that the stage show lacks will just stick out at you if you're a purist or a huge fan of the book and you'l just spend the whole show nitpicking about what's missing *coughSalomecough*...or seriously annoyed by the front row fangirls. |
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| alcockell |
^^^ Ah, so if it *was* shot as a film, it would definitely get a BBFC 12? | ||||||||
| Felix Felicis |
I think if you're genuinely a fan of the music and spectacle, go and see the show. Otherwise, get a good quality bootleg. | ||||||||
| music is my life!!! |
I'd personally love to see it again, even just to see how Alexia is making the role her own - she looks like a fab Elphaba IMO
As for seat comfort, the seats are AMAZING especially at the front of the dress circle (where i sat  ) and my mum (who's a bit bigger than me tbh ) found the seats very comfortable, and she loved the show too 
I agree with what you guys are saying about it being way different from the book, but it would've just been another "adult" show if they'd've sticked to the original material - i like it like this cuz alot more younger people are getting into musical theatre, which isn't a bad thing unless they completely obsess over something 
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| actor |
Alexia is no Idina but she is still worth going to see. | ||||||||
| LeocadiaBegbick |
Alexia Khadime is nothing short of extraordinary. She is without a doubt the best actress to ever play Elphaba. Go see it. |
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| actor |
Her acting skills aren't as strong as Idina Menzel's or Ana Gasteyer's but she is certainly a better actress than most Elphabas. |
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| Felix Felicis |
Julia Murney is the best actress to have played the role. Alexia is good, but she's no Julia. | ||||||||
| Mungojerrie_rt |
Why do people say that sor of thing all of the time? It's stupid to constantly compare to the original. Not to mention that Idina is far from the best from what I've seen. |
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| actor |
uhmm... every actor who plays a role will always be compared to the person who originated the role. In everything.
Have you actually seen her? You can't judge her unless you've seen her live. But even looking at recordings how can you not see the connection she has with that character? The emotion she blows right to the back of the auditorium? That powerhouse voice that just fills the theatre? She just embodies Elphaba. She is Elphaba. There have been a few good actresses to play the role (Ana Gasteyer, Julia Murney...) but nobody will be the Elphaba that Idina was. |
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| Mungojerrie_rt |
You just contradicted yourself there. If you haven't seen them all live, you can't say that others are not better.
Comparing to the original doesn't allow for different takes on a character. It stagnates and caused bland replicas with no creativity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWcXC81o3Zc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DPd8gbXN64 Both of those embody the role wonderfully, not to mention have stronger and smoother vocals. |
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| music is my life!!! |
useful, yet kinda obvious point: ....
ALEXIA WOULDN"T HAVE GOT IT IF SHE WSAN'T WORTH SEEING!!!!!! 
 [/b]
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| Mistress |
Wow. Verkaik sounded AWSOME in that clip...and Pia wasn't too shabby herself when she performed in concert 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQVqWEjNsT8&feature=related She just sounds so happy and free singing it up there. |
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| And All That Jazz |
Yep. I have to say that Pia Douwes sings my favorite German version. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh7RTpOEqPE That one's clearer and you can experience her amazing-ness better. |
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| Mistress |
Here's one where she's actually greenified, for a concert (you can tell becausse neither her or Glinda are in the right costumes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHK_R5yX20A&feature=related It makes me really mad that she's too old to actually play Elphaba, because she could totally rock the part, being the phenomenal actress she is...well I guess if she could play Elisabeth of Bavaria from 16-61, she technically still do Elphaba, although being almost 50, she's be the oldest actress to play the part. |
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| music is my life!!! |
^ i think her age will bring some wisdopm to the role, esp in act 2, when Elphaba needs to be able to be firey and yet very clever  On the Wicked London website, there are some pictures of her in the Wizard and I, and she looks very innocent, so i think her age has helped her tremendously in creating the role realistically Also, the female voice hasn't really developed fully until 30's-ish, so there'll be a smaller chance (fingers crossed ) of her voice holding upto all those belted high F's
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| Mistress |
Link? I would love to see these pictures...and I wouldbe in heaven if she ever did No Good Deed-that would probably be her best song.
I totally think she blows Idina out of the water, even if she isn't an official Elphaba. |
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| music is my life!!! |
http://wickedthemusical.co.uk/gallery/cast09.asp
although i think that Kerry beats the socks off anyone else who tries to do Elphaba, to be completely honest
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| actor |
I have seen 4 Elphabas live (1 of them 3 times) and Idina was head and shoulders above them all. I can tell if someone is a good actor or not from clips but you can't fully experience the power or strength of a voice based on crappy recordings on youtube.
Untrue. And I didn't say that every actress should do a cookie-cutter performance of Idina's Elphaba. It's possible to compare actresses performances in a role even if they're all very different.
I heard a clip of Amanda singing 'Defying gravity' recently and she just sounded very bored. Not a patch on Idina. And yes, the German Elphaba is quite good but you are aware that she is lip-synching that performance right?
The only Elphabas to embody the role are Idina Menzel, Ana Gasteyer and Julia Murney (the German one comes pretty close too). And stronger vocals? Again, you haven't seen Idina live - you can't judge her voice. Everyone I have spoken to who has seen Idina live agrees that her voice is 10 times better live and her voice doesn't record well. Smooth vocals?? Is that all you look for in a performance? I look for a fine acting, emotional performance. Plus Idina is a rock singer - do you expect her to have smooth vocals? Elphaba isn't a role that requires smooth vocals anyway, infact the complete opposite - she is a powerhouse belter - not Christine in Phantom of the Opera. Oh, and because you have threw some audios at me (and also because I have a feeling the only exposure you have to Idina's voice is the Tony awards performance when she was extremely sick) try going to a trading website and get a hold of some of her recordings from London. Or even listen to her 'Defying gravity' on 16/12/06 and 25/11/06 (which I was at) on youtube. I know I said recordings don't do her voice justice but these London ones give you a better idea of her true singing than the Tony and Broadway clips. |
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| Mistress |
oh...I was talkng about Dutch actress Pia Douwes who has performed some of the the songs in concert but is otherwise too old to actually play the part...sorry if I confused you. Actor...how do you know what it takes to "embody" Elphaba?...And I diagree...I believe Elphaba does require strong, smooth vocals, or else the actresses will end blowing their voices out like Idina did at the end of her runs on Broadway and the West End. I'm not blaming her. In fact I think that, at her peak, Idina's voice is wonderful, but it just didn't seem to be able to hold out well in the long-term. It's all opinion really. You like Idina, and I yearn for Pia to take the role
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| actor |
uhmm... you can tell just by watching and listening to them. Something which Kerry (whom I have seen 3 times and love her voice) has never done.
Strong? Yes. Smooth? No. As I said before, Elphaba is a Broadway powerhouse belter with a slight rock edge. That's how the score was written.
So what about all the other rock-singing roles in musical theatre? The actors should change the style and sing the role smoothly to eliminate the possibilty of hurting their voices?
Untrue. Idina got very sick and had vocal issues mid-Broadway but started getting better again toward the end of her run. And in London I remember she only got sick once in her whole run - she never blew her voice out - and her last month in the role was arguably the stongest vocally she's ever been so all these claims that she damaged her voice are crap. |
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| wicked_boy |
I saw Menzel at her last matinee in London... She was epical. She literally enchants the audience. | ||||||||
| Mistress |
And if the script calls for a "powerhouse belter with a rock edge" than how come Julia Murney and SJB. among others, have taken the role and done well (especially with Murney since you claim to like her so much). But that's all beside the point. You don't have to get angry or defensive about it. Most of us here aren't bashers. We're just people with different opinions. As I said before, You like Idina, I like Pia/SJB etc. I don't mean to be rude or disrespectful, I'm just voicing my own opinion, which just happens to be radically different from yours. You feel Idina embodied her role, I don't. I still like her, and think she has an awsome voice when she's at her peak, but she's not my favourite. Clearly what you feel it takes to "embody" a role, is different from what I think. Why don't we just agree to disagree? |
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| .:!BeYoNcE!:. |
Idina is a fine singer, there's been worse and there's been better. I agree she is a very enchanting performer. Not my favourite but she ranks high.
Willemijn Verkaik is perfectly capable of singing without lipsyncing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3wG2DTfOUc My opinion is that Saycon Sengbloh is the best singer the role has seen. Her acting was often generic and simplistic but she could certainly sing the shit out of the score. |
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| actor |
uhm "a powerhouse belter with a rock edge" is exactly how Julia played the role. Stephanie sung it a little too "smooth", as some people say, not really edgy enough for me. Plus, I think she over-emoted in the role which didn't make her Elphaba believable or "human" enough for me.
I'm coming across as angry to you? I'm not. Just passionate about a phenomenal actress and singer. |
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| .:!BeYoNcE!:. |
I have to agree, I never understood why so many people ignore the fact that Stephanie's acting style seems to suggest she was taught by someone suffering from hysteria and bipolar syndrome. |
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| Mungojerrie_rt |
Bored?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-szc34D7p-4 I have heard Idina's voice a lot. I just don't think that the part is what she is best suited for vocally. She is fantastic in Rent. |
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| Felix Felicis |
I have the following to say:
Idina was brilliant but inconsistent. Her acting was always good, but she was vocally all over the place. When she was on, she was on, but when she was off it was not good. Stephanie J. Block - yes, her acting was a bit over the top at times, but I think she was bang on the money every time with her vocals. She has one of my favourite voices ever, and I think she handled the score with ease. Julia Murney - best acting the role has seen yet. She did get sick a lot and that affected her normally brilliant voice, but she gave 100% every time and completely lost herself in the part. "The German one" Willemijn Verkaik - the best actress currently in the role. Her voice is unbelievable and her acting layered and multi-faceted. Kerry Ellis - vocally consistent (and amazing), her acting was sometimes questionable, but, as with Idina's vocals, when Kerry was on it with the acting, she was a sight to see. |
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| Mistress |
Maybe it just me then  I never thought of Murney as a power-house belter with a rocky edge...and I also really love SJB, although admitedly I think it's mostly for her voice, although she did get all aroubnd excellent reviews for heer performance in Pirate Queen while the rest of the show was basically trashed, so maybe she improved her acting after Wicked (to be fair it was her first major Broadway role after doing it on tour earlier and originating the supporting role of Liza Minelli in Boy from Oz before even getting involved with Wicked)
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| Felix Felicis |
Oh yes - in terms of belt, "edgy" is exactly the word I would use to describe Stephanie's. It's hard to articulate exactly, but it's like she squeezes all her vocal power into a sharp edge when she belts and completely nails every note. Love her voice to pieces. | ||||||||
| LeocadiaBegbick |
Khadime is the only person to play the role who was actually right for the role. Ana Gasteyer wasn't forceful enough (though I love her in general---just don't think she was right for Elphaba) and Idina did not have a dark enough personality. Alexia Khadime is the only actress who was convincingly dangerous and threatening as the Wicked Witch of the West. |
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| Peritombry |
I don't know about that. I saw her today (though she was replaced with an understudy just before One short day. Hopefully she's ok) and I really liked her voice and the acting was pretty good. But she didn't really seem "dark" to me. Of course I didn't get to see her do Act 2 so maybe it changes there.
I saw Kerry last time I think just after she took over, and overall I think I prefer Kerry's version. But Alexia was still really good. So was the understudy. Sabrina Carter. Very good, especially since she went on at the last minute. Her DG was amazing. She got a standing ovation at the end of the show. |