Idina. I thought Idina's acting was utterly brilliant. She gave the character strength, defiance, sadness, and incredible depth. I thought she did excellently witht the humorous side too ("I'm the other sister. I'm beautifully tragic." I absolutely died. And it wasn't just the line. Her face and seriousness when she said it was side-splitting.) Her facial expressions seemed to exhibit perfectly the type of character that I see Elphaba as. Her voice is extremely powerful, and has a soft sweet side too. She tends to scream when her voice is worn out.
Kristen has a gorgeous coloratura, of course, and a very versatile voice. She can be pretty darn fun, but she tried to make the role too funny and it lacked any of the passion, depth, or seriousness that Glinda needed at times.
And now Shoshana. Obviously very much my opinion, but vocally I find her loads better than Idina. Her voice is stunning, and she has such a rich well-placed belt. When Shoshana sings, she gets so into her songs and the emotion is riveting and breath taking. I think she fails to create a convincing, definite character for Elphaba but I cannot comment much because I have not seen her in the whole show.
Jennifer Laura Thompson. Excuse me if I drool. I found her about a billion times funnier than Kristen. Everytime I hear Popular, Dancing Through Life, Defying Gravity, I am forced to stuff my fist in mouth to stop myself from making obscene guffawing noises. And she doesn't try to make everything funny. When I compare her Thank Goodness with Kristen's, Kristen seems completely unbelievable and shallow. Jennifer really makes you feel for Glinda in her own way, and she puts amazing passion into the role.
well a lot of people must love her, she was voted "best female replacement" on broadway.com's awards! Go JLa!
If you really want to help the American theater, don't be an actress, dahling. Be an audience.....
Don't be taken in by the guff that critics are killing the theater. Commonly they sin on the side of enthusiasm. Too often they give their blessing to trash...
Tallulah Bankhead