@@tylerwoodss265 Notice the time. She fell through the trap door during her performance on Broadway, and this clip is her last performance in the West End production of Wicked.
I dont know why but hearing the audience scream like that and have so thoroughly enjoyed themselves makes me tear up. Musical Theatre is such a beautiful unifying thing.
Imorysa Perez I was at that performance on her last night in London! It was a very powerful moment in that audience when she did her last performance of Defying Gravity and one of the best West End moments I have seen!
Hannah Roberson The 2006 video is a bootleg, the 2003 video is professionally recorded for the Tony award reviewer reel with bootleg audio placed over.
The 2006 video looks (and sounds) like it was recorded on a phone, sent to a computer, played, and recorded again off the computer screen. Several times.
She probably was. Considering that it was her last show. Imagine how hard it was for her to realize it would be her last time singing that song on that stage.
Real kids Vlogs no it was her last show in wicked ever. The “last time” you’re talking about is her last time on Broadway where she fell through the trap door a day before her final show. The next year she reprised the role on the West End for the first 3 months of Wicked in London
Probably yes but I believe her voice did get a bit damaged...after all this is a very demanding and difficult role. I mean she's still amazing but there's big difference in comparison to her first show
It sounds like she’s choking up in the 2006 one. And the way she holds out “me” for too long towards the end, because she doesn’t want it to end and it’s the last place where she sets the tempo before the orchestra comes in. Man, she was a hell of an Elphaba.
1st was before she broke a rib. Last was after, since then she has changed range because of the injury she suffered. Hence why her highest note is now lower then it was in 2003.
Orange Bar I've broken 3 ribs and went from a soprano 1 to an alto. You're lung capacity and comfort changes while they're still healing and once they're healed it still hurts for a long time after to expand your lungs enough to hit this notes. After time you can work up to it but it's still really uncomfortable.
Can we just point out that it’s not vocal damage, she is just extremely emotional right now? She had spent 3 years performing the show and about 1 rehearsing, and now it’s almost over. I mean, Wicked was about 4 years of her life.
It is vocal damage. If you belt that song every night 8 times a week especially without proper breath support it will cause damage. And that's what happened because Idina's belting isn't the greatest technique wise
It is vocal damage. The original Australian Elphaba actually quit because of it. Now they've got a routine down because there's been so many women in the role, but those early Elphabas were warriors. They should really do the British thing with casting an alternate to do matinees and select performances.
It's 100% voice damage. Belting that high in your range for days on end can lead you to develop nodes or polyps on your vocal chords, requiring you to work harder to get a clear sound out, which only worsens the damage. Not to mention the fact that you risk really bad muscle strain, and even vocal chord lesions, which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. All of these conditions if left unaddressed and untreated can lead to PERMANENT damage to your vocal chords. The general advice for singing high is that if it hurts, absolutely do not do it, but even if a really high note is in your range and it's comfortable to sing, it's going to become uncomfortable and hazardous really quickly if you keep doing it, like doing 8 shows a week belting your lungs out. It's like if I asked you to hold a glass of water and never drop it. It's not heavy right away, but after a few hours or a day, it's gonna hurt.
@@thisbeem2714 Sure she's emotional, but she seems to get it under control by the end of the song. What I hear in that last battle cry at the end is a gritty, strained sound as opposed to her clear, ringing belt that she normally does. Vocal damage makes it harder to sing in tune as well, and you can hear how she's under pitch for that part, but brings it up as she sustains. So while it could be both, I think the majority of the issues with her voice in her last performance came from damage and strain. She's a great singer, but she's not superhuman. People often get upset when vocal damage is pointed out, but it's really not that big of a deal. It happens to everyone. I'm recovering from vocal damage right now, as I type this. In a perfect world, she wouldn't have had to sing through her strained vocal chords, but I digress.
Ok but her vibrato sounds best in the last one and it sounds like her voice is less strained. I NEVER liked the we she sang that high note it hurt to hear, but I love how she adjusted it to her voice. That's not damage. That's trying to not damage. She's a professional so trust she knows what's up. I'm not a big fan of hers, but I'll admit she's still killing it
While I am a huge fan of Idina Menzel, I honestly agree with everything you said. I'm glad someone said it! She doesn't sound like she has vocal damage at all. In all honesty, I think she did better in 2006 than 2003. She's known the character for a long time and was singing in a way that showed that.
If this is supposed to be her last ever performance I completely understand why her voice sounds that way. I have seen the final scene between Glinda and Elphaba with Indina and Kristen they were balling there eyes out. Indina was emotional, she was trying not to cry. That's why her voice sounds the way it does
@@mynameisreallycool1 even if she knew she'd sing it again, its still a sad moment to leave your cast that you've grown close to over the past however many years. She was leaving the cast comepletle
@@mynameisreallycool1 You must not understand what it feels like to lose a character that you have grown close to and have gotten to know. Its painful. I always get the blues after leaving a cast. Its heartbreaking. Shout out to all my theatre people out there.
Jayde Hawkins I’m tech team but I still get so freaking sad after performances are over. Post show blues are a real thing, and they suck. Props to actors (no pun intended) who get attached to a character and suddenly don’t have to be that character anymore. I get really attached to the casts (our tech team doesn’t change minus the few new people who join) and I usually get really sad, especially if it’s their last term and they can’t do anymore shows. This got really off topic lmao but anyway
I literally didn’t hear anything bad except for her getting a little emotional, and that is completely understandable. also THE APPLAUSE how I would love to be in a room with energy like that. honestly I don’t think I can name a more talented singer. oh how I wish I could have seen this with her.
@@alexisericson241 Yeah, I really like her voice and it kinda shows how fit Idina and Kristin were for those roles, Idina has a really mature voice and a lot of Elphaba’s after really wanted to follow in her foot steps too, Kristin’s very high pitched voice works well for Glinda, and I get more surprised when her voice changes when she becomes the good witch and her voice isn’t that high pitch anymore but sounds like an opera singer and more mature.
Her technique was already not that good when she started. She was shouty and too bright. And had an amost non-existent vibrato wich was more like a tremolo.
She rarely had a break from the role when she was in Wicked. Like, at all! Not like traditionally where principal characters have alternates to stand in for when they need a break. She had them, but never really used them.
Unlike other majorly vocally and emotionally taxing roles on Broadway (Eg. Evan Hansen), that have their leads do only 6 shows a week and give the other two shows to an alternate, Elphabas all do 8 shows a week unless they call out.
People need to realize that this person isn’t saying she is bad. I mean obviously she isn’t, but she belts all of those notes. That is horrible for your voice especially 8 time a week. She has an amazing voice, but she needs to take care of it. She has had nodes before. Even if she came back from nodes, one day she won’t. Just saying.
I think that is the problem with so many people praising the pop vocal style, used very often in musical theater. I used to sing that way until I studied the Alexander Method, which specializes in releasing tension that is unnecessary and supporting from the abdomen. If you do not sing technically accurate, you are much more prone to vocal nodes, which Adele and possibly even Idina have found out. This does not mean that by singing technically accurate you cannot get nodes, it just means you are less likely to since you are incurring far less vocal damage than the people who do not use proper technique and rely strictly on sound.
@@izzie2836 For Broadway at least, there can be two shows per day. For some musicals (that I know and have looked at the dates they perform), they have one day of the week off with no shows, and then on two days, they perform twice. So that would add up to 8 times per week.
You can tell she's actually improved her technique a lot in the 2017 version. She also took the song down by a whole step or some amount. In any case, she was an awesome singer before, but it's nice to hear her learn how to protect her voice better in the years since her last performance.
Tom Adams She didn’t know it would be her last one, the last one she was supposed to do was after was injured in an incident that happened during the show and her substitute had to take over for her it was actually quite heartbreaking
I saw her in her last performance of If/Then and she was overtaken with emotion and teared up a two noticable times during the show. I actually remember her acting and emotions more than how she sounded at that particular moment in time.
Realm of the misunderstood no, the 2006 performance in this video was at the west end, during her last performance there. She got injured during her broadway run, and couldn’t make the last performance of that.
Idina Menzel was perfect for this role at this time when it first opened on Broadway. Her vibrato was amazing. She did this role for a good year and half...8 times a week on broadway with 2 show days at times. Not to mention the workshops and tryouts before all of this. Then she went to London for 3 and half months and she did it again 8 times a week. This woman had passion and emotion that she put into this character. Her voice is just tired. Maybe she’s not the best vocally but perhaps a good actress. Or maybe in fact, she is indeed both..maybe not to you but to others just like me. Yeah she has slip ups and sometimes her voice cracks and maybe can’t hit a note. Not everyone is perfect. I think it’s her confidence compassion and flaws that is what people find so relatable to her. Someone like Idina made it to broadway. Which many people want to these days. They look up to her for inspiration. Whether you like it or not...she is an iconic broadway legend.
dollsforlifeag I ADORE Idina so much. But yes her voice is probably tired. Like with any singer their voice needs a break. Especially 8 times a week on broadway. But yes she did amazing in Frozen. She can still sing great...She is iconic.
She is extremely talented but she uses improper technique. There is absolutely no denying that she has already damaged her voice, which is sad, but it happens.
I'm confused why this is titled as vocal damage. 1. Singing any vocally demanding show, 8 shows a week for years on end will have an effect on your voice. 2. It was her last show!! Can you imagine the emotions that were pumping through her?? 3. Everyone's voice changes over the course of time. I sure don't sound like I did when I was in high school. And 5 years from now my voice will be a little different too. That's just a natural progression of life. What you're hearing isn't necessarily vocal damage. It's more than likely raw emotion changing her inflection, on top of hitting the demands of a challenging part.
Alexis Gawel no it probably is vocal damage. Singing a song that belts that much at those pitches as often as she has. Like I'm not blaming her for her vocal damage but like it would take a lot of care for her to even reduce vocal damage.
Paige C I completely agree that she (just like every other long time performer) has suffered damage on her voice. I may have taken the tone of the title more agressive and judgy than was intended. I think what I was trying to say (which I failed to do in my original comment) is it's a little unfair to compare her first performance to her last, extremely emotional performance, and label it as vocal damage.
Alexis Gawel why? It is damage. As a singer, emotions (except like intense anxiety from an incoming panic attack) tend to only make your voice better. If it was just about it being emotional that should have been the best performance of her career
Paige C you're a singer, Idena is an actor and most all Broadway stars are actors first and foremost. Musical theatre singers are often encouraged to let imperfections come through in moments of intense emotion because it's very real.
Isa Jackowich actually they're meant to focus mostly on sounding good because the singing is the biggest part of musical theatre. You can get emotions through in good singing. In fact it's a major part of good singing. The songs in musical theatre are meant to be perfect as much as possible. I doubt any good singing teacher would encourage a student to do something that would ruin their voice. I did something that would be slightly damaging if I kept doing it once and my teacher immediately was like no don't do that that's gonna damage your voice.
heyimleavingthisacc I’m there with ya hun! I love all of her performances though. Even the ones that aren’t “as good” or “as strong”. Let’s see anyone else do what she does as well, and as consistently, as that woman does.
I think the first recording is her being safe because it's a new role. The second one is more emotional because its her last time performing it in that setting
I don’t think the role of Elphaba is all about the voice... Idina put her heart and soul into Elphie and that constitutes for are far more magical portrayal of Elphaba than an actress with perfect technical vocal ability.
It just sounds like her larynx was too high and that she started to develop an unhealthy technique for her to belt that high for so long comfortably. She’s an amazingly talented woman though.
Jayden Tonasket she adds too much chest in her mixed voice which leads to significant tension in her voice. Throatiness, Shrillness due to a high larynx
Trevor Meme that shouldn’t have anything to do with your range, it might have to do with her support but it’s an entire separate thing from where your vocal cords are
Also certain people who have a hard time developing mixed voice, they develop upper belts like myself. And when done properly it's perfectly fine. But it's always good to know when not to hit a note so you don't damage your voice. I don't think this was the case. Indina is an amazing singer and has a wicked, ha wicked Upper belt. She sounds clear and it doesn't sound strained but she's human and everyone messes up from time to time. But remember she broke her rib and that can put immense pressure on your lungs. My sister broke her ribs and had a very hard time breathing so that's most likely why the range was lower because you need a lot of support for that song. But I don't think she damage her voice she's just older and has had an injury.
@@hemhem9088 YESSS AHDHEHEHHE SHE SAID SHE WAS DOING GREAT IN A DF BUT THE CRACKED ON THE LAST NOTE SO SHE SHOUTED THAT DHDHHD (they gave it to her bc they thought it was very “wicked witch like”)
OoOMonkeyCoFreakOoO some of us have been professional or semi professional. I taught voice in college while I was getting my music degree. So, some of us actually have a frame of reference for our posts. Others? Not so much.
Well doesn’t it make sense that people who are interested in vocals would click on a video like this? Hardly anyone is claiming to be professional but I wouldn’t be surprised if most people with an opinion at least went to voice lessons
But I actually am! And I'm not gonna criticize her. She sounded healthier at the end of her run in 2006 than I expected. That song is absolutely _brutal_ to belt. It's not in a range that vocal anatomy typically allows for full chest voice, so she has to reeeeeally stretch where her muscles can do. To sound that good after 8 shows a week for two years is honestly incredible. Are there healthier ways to sing those high belts? Yeah. But some artists feel the interpretation is more important than singing "properly." And who can say she was wrong to choose that in this role? She only made it one of the most popular and successful musicals of all time, up until Hamilton.
everyone's acting like someone's attacking her lmao the "vocal damage" in the thumbnail is for clickbait, like saying "Is their vocal damage?" People in broadway fanbases are SO quick to get triggered
We do but because most of us (them) want to be on broadway but doesn’t know the struggle I do my high school musicals and they are throughout the year if you need a belting person call me my voice is so Demanding that I can’t talk Normally anymore People want to be on broadway but never want to do the struggle
If I could only have one, I'd take the last performance (2006). So full of emotion. She's doing this epic part - one of the hardest in the Broadway canon - for the very last time. It's like this part was made for her and only her, and nobody is ever gonna bring her down. And nobody has yet to surpass her in this role.
Sad Fact:she didn't know it was her final performance and when I saw this my heart shattered. She might have been really hurt from choking up on his last performance She is my only Elphaba in Wicked no one else will replace here she is my queen
Thanks for agreeing I don't consider likes to be important I just want people to appreciate idina well at least she's my perfect Elphaba and Elsa 😁😂😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
You’re mistaken, this performance was her last from London, not broadway. She broke her rib at her second to last broadway performance, so she missed her planned final show on broadway. But this video was from her final London performance, a few years later.
It's not her voice, the sound quality on the 2006 version is horrid. She still sounds amazing, probably more emotional in the last performance because it was her last time .
First of all her voice sounds amazing in all of these. Second of all the 2006 one was a terrible recording so that had nothing to do with her voice and in the last one she was trying to change the style for a concert so that’s why she changed it different. And sure she’s gonna be a little better in 2003 when she was younger but there isn’t even that much of a difference. 😒
Potterhead I know 8 shows a week is a lot, and that's why she needs to be singing with proper technique. If you're singing that often with unhealthy technique, you will damage your voice. It has already happened to her.
Very true but if you belting soooooo often for your job your voice goes. It's her job it's the thing you have to live with if you want to become and west end/broadway performer. Yes she is extremely talented but her vocal chords have been gradually going
Michael Michelle its because you see how elphaba changed from the silent shy scared girl to a grown women who embraced who she is and wont let anyone drag her down that lift off shows her leaving her past and is never going to turn back (or get brung down) hence the line "bring me down"
I openly admit to being a Kerry Ellis, Willemijn, and Rachel Tucker stan and I find all three women easier to listen to in this musical and have better technique. THAT SAID.....Idina's passion in the role is what made Elphaba iconic. Sure, there are better Elphies vocally, but very few match the passion she put into the role that defined her career. Had she not played Elphaba, she wouldn't have even been a thought for voicing Elsa.
it's why I love her so much ! I think my favorite Elphaba is Willemijn but I know Wicked thanks to Idina and even if some perfomances weren't really good, the passion she puts on this role say how much she is talented !
When belting is executed properly it’s actually not very taxing on your voice. The issue comes when the technique becomes lax. Unlike Classical methods, belting actually requires less air to produce more sound. It’s all about muscle coordination and resonance. From my own experience I can tell you that the issue can easily arise when a performer becomes very emotionally invested in the scene. That emotion can easily produce tension on the vocal folds, because the breathing becomes a bit erratic. I’m someone who’s trained Bel Canto, but I’m all for belting. 😃 Idina’s a belter, and an actress. You can’t be 💯 both all the time. Some shows you’ll be better vocally and others you’ll be a more intense character. That’s neither right, nor wrong, that’s just the beauty of musical theatre.
Literally a vocal professional. I don't hear vocal damage, although I'm sure she probably had some along the way. 8 shows a week for 3 years? Singing that high? Absolutely. But I actually heard more support and better pitch accuracy in the 2006 1
My step mom is a chorus teacher who gratuated with her MFA in vocal performance. We've discussed Idina and why she sounded so amazing early in the run and what changed. From research I have done, Idina has for a long time had really really bad technique in her singing (go look up her singing "My Strongest Suit" as Amneris in Aida for a good reference), practically shouting or straining her voice at top notes. I forget where, but I recall that right after Idina got the role of Elphie she was given a vocal coach to help strengthen her weak points. Idina later stopped working with them well into the run of Wicked and from what I've heard of her towards the end of her run, reverted back to her old habits of singing with improper technique. My step mom says this happens a lot with singers from teens on thru adults mostly because of how people may have sung the wrong way for long periods of time. Usually the deal is its harder to correct bad singing habits the older you get. I'm not saying this is the de facto reason..... but I think it's more of a realistic explanation.
For anyone that’s criticizing her, I’d like to hear you try and belt this even ONCE. People have a lot of confidence to put folks down behind their typing thumbs… but this woman is talented and has a beautiful gift.
I saw her live at the London premier in September 2006, so just a couple of months before this performance, and she sounded phenomenal. She was probably just a combination of tired, emotional, maybe coming down with a cold.... vocal damage doesn't manifest that quickly.
exactly! they chose her worst clip when she performed having strep throat. she was performing continously and she was trying to keep up with the instrumental. People have the audacity to say that the movie one was better even thou it was recorded in the studio
I saw Wicked on Broadway in New York last summer, it was magical how all of the actors seemed born to play each individual role and how it came together perfectly
IDINA IS MY IDOL! I got to meet her last summer and she signed my poster that I made of her. I hope I get to meet her again one day! She was just so sweet! I even got to sing Let It Go with her and other kids. It was just absolutely AMAZING!
Also in reference to vocal damage... I think she's healed since then - but I believe she's taken the route of lowering keys of the songs. She's not a spring chicken anymore. Our voices change SO much throughout our lives, we go through a shift in range around 16-18 give or take, and then again in our early 20's. And it continues on to be a change in your 30's and then 50's. I experienced a literal shift in my voice around the age of 19, I was taking a voice class and for a good year I was constantly having issues shifting pitches and my voice would crack and I sounded frustratingly bad when I sang. But then around 21 I have this whole new range of vocal pitches and I can control my pitch FAR better than I used to! It's great! lol
Yo she kills it in both. Remember that the camera quality was crap meaning that the audio was also crap. Their was static and in one of her me's the sound went all blurred like it was underwater. It sounded amazing still and would have been even more amazing in person
Love her soooo. 💚💚 I’ve listened to practically every actress sing this song and Idina hands down has the BEST second “It’s Meeeee” as she’s soaring into the sky. Gives me chills every time! And wow, that final note on her final night in London - incredible!!! I saw her twice as Elphaba on Broadway and once live in concert, and her voice just SOARS and booms through the entire theatre, it goes right through you (in the best way possible), unlike any I’ve ever heard. Many of these recordings don’t even begin to do her justice or capture the intensity, depth, and incredible power of her voice. Even the official Broadway recording, as good and “perfect” as it is, doesn’t do her actual “live” voice justice. And thanks for adding the Bonus at the end - stunning! Her vibrato really shines in the lower key. Love, love, Love!!! 💚🖤💚
Me trying to sing defying gravity with my low alto voice: I think I’ll tryyyy defyyyyyyyyying gravityyyy My vocal chords: I think I’ll tryyyy defyyyyyying gravityyyyyyyyyyyy
In the 2006 one, she was definitely emotional and was doing her best to not cry, which personally made me cry because of how touching it is. She played that role for YEARS
I can tell you, forget any type of technical flaws. The emotions in these performances are everything. Makes it so much more elevated. I’m actually crying rn
I didn’t hear that her voice was that damaged. Although the maturity level of her voice changed so much. You can tell that she’s older in a good way. Although I would expect her voice to be quite damaged from all of the work. It’s terrible for your voice to belt like that and she is really pushing on her throat. Maybe eventually she will actually show damage from her overworking of her voice, but she does sound better with time in my opinion.
one day I was stumbling along UA-cam and I started to watch clips of Idina Menzel for no good reason at all. I used to listen to the wicked soundtrack on CD when I was about 8, and so I figured I might as well just watch some videos to see how she is as a person. AND LOW AND BEHOLD…. my eyes were opened up. I haven’t no clue what took me so long to realize how truly INCREDIBLE AND TALENTED Idina is. Like I am talking INCREDIBLE. She seems like such a genuine, down to earth kind of gal and I really admire that! I guess the only songs I was super familiar with was Popular, and one short day. Until I decided to listen to this song called: DEFYING GRAVITY. And oh do I tell you, this song literally has CHANGED MY LIFE. It has given me hope, when I am in the midst of darkness. It gives me strength to continue on, no matter how cruel life gets. Defying Gravity really taught me well, but FOR GOOD oh my gosh I can’t even describe the emotions I felt when first listening to it. First of all, I have watched about every single UA-cam video out there of Idina and Kristin singing for good, and no matter what video it is I always end up BAWLING!!😭😭 that song is so important to me and I hold it in a very special place. It has taught me to cherish your relationships because you never know what’s gonna happen in life. I guess I just want to thank god for putting Idina Menzel on this earth. 🙏✝️She has been such an inspiration for me and I know for millions of others. She is the type of person we need more of in this world. IDINA I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!🤟🏻🤟🏻💗💗
Poor Idina, she gained a lot of vocal damage from these performances. When she sings Frozen and Frozen 2 songs live now, she always has to lower the key because she isn’t able to comfortably hit those notes like she used to. “Into the Unknown” also is composed of some E5’s which, Idina admitted, Disney caught her on a good day that she was able to sing those notes.
I love idina, but of course singing like this will cause damage much earlier than a classical voice. Many classical singers can still sing into their 70’s and above! I hope she doesn’t have any damage. She’s wonderful.
@@macecrawford2860 Julie's vocal cords were mangled by an inept doctor. She was actually working 8 shows a week well into her 50s (she was in Victor Victoria before the surgery).
When I saw wicked in the us tour a couple months ago, elphaba was played by the wonderful Olivia Polci. I was actually kinda sad bc i thought it would be Jessica vosk, but Olivia was really brillant, she's was understudy for elphaba. I'm really glad that she's my first elphaba bc she was absolutely amazing. There's not a lot of videos of her bc she's kind of lowkey undiscovered, but she deserves to be as legendary as jessica vosk or Idina
She isn’t straining. But she doesn’t want to over push herself. Voices change and she knew what her change was. She no longer has a soprano range and she knows that so therefore she doesn’t sing in the original key.
My gosh, you can hear just how happy and exhilerated she is in the first one, flying over everyone and hearing everyone applaud for her, and maybe it's just me but I feel like I can feel the orchestra's playing radiating pure joy, like everyone's waited for this one moment the entire production.
I love Idina so much. And singing those notes would probably hurt eventually but she was probably crying or holding back tears during her last performance
She was/is on fire during singing DG. She puts her sowl, heart and power in her performance and in her singing. That's why i love her. You can say whatever you want - Menzel will forever be the Elphaba, who started it all and who lit the stage on fire during every performance. Love her.
You can clearly hear her fighting back the tears in the last performance Something to think about in the bonus 2017 clip. She has aged 14 years from that 2003 opening since then. And she’s spent years singing. She still sounds phenomenal, and there might be “some” extra wear on her voice because of her role as Elphaba. But part of it is also just the natural aging and use of her vocal chords. She still sounds phenomenal either way. But I’m sure seeing her live in 2003-2006 would’ve been unbelievable
absolutely agreed. she might sound a little different but surely not worse and DEFINITELY not bad, not in any capacity. and to further back that up, she delivered performances of another one of her most iconic roles (elsa) in the 2010s and not a soul looked at that and said “hmm, not quite how she sounded as elphaba…”, she still sounded so incredible in both the first and second movie
I saw her last performance and I actually cried that the last note, it was electrifying!! Idina is such a talented singer and it was a amazing experience for me. Love her will all my heart ❤
Idina was definitely not the best Elphaba to have graced the stage of Wicked. That being said, she was a fantastic original Wicked Witch and definitely left a high standard especially when the actual character of Elphaba is taken into account. So while she might not have been the best vocally, I think she fully embodied Elphie and is arguably the best actor to have taken Wicked’s stage.
Exactly there's more to performing in a musical than just singing, you also need to be an incredible actor, which Idina was/is. While she isn't the best Elphaba vocally, she's probably the best performance wise and in her passion for the role.
I saw her right at the beginning of her run and she was by far the best Elphaba. I saw her about 6 months later and the deterioration was stunning. I also saw her in Rent before that and her voice sounded bionic she was so good. She obviously developed some bad habits and sang with a lot of tension. I don't think she ever really recovered.
PeterButterSings i agree! She’s not the best (alice fearn willemijn verkaik and rachel tucker are in my personal opinion) but I have a lot of respect for her passion and how she essentially shaped the part of elphie. She’ll always be the original one
She may not be the first vocally, but she became excellent at acting. I felt nothing during her first except the utter feeling of how Defying Gravity hits you. In the last one, she has so much emotion in her voice, her eyes, and everything.
I thought that her performance at the 2019 wicked anniversary thing was absolutely horrible compared to what it sounded like before. But she's getting older and I guess that's to be expected.
This is definitely a hot take but I love Idina’s tone. I know it’s shrill, and nasally at times, but something about that absolutely fits the witch character. Especially with the way she moves her hands and eyes, her vocal mishaps take a backseat to her portrayal, and that’s why she’s my Elphaba!
To be fair, she was probably crying in her last performance.
I would cry too man, she's embraced that character with all her might for so long...
That's what I thought too
You can hear it a little when her voice gets shaky.
I think she admitted to not knowing it was her last show when she explained her accident during the melting scene
@@tylerwoodss265 Notice the time. She fell through the trap door during her performance on Broadway, and this clip is her last performance in the West End production of Wicked.
When she just rises up and the crowd *screams* because they know the queen is about to slay everyone
Moss Patch yup couldn’t say it better
i love your profile pic
@Batman The Dark Knight I bet you can't sing that well.
@Batman The Dark Knight you just take that back
Batman The Dark Knight Because you’re a professional and better than her.
I dont know why but hearing the audience scream like that and have so thoroughly enjoyed themselves makes me tear up. Musical Theatre is such a beautiful unifying thing.
Imorysa Perez I was at that performance on her last night in London! It was a very powerful moment in that audience when she did her last performance of Defying Gravity and one of the best West End moments I have seen!
The crowd made me tear up too, I'd be standing and clapping in tears if I was there in person. Idina has my respect and love ❤💕
My thoughts exactly.
That costs more tyan my rent😂 no but I agree, and I love it
💓💓 much love for the theatre
Why is the camera quality 100X better in 2003 than 2006 😂
The 2006 one looks like it was recorded off of someone's phone/home camera. Whereas the 2003 one was recorded professionally.
Erebma Dammahom no the 2006 one looks like it was filmed on a toaster
Hannah Roberson The 2006 video is a bootleg, the 2003 video is professionally recorded for the Tony award reviewer reel with bootleg audio placed over.
The 2006 video looks (and sounds) like it was recorded on a phone, sent to a computer, played, and recorded again off the computer screen.
Several times.
2006 looks like it’s on a screen recorded by a phone
I think she was kinda fighting crying in the last one
She probably was. Considering that it was her last show. Imagine how hard it was for her to realize it would be her last time singing that song on that stage.
@@skylerhall8383 that is how my heart shattered
Real kids Vlogs no it was her last show in wicked ever. The “last time” you’re talking about is her last time on Broadway where she fell through the trap door a day before her final show. The next year she reprised the role on the West End for the first 3 months of Wicked in London
I agree
Probably yes but I believe her voice did get a bit damaged...after all this is a very demanding and difficult role. I mean she's still amazing but there's big difference in comparison to her first show
i would’ve given anything to have seen this with kristen and idina in it
Same! ❤️
WifiWarrior innit we need a time machine
Same
I know it must have been AWEOSME!
0 0 - i wish 😭
It sounds like she’s choking up in the 2006 one. And the way she holds out “me” for too long towards the end, because she doesn’t want it to end and it’s the last place where she sets the tempo before the orchestra comes in. Man, she was a hell of an Elphaba.
Here at 420 likes
@@Grazey I liked your comment
Shame she was never really capable of singing the part and should never have been cast.
Your criticism makes no sense...she held a note for a longer period of time which makes her a “hell of an Elphaba”...
David You must be deaf or a better singer than her because she totally is a great original Elphaba.
1st was before she broke a rib. Last was after, since then she has changed range because of the injury she suffered. Hence why her highest note is now lower then it was in 2003.
Kayla Chaney her range didn’t change cause she broke a rib
prettymonsterofevil idk maybe but I’m guessing not I doubt her ribs breaking could alter her range that drastically
Kayla Chaney thanks so much for sharing that! I never knew she had sustained an injury.
Her voice also changed as she got older
Orange Bar I've broken 3 ribs and went from a soprano 1 to an alto. You're lung capacity and comfort changes while they're still healing and once they're healed it still hurts for a long time after to expand your lungs enough to hit this notes. After time you can work up to it but it's still really uncomfortable.
the way the audience so aggressively ROARS for her on her last performance literally made me tear up. i love musical theatre
Can we just point out that it’s not vocal damage, she is just extremely emotional right now? She had spent 3 years performing the show and about 1 rehearsing, and now it’s almost over. I mean, Wicked was about 4 years of her life.
It is vocal damage. If you belt that song every night 8 times a week especially without proper breath support it will cause damage. And that's what happened because Idina's belting isn't the greatest technique wise
It is vocal damage. The original Australian Elphaba actually quit because of it. Now they've got a routine down because there's been so many women in the role, but those early Elphabas were warriors. They should really do the British thing with casting an alternate to do matinees and select performances.
It's 100% voice damage. Belting that high in your range for days on end can lead you to develop nodes or polyps on your vocal chords, requiring you to work harder to get a clear sound out, which only worsens the damage. Not to mention the fact that you risk really bad muscle strain, and even vocal chord lesions, which I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. All of these conditions if left unaddressed and untreated can lead to PERMANENT damage to your vocal chords. The general advice for singing high is that if it hurts, absolutely do not do it, but even if a really high note is in your range and it's comfortable to sing, it's going to become uncomfortable and hazardous really quickly if you keep doing it, like doing 8 shows a week belting your lungs out. It's like if I asked you to hold a glass of water and never drop it. It's not heavy right away, but after a few hours or a day, it's gonna hurt.
Its gotta be both. Why wouldn't she be emotional?
@@thisbeem2714 Sure she's emotional, but she seems to get it under control by the end of the song. What I hear in that last battle cry at the end is a gritty, strained sound as opposed to her clear, ringing belt that she normally does. Vocal damage makes it harder to sing in tune as well, and you can hear how she's under pitch for that part, but brings it up as she sustains. So while it could be both, I think the majority of the issues with her voice in her last performance came from damage and strain. She's a great singer, but she's not superhuman. People often get upset when vocal damage is pointed out, but it's really not that big of a deal. It happens to everyone. I'm recovering from vocal damage right now, as I type this. In a perfect world, she wouldn't have had to sing through her strained vocal chords, but I digress.
I can count the pixels
idk why, but this comment broke me on such a level 🤣🤣
i got the glare from my mom when i fell of my chair reading this
it’s 3
so can my baby cousin
HahahaH!
Ok but her vibrato sounds best in the last one and it sounds like her voice is less strained. I NEVER liked the we she sang that high note it hurt to hear, but I love how she adjusted it to her voice. That's not damage. That's trying to not damage. She's a professional so trust she knows what's up. I'm not a big fan of hers, but I'll admit she's still killing it
Zork Dork I think the last one is in a lower key!
imo her run in London was really strong for most part.
Zork Dork THANK YOU, EXACTLY
@@bridgetd3643 no it's not
While I am a huge fan of Idina Menzel, I honestly agree with everything you said. I'm glad someone said it! She doesn't sound like she has vocal damage at all. In all honesty, I think she did better in 2006 than 2003. She's known the character for a long time and was singing in a way that showed that.
If this is supposed to be her last ever performance I completely understand why her voice sounds that way. I have seen the final scene between Glinda and Elphaba with Indina and Kristen they were balling there eyes out. Indina was emotional, she was trying not to cry. That's why her voice sounds the way it does
Why is it considered her last performance though? Sure she may be too "old" for the role, but surely she could still sing it on camera.
@@mynameisreallycool1 even if she knew she'd sing it again, its still a sad moment to leave your cast that you've grown close to over the past however many years. She was leaving the cast comepletle
@@mynameisreallycool1 You must not understand what it feels like to lose a character that you have grown close to and have gotten to know. Its painful. I always get the blues after leaving a cast. Its heartbreaking. Shout out to all my theatre people out there.
Jayde Hawkins I’m tech team but I still get so freaking sad after performances are over. Post show blues are a real thing, and they suck. Props to actors (no pun intended) who get attached to a character and suddenly don’t have to be that character anymore. I get really attached to the casts (our tech team doesn’t change minus the few new people who join) and I usually get really sad, especially if it’s their last term and they can’t do anymore shows. This got really off topic lmao but anyway
Idina*
Ah, the wickedly talented Adele Dazeem.
Lmao. Epic
Wonderfully empowering
shit the hell up. that joke is so yesterday.
@@paigejohannesen9681 Lol r/triggered
Never forget asdfghjkl
I literally didn’t hear anything bad except for her getting a little emotional, and that is completely understandable. also THE APPLAUSE how I would love to be in a room with energy like that. honestly I don’t think I can name a more talented singer. oh how I wish I could have seen this with her.
There are more talented singers, with many other great talents like range and sound quality, but her belting is ridiculously cool
@@alexisericson241 Yeah, I really like her voice and it kinda shows how fit Idina and Kristin were for those roles, Idina has a really mature voice and a lot of Elphaba’s after really wanted to follow in her foot steps too, Kristin’s very high pitched voice works well for Glinda, and I get more surprised when her voice changes when she becomes the good witch and her voice isn’t that high pitch anymore but sounds like an opera singer and more mature.
Her technique was already not that good when she started. She was shouty and too bright. And had an amost non-existent vibrato wich was more like a tremolo.
@@Ignasimp I’d like to see you do it then 💀 go on and do it lmao
Sis sang her whole entire face off in that last performance.Gooooosh.
Nothing but respect for our queen
same here
Queen Elsa
bahahaha whole entire face off i’m stealing that one
She rarely had a break from the role when she was in Wicked. Like, at all! Not like traditionally where principal characters have alternates to stand in for when they need a break. She had them, but never really used them.
Marcus Cameron if she never used them, that’s kind of her fault
Marcus Cameron if she sang correctly she wouldn't have needed a break
Unlike other majorly vocally and emotionally taxing roles on Broadway (Eg. Evan Hansen), that have their leads do only 6 shows a week and give the other two shows to an alternate, Elphabas all do 8 shows a week unless they call out.
I know she is a hard worker I met her and I got to sing with her it was amazing
wowie 21 op
People need to realize that this person isn’t saying she is bad. I mean obviously she isn’t, but she belts all of those notes. That is horrible for your voice especially 8 time a week. She has an amazing voice, but she needs to take care of it. She has had nodes before. Even if she came back from nodes, one day she won’t. Just saying.
I think that is the problem with so many people praising the pop vocal style, used very often in musical theater. I used to sing that way until I studied the Alexander Method, which specializes in releasing tension that is unnecessary and supporting from the abdomen. If you do not sing technically accurate, you are much more prone to vocal nodes, which Adele and possibly even Idina have found out. This does not mean that by singing technically accurate you cannot get nodes, it just means you are less likely to since you are incurring far less vocal damage than the people who do not use proper technique and rely strictly on sound.
Anna Morgan i know this comment is old but... 8 times a week?...
@@izzie2836 For Broadway at least, there can be two shows per day. For some musicals (that I know and have looked at the dates they perform), they have one day of the week off with no shows, and then on two days, they perform twice. So that would add up to 8 times per week.
TeamS ahhhhh thank you, i can’t believe i let that slip my mind 😂
It literally not a thing. They have understudies that step in to give them a vocal break
the 2006 one she just ASCENDED into the mf sky and everyone just LOST IT
You can tell she's actually improved her technique a lot in the 2017 version. She also took the song down by a whole step or some amount. In any case, she was an awesome singer before, but it's nice to hear her learn how to protect her voice better in the years since her last performance.
Her technique is way off now lol she’s shouty and filled with tongue and throat tension
@@JakeReeves001cite your source
If you ask me , I think maybe it was the last time she'd peform this song . She was choked up .
Tom Adams She didn’t know it would be her last one, the last one she was supposed to do was after was injured in an incident that happened during the show and her substitute had to take over for her it was actually quite heartbreaking
I saw her in her last performance of If/Then and she was overtaken with emotion and teared up a two noticable times during the show. I actually remember her acting and emotions more than how she sounded at that particular moment in time.
Bridget, you are so lucky. That must have been beautiful!
@@realmofthemisunderstood166 the 2006 video is from her West End run, which she completed. She broke her rib on Broadway in 2005
Realm of the misunderstood no, the 2006 performance in this video was at the west end, during her last performance there. She got injured during her broadway run, and couldn’t make the last performance of that.
Idina Menzel was perfect for this role at this time when it first opened on Broadway. Her vibrato was amazing. She did this role for a good year and half...8 times a week on broadway with 2 show days at times. Not to mention the workshops and tryouts before all of this. Then she went to London for 3 and half months and she did it again 8 times a week. This woman had passion and emotion that she put into this character. Her voice is just tired. Maybe she’s not the best vocally but perhaps a good actress. Or maybe in fact, she is indeed both..maybe not to you but to others just like me. Yeah she has slip ups and sometimes her voice cracks and maybe can’t hit a note. Not everyone is perfect. I think it’s her confidence compassion and flaws that is what people find so relatable to her. Someone like Idina made it to broadway. Which many people want to these days. They look up to her for inspiration. Whether you like it or not...she is an iconic broadway legend.
I couldn't agree more
It's not about her talent at all! I think she's amazing, but she is going to kill her voice, it's already starting to happen.
dollsforlifeag I ADORE Idina so much. But yes her voice is probably tired. Like with any singer their voice needs a break. Especially 8 times a week on broadway. But yes she did amazing in Frozen. She can still sing great...She is iconic.
She is extremely talented but she uses improper technique. There is absolutely no denying that she has already damaged her voice, which is sad, but it happens.
What is it that she does improperly? People keep saying that but I would like to know what it is she is doing wrong please?
I'm confused why this is titled as vocal damage.
1. Singing any vocally demanding show, 8 shows a week for years on end will have an effect on your voice.
2. It was her last show!! Can you imagine the emotions that were pumping through her??
3. Everyone's voice changes over the course of time. I sure don't sound like I did when I was in high school. And 5 years from now my voice will be a little different too. That's just a natural progression of life.
What you're hearing isn't necessarily vocal damage. It's more than likely raw emotion changing her inflection, on top of hitting the demands of a challenging part.
Alexis Gawel no it probably is vocal damage. Singing a song that belts that much at those pitches as often as she has. Like I'm not blaming her for her vocal damage but like it would take a lot of care for her to even reduce vocal damage.
Paige C I completely agree that she (just like every other long time performer) has suffered damage on her voice. I may have taken the tone of the title more agressive and judgy than was intended.
I think what I was trying to say (which I failed to do in my original comment) is it's a little unfair to compare her first performance to her last, extremely emotional performance, and label it as vocal damage.
Alexis Gawel why? It is damage. As a singer, emotions (except like intense anxiety from an incoming panic attack) tend to only make your voice better. If it was just about it being emotional that should have been the best performance of her career
Paige C you're a singer, Idena is an actor and most all Broadway stars are actors first and foremost. Musical theatre singers are often encouraged to let imperfections come through in moments of intense emotion because it's very real.
Isa Jackowich actually they're meant to focus mostly on sounding good because the singing is the biggest part of musical theatre. You can get emotions through in good singing. In fact it's a major part of good singing. The songs in musical theatre are meant to be perfect as much as possible. I doubt any good singing teacher would encourage a student to do something that would ruin their voice. I did something that would be slightly damaging if I kept doing it once and my teacher immediately was like no don't do that that's gonna damage your voice.
She literally put everything she had into her last performance
As a result, she has polyps and her voice is frail af now.
I thought her last performance was so much richer and heartfelt. She's amazing!
i think the 2006 one is incredible am i the only one???
It is amazing!!
Yep. I thought it was the best. Happy to say I was there.
heyimleavingthisacc I’m there with ya hun! I love all of her performances though. Even the ones that aren’t “as good” or “as strong”. Let’s see anyone else do what she does as well, and as consistently, as that woman does.
Haha you said it. Her voice is truly amazing. My favourite Elphaba and by far one of my favourite singers.
Annie Porter same! i also think the 2017 one is amazing though. But the 2006 is the best
I think the first recording is her being safe because it's a new role. The second one is more emotional because its her last time performing it in that setting
I don’t think the role of Elphaba is all about the voice... Idina put her heart and soul into Elphie and that constitutes for are far more magical portrayal of Elphaba than an actress with perfect technical vocal ability.
I'm sure she did for every performance. That's why her voice suffered so much.
Seeing Idina and Kristin cameo in the 2024 Wicked this week has me so emotional so of course it’s time to go down memory lane again 😭💜
No one:
My brain during class: Never bring MEEEEEEE DOWNNNNNNNNN
I HOPE YOU’RE HAPPYYYYYYYYYY
Omg! If that's not me I don't know what is
It just sounds like her larynx was too high and that she started to develop an unhealthy technique for her to belt that high for so long comfortably. She’s an amazingly talented woman though.
Jayden Tonasket she adds too much chest in her mixed voice which leads to significant tension in her voice. Throatiness, Shrillness due to a high larynx
She broke her rib, and ghe injury affected her vocal range
Trevor Meme that shouldn’t have anything to do with your range, it might have to do with her support but it’s an entire separate thing from where your vocal cords are
Also certain people who have a hard time developing mixed voice, they develop upper belts like myself. And when done properly it's perfectly fine. But it's always good to know when not to hit a note so you don't damage your voice. I don't think this was the case. Indina is an amazing singer and has a wicked, ha wicked Upper belt. She sounds clear and it doesn't sound strained but she's human and everyone messes up from time to time. But remember she broke her rib and that can put immense pressure on your lungs. My sister broke her ribs and had a very hard time breathing so that's most likely why the range was lower because you need a lot of support for that song. But I don't think she damage her voice she's just older and has had an injury.
she was never professional trained throughout her rent and wicked days. she had a self taught technique that strained her voice to where it is now
That awkward moment when you wanted to see Idina but then you realize
I wasn’t alive yet
Yente 2007? bc same
Feyre Darling
Wow ur too young for UA-cam
I was born early enough but I was 4 so I couldn’t watch
i just felt like such a grandma getting shocked at how young you are then realized i got on youtube at around the same age lol
Wow i feel old now😂
Say what you want about Idina Menzel, but that energy and that audience were electrifying.
Yk she got this role cause she messed up during her audition and said “FUCK”
REALLY AGAHAAHHAHAKDKDJKSJDJ
@@hemhem9088 YESSS AHDHEHEHHE SHE SAID SHE WAS DOING GREAT IN A DF BUT THE CRACKED ON THE LAST NOTE SO SHE SHOUTED THAT DHDHHD (they gave it to her bc they thought it was very “wicked witch like”)
Everyone in the comment section is a professional vocal coach or a professional musician all of a sudden
Survival bias. People who are more experienced are more likely to comment
OoOMonkeyCoFreakOoO some of us have been professional or semi professional. I taught voice in college while I was getting my music degree. So, some of us actually have a frame of reference for our posts. Others? Not so much.
Well doesn’t it make sense that people who are interested in vocals would click on a video like this? Hardly anyone is claiming to be professional but I wouldn’t be surprised if most people with an opinion at least went to voice lessons
But I actually am!
And I'm not gonna criticize her. She sounded healthier at the end of her run in 2006 than I expected. That song is absolutely _brutal_ to belt. It's not in a range that vocal anatomy typically allows for full chest voice, so she has to reeeeeally stretch where her muscles can do. To sound that good after 8 shows a week for two years is honestly incredible. Are there healthier ways to sing those high belts? Yeah. But some artists feel the interpretation is more important than singing "properly." And who can say she was wrong to choose that in this role? She only made it one of the most popular and successful musicals of all time, up until Hamilton.
@@Triairius honestly to me she sounds more like shes trying to hold back tears than singing with a damaged voice
everyone's acting like someone's attacking her lmao
the "vocal damage" in the thumbnail is for clickbait, like saying "Is their vocal damage?"
People in broadway fanbases are SO quick to get triggered
Thank you lol
TheMurrmursonbottle I SEE YOU EVERYWHERE I SWEAR!
Brenna.taco i spend way too much time on youtube
They really do, you'll get CRUCIFIED if you talk smack on Hamilton.
We do but because most of us (them) want to be on broadway but doesn’t know the struggle I do my high school musicals and they are throughout the year if you need a belting person call me my voice is so Demanding that I can’t talk Normally anymore People want to be on broadway but never want to do the struggle
If I could only have one, I'd take the last performance (2006). So full of emotion. She's doing this epic part - one of the hardest in the Broadway canon - for the very last time. It's like this part was made for her and only her, and nobody is ever gonna bring her down. And nobody has yet to surpass her in this role.
Why the frIck did I just realize that this is voice actor for Elsa as well
What blew my mind is Kristin Bell is the voice of anna
Luke yeah, but kristen chenoweth is the actor for Glinda
Luke SAME. i had no idea until i saw the credits for frozen 2 on disney+
You just realized that?!?!?
You think anyone else can hit them notes Indina killed that mwah SHES so talented
Sad Fact:she didn't know it was her final performance and when I saw this my heart shattered.
She might have been really hurt from choking up on his last performance
She is my only Elphaba in Wicked no one else will replace here she is my queen
Thanks for agreeing I don't consider likes to be important I just want people to appreciate idina well at least she's my perfect Elphaba and Elsa 😁😂😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Why didn't she know it was her final performance?
@@girlwholikesmusicals2349 Why not?
@@girlwholikesmusicals2349 Oh sorry I didn't notice the question mark lol
You’re mistaken, this performance was her last from London, not broadway. She broke her rib at her second to last broadway performance, so she missed her planned final show on broadway. But this video was from her final London performance, a few years later.
It's not her voice, the sound quality on the 2006 version is horrid. She still sounds amazing, probably more emotional in the last performance because it was her last time .
First of all her voice sounds amazing in all of these. Second of all the 2006 one was a terrible recording so that had nothing to do with her voice and in the last one she was trying to change the style for a concert so that’s why she changed it different. And sure she’s gonna be a little better in 2003 when she was younger but there isn’t even that much of a difference. 😒
Shady Sadie it's absolutely not about talent or her sounding bad, which she does not. It's about the fact that she is killing her voice.
eolhc well imagine singing everyday it’s eventually going to strain your voice
Potterhead I know 8 shows a week is a lot, and that's why she needs to be singing with proper technique. If you're singing that often with unhealthy technique, you will damage your voice. It has already happened to her.
Very true but if you belting soooooo often for your job your voice goes. It's her job it's the thing you have to live with if you want to become and west end/broadway performer. Yes she is extremely talented but her vocal chords have been gradually going
Being younger makes your voice not as loud so she wouldve sounded better in 2006 if she wasnt made to belt out notes every day
i haven’t even heard every single song in wicked why am i crying oh my god
Michael Michelle its because you see how elphaba changed from the silent shy scared girl to a grown women who embraced who she is and wont let anyone drag her down that lift off shows her leaving her past and is never going to turn back (or get brung down) hence the line "bring me down"
I openly admit to being a Kerry Ellis, Willemijn, and Rachel Tucker stan and I find all three women easier to listen to in this musical and have better technique. THAT SAID.....Idina's passion in the role is what made Elphaba iconic. Sure, there are better Elphies vocally, but very few match the passion she put into the role that defined her career. Had she not played Elphaba, she wouldn't have even been a thought for voicing Elsa.
it's why I love her so much ! I think my favorite Elphaba is Willemijn but I know Wicked thanks to Idina and even if some perfomances weren't really good, the passion she puts on this role say how much she is talented !
Stephen Valentine actually the original role of Elsa went to demi levato but she don't want to do it
Jeremiah Sands Really? I didn't know that.
Kayla Morgan yep
Rachel Tucker is amazing
In the 2017, she's singing it as herself, not as her character so she'll sing it in her voice which is much lower
AHHHH I love how she was soaking up the last performance
When belting is executed properly it’s actually not very taxing on your voice. The issue comes when the technique becomes lax. Unlike Classical methods, belting actually requires less air to produce more sound. It’s all about muscle coordination and resonance. From my own experience I can tell you that the issue can easily arise when a performer becomes very emotionally invested in the scene. That emotion can easily produce tension on the vocal folds, because the breathing becomes a bit erratic. I’m someone who’s trained Bel Canto, but I’m all for belting. 😃 Idina’s a belter, and an actress. You can’t be 💯 both all the time. Some shows you’ll be better vocally and others you’ll be a more intense character. That’s neither right, nor wrong, that’s just the beauty of musical theatre.
Literally a vocal professional. I don't hear vocal damage, although I'm sure she probably had some along the way. 8 shows a week for 3 years? Singing that high? Absolutely. But I actually heard more support and better pitch accuracy in the 2006 1
God you can hear the emotion in her last (Broadway) performance, she was trying so hard to keep it together.
So much respect for her ❤️
i wasn’t born for either of these performances, but i wanna go back in time and see them live 😭
Her singing gives me literal chills!! It’s amazing what Idina Menzel can do with her voice, she’s such an incredible singer!
And yet people hold broadway/classical singers to such a high standard when it comes to technique and support
ccishot564 it's kind of a known fact that she hasn't always had the best technique. She also has better technique NOW than she has ever had before.
Broadway singers are definitely not held at near a high a standard as used to. Neither is opera sadly
Stone [石のドラム] Opera definitely is.
Carl Briggs opera has also declined significantly
Stone [石のドラム] it has seriously declined from the ages of Callas, Sutherland and Price, but it hasn't fallen as much as Broadway
My step mom is a chorus teacher who gratuated with her MFA in vocal performance. We've discussed Idina and why she sounded so amazing early in the run and what changed. From research I have done, Idina has for a long time had really really bad technique in her singing (go look up her singing "My Strongest Suit" as Amneris in Aida for a good reference), practically shouting or straining her voice at top notes. I forget where, but I recall that right after Idina got the role of Elphie she was given a vocal coach to help strengthen her weak points. Idina later stopped working with them well into the run of Wicked and from what I've heard of her towards the end of her run, reverted back to her old habits of singing with improper technique. My step mom says this happens a lot with singers from teens on thru adults mostly because of how people may have sung the wrong way for long periods of time. Usually the deal is its harder to correct bad singing habits the older you get. I'm not saying this is the de facto reason..... but I think it's more of a realistic explanation.
An MBA in vocal performance????
Fuck reading that comment.
@@garygreen3845 Whatever the msaters degree is for vocal performance. I don't know why I put MBA 😆
@@Mrnickstr89 MM
For anyone that’s criticizing her, I’d like to hear you try and belt this even ONCE. People have a lot of confidence to put folks down behind their typing thumbs… but this woman is talented and has a beautiful gift.
I saw her live at the London premier in September 2006, so just a couple of months before this performance, and she sounded phenomenal. She was probably just a combination of tired, emotional, maybe coming down with a cold.... vocal damage doesn't manifest that quickly.
exactly! they chose her worst clip when she performed having strep throat. she was performing continously and she was trying to keep up with the instrumental. People have the audacity to say that the movie one was better even thou it was recorded in the studio
I don’t think it’s vocal damage, I think she was just emotional knowing it’s her last performance
I saw Wicked on Broadway in New York last summer, it was magical how all of the actors seemed born to play each individual role and how it came together perfectly
On her worst day, she's better than I'll ever be. Love you, Idina. 💚
Vocal damage? The 2006 perfomance was amazing!!! Pure emotion, heart and soul.
IDINA IS MY IDOL! I got to meet her last summer and she signed my poster that I made of her. I hope I get to meet her again one day! She was just so sweet! I even got to sing Let It Go with her and other kids. It was just absolutely AMAZING!
Also in reference to vocal damage... I think she's healed since then - but I believe she's taken the route of lowering keys of the songs. She's not a spring chicken anymore. Our voices change SO much throughout our lives, we go through a shift in range around 16-18 give or take, and then again in our early 20's. And it continues on to be a change in your 30's and then 50's.
I experienced a literal shift in my voice around the age of 19, I was taking a voice class and for a good year I was constantly having issues shifting pitches and my voice would crack and I sounded frustratingly bad when I sang. But then around 21 I have this whole new range of vocal pitches and I can control my pitch FAR better than I used to! It's great! lol
she really held that role for 3 years??? wow amazing
Yo she kills it in both. Remember that the camera quality was crap meaning that the audio was also crap. Their was static and in one of her me's the sound went all blurred like it was underwater.
It sounded amazing still and would have been even more amazing in person
WTF was that scream London Glinda.
Val and Brit honestlyyyyyyyyy !!!
I’m gutted that’s what you’ve seen of Glinda in London. I’ve seen it twice here and that’s never happened whilst I’ve been there
West Ends Glindas are always obnoxious
@@iAmMadeOfSoup I think you mean _extra_
Yes she on West end in 2006
Ngl i had goosebumps and got teary eyed watching this whole thing
I havent even seem this musical yet
Love her soooo. 💚💚 I’ve listened to practically every actress sing this song and Idina hands down has the BEST second “It’s Meeeee” as she’s soaring into the sky. Gives me chills every time! And wow, that final
note on her final night in London - incredible!!! I saw her twice as Elphaba on Broadway and once live in concert, and her voice just SOARS and booms through the entire theatre, it goes right through you (in the best way possible), unlike any I’ve ever heard. Many of these recordings don’t even begin to do her justice or capture the intensity, depth, and incredible power of her voice. Even the official Broadway recording, as good and “perfect” as it is, doesn’t do her actual “live” voice justice. And thanks for adding the Bonus at the end - stunning! Her vibrato really shines in the lower key. Love, love, Love!!! 💚🖤💚
Me trying to sing defying gravity with my low alto voice: I think I’ll tryyyy defyyyyyyyyying gravityyyy
My vocal chords: I think I’ll tryyyy defyyyyyying gravityyyyyyyyyyyy
In the 2006 one, she was definitely emotional and was doing her best to not cry, which personally made me cry because of how touching it is. She played that role for YEARS
can someone explain to me why i got so excited when the audience screamed for her in the 2006 one, i woyld have given anything to have been there
Because you are human. I feel that too.
It just sounds like she wants to cry which is reasonable I always cry on closing night in the shows I’m in
I am so happy I had the opportunity to see her live!
I can tell you, forget any type of technical flaws. The emotions in these performances are everything. Makes it so much more elevated. I’m actually crying rn
I didn’t hear that her voice was that damaged. Although the maturity level of her voice changed so much. You can tell that she’s older in a good way. Although I would expect her voice to be quite damaged from all of the work. It’s terrible for your voice to belt like that and she is really pushing on her throat. Maybe eventually she will actually show damage from her overworking of her voice, but she does sound better with time in my opinion.
even on her worst day, she's magnificent.
Class act. The only one criticizing are the ones who have never done it.
Idina: AHHHHHHHHGHGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
everyone: *AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHFHIEOHEAOIHBEFOHQAEOUB*
one day I was stumbling along UA-cam and I started to watch clips of Idina Menzel for no good reason at all. I used to listen to the wicked soundtrack on CD when I was about 8, and so I figured I might as well just watch some videos to see how she is as a person. AND LOW AND BEHOLD…. my eyes were opened up. I haven’t no clue what took me so long to realize how truly INCREDIBLE AND TALENTED Idina is. Like I am talking INCREDIBLE. She seems like such a genuine, down to earth kind of gal and I really admire that! I guess the only songs I was super familiar with was Popular, and one short day. Until I decided to listen to this song called: DEFYING GRAVITY. And oh do I tell you, this song literally has CHANGED MY LIFE. It has given me hope, when I am in the midst of darkness. It gives me strength to continue on, no matter how cruel life gets. Defying Gravity really taught me well, but FOR GOOD oh my gosh I can’t even describe the emotions I felt when first listening to it. First of all, I have watched about every single UA-cam video out there of Idina and Kristin singing for good, and no matter what video it is I always end up BAWLING!!😭😭 that song is so important to me and I hold it in a very special place. It has taught me to cherish your relationships because you never know what’s gonna happen in life. I guess I just want to thank god for putting Idina Menzel on this earth. 🙏✝️She has been such an inspiration for me and I know for millions of others. She is the type of person we need more of in this world. IDINA I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!🤟🏻🤟🏻💗💗
Vocal damage? I actually thought she improved from the first and last.
Just wait until frozen. Disney did her dirty
2006 one gave me goosebumps and damn I wanna cry...LOVE HER! No one can play Elphaba like she can! #queen
Or MAYBE She just got 15 years older
?
She aged 15 years in 3 years yeah?
@@Kirsty_Leanne i think they were talking abt the 2017 one lol
Willemijn Verkaik played the show for over 10 years and she didn't fuck up her voice she only got better.
Poor Idina, she gained a lot of vocal damage from these performances. When she sings Frozen and Frozen 2 songs live now, she always has to lower the key because she isn’t able to comfortably hit those notes like she used to. “Into the Unknown” also is composed of some E5’s which, Idina admitted, Disney caught her on a good day that she was able to sing those notes.
it makes sense, at the end she feels love so she controls the wind and ice
I love idina, but of course singing like this will cause damage much earlier than a classical voice. Many classical singers can still sing into their 70’s and above! I hope she doesn’t have any damage. She’s wonderful.
Brianna Finnell look at Julie Andrews. she was such a great singer. and still is to me. I believe she will be just fine
@@macecrawford2860 Julie's vocal cords were mangled by an inept doctor. She was actually working 8 shows a week well into her 50s (she was in Victor Victoria before the surgery).
What is the difference between this and classical singing? I always thought singing was just singing.
Inazarab there are a lot of different styles and techniques. Even in other cultures they sing differently.
When I saw wicked in the us tour a couple months ago, elphaba was played by the wonderful Olivia Polci. I was actually kinda sad bc i thought it would be Jessica vosk, but Olivia was really brillant, she's was understudy for elphaba. I'm really glad that she's my first elphaba bc she was absolutely amazing. There's not a lot of videos of her bc she's kind of lowkey undiscovered, but she deserves to be as legendary as jessica vosk or Idina
I saw Jessica she was just... wow I can’t even describe it
I mean if she still sang it in the original key we'd have a better comparison
Wickedly Gravitational not really. You can hear the strain as she ascends on certain notes.
Marcus Cameron agreed for sure! Better comparison though ...
its the same key
The first two were. The last one is a bit lower. Just sing along with each one and you can tell.
She isn’t straining. But she doesn’t want to over push herself. Voices change and she knew what her change was. She no longer has a soprano range and she knows that so therefore she doesn’t sing in the original key.
She was definitely fighting the urge to cry in the last one so that's one reason
The crowd screaming in 2006 sounded HORRIFYING
My gosh, you can hear just how happy and exhilerated she is in the first one, flying over everyone and hearing everyone applaud for her, and maybe it's just me but I feel like I can feel the orchestra's playing radiating pure joy, like everyone's waited for this one moment the entire production.
Tell them how *I* am defying gravity, I’m flying *HIGH* defying gravity
I was at the performance 30th may 2006 and she was amazing - and amazingly emotional. As were most of the audience
I don't think she had bad vocals on last one I think it was the audio broken
the camera quality really said, ¨SO IF YOU CARE TO FIND ME LOOK TO THE WESTERN SKY¨
imagine actually seeing the last ever menzel elphaba performance, imagine
I love Idina so much. And singing those notes would probably hurt eventually but she was probably crying or holding back tears during her last performance
She was/is on fire during singing DG. She puts her sowl, heart and power in her performance and in her singing. That's why i love her. You can say whatever you want - Menzel will forever be the Elphaba, who started it all and who lit the stage on fire during every performance. Love her.
You can clearly hear her fighting back the tears in the last performance
Something to think about in the bonus 2017 clip. She has aged 14 years from that 2003 opening since then. And she’s spent years singing. She still sounds phenomenal, and there might be “some” extra wear on her voice because of her role as Elphaba. But part of it is also just the natural aging and use of her vocal chords. She still sounds phenomenal either way. But I’m sure seeing her live in 2003-2006 would’ve been unbelievable
absolutely agreed. she might sound a little different but surely not worse and DEFINITELY not bad, not in any capacity. and to further back that up, she delivered performances of another one of her most iconic roles (elsa) in the 2010s and not a soul looked at that and said “hmm, not quite how she sounded as elphaba…”, she still sounded so incredible in both the first and second movie
She’s gotten to be some iconic characters, Elphaba, Gothel and Elsa!
I saw her last performance and I actually cried that the last note, it was electrifying!! Idina is such a talented singer and it was a amazing experience for me. Love her will all my heart ❤
5 nights a week people… 5 nights a week doing this shit flawless
Idina was definitely not the best Elphaba to have graced the stage of Wicked. That being said, she was a fantastic original Wicked Witch and definitely left a high standard especially when the actual character of Elphaba is taken into account. So while she might not have been the best vocally, I think she fully embodied Elphie and is arguably the best actor to have taken Wicked’s stage.
Exactly there's more to performing in a musical than just singing, you also need to be an incredible actor, which Idina was/is. While she isn't the best Elphaba vocally, she's probably the best performance wise and in her passion for the role.
I saw her right at the beginning of her run and she was by far the best Elphaba. I saw her about 6 months later and the deterioration was stunning. I also saw her in Rent before that and her voice sounded bionic she was so good. She obviously developed some bad habits and sang with a lot of tension. I don't think she ever really recovered.
PeterButterSings i agree! She’s not the best (alice fearn willemijn verkaik and rachel tucker are in my personal opinion) but I have a lot of respect for her passion and how she essentially shaped the part of elphie. She’ll always be the original one
I think she was amazing, but my personal favorite is Jackie Burns. I could be bias though, I saw it with her.
Isha Mehta Jackie Burns kicked Idina's ass in Wicked, and she kicked her ass in If/Then
She may not be the first vocally, but she became excellent at acting. I felt nothing during her first except the utter feeling of how Defying Gravity hits you. In the last one, she has so much emotion in her voice, her eyes, and everything.
I thought that her performance at the 2019 wicked anniversary thing was absolutely horrible compared to what it sounded like before. But she's getting older and I guess that's to be expected.
This is definitely a hot take but I love Idina’s tone. I know it’s shrill, and nasally at times, but something about that absolutely fits the witch character. Especially with the way she moves her hands and eyes, her vocal mishaps take a backseat to her portrayal, and that’s why she’s my Elphaba!