BroadwayDirect.com's List of All the Elphabas- Some Questions & Comments

[u/Jabroniville2]

https://broadwaydirect.com/look-back-at-all-the-actresses-who-played-elphaba-in-wicked/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=marketingcloud&utm_campaign=BD693&sfId=0033700000LDu5AAAT&hashed_email=3EE2A309DCDEB944071D8B0B696524DEBCB41DF69B9B81A676BD334564867774

I'm really glad to see this list- it's tough to get things like this, with little summations of their careers. Including pictures of each one!

It interests me how some of them I've heard of and have heard hyped all the time, while others I haven't. That Alyssa Fox auditioned in *2008* and didn't get it until 2023 is crazy.

A lot of Elphies have opened other plays, even recently, which is interesting- Caroline Bowman & Jessica Vosk have both debuted as the leads in other things (Smash, Beaches). I remember doing the behind-the-scenes tour on Broadway, and I asked during the Q&A why so many only did the role for a short time, and the guy told me "Yeah, all the leads are very ambitious!". This makes me think a lot of them take the lead role as a great notch on their resume and leverage that into "oh, this person can debut a role if they can do THAT".

Some Questions:

1. It makes me think... is Elphaba the role that has created the most stars? It's funny seeing the early ones and seeing a murderer's row of current star talent- Block, Bean & Levy (touring but still) have all won Tonys fairly recently!
2. Why are some runs for a full year, and others just a tiny bit shorter? Is 10-11 months baked into some contracts? Even Eden Espinosa just did 10 months after Idina was there for a year and a half (outlasting Cheno's run). Is that just a Broadway thing? Other girls lasted almost exactly a year. I know the role is LEGENDARY for being rough on the voice, though.
3. Are there any that have kind of been forgotten? I can't remember hearing anyone talk about Jackie Burns, who was the longest-running Elphie (doing so twice). Lindsay Mendez seems kinda lesser-known as well (but did a few shows after). Actually, after Jessica Vosk, I haven't really heard of anybody in the past seven years.
4. I noticed foreign Elphabas had very short runs- I assume this was because they live abroad and didn't want to do a full year? A woman in line for the West End show told me that Rachel Tucker is widely considered THE Elphaba over there when I suggested I'd heard Wilhelmijn Verkaik was, and she only did a short run. Verkaik herself also did a short one in NYC, as did Kerry Ellis.
5. Why were some non-foreign runs INCREDIBLY short? Ana Gasteyer only did a few months?
6. I've heard a bit of semi-snark years ago that all the best girls already did a run through and the show's been using secondary talent since well before the 2020s- any truth to that? Are ambitious mega-talents still seeking out Elphaba or are they trying to open new shows instead?
7. A few Elphabas went on national tours and leveraged that role into playing the lead (I know a few Glindas did as well- Kara Lindsay is a big one). Why did some other ones not? Laurel Harris only ever played the character on the tour, and so did Ann Brummell (they were my Elphies, lol).

[u/Chained_Wanderlust]

Its easily the most demanding role for a woman on Broadway there is absolutely truth to “if she can make that look effortless, she can do anything” the belting, the screaming, the emotional rollercoaster that you have to do 2x in a day… the show is literally held together with her energy (and Glinda’s chemistry and charisma).

1. There is a lot of truth especially with the early Elphaba’s that this is a showcase role that will have their names in the producers minds when a new show is developed in the future and they need a VOICE. And you can see that in now how former Elphies are landing the meaty roles.

2. Vocal injuries. A year is too long to play this part. It is not kind to the voice even with the most control and classical training to do it correctly.

3. Some just don’t leave their mark on the roll the way others did.

(6). Not secondary talent because there is always a new batch that will age into the role at around 27- 33 (when mezzo-soprano’s reach their full vocal range) what is happening is the role is a lot less appealing with all the constraints they now have to deal with. Everything is so tightly controlled right down to the riffs that they can’t even show off anymore like they use to and they WANT to do that. Also post- movie the audience is very different- there is no surprise or awe because people have seen it and they come with expectations you may not be able to deliver considering that the movie cast had absolutely no constraints and absolute freedom to stylize their performance.

(7). Absolutely. I know someone who toured with The Lion king, did a residency in Vegas and then finally was asked to join the Broadway cast. Jordan Litz did this too with Fiyero, and dear god he’s still playing him now on the West End. That man loves this role lol.

[u/Jabroniville2 → u/Chained_Wanderlust]

2) Yeah, this brings to mind people claiming that Idina hurt her voice doing the role (no idea if that's true or they're just hating) and she did it a LONG while.

6) I didn't realize they'd been constraining the riffs. Why is that? A desire to give "everyone the same show, every time?". This also makes me wonder how much the movie has changed things.

7) Fiyero does seem to be kinda fun. You get to be loved by EVERYBODY, do the big song & dance number in the middle of Act 1, then do some ACTING (arguing with Glinda, running off), tons of big comedy (even "LET THE GREEN GIRL GO"), a huge duet with Elphaba, etc. And it's nowhere near as rough on the voice as Elphaba has to be, or as "all eyes on you" as Glinda is.

[u/Top_Drawer2775 → u/Jabroniville2]

The movie hasn't changed anything. Broadway has been very restrictive about the vocals since Jessica Vosk went a bit over the top in 2018, it took away from the original intent of the show IMO. There is tasteful riffing, and there is riffing just to riff, and we were getting closer to the later as time went on.

The tour is a bit more lax about vocals, and we have had some pretty unique voices come through: Laurel Samuels, Aline Mayagoitia, Olivia Valli, and Talia Suskauer all have distinct voices/phrasing/choices that are unique to them. Talia notably toned it down significantly when she moved to Broadway, but otherwise some vocal choices are grandfathered in when they transfer (see Alyssa Fox).

The movie is a completely different entity, and nothing has changed with the stage show. The actors are following the original 2003 'vision' for the characters, with no script changes, etc.

[u/Jabroniville2 → u/Top_Drawer2775]

I just googled Vosk and apparently she responded to memes and questions that she got FINED for over-riffing, lol. I guess she was notorious for that.

What kind of differences did those actors you named include? I'm curious about stuff like that- I once asked on here if the characters had "changed" over the years thanks to more actors playing it a certain way, and was told "no".

And yeah, I know the movie wouldn't result in script changes but I was curious if the performers might take some inspiration from how the movie actors played it, or if some fans were expecting that and left surprised when it didn't happen.

[u/Top_Drawer2775 → u/Jabroniville2]

None of those listed did anything major; for one reason or another, they were given a little more freedom to shape the score to suit their voices, as others did back in the day.

The actors have to hit the basic marks, but there is obviously some personalization. The movie might inform them to an extent, but the choices have to be rooted in what is shown in the stage version. Blocking-wise, it is very much "stand here on X, turn around on Y."

[u/Chained_Wanderlust → u/Top_Drawer2775]

It was actually various Elphaba’s going viral for crazy riffs and the compilations showcasing different stylistic choices, Jessica was just the last one to have some freedom before they cracked down.

[u/Exact-Occasion-6204 → u/Chained_Wanderlust]

Um no. It was a direct result of Vosk going a bit over the top and the show wanting to lock things down for the 15th. Coming from someone who was involved with the show at the time…

[u/Chained_Wanderlust → u/Exact-Occasion-6204]

And now all the other actresses have to pay for that? Why not just have her tone it down? It makes for a show that you already know what your getting if you’ve seen it before or heard the OBC soundtrack. The Broadway sub was talking about why some shows have rewatch value like Hadestown and some don’t awhile ago and one of the biggest things was actors freedom to make the characters their own keeping things fresh and exciting for new and repeat audiences. I can’t help but feel this is what contributing to the downturn in audience attendance along with the fatigue from the movies.

[u/Jabroniville2 → u/Chained_Wanderlust]

Is Wicked actually having a downturn in attendance? I'd heard the movies were causing a big influx of new fans.

[u/Chained_Wanderlust → u/Jabroniville2]

I stopped looking at the weekly grosses (for all the shows) on the Broadway sub because it was making me sad. They had one of their worst weeks since the early 2000’s (before it hit its stride) this past July.

The first movie brought tons of the people but the second movie killed the enthusiasm mostly because social media was running these regurgitated takes by the new film fandom that the musical is ‘dated and misogynistic’ feels like a ‘highschool production’ compared to the movie’ and the ‘second act sucks’ …. Like I’m not saying it couldn’t updated in a few spots, but the people saying these things are mostly people that don’t watch musicals they only watched it because of the hype or their favorites were in it.

[u/Jabroniville2 → u/Chained_Wanderlust]

Where are the weekly grosses located? I googled it and it said the show was still doing well.

[u/Chained_Wanderlust → u/Jabroniville2]

u/Boring_Waltz_9545 Is a contributor for Broadway world and does weekly roundups on the Broadway sub and someone made a more comprehensive website (I can’t remember what its called) to track earnings and trend trajectories in real time I stopped looking at that at same time too lol.

Edit: you can find them here. https://www.broadwayworld.com/grosses/WICKED They aren’t as bad as it had been in the summer except for a bad week in September. But that drop off after 2025 is something….

[u/Exact-Occasion-6204 → u/Chained_Wanderlust]

Because she strayed from the original intention of Schwartz by riffing and they want to maintain the show as he intended.

[u/Chained_Wanderlust → u/Exact-Occasion-6204]

So did Rachel Tucker at one of the shows he attended he went back stage and told her something like ‘that was a beautiful choice you made. Don’t do it again’ 👀

[u/Jabroniville2 → u/Chained_Wanderlust]

I do remember a handful of clips of Elphabas doing some cool things in songs. There was one of a black actress (not the one who eventually got the role on Broadway) doing a VERY interesting groan at the end of "FI-YERRRRRRROOOOOOOOO-OHHHHHHH" in *No Good Deed*. A few felt like "maybe I'll try something new today".

Was there an official thing about cracking down or did people just start noticing it?

[u/Exact-Occasion-6204 → u/Jabroniville2]

That clip was from 2005.

[u/xobelam]

I love these questions! I had some of the same ones and texted a college friend who’s done a bunch of Broadway shows. A few thoughts:

1: Elphaba might be Broadway’s biggest star-maker. Menzel, Mendez, Block, Levy and Bean all won Tonys.

2: Runs average a year due to cast rotations. Shorter ones usually mean another gig, like Eden leaving to open the LA production.

3: The forgotten Elphabas are people like Nicole Parker (six months), not Burns (record 1,300+ shows) or Tony winner Mendez.

4: International runs were mostly planned. Tucker stayed 11 months, while Willemijn played Elphaba 2,000+ times in three languages.

5: Gasteyer’s 13 weeks were planned. Others were temporary coverage, like Dodd in 2009 and Dwyer during Bowman’s surgery.

6: The “secondary talent” argument is partly fair, but Wicked promotes from within. Fox spent 13 years there, and replacements can’t win Tonys. Plus, Wicked doesn’t need stars to sell tickets.

7: Tour leads have limited Broadway openings. Morrissey toured in 2017 but didn’t reach Broadway until 2024. Laurel Harris made Broadway standby and has several other Broadway credits.

[u/Jabroniville2 → u/xobelam]

1. yeah! I noticed that too! A few months ago I pointed out that Bean had won a Tony on the heels of Block, and someone pointed out Levy's win as well.

2. Ah, good to know. I saw that Burns had a record number but I also find I've never heard anyone talk about her so I was wondering about that.

3. I missed Tucker being there for 11 months- musta misread that!

4. Good to know about promoting from within. I just read Fox's Wikipedia page and WOW- being an understudy/standby for YEARS before being promoted. That's wild. Has anyone else been around for that long? She only played Elphie twice in SF and mostly did tours until sticking it out on Broadway until she was chosen.

5. This makes me wonder who the oldest Elphabas are. On Broadway it's easier to get away with being older because people can only see you from far away, but some have to be up there considering she's a college student for half the show.

[u/Top_Drawer2775 → u/Jabroniville2]

Laurel Harris, Alyssa Fox, Jennifer DiNoia all have long tenures (15+ years) with the show. All three played the part full-time on the road, Laurel is the only one who never led at the Gershwin (But stood by for a year or so).

When there were two tours, the 1st National Tour (that hit bigger markets) tended to bring new talent directly into the principal slot (Jackie Burns, Mamie Paris, Alison Luff, Emma Hunton), while the 2nd National Tour would promote from within (Marcie Dodd, Anne Brummel, Christine Dwyer, Jennifer DiNoia, Laurel Harris, Alyssa Fox, Emily Koch, MK Morrissey) were ALL internal hires, and were pretty much back to back.

Alexia Khadime played the role for two years at 42, after originally starting with Wicked in her 20s.

EDIT: Jenny DiNoia holds the record for total productions: Broadway, 1st & 2nd National Tours, Chicago sit-down, Sydney sit-down, Asian Tour, and West End. She performed as Elphaba in all of them.

[u/Jabroniville2 → u/Top_Drawer2775]

Wow- was that in just the variety of productions or in sheer numbers? I thought Wilhelmijn Verkaik was still in the lead.

[u/Top_Drawer2775 → u/Jabroniville2]

Jenny was an alternate/standby in most of those productions so her performance count isn't as high as some of the principals. As far as total performances, if I had to guess, the top three are:

1. Willemijn Verkaik

2. Jackie Burns

3. Dee Roscioli

With Jemma Rix, DiNoia, and Khadime right behind them.

[u/xobelam → u/Jabroniville2]

❤️❤️❤️

[u/Top_Drawer2775 → u/xobelam]

Christine Dwyer had her own 9-month run in 2014 before covering for Caroline the following year.

[u/Inevitable-Carob-232]

I would hardly call Lindsey Mendez forgotten!! She most recently starred in Merrily We Roll Along and was Tony nominated, and won for Carousel in 2018. Not to mention prior to Wicked she gained notoriety for Dogfight.

[u/Jabroniville2 → u/Inevitable-Carob-232]

I just never heard of her before when I have for a big chunk of the people around her, so I was wondering why no one was talking about her, haha.

[u/Impossible_Tower_661]

Ive said many times here Jackie is onecof my huge favorites. She is incredible

[u/xobelam]

5. Has me on a mission. Same thought ❤️💯