Is Idina Menzel the worst Tony winner of all time?

She’s certainly no Adele Dazeem.

I think she acts the songs quite well, until spots like the end of Defying Gravity where she gets into her Ethel Merman register, which allows no subtlety (for either diva). I think she does I'm Not that Girl better than anyone else I've seen. Certainly better than Erivo, who didn't seem to understand half the lyrics in the show.

There have been many worse Tony winners.

She comes off much better in person.

It was a weird set of nominees in a weird year. You couldn’t give it to Chenoweth over her. The Avenue Q woman had no prayer. Murphy had won twice. And no way were they going to give it to Tonya Pinkins, who gave one of the best performances I’ve seen on Broadway.

OP = Cynthia Erivo

Hi Kristin! Taking a break from botox appointments?

I think Menzel got the part because she was popular with younger theatre fans having originated Maureen in Rent and been a popular replacement to Sherie Rene Scott in Aida (who had been her original replacement in Rent, much to the chagrin of taste-free Rent Heads.)

Menzel is a good naturalistic actress (rare in musical theatre) and very beautiful in a way that appealed to young girls, who have always been Wicked’s target demo, but she was always white-knuckling it through the biggest and highest parts of the score.

Stephanie J Block sang the score with much more ease albeit with a more “musical theatre” sound and then standbys like Eden Espinosa and Shoshana Bean were regularly taking optional high notes and inserting some of the yassified American Idol riffs that have become standard to the part now.

OP=Taye Diggs

Jesus Christ, I give so much of myself to you guys and THIS is the thanks I get?

Give em love and what does it get you?

What does it get you?!???

No, Bernadette Peters is for Annie, Get Your Gun.

Carolee Carmello should have won that year for the most thrilling performance I ever did see (Parade).

Idina, is she?

R9, I love Bernadette, but the fact that Reba turned out to be once-in-a-generation theatre magic in the part makes that Tony feel especially mis-awarded.

I like her Elphaba a lot, though I'm sure part of that is because she's on the original recording and that's how I first heard the music. I will say her Florence in Chess in Concert is the worst I've ever heard and I've listened to just about every version of that cursed show

Oh, dear.

People forget that Bernadette was actually well received for Annie and Reba didn’t come until over a year into the run.

One could argue Bernadette turned around and did the same thing with CZJ and A Little Night Music.

Menzel would have been my 5th choice of the 5 nominees. Bland, couldn’t handle the score. The audio engineers worked some kind of voodoo magic to get to her to sound the way she does on the cast recording.

LaChanze in The Color Purple a couple years later won the Tony and then was eclipsed but a perfectly parted Fantasia Burrino (though she was such an erratic hot mess it was basically even odds you’d see her if you bought tickets) and then Erivo gave such a star-making performance in the revival ten years later that I don’t think anyone even thinks of LaChanze in the part anymore.

A plastic fork.

I thought (and think) Idina is great and her Defying Gravity is phenomenal. IMHO.

Idina damaged her voice while performing in Wicked. Her voice was never the same again.

It is widely considered that Broadway Elphabas often put a significant strain on their voices due to the demanding nature of the role in "Wicked," particularly because of the high, sustained belting required in songs like "Defying Gravity," which can lead to vocal damage if not properly managed and performed with good technique.

I'm not sure why they don't pre-record the high, belting passages that Elphaba sings in the show. In Phantom of the Opera, for instance, Christine's high part in the Phantom of the Opera song is lip-synced. Christine tops out at a high E6 in the show, which Ariana Grande coincidentally sings in the Wicked movie.

I grew up with Eden Espinosa (one of the nicest people around, btw). How was her Elphaba? Any good?

She won a Tony for a full performance to be seen in person. Not for bits and pieces from bootlegs on YouTube.

R19- damaged her voice? Years later, she had one of the biggest hit songs of all time in “Let It Go.” That’d a very challenging song and her recording of it is perfection.

r20...

I didn't know I was considered a "rent head", never having heard that phrase before. I do love the movie and the soundtrack. Never had the chance to see it on Broadway, unfortunately.

R23 I no nothing about musical theater. So I feel like my opinion is both uneducated and totally biased, but I think she was pretty great in that clip! (I think?)

She's no me, let's just say.

I remember the orchestra rushed through her Tony performance, so it wasn’t her best.

Remind me if Linda Lavin has ever won a Tony.

[quote]but I think she was pretty great in that clip!

I agree with you, r25.

Of course Linda Lavin won, r28. For Broadway Bound, which is easily discovered if you don’t expect others to spoon feed you.

Then Idina is not the worst Tony Award winner ever. THREAD CLOSED.