Heidi was good, but she had this weird... It almost sounded like the slightest of southern accents and it was ferociously distracting. She has an amazing voice and she's a fantastic belter, but the accent thingy was annoying.

Faith Prince was extremely different from SRS so the change was kind of jarring and I didn't like her much at first, but after I got used to it I changed my mind. She sings everything way different from SRS, who tended to almost downplay everything (with the strange result that it suddenly became much more interesting), where FP goes completely the opposite and over-exaggerates everything, also with good results.

*gets to see the nat. tour of MP in Denver in March* *is very excited*

Ah, the Ursula bubble. Presumably they came up with it because the costume would get in the way if the actress were to walk on and off like usual. It's rather big, and (for those who've never been a techie) there's always a lot of running back and forth and scenery moving going on quietly backstage. You don't want someone with big costumes (like the tentacles) walking around. So... you put them in a bubble, naturally, and then just roll them on when they have a scene. *shrug* 

Well, since she's still gorgeous with the creepy contour makeup and whatnot, yeah... It works, though, the whole Ursula-as-a-prettyish-diva thing.

My current SRS-related obsession is The Last 5 Years, which is unbelievably sad, and she gets to use her vibrato a lot. *shakes head* I Know the Truth was bad enough, but Still Hurting and See I'm Smiling... Especially the end of See I'm Smiling, with that vibrato... *sobsobsobsob*

Cicily Daniels was, I believe, SRS's understudy. She put rather too much gospel-y sounding stuff into it for my liking, but she's got a decent fanbase.

Idina Menzel was Maureen in the movie Ren, and also the original Elphaba. She has both a decent fanbase (me included) and a rabid fanbase, which is unfortunate (the rabid part). She was like the third or fourth Amneris and she, um, didn't fit the role. At all. She *squeaked* throughout My Strongest Suit. Squeaked! And I'm fairly certain the almost-but-not-quite screaming during the high bits of I Know the Truth were her trying to belt the same way she did as Elphaba, the problem being that Amneris is quite literally *nothing* like Elphie and Aida (the play) is written in an *entirely* different style from Wicked, so the funky belting thingy she was doing does. not. work. for Amneris. /rant

As far as the... less-than-desirable casting for the upcoming Aida movie... You do *not* cast someone who has never acted before (regardless of how many people love her voice) for a part as subtly complex and dynamic as Amneris. It takes very careful handling to keep the transition from self-centered airhead to powerful, competent and aware leader of a country, especially since Amneris isn't even the main character. SRS pulled it off because she's an experienced actress with an amazing voice and amazing talent. Idina at least managed to make the change smooth and believable, even if her voice was horrendously unsuited for the role. Someone who's only qualification is having a nice voice? Not so much.

I have similar concerns for Beyonce's portrayal of Aida (and fingers crossed that they end up casting someone else (though Heather Headley would probably be too much to ask) because it isn't finalized yet...). Again, the character will have to be handled carefully to avoid coming off as overly arrogant and thus making her increasing guilt at her own selfishness and her selflessness towards both Amneris and Nubia itself seem out-of-character and/or awkward. Or, in the opposite direction, making her extremely selfless from the get-go, making her selfishness concerning Radames seem out-of-character and/or awkward.

Radames, too, needs to be properly casted, because he makes a complete 180 through the play, going from arrogant, king-of-the-world soldier set to marry the princess to a man willing to betray his country, his father, and fiancée/princess/best friend to be with a slave, optimally with as little weirdness as possible. This is why I pray for Adam Pascal, who is love. His voice is ammaaaazing and he has pretty hair and eyes.

Personally, so far as "ideal casts" are concerned, I'd go for the OBC for the movie, all the way. Never mind that they're all about ten years older at this point, between Disney's makeup artists and their talent as actors they could pull it off no problem.

*pant pant* 

Saint Ursula. X)

Random TL5Y rambling:

1. Sherie Rene Scott was insanely good in this. She's officially my hero.

2. Norbert Leo Butz was *also* insanely good in this. His range... *shakes head* And he can pull of a falsetto without sounding ridiculous. 

3. I love The Schmuel Song. NLB's hilarious fake accent for Schmuel and the clock were both amusing and wonderful. Especially all the phlegm he was throwing all over the place. And the ending... so sweet. "And shouldn't I want the world to see/The brilliant girl who inspires me?"

4. Climbing Uphill. Just... Climbing Uphill. WORD. That song is EPIC. The almost celtic-y internal monologue thing is love.

5. I'm Still Hurting and See I'm Smiling are probably the saddest songs I have heard in my entire life. No exaggeration. See I'm Smiling especially with it's using the same lines as I Can Do Better Than That from ~four years before ("You, and you, and nothing but you...") so bitterly and especially especially when one figures out that No One Needs to Know chronologically was probably *right before* this scene (the timeline's all convoluted and hard to follow, but in a good way that leads to quite a few Fridge Logic tears).

6. I love the vaguely jazzy piano throughout the piece. And the violin/cello stuff. And... basically, I love the music. It's wonderful.

7. Jason Robert Brown has an excellent sense of rhythm. His lyrics are really (dare I say it?) quirky and interesting, and they convey emotions really well, even without the help of the two excellent actors. Especially in A Miracle Would Happen, Climbing Uphill, Shiksa Goddess, I Can Do Better Than That, and A Summer in Ohio.