June 3, 2008 - Chicago
Lisa Brescia, Annaleigh Ashford, Kristoffer Cusick
What:
"And just look at you, you can do all I couldn't do... Glinda..."
How Come:
IT IS THEIR FIRST PERFORMANCE WITH THE COMPANY AND THESE TWO CAME OUT SWINGING
just.
the way the space between them feels like a chasm a thousand miles wide until Elphie covers the distance, because Glinda Won't, Glinda Can't, Glinda Doesn't Deserve To?
the way Elphie tenderly reaches for Glinda's face to cheer her up when she's devastated?
the way her touch lingers even as she pulls away?
the way Glinda REACHES OUT as though to keep Elphie there, but she can't, it's too late, and she can't hold her back
so the way Glinda instead REACHES UP to TOUCH HER OWN CHEEK after Elphie's hand is gone, as though to PRESS IN THE FEELING AND KEEP IT?
I've sad it before and I'll say it again: NO ONE does gay Glinda like Annaleigh does Gay Glinda, because she is the CEO of Yearning Incorporated
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usually, when Glinda says "He just-- he loves her," she kneels down and she takes Fiyero's hand, to show that she forgives him, that she understands him, that they're The Same
but the way Kendra plays it on this night, it's like she's so mad at herself and overcome with guilt that she can't even bear to look at him
and so HE reaches out and takes HER hand instead, to comfort HER
WHEN HE IS ABOUT TO BE BEATEN TO DEATH
she still can't bring herself to meet his eyes and all he does is gaze back at her, steady and intense and sure
it's such a fabulous distinctive flavor for the scene
well! the INCREDIBLY short version is that in his critical work Camera Lucida, Roland Barthes talks about how a photograph can be broken into two things: the studium -- aka the text and context, the STUFF of it, everything that makes it understandable as itself -- and the punctum: the wounding detail that gets you in the chest and makes it personal
in my ongoing efforts to watch an ungodly number of Wicked bootlegs, I'm going to be posting just ONE detail from every production I see. not necessarily my favorite thing, or the most important thing, but a tiny memorable OOMPH that will stick with me.
(I may at times cheat but JUST PICK ONE is truly the goal here)
so today, we start at the beginning:
October 12, 2003 - Broadway Previews.
Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth, Norbert Leo Butz
What:
"Elphaba. It's not lying. It's looking at things... another way."
How come:
Look, it is HARD to play Fiyero. You've gotta thread the needle of being charming and funny and a little vapid without coming off like an asshole, while also having good chemistry with often diametrically opposite leading women. It's a tall task, and I think a lot of Fiyeros get around it by being, well... almost painfully earnest. Especially in act 2, especially in this scene. But the problem with responding to Elphaba's "I wish I could be beautiful for you" by saying "it's looking at things another way" SWEETLY is that you're then giving her that ground and reinforcing her whole "I'm not like other girls I am uniquely wrong and bad" brainworms.
and what's wild is that Norbert did NOT THAT AT ALL, but the precedent has been completely lost to time
he's sharp with her-- "Elphaba," -- then makes her look at him only to not admonish her (despite his palpable frustration) but instead frame her like art, his voice going soft and goofy as he says the next line because
crucially
he's not actually indulging in her insecurities at all. he's trying to make her laugh and snap her out of them.
in my other Norbert boot he says "looking at things another way" even jokier than he does here, but this first time was like, almost breathtaking for me because it was so different from what I expected. he's GOOD for her. and after he DOES make her giggle, he squeezes her shoulder to show her just how much he means it.
January 25, 2009 - Chicago [closing night]
Dee Roscioli, Annaleigh Ashord, Kristoffer Cusick
What:
lol nope this is another one where I have to cheat, because Dee deserves her flowers. I'm gonna take you through her absolute MONSTER of a performance (yet another of Dee's Last, but still not her Last Last lmao) and give multiple highlights, of course featuring magnificent Annaleigh choices too (her REAL LAST)
I'll start with the microexpression Dee does at "Wizard wisdom" where she's like "ugh that was a dumb thing to say FORGET IT WHATEVER MOVING ON" because I love it:
I love when Elphies judge themselves in that moment, it delights me
I'm not gonna do a full breakdown of Popular because y'all've seen that before from me but just Trust It's Good
BUT
at the END of Popular
we have to talk about this "Why Miss Elphaba, look at you--you're beautiful" LOOK LOOK LOOK:
the gay-ass way Annaleigh pets her head and sweeps her hair back
the way how at "you're beautiful" Dee blinks and puts the mirror down like she's gonna start and argument because Wait What
the way NOPE NOPE NOPE Annaleigh isn't gonna even countenance that and lifts the mirror back up
because NO ELPHIE NOW IS NOT ARGUE WITH ME TIME NOW IS APPRECIATE HOW BEAUTIFUL YOU ARE TIME
but never fear, Dee is equal-opportunity in her chemistry and she goes all out with Fiyero too, doing a completely ridiculous jazz hands presentation of "I don't cause commotions, I am one" like she's seeing her name in lights on a marquee:
and then she looks back at him like AM I TOO SPICY AM I TOO MUCH HAVE I ALIENATED YOU YET and like
no baby you haven't you aren't even actually that extra tbh
then she makes this lovely little choice in INTG where--
okay so it's in the BLOCKING that in the musical breakdown before the last verse, Elphie goes to hide from the rain AND from Galinda and Fiyero, and there's a moment where he looks down because he sees her and she hides. that always happens. it's in time with the music, it's a whole thing.
but then Dee dares to look AGAIN after that, during "Don't wish, don't start:"
-- and the way she does it breaks up the phrase and illustrates it beautifully, how she's admonishing herself BECAUSE she can feel the way she's giving in to her impulses and fantasies
but it's fine don't take her too seriously, she does the DORKIEST MOVE OF ALL TIME after "He asked for me? Personally?" where she takes a second to pump her fist in triumph:
and we're almost out of this scene sequence i promise BUT there's one more thing I have to shout out
which is the way she goes "hey Fiyero you forgot your flowers" after he runs away like she's so sure they can't be for her she goes to give them back on reflex:
ELPHABA YOU ABSOLUTE WALNUT
okay now if i could only have picked ONE punctum (which lol that was never gonna happen with this one but let's say for argument's sake i wasn't cheating) it would be this
it would be the way Glinda so VERY BADLY and VERY OBVIOUSLY wants to be kissed during Defying (Dee-fying) Gravity:
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A WOMAN WHO IS ASKING MORE PLAINLY TO BE KISSED ON THE MOUTH THAN THIS WOMAN IN THIS MOMENT
Annaleigh does several other extremely tender face touches in this scene but this opening salvo is really Something Else like. my god.
okay no i have to show you how she ends it too:
all you ever wanted, she says, picking up Elphaba's chin with the very tips of her fingers
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING MORE ROMANTIC????
and Dee is in fact a perfect scene partner here by giving her Absolutely Nothing, because they are NOT on the same page, Elphie's having a political awakening sorry Glinda
and it's an instinct she doubles down on during their reunion, when Annaleigh goes for the face touch AGAIN but instead of returning it when she reaches up, Dee just touches her tiara like "girl what the hell is THIS:"
Dee you are the funniest bitch alive i love you SO much
I do have to give Annaleigh in particular props for one more moment in which SHE was the funniest bitch alive, though, which is that after Fiyero swings in she turns around to look at the vine like "wait where the fuck did that even come from since when do corn fields have vines:"
ANNALEIGH YOU'RE KILLING ME
and listen you know I wasn't gonna make it this far without showing you the end of their For Good:
HAND KISS. WEIRD CHIN BOOP. MAKING EACH OTHER SOBLAUGH. DEE RECIPROCAL FACE TOUCH AFTER NOT DOING THEM SO LONG.
May 23, 2006 - 1st National Tour
Julia Murney, Kendra Kassebaum, Kyle McDaniel (u/s)
What:
[Elphie goes in for a second kiss before leaving Fiyero]
How come:
I've never seen anyone but Julia do this and it RULES. GET IT GIRL.
Like on the one shallow hand it is just thirsty as hell and you know I respect that, but also -- on a deeper level -- it just shows that she truly believes everything is For The Last Time. she's desperate and frightened and she's got to grab every last bit of happiness while she can because it's limited
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December 12, 2009 - Broadway
Julie Reiber (s/b), Erin Mackey, Kevin Kern
What:
[the girls point and wave right at the master during OSD]
How Come:
this is so fucking funny they are legends for this
Julie was preoccupied with the filming the whole show -- she caught it early and was looking into the camera (and then pretending she didn't) as early as Wizard and I
the thing is, Elphaba's basically never offstage in Act 1 and the few times she is, Galinda is ON stage
so like. I obviously have no proof but I like to think that when they ran off for their quick change right before this Julie used their twelve seconds to tell Erin what was happening and propose this cheeky little plan
June 15, 2008 - Broadway (SJB's last)
Stephanie J Block, Kendra Kassebaum, Michael Burnham
okay the next two are mirrors of each other and they HAVE to be video because if you don't hear the delivery you're missing The Whole Thing so
What:
"Well? Are you coming?"
How come:
okay so. this is like an ALL TIME performance, this woman is one of the best to ever do it and she was gonna go out giving ALL of her
and her chemistry with Kendra all through Defying Gravity is just -- electric, elated, breathless and joyful and pure
and then we get to this moment, and there's NEVER a hand grab in this moment, what people are and are not allowed to do here is about as prescripted as Wicked gets but IT'S STEPHANIE'S LAST NIGHT WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO, FIRE HER?
May 8, 2008 - Broadway
Stephanie J Block, Annaleigh Ashford, David Burnham
What:
How To Touch Your Elphie
a visual guide by Annaleigh Ashford
lmao yes okay IT'S TIME FOR MORE CHEATING
honestly the real cheat here isn't how much I'm including from this show, but rather how many these are things Annaleigh P MUCH ALWAYS DOES (rather than just doing on this one night) and that's why I want to spotlight them
but Annaleigh is an S-tier Glinda and therefore Needs Must
because the thing is she is SO DELIBERATE about how and when she touches Elphaba, and her choices are deeply distinctive and also excellent
the first and possibly still my favorite example is the way she reaches for Elphie's hand in Dancing Through Life. I have never once seen Annaleigh just fuckin. grab Elphie's hand like a normal person. instead she always reaches for her elbow and then sliiiiides her hand down til their palms meet:
girl what the fuck.
what the fuck, girl.
then we get into the Thing annaleigh's galinda has about Elphie's hair.
I've written before about how taken I am with the way she plays the progression of this, and like. after she takes the hair out of the braid she goes for it CONSTANTLY. there's even a moment before she puts the flower in where she goes to pet her and then STOPS HERSELF because OH WAIT IS THAT WEIRD and then ends up sort of stroking the air in front of Steph's face instead LIKE THAT'S MORE NORMAL:
like all things about Annaleigh's g(a)linda, the touches swing from achingly tender to broadly comic in a heartbeat. look at the way she delicately traces shapes on the back of Elphie's hand, cradles it to her heart and then switches into GOOFBALL MODE because she felt too vulnerable:
but it's okay, Galinda, when you're upset you can just use Elohie's hair as your comfort object:
and if that doesn't work no worries just TOUCH IT MORE:
GIRL CAN'T EVEN GIVE A HUG WITHOUT ALSO PETTING HAIR ABOUT IT:
but like.
beyond the Hair the truly big thing is the Hand Offer™️
she first does it in One Short Day during "two best friends," showing Elphaba she's there for her but letting Elphaba have the final say in whether they touch:
but from then on, it's their THING
they do it (and so much more) in Defying Gravity:
she somehow fits it into the freaking REUNION HUG in the midst of giving us everything we could ever want, seriously girl are you pressing a finger into her dimple or wiping away a tear I CANNOT TELL I JUST KNOW I LOVE IT:
and it's a trick so nice she does it TWICE in For Good:
because it's their thingggggggg it's what they've always doneeeee no matter how the years pass
