Broadway musical talent Idina Menzel made history originating the role of Elphaba in the long-running Broadway show Wicked. It was the best musical project for the American actress to show off her pipes and portray her character’s complexity in a way that captivated audiences and sparked a new generation of musical theater fans. The Daytime Emmy winner explains how “evil and witchy” she was when it came to snagging that career-defining role and it involves an F-bomb.
A Menzel fan account recently shared an Instagram video, with the actress recalling sing “Defying Gravity” for her Wicked callback. But singing the powerful song in the room wasn’t the same as practicing the beloved number at home. As she shared:
Then I got in there and I was singing. I'd practice the really high note and I got to that part where you go ♩You won't bring me down♩And I was singing beautifully the whole time. Then I got to ♩You won't bring me!♩(voice cracks) and I totally choked and I just said the F-word so loud at the top of my lungs!
I can’t blame Idina Menzel for her F-bomb audition moment, considering how frustrated I would be blowing a high note I was able to previously nail during practice. It’s definitely not an easy song to sing. But considering all of the high notes she belted when she made her Broadway debut in the Jonathan Larson musical Rent, (her ongoing role in Frozen) this was clearly just a little audition snag that happens to even the best musical actresses.
One of the best ways to impress casting directors at an audition is to show glimpses of the character you’re auditioning for while being yourself. That’s exactly what Idina Menzel did being “so evil and witchy” when she blew that “Defying Gravity” note:
Then I looked at the accompanist like, ‘Don't you start to play on or cut me off!’ And then I took a breath and I went ♩Me!♩and I just like nailed it. And then, Joe Mantello has said that that's when I got the role because he thought I was so evil and witchy!
That’s seriously the best way to prove you have a “wicked” sense of talent to pull off Elphaba! No one can bring down this highly gifted actress. “Defying Gravity” is an appropriate audition piece because it had such an emotional impact in the stage show and the movie. We see Elphaba demonstrate she’s a force to be reckoned with standing up against The Wizard and being the “Wicked Witch” we know her to be. By not giving up during the audition, you could argue that the Shiz University student role was made for Menzel, who won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical for her Wicked performance.
Because Idina Menzel was incredibly wicked sporting that green and hitting each note with perfection, the talented actress’s career continued to grow after Wicked. Menzel decided to give movies a shot reprising her Broadway debut role in the classic movie musical Rent and lent her voice as Elsa in one of the best Disney princess movies Frozen. Her strong vocals singing “Let It Go” for the animated movie truly became the new “Defying Gravity” for Disney and musical fans. As of now, the Glee actress is headed back to Broadway as the lead in the original musical Redwood about a woman on a path of self-discovery in a redwood tree forest.
Idina Menzel being “so evil and witchy” during her Wicked audition teaches us the importance of showing your unique interpretation of the role while still being yourself. By doing so, you’re showing what makes you the perfect fit for a project and are more than capable of bringing a character to life. Not to mention, the Enchanted actress refused to let one sour note ruin a whole performance. That’s a professional who was born for the role of Elphaba if I do say so myself.
Make sure to watch Menzel’s new musical Redwood hit the Nederlander Theatre stage on February 13th. You also need to add the 2024 movie release of Wicked to your watchlist playing in theaters now.
