April 15th, 2009, Matinee
Elphaba: Dee Roscioli
Glinda: Kendra Kassebaum
Fiyero: Nicholas Dromard
Nessarose: Natalie Daradich
Madame Morrible: Patty Duke
The Wizard: David Garrison
Boq: Eddy Rioseco
Dr. Dillamond: Tom Flynn
Dee: I was very impressed, as I usually am with her. She sounded just like she did in Chicago. You coud tell that she was a bit nervous during TWAI, but she shook it off. I was wondering how her chemistry with Kendra was going to be since they've never performed together, but they were fantastic together. Their voices blended very well, and they played off each other gret, especially during WITF. Right before the flying portion of DG, she had trouble getting into the lift, so she went from "I'm the one you want" straight to "So if you care to find me". Her interaction with Natalie during TWWOTE was surprisingly really good too. Her chemistry with Nicholas during ALAYM was really good and believable, and their voices fit well together. Her NGD was insane, and she did her second 'Fiyero' riff, which I think is brilliant and absolutely love. She was full of energy throughout the entire show and seemed to really enjoy herself.
Kendra: I had high expectations going in, and they were exceeded. She's an incredible performer. I could definitely tell right away that she isn't a soprano, but I actually liked her voice. I loved her Popular a lot. It was different than the other Glindas I've seen, so it was nice to see a different take on things. She wasn't too spazzy and her little squeals throughout the song were funny. She knew how to play into the palm of your hand. She dropped her purse at the end of OSD. I was really impressed with her acting. Considering how long she's been doing this show, she definitely isn't phoning in. She seemed really into the performance. I LOVED her voice during TG. It was so strong and beautiful. I also liked how strong the last not of INTGR was. I'm so happy to have seen her.
Nicholas: Loved. Him. He is probably my favorit Fiyero, I think. His singing and acting were spot on throughout the entire show. I like DTL depending on the actor playing Fiyero, and I wished he would have never stopped singing. His voice is so smooth. I love it. I was impressed with his acting in every scene and song he was in, notably ALAYM and the lion cub scene. His portrayal of Fiyero is perfect to me.
Natalie: I had heard things about her Glinda, but not Nessa, so I was interested to see her. I think she has an absolutely gorgeous voice. I could listen to it forever, and I loved her little...I wouldn't really call it a riff, but for lack of a better word, her "riff" on 'east' at the very end of TWWOTE. I thought she overacted for most of the show, but I guess that's to be expected since she hadn't been on as Nessa since the LA run. However, somethng I really liked that she did was uring TWWOTE. As she's casting her spell on Boq, Elphaba tells her she's pronouncing the words all wrong. All the Nessas I've seen have just ignored Elphaba and kept trying to pronounce the spell, but Natalie looked at Dee, pointed her finger at her and said "No!" before continuing with the spell. I just remember thinking that I really liked that acting choice. Overall, I think Natalie is a good Nessa.
Patty: She got entrance applause, of course. I didn't know she could sing, so that surprised me right off the bat. I had heard she wasn't too amazing, but I think she's really good as Morrible. Her "Wicked Witch" speech was the only thing I wasn't so fond of. I felt like I was listening to a sports announcer or something. But other than that, I really enjoyed watching her. She's an amazing actress, in my opinion, and pretty much perfect for Madame Morrible.
David: I saw David when he was temporarily filling in for Peter Kevoian in Chicago, and I liked him then and I still like him now. He plays more of a silly Wizard, which I like. For once, I actually looked forward to Wonderful. I also remember thinking that he would make a good grandpa, for whatever reason. Good acting, good voice. I was happy.
Eddy: His Boq was different from all the other Boqs I've seen, and I'm not so sure if I liked his portrayal or not. He wasn't a very awkward Boq, in my opinion. He has a good voice, and his acting was fine, but I'm not sure it fit Boq. I just didn't really feel sorry for Boq at all throughout the entire show. But he was very good with Natalie and Dee during TWWOTE, which made for a very strong scene.
Tom: He has a really deep voice, and I ws very surprised when I first heard him talk. He's a good actor, it took me a while to get used to his speaking voice, and his singing voice was deeper than I imagined. I didn't really like his "Baaa", but other than that, he was fine.
I was excited to see Neka as the Witch's Mother again, and to see her on pointe during OSD. She's my favorite Witch's Mother. And it was fun to see Laura Pugliese in the ensemble again.
SD: Eddy signed my playbill and I got a picture with him. Then Patty came out and I met her, but she didn't sign my playbill and my camera was being stupid so I didn't get a picture with her. She is so funny and very nice. Then Neka came out and signed my playbill, and after her, Nicholas came out, signed for two people, and then walked off in the other direction. Fiama came out and signed for some people. As I was waiting for her to get through signing for everyone in front of me, I looked the other way for about 5 seconds, and when I looked back, she was gone. So that was the end of that. Then the securit guard said no one was coming out and took the barricade ropes inside, so everyone left except me and a friend. Shortly after that, Natalie came out, and she was SO nice and took time to actually talk to us. Kendra poked her head out looking for her food, but she said hi. Then Dee came out, and she was really funny and nice and talked with us for about 10 minutes.
