Defying Gravity (Royal Variety Performance)

[@dylanseymour1638]

Personally I think that Idina is perfect. She puts in so much emotion! Put yourself in the place of Elphaba at this moment. She has just given up everything she has ever hoped for. Her only friend is turning her back on her and she has just become an enemy of the state. She is alone and scared. Idina plays the part just so well. I think that she is wonderful! And for me, when she is wearing green makeup and wearing that hat she is the most beautiful woman I can imagine existing. I love this vid.

[@isebalee1671]

I also think the same way, she's very charismatic. There's something within her that struck a chord in my heart.

[@thespian302]

Acting wise sure, she’s terrible as singing this song though.

[@DHernandez5]

Acting wise, okay, but singing oh hell no.

[@KLK1618]

Exactly

[@slider2754]

This is not a great video that showed what she can do. I think she might have been sick on this day but she had to go on. Honestly I think when she does it right Idina does it the best. She doesn’t over do it like a lot of Elphabas do. I agree she is the best Elphaba

[@jrgrizer5762]

I don't think people realize how hard it is to hit those notes. I've had to drop that song out of my list because each time I sing it for people my voice gets super hoarse. I think the ending added a touch of realness. I've starred as the lead role in several shows with the theatre company I work with in Myrtle Beach and being able to hit notes like that all the time is so strenuous on your chords. I give her props because she always kicks ass. I love you Idina!!!

[@user-es7xz8bj9h]

and also it is a ROYAL performance infront of the ROYALS and shes dresses and a green witch singing a hard song she was probably so nervous

[@harajukukevin6657]

i actually like it when her voice is harsh in the ending aaaahhhh it sounds really empowering and kinda badass

[@chloem665]

Idina will always be the BEST Elphaba. I play Elphaba in west end 🎭

[@jvudah1814]

you played elphaba !?

[@Curtiscrazy]

idina is my favorite elphie :D

[@Leishafan1985]

I like that everyone is slagging Idina for one bad performance yet she is the freaking original ELPHABA!!!!!!!! If the musical didn't work with her in the first place then all the other actresses would not have even been able to play the part years later so stop the hate!!!!!! I love Idina and wish if had the chance to see her but I have seen Wicked in London twice xx once with Rachel Tucker as Elphaba then again this year with Willemjin Verkaik as Elphaba and hey were both amazing xxx

[@evan4905]

nearly 13 years later and this still one of my favorite performances-the lift speed, the pause after “so if you care to find me”, the riff on “deserves”, the lighting, the orchestra 😍

[@ValtronW]

That lift made me teary-eyed. Who'd have thought increasing the speed would make it so much more powerful and "triumphant'! I wonder if it's scary/dangerous for the actress though.

[@shaunlikethesheep]

There's a fly that comes up at incredible speed just ahead of Elphaba which adds to the illusion of speed of ascension.

[@c0llapsingst4rs]

Yeah it is, if you’re not strapped in properly then you can fall. There was a video of one girl who wasn’t strapped in properly so they had to stop the show for about half an hour before they got her in properly and she was ready to go back on stage.

[@gustavoantonydias]

@@c0llapsingst4rs i think it was Kerry Ellis

[@josephinecaunte9971]

I remember this was the moment that I fell in love with Musicals and idina menzel.. i never took my eyes away off the screen and never blinked... it was just so phenomenal that it was almost so cruel to shut my eye for a second. AMAZING

[@angelofdarkness2642]

the music drones out indina's voice

[@edwinbeats3]

My god Idina is amazing... She IS Elphaba. And Helen is good too, I think people are just so used to Kristen and her voice... What an awesome performance!

[@MISAARIA]

This gave me chills, but actually sent chills down my whole spine. This was so amazing to see. Especially where Elphaba is lifted. Love it.

[@RyanBrowne01]

Fastest lift I've seen yet. ALLELUIA!!

[@ntranced257]

This is my favirote musical of all time. Its so... wicked.

[@wemixourtearswithblood6165]

6:42 her face says it all... was she suffering a throat infection? Or is that just the result of years and years of belting out performance after amazing performance for us - her adoring fans? Either way, even if it wasn't the best, I still adore her, and the entire Wicked! Production Crew.

[@Gobble-zc3kc]

We Mix Our Tears With Blood I heard that she was developing laryngitis at the time but strangely still chose to perform

[@josephcarlisle1943]

If she was the show must go on. I once got sick during a production of Godspell I was in but still went on. By the end of the production my voice was dead but I still gave it my all. Moral of the story: the show doesn't really stop for sickness.

[@NairAthul]

The sound mixing was horrible. She was screaming by the end to be heard over the orchestra. Fire the sound engineer.

[@chrisjacobs7417]

This was an average performance. I saw her three times in NYC and this was better than any of the three times I saw it on Broadway and better than 90% percent of the bootlegs of her. Have you seen her performance st the Tonys. Yikes

[@nia.j.h]

it says a lot that someone can still be so stunningly, breathtakingly beautiful when they're covered in green. so much love for Idina.

[@GrooveYouVerse]

Man the sounds of a full orchestra sounds just amazing. Listening the horns and strings, I wonder if the movie is gonna Sound this powerful

[@ValtronW]

That lift is just incredible. Wish it was always that fast!

[@04turners]

this video gives me chills every time i watch it, and i've been watching it since the i saw this performance on telly the night of the royal variety performance, her voice sounds like she's lost it but her emotion and feeling she brings to the song covers it up and makes it ten times better than any singer who's voice is perfect. she's incredible and whenever i listen to her i feel inspired so much.

[@killoa2002]

I love these orchestrations!

[@mytailispurple]

"So if you care to find me..." the sass, oh, so sassy

[@unshallowifyable]

Idina was sick. Stop bashing her. For the most part, she does an awesome job, and only cracks right at the very end. She managed to hit the notes through her London run, too. For the most part, recordings of Idina don't really capture her. She's the reason many people are so in love with this musical, and is an incredible woman. Oh, and anyone saying Rachel Tucker is the real Elphaba HERE just isn't showing enough respect to Idina in my opinion, and I'm RIDICULOUSLY excited about seeing Rachel!

[@c0llapsingst4rs]

How the frick did Idina do this song so well with a throat infection-my mind has been blown

[@ASmallChord]

I love it when she flys up !

[@girlinthemirror90]

i went to se wicked in london last june with kerry and helen. my mum cried when kerry sang this but however much i love kerry (i think she has such a special voice) idinas performance of this has so much more of an effect on me maybe thats because she was the first person i heard sing it i think she does it beautifully despite all of her voice imperfections

[@ameliagibbs8756]

This cast was the one that I saw when I first watched the show :) As much as I loved it the second time too, Idina and Helen will always be my Elphie and Glinda

[@TheManjaNetter]

Idina Menzel is AMAZING....seeing this on TV is what got me hooked to Wicked in the 1st place. And Helen was good, you know, having seen her live ;)

[@ereslocomotion]

Well, Idina has been doing this role frome about 2000-2007.

[@ben_sings]

2003-2006 i thought

[@LaurzieeJayne]

Everytime I watch any performance of Idina singing this song I get total goosebumps when she goes ITS MEEEEEE! Amazing!

[@MaxxStephen]

This was one of the first videos of Defying Gravity I ever saw and it’s what made me fall in love with this musical. The orchestra in this performance is BEYOND amazing 😍 I always come back to it haha

[@JMThompson95]

Note: Helen Dallimore is actually Australian. She's using that accent more than a British one.

[@cupcakecrazy02]

This always gives me goose bumps ...

[@erinairy]

beautiful i still want to go and see this musical

[@ASLPerformingArts]

Love how the captions says "continues note" towards the end! Thanks for captioning!

[@MasterMacabre13th]

EXACTLY!!!! Thats What I Always Liked About This Performance She Swoops Up In About 3 Seconds And It Makes The Guards Falling Back In Astonishment Alot More Credible And Overall Makes Her Look Much More Powerfull

[@ThexImperfectionist]

These captions are hilarious. idina = love.

[@mcrclaire]

Chills. Crazy chills.

[@DanaPheebs]

saw this cast in the west end when it first opened, love them they are brilliant

[@AuraLuna1]

this song is so amazing...shes an incredible singer

[@DanielGarcia-zd4yq]

Man, this lift is so cool. All it's missing is the iconic beams of light.

[@amykay210]

3:24 “WOT” 😂

[@obsessivewickedfanpurelywicked]

I don't think Helen is horrendous at all - actually, I've seen 6 different Elphie's and she's probably my 2nd best. She played it very English and posh but i thought she was really really funny. Yeah, i know what you mean about idina. sometimes she is really good (she is quite good here), but sometimes, she was just not as strong especially when singing dg. Shoshana is a lot more consistent, as was Eden, but yeah. I didn't even know there was a slower lift! I probably would prefer that though.

[@chueidolstar]

I just saw this at TPAC last night and it was so good it made me cry.

[@mieszkokwiatkowski9995]

I Love it!!

[@stokers62]

This is my favorite KZbin video

[@JessaZaratsian]

This Glinda

[@saint973]

the orchestra here is fucking amazing and her attitude once she takes flight is absolutely perfect shame she was sick but as far as live performances go this is one of the best ive ever seen

[@tillyboos]

Mine too, LadyKyra7 mine too. She always makes me tear up when she acts and especially when she sings. She's really amazing. Best Elphaba EVER -- hands down.

[@07elpe]

absolutely love it

[@stinkyflo]

sooo incredible!!

[@lynseybeardshall6303]

i wish i could have seen helen and idina i love them as much as i love kerry and savannah

[@RosePetal17]

This makes me feel all powerful!!! Amazing!!

[@mophead935]

Wow.. She's so amazing at this! I love the way she sings 'deserves' here it sounds so good! :)

[@vchavez09]

this is trulyyyy amazing!! :) love idina menzel

[@redpanda0122]

Can't wait for the movie to come out-or show come to Chicago

[@BeyTobi]

Poor Idina looks absolutely exhausted at the end of this clip. I can't wait to see her in July. It might not be in Wicked, but I get to see her all the same!!!

[@emmastanley3876]

I remember watching this when it was on tv and i was glued to the tv wanting to see the play... then on my 30th birthday my parents got me tickets 😁❤

[@djr994]

RIP Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022

[@gaurwaith89]

I ADORE the obvious subtitles like "note continues" or "Glinda decides to stay behind"

[@danielsheahan1088]

The “kiss me goodbye” was BEAUTIFUL.

[@mytailispurple]

Idina Menzel is so brilliant it hurts

[@katinkagirlie]

I totally agree with everyone who said that Kristin was the best Glinda ever. When you hear her and Idina sing together, it's perfect harmony. Amazing. Helen... well, she's a good singer, I'm not criticizing her vocal abilities, but it simply doesn't sound the same. And just like Idina said herself, "there will never be another Kristin Chenoweth". Which means there will never be another Glinda like her.

[@astrol64]

ooh! I got goosebumps!

[@obsessivewickedfanpurelywicked]

shes brilliantt!

[@Hairsprayxoxoful]

Wow, that lift shot up really quickly!

[@tnkrbll1313]

I'm still watching this in 2012 WICKED ROCKS!!!!

[@tonyaingram8507]

Indina❤💯

[@neek243]

I love watching Idina sing this...so glad she's not having an asthma attack in this one...

[@StarWarsTrekkie1342]

Oooooh I'm shivering that's too amazing :D

[@inactive51]

can't beat the classics

[@ryanburke4633]

this is so my favorite music

[@LadyKyra7]

Idina Menzel is my hero. :)

[@TheRyanGardner]

This is absolutely correct, when you're filming on set, expressions can be very minuscule as the camera can be set to pick them up, whereas on stage, well you imagine you're at the back row of a theatre, are you going too see those minuscule facial expressions :)

[@AlexHurleyMusic]

The slowed down "As someone told me lately everyone deserves the chance to FLY!" should've been standard across all production. It's ALWAYS rushed.

[@lanebreakerRBH]

shes my favourite

[@indicotgreave1461]

kristen chenoweth plays the better glinda

[@JimVonSchmittou]

Indi Cotgreave yasssss

[@isabelerhart9523]

yesss no one can beat her

[@shielucarmela7140]

This is true but you have to spell her name right 😅

[@verityjude2269]

Yesssssss i can’t stand Helen Dallimore :/

[@aimee_oldfield3616]

Agreed

[@BlackValleyRequiem]

Idina menzel has indeed had vocal nodules and they can change your voice forever. However, she has been cast in movies and several shows, plays and many other singing roles, the producers directors and casting people, the ones who spot talent for a living clearly see something in her. Musical theater is not JUST about the perfection of the notes, it is about the emotion and feeling put behind them and the life breathed into the character by the actor, and idina brings amazing life to elphie

[@BlueRowan]

i remember seeing this on tv in 2005 and it scared me to death but now i really like wicked and ive seen it twice. how strange?? lol

[@frenchieandproud]

god! she, idina, has an AMAZING voice!!!!!!!

[@edmundthenerd132]

Is it just me or did she rise really quick?

[@DNMF808]

Luke Sharman she did lol if you watched her performance at the Tony Awards, I thought she was gonna fling out out the harness lmao

[@daisyy16]

Yeah, she has 2. I went and saw this in the theatre, rising fast relays on the notes.

[@c0llapsingst4rs]

She did, it scared the crap outta me- thought she was gonna fall and die when I first watched this lol

[@issoyoshilike]

ahhh i got chills

[@xhkxc]

6:15 It sounds like a Mini Explosion in The Down What makes it sound majestic.

[@obsessivewickedfanpurelywicked]

that's still good though! wow - hope you enjoy it again! and your little brother.

[@Alex-nf1jy]

British meets American english .. see it really is a show about diversity and equality :)

[@CharlotteStafford]

gave me the shivers!!! :Sx

[@LadyKyra7]

I love it! My dream is to someday play elphaba.

[@HoshiHooked]

I love what you said, that's exactly how I feel and most people don't see it that way, sadly.

[@broadwaymike92]

Idina & Kristin: THE DYNAMIC DUO! Idina & Jennifer: ALRIGHT COMBO Idina & Helen: OKAY!!

[@ElphieCrazy123]

Idina you are absolutely the best Elphaba that has walked the stage of the Gershwin Theater! I love you so much! As you can see form my name! Elphiecrazy!

[@redfirefixfox9611]

Who else wishes they could go on Broadway every night and sing this

[@nasirroper4011]

Can I get to 100 subs with 0 vids? Me

[@LaceyWright98]

Kristen does the harmonizing part the best! She really pots some umph into it!

[@RyanJeremySings]

OMG! That was the best lift of all time!

[@calebcurtis2005]

This performance really reminds me of the power of this song. The flight section is so powerfully orchestrated and the power of Idinas vocals are just incredible

[@KoverKid93]

always loved this performance. idina does very well and the orchestra sounds really cool. only thing i don't much care for is helen dillamore >.

[@obsessivewickedfanpurelywicked]

yes i agree. kerry has improved absolutely loads since last june though - if you go and see her now, you might be pleasantly suprised!

[@rachelnotberry]

Man, I'd kill to watch Idina Menzel perform live. You know, coz it's Idina friggin' Menzel!!!

[@ArtsEntertainmentRoblox]

You couldn't hear her saying "It's Me"

[@ellz1020]

okkkkk thanx x x

[@birdsfallsilent]

chills chills chills, from the start (*o*)

[@chloandcal]

There's something about Idina Menzel. She gives me literal tingles.