Idina Menzel - Defying Gravity (Wicked) - live at The Fox Theater (4K)

[@TimBracken]

Thanks for watching my video. I'm gathering all the songs I shot at this concert in a KZbin playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLwdc0qZNx0tYNXH8tZ4RfCTJGTmTMncBv. The songs (so far) are Do You Want To Build A Snowman (from Frozen), Let It Go (from Frozen), Twisted (Joni Mitchell song), Why (Annie Lennox cover), Happy Birthday (sung to her mom in the audience), Take Me Or Leave Me (from Rent), No One Mourns The Wicked (from Wicked), No Day But Today (from Rent), and Defying Gravity (from Wicked). Enjoy!

[@jeshuarestituyo284]

Her voice got so much better I’m so proud

[@realhousewifeoftransylvania1.0]

She is amazing😍🖤

[@breadsteeth2562]

You can definitely see that her technique is getting BETTER and this performance sounds even better than 20 years ago

[@mrs.meaney1748]

She is in great voice!! Praying she keeps taking care of herself so she can continue to sing like this for years to come!! Amazing!!

[@VanessaDMusic]

Me too!

[@AbbySumner]

totally agree ❤

[@manuelorozco7760]

Amen to that

[@maicon.93]

WOW she did the ending just like the recording... AMAZING !

[@iseley]

It's in a lower key.

[@maicon.93]

@@iseley no matter, still like the recording...

[@joshualukespeers]

@@iseleystill better than you could fucking sing it lmao key higher or lower! Go touch some grass

[@CalebTizon]

​@@iseleyMost singers should take note and lower their keys as they age and their voices deepen. My favorite singer (who will remain unnamed) keeps the majority of her setlist in the original key and just struggles through the live parts while lip-syncing the rest of it.

[@quentyncole9530]

@@CalebTizoni wish i knew who omg

[@LittleFugueFlute]

Love to see Idina Menzel continuing to be one of the best performers out there!

[@Alyssa-cv1bd]

Her singing this song alone makes me cry 😭

[@Kayla_EchevarriaLovesBarbie.]

What I love about this performance is that the audience sing with her too

[@MrNorcal81]

Idina's OG version of Defying Gravity is unique to her just as Cynthia's new version in the movie is unique to her. They are both brilliant!

[@manuelorozco7760]

I was hoping the day would come when the broomstick would be passed to someone who can slay the song as Idina before her

[@manuelorozco7760]

This is the 3rd time I’ve been proven recently Idina hasn’t lost her battle cry. Nearly 20 years since she last donned the green makeup, witch hat and broomstick and who would have thought?

[@LorenaLimS]

I still want to watch her live. I need it.

[@manuelorozco7760]

So do I. I mean I wanted to go but I didn’t feel comfortable going on a week night

[@sokitjamz8762]

Still killing... and still a stunner. Damn.

[@nothingnessofeverything]

I went to see her last week in LA and I couldn’t even hear the her over the cheering and screaming go Idina BRAVO!

[@pig8899]

i always thought Defying Gravity was way harder than Let It Go, and I wondered why she struggled while singing Let It Go but ate Defying Gravity

[@realhousewifeoftransylvania1.0]

Idina is Queen!😍🖤

[@rad7846]

What a treat! Gosh we are so lucky and blessed to still see and hear this woman sing this song!

[@marilynoverholt8047]

Missed her this tour due to illness. Saw her couple of years ago and she is amazing.

[@niChiEmAjo]

the GOAT!!!

[@darinr6712]

Chills! I was there ❤

[@terrencelovesyou6171]

her giving the audience all the hard parts lmfao i love her😭🙏

[@Nazaba09]

What are you talking about? She sang all the hard parts.

[@hazza_builds753]

@@Nazaba09she gave the audience the highest notes. I don’t think she gave them the most difficult parts. The most difficult part is the closed vowel “Me” on the “MEEE DOOOWWN” 3:29

[@xandercrew6088]

I agree she definitely copped out in singing the song entirely and let the audience sing parts she should have. Ummmm I’m defooo NOT a fan of seeing IDINA skip parts and sing in lingerie 😂😂😂

[@realfairygrove]

would you rather her damage her voice and her not being able to sing again?

[@cowgirlamy8252]

That was really awesome performance of Idina Menzel singing Defying Gravity from Wicked the broadway show!

[@lenninbaay3217]

her voice is heavy and dark. i love her songs "Extra ordinary" "Small world" "December Prayer" and more.

[@Shawndoe08]

LOVE HER! ALWAYS THE BEST!

[@laurenbronson6640]

That voice! ❤

[@hazza_builds753]

Is it just me who thinks she sounds better than she did 20 years ago?

[@okefyn]

Yes, she learned from her singing mistakes, she doesn't do weekly broadway shows anymore, she performs high key songs a key lower, she gives her voice a proper rest, and most importantly, she knows her vocal limits now :)

[@jeremyadriano2434]

The song was transposed a half step lower, which is more comfortable for her current voice.

[@양성민-z2g]

I love Idina!

[@TonySolis99]

it was the most amazing show, and every moment was amazing

[@twinkletoes1156]

When you're getting in2 your night clothes after a long hard day, but had a call bcos you forgot to be somewhere 😂

[@meow6335]

She can finally sing comfortably without having to perform the song 8 times a week for years..

[@mindytillapaugh3465]

I'm soooo excited.... am driving 5hours to see her in Pittsburgh.....all just to hear THIS ONE SONG !

[@maggiepeterson_]

Amazing!!!

[@ritchlozares5175]

She's my all time favorite!!! ❤❤❤❤❤☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

[@TheRaulmp]

The one and the only! 😍

[@ngohuy3213]

She sounds so much better in this key, or maybe I'm just a sucker for lower keys

[@haruyukiarita6472]

My ONLY Elphaba FOREVER

[@Yaamava]

See you Friday!

[@vanniam7220]

cryinnggg

[@YouTube4me-lq5ms]

Did you record more? 🥹🥹

[@TimBracken]

Yep! I got about 7 or 8 more songs. I was planning to post No Day But Today next but I'm flexible.

[@MaddoxYahrmatter]

I did not know she she was one of the original cast of the wicked musical until 2023

[@amidoshi03]

She was THE Elpheba, and I love her so much!!

[@amidoshi03]

She was THE Elphaba, and I love her so much!!

[@MaddoxYahrmatter]

@@amidoshi03 I know she was a great actor in wicked

[@TheMarlonChannel]

Are you two?

[@quentyncole9530]

@@TheMarlonChannelhis name is maddox so he’s gotta be down there

[@TiffanyKuo-ps5fc]

The band is making things harder for her. (Too slow). Her spinning hand is trying to spin them to move faster, especially at those parts, like, "And you won't slow me down..." But she slows down as much as she can...

[@MaddoxYahrmatter]

The first time I heard Idina Menzel s voice was in frozen

[@Blue-rz7rm]

How did you miss Rent!?

[@Monica-Elise]

I was there. Did you happen to get the little redwood song? i can't find it anywhere.

[@TimBracken]

Sorry, I got "Great Escape" from Redwood but not "Little Redwood." 🙁

[@sarah.weaver]

Id be so annoyed if I went to see her live, and didnt even get the "look to the western sky!"

[@Fritsgeerisloeke]

Watch and listen to the Dutch wicked star who actually played more shows than any other wicked star. She is the real icon. Willemijn the OG witch of Oz

[@christopherdeanne6]

no you sing it!

[@limelrac]

Is she sad?

[@ESJohnson14]

Something about her performance here feels... sad? She's an amazing performer. Almost felt like she wasn't healthy here in some way. Idk. Something is off. Her timing was off for a lot of this. You can tell she couldn't hear the music in the beginning but wondering if she couldn't hear it even after getting her ear piece in? If you compare this performance to this one - kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6TPdaGtmteEiKM - feels very different.

[@MichaelJosephHamm]

I think has to do more with the fact that it’s a very different concert setting. She progressively takes off her ball gown, makeup, etc. over the course of this concert and shows a very chilled out, nonperformative Idina. I think her singing is a little more relaxed for that reason (though I also find it very balanced and warm!) It’s basically the opposite setting of the symphony performance posted 12 years earlier. Also, voices change, and the way we sing songs change over the course of 20 years.

[@xandercrew6088]

Ummm why is she in a nighty lingeriem lmaoooo like IDINA girl you don’t need to do that….you have ACTUAL TALENT…. WTF

[@TimBracken]

She actually started the show in an elaborate multi-layered outfit and then shed the layers one by one throughout the show. This was the final song of the night so she's at her barest. This whole process of gradually exposing herself to the audience was meant to be symbolic. Her designer (Bao Tranchi) said: "[Idina] wanted to be present with her audience the entire time while shedding layers of her costumes and hair and makeup throughout her show...The beautiful symbolism of shedding all the theater’s layers of smoke and mirrors and just baring her soul and WHO she truly is by show’s end to her fans."

[@xandercrew6088]

@ oh please all of that sounds like woke bs, they wanted to sexualize her and capitalize on it, period. That’s the truth. Just sad to see a 50 year old woman who is a literal vocal god, degrade herself by walking on a stage basically nude. If they wanted to represent the removal of layers, they could have done it in a classy way at the end instead of LITERAL lingerie 🤣🤣🤣

[@TimBracken]

@xandercrew6088 - She worked closely with the designer and this costume evolution throughout the show was something she chose. You might not find it aesthetically appealing--or you might find the metaphor clumsy and over the top--but your hot take about this being exploitative is not based in fact.

[@xandercrew6088]

@ it’s not about whether she is being exploited or not, she’s clearly consenting and doing it to herself because she has the power to say, “NO I won’t be on stage in lingerie as a 50 year old female” lol but hey you do you, I just think it’s incredibly sad to see someone so talented reduced to sexualizing themselves as if they don’t have anything else to offer. I understand if she was a rapper or some low life, but she’s a legend and she doesn’t have to do this.

[@SoaringSparkles]

​@@xandercrew6088 The only real issue here is when people project their own personal beliefs and perceptions of sexualization onto other people and their bodies. It's crucial to realize that it's society who often sexualizes human bodies, not the bodies themselves. Plus, what might seem revealing to you may actually be a form of artistic expression for another, intending for symbolism rather than overt display.

[@elephantbluepeter]

Okay I'm gonna be honest, I think Cynthia Erivo is super talented, but I'm not sure if she's vocally right to play Elphaba. I think she should've played Celie in "The Color Purple" movie musical instead of Fantasia. I know Idina Menzel is 52, but I think she should've played Elphaba in the movie and use makeup and visual effects to de-age her like Sigourney Weaver in "Avatar: The Way of Water". I also think it all should be one movie instead of two and a couple of other castings I'm not sure about like Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey and Michelle Yeoh, I would've used Amanda Seyfried, Aaron Tveit and Meryl Streep for those roles, but that's my opinion to please be respectful.

[@LittlelitooXD]

Amanda seyfried cannot hit the notes Ariana can nor can she hold them out, she is an actress not a singer Ariana is good for Glinda but maybe Meryl Streep for madam morrible could have been really good because she did an amazing job as the witch in into the woods

[@mauroespindola5101]

Cynthia Erivo can outsing any human being on this planet - she's so good she sounds like an alien!

[@actorjulion101]

Respectable opinion, but the fact is that you don't always get what you want lol; and the way Chu operated with this project, was probably the best thing to ever happen since the last director left in 2016. It's time for Idina to rest, but she'll always be the mother!!

[@Almando]

You have to be kidding right? Are you aware that Elphaba represents people of Marginalized Communities? She is literally discriminated against because of the Color of her skin. Madame Morrible and The Wizard of Oz, 2 people who she thought were on her side, Literally sent people to capture her because she didn't want to do their dirty work. Cynthia is Perfect for the role of Elphaba. Ariana and Jonathan have Musical Theater backgrounds. Jonathan has an Olivier Award for playing Jaimie in the Genderbent West End Revival of Company. Ariana started on Broadway in 13. Michelle Yeoh is an Academy Award Winning Actress. She may not have a Musical Theater background but she is a Phenomenal Actress.

[@xengar]

I hear your concerns and I think time will tell when the movie arrives. Despite what Broadway fans are saying, the response to Wicked has been lukewarm at best and I think it's because it feels like a movie that's 10 years too late. I think Erivo is genius casting but Grande's only acting fame is Disney channel and Hairspray live--neither of which demonstrate the range to play Glinda; which is a harder role than most people think. I think more people like us are in the camp of tentative optimism because musical movies are 50/50. We could be getting Greatest Showman or another Chicago if we're lucky.... or it's another Les Mis or Cats.

[@MrSaxgirl]

Wicked movie is super wrong casted.

[@user-iq1wj3ns7s]

Sounds awful wtf happened ?

[@LeonMeulemans]

Nahh .. she is not that great people. I can see that she is struggling with the last high note. Willemijn Verkaik sings this song every single time so pure and strong. She is the best Elphaba of all !! 💚

[@BeansPredi-ch6xk]

Who asked you? Stop being a hater!

[@TiffanyKuo-ps5fc]

It's not just about technique, nor even sound. Broadway is about ✨character✨ and communication of meaning (multidimensionally)

[@mikayocc]

Leon, she was 32 when she played Elphaba on Braodway. She's now 53!! I think she sounded damn good hitting those notes!!

[@cloudambient]

She in all honesty turned out to be one of the weakest Elphabas ever. The girls who went on after here totally raised the bar and had way more finesse and technique.

[@jordankent3701]

but she set the bar...

[@helloworld17778]

ive never watched wicked and i don't plan to because the show is just not my vibe. ive never thought highly of idina's singing abilities, but i am charmed by her acting.

[@CianBrooks-ws8sf]

In terms of vocals , yeah , she was inconsistent, but in terms of acting, she was much better than most of the Elphabas after her , with a few exceptions

[@actorjulion101]

We'll agree to disagree.

[@mshalo1822]

@@CianBrooks-ws8sfthis is the correct answer.

[@yiujun]

Wow she couldn’t sing most of the song..

[@burburchacha]

Cynthia is so much better, just sayin