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 *Friday, 10/10/08 Only a few months ago, you would never have convinced me that I would be seeing these two gorgeous souls in Wicked again. It is blowing my mind that it is actually coming to pass. I try to imagine seeing their entrances on their first night back, and I get all teary eyed. My mind's a whirl! Fri, Oct 31 (Halloween - Eden and Megan's first performance back) Orch Y 314 *Saturday, 11/1/08 Now THAT is how Wicked should always be. The REAL Elphie and Glinda are in the house once more. HALLELUJAH! One brief thing in particular I'll say about Eden's performance (other than the sad fact that she was suffering from dry vocal chords in the first act, poor thing! She endured and triumphed in the end, but it was a struggle at times.) ... I can see the wonderfully dynamic affects that Flora and Maureen are having on Eden's rejuvenated Elphaba. Highly enjoyable! There was a nice contingency of devotees there - most sitting either first row or within the first 10 rows center, who stood and cheered for both Megan and Eden's first entrances. I was in row Y and I stood as well... the lone wolf that I am.  It's much easier to stop the show for Megan's entrance than for Eden's. Megan milked it for all it's worth, and both were visibly appreciative of the warm, loving welcome.
One of my favorite moments: Per usual it was in the Popular scene... Eden cracked up ... again ... but in a different place than I've seen her do it before. Megan gave a particularly energized "Well, that's not fair. I told you a really good one," plopping onto her stomach on the bed with extra gusto. It took Eden a minute or two to literally shake off her giggles. And of course, the audience picked up on it, responding with laughter, making it harder for her to recover. CLASSIC! Then for the curtain call, when the clock face opened to reveal the two of them, they were there waiting in this adorable pose before rushing out together, beaming with joy. Their traditional hug after their side bows was exceptionally exuberant and fun. It was fabulous! Also of note, to fully understand and appreciate Eden and Megan's graciousness after the show... they had been in rehearsal all day, in addition to all day rehearsals Tues, Weds & Thurs prior ... tag that onto a full performance tonight, etc. Uhg! Now they are looking at two shows today and tomorrow. Holy Crap! I pray they get lots of sleep... and moisture for their voices. 
*Sunday, 11/2/08 a dork moment by Sarah Mears I squealed inside my head soooooo loudly when in "What Is This Feeling?" Eden unbuttoned her jacket and put her hands on her hips in frustration. OMG!!!!! That for me was my "EDEN'S BAAAAAACK!" revelation. Too thrilling! Tues, Nov 4 (w/ Eden & Emily) Orch A 305 *Wednesday, 11/5/08 I love watching Eden with someone other than Megan, just to see what new moments she can create with different actions/reactions coming at her. And Emily is a joy. Similar to Laura, she plays things very real and of the moment. She is more subtle than Megan (hell everyone is more subtle than Megan ). Her first act is adorable and charming, and her act two is sweetly moving. Eden had quite a profound moment with Emily during the castle scene just before "For Good". After she read the letter, she looked up a Glinda. Their eyes met and for several seconds they just looked at each other. A completely new emotional reaction was happening, written so clearly across Elphaba's face. I could almost read her thoughts, "The decision I'm about to make will mean that I'll never see her again." *goose bumps* It was extraordinary... not to mention devastating!
Thurs, Nov 6 - Orch A 114 *Friday, 11/7/08 Last night I heard lots of sniffling throughout the show... during the castle scene, especially! On and off stage!!! Holy Crap!! That was the most emotional castle scene - dialogue and song - I've ever witnessed live. Breath-taking!!! If they do that every night for the next nine weeks... God help us all on 1/11. What impressed me the most about this scene, and the entire show, was that the emotions were coming from CHARACTER! It wasn't about the actors, it was them expressing pure character! I have never seen Megan, and therefore Eden, so emotionally connected and expressive in the dance scene as she was last night. She was pleading with her eyes, which were glistening with tears, for Elphie to dance with her. And Glinda's face, beaming with joy while watching Elphie watch everyone dancing her dance, just before she takes Elphie's hand... Wow! I've never been so moved by that moment. Having seen Eden and Megan now 19 times each, including Halloween and Thurs of this week (Tues was Emily not Megan, but Eden's performance was equally fascinating to watch), it is clear that they are trying to reinvent themselves in this show. Not starting from scratch, by any means, but as Eden says, "reinvest" in the emotional, mental and physical life of their characters. They are trying things out and mixing it up. It's so exciting to witness! One of my favorite showcases of this last night was the catfight scene. Eden had this sexy strut at one point as she walked away from Glinda, right before she turned on her and let her have it about Fiyero loving her and not Glinda. She had such a sassy attitude with this dialogue. I don't think she's ever played those lines that way before. It was thrilling!! More notes from Halloween: Despite the end of TWAI (she was completely dry throughout the song, and I was impressed her voice made it as far as it did), Eden was solid vocally for the rest of the show, and her acting was absolutely stunning... as always! Her second act was exceptional. She had such a different energy that night than I had ever seen from her Elphie before. It was very apparent to me what an impact playing Flora and Maureen have had on her as a performer. She's more daring with her choices, so to see her taking all the diverse experience she's gained this year and apply it to this her most well known character... I feel so blessed to witness the results. That's what makes live theatre so amazing! It's different every time. It annoys me when people gage Eden's performance strictly by her vocals, and/or gage her vocals strictly by how many riffs she puts in. I've seen her when she's low, I've seen her on fire, and I've seen her in between. I have never been disappointed, because the truth is no one can do what she can do - as a singer nor as an actor. I would feel so blessed to be able to perform as well as she on her worst day. She is the real deal. The full package, and when someone ignores part of her performance, they are cheating themselves of truly experiencing the full impact of what she so consistently offers her audiences. I can't wait to see the show again!! I'm thinking I'll pass on the plans I had for tomorrow and go do lotto for both shows instead. 
As a side note... Last night I had the privilege of sharing with Eden this wonderful story: Weds night, at my performance workshop, our instructor was explaining how a female singer can never be too focused in her high, mixed belt range when it comes to musical theatre. "That's what they pay big bucks for. Think of Eden Espinosa. She has Money Notes!" Aaaaaagh! Naturally, I squealed when he mentioned her name, and was all "Amen Brother!" with his praise of her. Eden was thrilled when I told her this story... in her typical sweet, humble way. It makes my heart glad to hear other professionals appreciate how special she is. 
Sat, Nov 8 eve. - Orch QQ 2 *Sunday, 11/9/08 I saw the show last night and Eden giggled throughout most of the Popular scene. Starting on the bed during the dialogue leading into the song, a bit here and there on Glinda's bed, and ultimately during the infamous "ball gowns". It didn't look like she was fighting it all that much, which might have prompted Megan, after her second "ball gown", to lean in and plead, "Stop laughing at me." LOL! Hilarious!!! The audience had been laughing at Eden's giggles already, so Megan's ad-lib sent us all over the edge. It was glorious! Wonderful show all the way around. The girls are really settling in... with For Good continuing to be a tear-fest. *sniff* I love the way they are exploring and re-discovering the show for themselves. It's creating some exciting moments. And for a multi-viewer like me, it's heavenly. They are constantly surprising me with their choices.  *Saturday, 11/22/08 Eden is the perfect Elphie. She knows how to hit every moment, every point, every note with 100% commitment and pure character. She looks and plays the part better than anyone I've seen. She is the complete package. I pray for her speedy recovery, for I can't wait to see her Elphie again. She was doing such wonderful, new things during her first week, and with all the reports of last week, I'm excited to see what more she is doing. It sounds like vocally she's back in her stride and riffin' the hell out of everything. Woohoo! Pray that she's back in full force on Weds and that I win lotto!!!! [Update: Eden was out sick from 11/20-26 - with the exception of two matinees - so I didn't go on Weds.] Thurs, Dec 11 - Orch A 202 *Thursday, 12/11/08 Yay! A friend won lotto and we both got in tonight. Whew! I hadn't seen the show in over a month, so I was more than ready! It was fabulous as always, with a few very special moments: 1. Megan's shoe strap broke during Popular, so when she was getting ready to do the "ball gown" bit, she took her shoes off and put them on the bed, saying, "I'll just take these off first." Eden looked back at her with surprise and a smirk. Of course, with that, she didn't even try to stifle her adorable dimpled grin throughout the rest of the segment. Could she possibly be any cuter?! Megan did her prep squat again, which I don't remember her doing when I saw it their first week back. Eden and I enjoyed its return.
2. However, the highlight of the whole show was after the cat-fight: Derrick (Fiyero) walked down stage to pick up the broom and he slipped and fell on his ass. He almost verbalized the "sh*t" that came to his lips, but caught himself mid-word. Then without hesitation, he tossed the broom up over his head to a stunned Eden, who caught the broom one handed, while completely busting out laughing. There was a slight attempt to keep control, but once Derrick got up and repositioned himself with the gun, she gave up. Derrick couldn't even speak. I swear I saw him blushing. Eden even crouch down for a brief moment, she was laughing so hard. Then she stood up again and did a slight "Eden shake out" to try and get back in character. Didn't work. LOL!
The audience, of course, was beside themselves with laughter and applause. It would die down for a second only to pick up again, once everyone could see that neither Eden nor Derrick were able to pick up their lines again. It got so bad that Megan, the epitome of control and composure, had to continue the scene by tossing Eden her hat and telling her to go, several times. Eden finally just ran off... leaving Derrick desperately trying to finish the scene in character, with the stalwart Megan. Megan's recovery skills are amazing! When it happened she was off to the side of the stage with her hand covering her mouth in shock. I didn't see her crack at all. Of course, I was watching Eden most of the time, but Megan picked up the scene so brilliantly. I was in awe! Eden did manage to recovery on her way to the NGD lift, for she nailed that number - as always - hitting some spine-tingly riffs - some familiar, one not so familiar. That song just kills me every time! 3. Last but not least, the Curtain Call! That was the best part of all. Derrick ran out and did a stage tumble, laughing at himself and enjoying the cheers from the audience. Then the girls came out and, in perfect timing and synchronization, executed an impressive slide on their asses, in their dresses, on the stage floor. CLASSIC!! It was too hilarious! A would-be souvenir for the ages. I love live theatre!!! The show in general was spectacular. Eden's first act was particularly adorable to me for some reason. Her reactions to everything are so spot on and believable. Mucho hilarity in the first few scenes between Elphie and Galinda. They are just so damn cute together! Eden was crying her eyes out in the Act I Wizard scene... which continued quite overwhelmingly into the DG scene. Both she and Megs were especially teary tonight, though I suspect that is pretty consistent these days... and from now on. Lots of glistening eyes throughout the show. Megan teared up in the dance sequence again... causing Eden to do the same. And of course, FG was a tear-fest. We saw a massive tear fall from Eden's cheek just before she started to sing. She soon had to wipe another tear away as well. I sat there thinking, "God help them on 1/11. They won't be able to get one note out! They'll be speaking the whole song... if they manage to do even that." God! How I love them... and this show!
Fri, Dec 12 - Orch V 3 *Friday, 12/12/08 Saw the show again tonight (Friday), but not in first row. Row V with binoculars.  Very solid show; nothing extra special, other than their usual consistent fabulousness. Eden was definitely pacing herself. I think they were both very tired. I talked with Megan afterward and she confirmed how exhausted she was. And Eden didn't do stage door. So...
Of course, their low energy shows are better then everyone else's high energy shows. LOL! Gotta love 'em!! Eden did some fun riffs. A couple of her high power riffs, but mostly playful little things here and there. She was focusing on her lower register for sure, giving her upper register some TLC.... if that makes any sense. As for the binoculars, I'm a spoiled brat who has to see their (esp Eden's) detailed expressions every moment of the show. However, V is still pretty good for seeing enough of the face and the overall show to get the full effect. The people I was sitting with didn't have any problem seeing. They loved the show. With binoculars you have to make choices "who shall I focus on at this moment", cause you can't see everyone and everything. If you want to see up close faces for a few specific moments, then you might want to bring them. But I don't recommend them if you want to get the full experience of the show and all the actors. Thurs, Dec 18 - Orch A 102 *Friday, 12/19/08 The girls were wonderfully playful and animated last night. Major smirking going on and a few little side comments only we in the first few rows would notice. Front row is the only way to go for me now.
I love Megan to pieces, but I have to say, Eden is becoming the funniest thing about Popular for me now. She reacts to EVERYTHING!! And is so hilarious in doing so. The funniest bit was, while they were doing the "toss toss," Megan kept at her with the "no hands". So there's Eden doing it over and over and over and over again... waiting for Megan to continue the scene. Then Megan scolded her, "Keep your hands down." Eden's like "I am". LOL! Finally Megs relented and continued with her lines. So the next scene when Elphie is practicing her toss toss before class, Eden did her usual physical stuff, but she was verbalizing "toss toss" as she did it. Then "toss toss no hands"... Then finally reminding herself, "Hands down. Hands down." ROTFLOAO! My friend and I almost fell out of our seats laughing so hard. O.M.G! Big, beautiful performances by both of them. WITF, another example, was awesome as they tried to make each other laugh. Eden got Megan good at one point. They had their backs to each other, then did a quick turn to be in each other's faces with the lyric. Well, they were a bit closer than normal and Eden was all in Megan's face. It's rare that Megan cracks, but she did.... for a moment, then back to business. So Eden still ended up being the prime giggle-puss. Silly girl! They were really letting each other have it with their reactions and jabs and things. To the point that after the "Boo" at the end, Eden pointed her finger at Megan and said something like, "Watch it," (off mic of course) as a warning. We had the perfect angle to see it all, so of course... major giggle/love-fest happening in seats A 101 and 102. (Eden got the giggles a bit in the catfight too. )
There were so many little quirky moments. Also, a few interesting riffs. TWAI and DG were some of the best singing I've heard her do in the show this time around. Eden did a final riff in NGD that I've never heard before. It seemed new to her too. Like she was making it up right there and then. Very cool! Speaking of NGD, I saw her "break character" in that song for the first time EVER! She is always so solid in that number (whether she feels it or not). But last night, at one point she had to take an unusually large swallow, keeping her from starting the next lyric in time with the music. She caught up quickly and beautifully, but as soon as she missed her queue she gave the conductor a wide-eyed, almost smirky look of "OMG!" as she manipulated the phrase to get herself back on track. It was weird, but interesting, to see her, even for that briefest of moments, be visibly out of character in that song. Fascinating! All around it was one of my favorite performances of all 29 I have seen.
 Weds, Dec 25 (Christmas Eve) Orch A 109 *Wednesday, 12/25/08 Saw the matinee today, front row center. Another friend won lotto. Eden riffed the roof off! Like I've never heard her before. After seeing her 24 times, I am familiar with all of her standards. Yet she is still surprising me with new ones, as well as some revamped, punched up oldies but goodies. She did ALL of her best TWAI riffs. One right after the other, including her classic "feeling things I've never felt", which I hadn't heard yet since her return. *swoon* My friend and I were spazzing out all over the place. Every frickin' song she riffed something... including an amazing one I'd never heard before in For Good!! I almost had a heart attack! I think my heart did stop a couple times during NGD. Utterly mind blowing! Oh and a new, unexpected riff in ALAYM! I lost count how many times I swooned throughout the show. BTW, I am not exaggerating. Just thinking about it... I can't believe it all really happened... and all in the same show! Some of the very best Eden vocals I have ever heard in Wicked. And I have seen some mind blowing, riffalicious shows, too. God I wish I had audios!! *swoon* Fri, Dec 26 mat. - Orch A 302 *Friday, 12/26/08 My sister and I have had it on our calendar for weeks to give lotto a try today. I've been praying that my sister might win on this our only shot to get her in to see the show from the front row. I especially wanted Karen's name to be pulled... to have her name called as a winner. There is something so magical and motivating about that experience. And she needs a big boost of hope right now. When we got there, there were already close to 200 people in line, waiting to put their names in the bin. I was determined to keep positive for my sister's sake. "Someone's gotta win. Why not us?" To give us all the luck we could get (in addition to the prayer campaign I started), I had her stand on the "magic tile". Even though we eventually moved away from it to make room for all the people coming behind us, she got to stand there a good long time, connecting to the tile's mojo.
Needless to say, when my name was called, my sister and I screamed our fool heads off!! Jumping up and down like school girls, we skipped through the crowd to get our pins and buy our tickets. I always shake when I win. It was such a thrilling moment! Even though it wasn't Karen's name, she still felt lucky. My Christmas wish came true.
Oh yeah... It was an awesome show too, but what else is new. Karen had a great time. We had lunch before the show; she loved seeing the show up close (esp the opportunity to see the details in the costumes - she's a costumer); then we had a nice dinner. A great sisters day out!!
Sun mat, Jan 11 - Orch YY 106
Sun eve, Jan 11 - Orch L 1 (Final Performance of Wicked LA) *Sunday, 1/11/09 Today is the day we all Mourn the Wicked. Thank OZ we had it for as long as we did. We thought our girls had melted away, never to return to Oz... but they proved us wrong. They gave us one more "short day" to Look at them in a new way... while cherishing the beauty and magnitude of all they've accomplished with the show in the last 5 years. They can Toss Toss other actors into these roles all they want, but the truth is... no one's Pink goes better with Eden's Green than Megan's... and vise versa. Together, they are Unlimited! They were the Greatest Team there's ever been... or ever will be. Wicked has changed us all For Good.
*Monday, 1/12/09 Okay. My last Wicked report. *sniff* The day was long and exhausting. I got to the theatre around 9:30am. They didn't open the box office foyer till 10am, and they started taking names for lotto at 10:30. I was first in line for the lottery and gradually hooked up with friends who were also lottoing. It was a very warm day... plus with all the people that accumulated in the foyer for lotto, it got even warmer. Neither me nor my friends won lotto for the matinee. I had bought my evening ticket the weekend before Megan told us at 9 to 5 that she was coming back to Wicked, but I held out for the matinee - mostly because I didn't really have the money for a full priced ticket, but partly because I kept hoping better seats would appear. As it turned out, once I finally did have the money, only the VIP tickets were showing up online. No more regular priced seats left. But the week of New Years I went to the box office and asked what they had. She noted a couple of VIP tickets, then looked again. She found 1 regular price ticket in the second to last row of the orchestra, next to the sound booth - obstructed view. I took it. So there I was, sitting in row YY, dead center, with binoculars, watching the matinee performance. Holding the binoculars got really tiring, as one or the other or both of the girls were in almost every minute of the show, and I was not about to miss out on one second of their performances, especially Eden's. I knew that at the evening show, I would be getting a lot of her back, so I wanted to capture to memory her facial expressions during the matinee. It was an awesome show. I found myself holding my breath, having to mentally tell myself to breathe. The matinee was some what somber in tone, for the most part, especially from Eden and Megan. Megan had to be upbeat as Glinda during the first act, while Eden could allow herself to be more serious. Then in the second act they both could be serious and emotional all they wanted. Yet they never cried or emoted beyond what is inherent in the script. They both kept control throughout, though Eden did succumb to serious tears on a few occasions. As she often does, Eden was crying hard after the monkey spell and basically didn't stop through the end of Act 1. Her face was dripping wet the whole time. Yet she managed to rock the house with "Defying Gravity". Unreal. Megan was definitely the strong one during the matinee. Even in "For Good", from the very first notes, Megan had to sing her whole first verse and refrain looking into Eden's bloodshot eyes and tear-stained face. It was heart-breaking, but Megan kept her cool and sounded beautiful. I don't know how she did it. She's amazing! Overall, it was a solid and powerful performance. I really wanted to see this one cause I was uncertain as to how emotional everyone would actually get during the evening show. I wanted to see one more clean, clear, perfect performance... and this was it! As soon as the show was over, it was back out front to try the lotto one last time. I had a choir friend without a ticket who I pair up with - if either of us won, the other would have gotten the second ticket, as we could buy up to 2 tickets per name called. We didn't win, so she sadly went home and I went to dinner with friends who were going to the show with me. When we got back to the theatre I went up to the mezzanine to meet the Stock family who have been reading my website journal and emailing me. [Cheers to you all!!] We had a lovely talk just before the show was about to begin. They are adorable people. I hope we can keep in touch. I had a few emotional choke-ups throughout the day, but I held it together pretty well... until I was sitting in my seat and the "turn off your cell phone" announcement came on. Then the overture started, the dragon roared, and I burst into tears! As the curtain rose, the audience got to their feet, cheering for the company as they started the first song. Then as Megan descended on her bubble, the audience stood again. And finally, as Eden ran onto the stage for her entrance, yet another standing ovation. Most of the songs, plus many favorite moments, got rock concert screams and cheers from the sold out theatre. So exciting... heart-warming... and heart-breaking. 
Once again, everyone on stage held it together to give one last outstanding gift to all who attended. Naturally, the emotions were extremely high, producing some very intense and beautiful moments. Notably, the same "For Good" scene had Megan crying right along with Eden this time. It was amazing how they were still able to sing beautifully through their tears, though the final phrase was cut short as their voices broke in tandem. Several tears were wiped away and quite a few sniffles came from both of them. Lots of sniffling and audible weeping going on throughout the song from the audience as well. I cried... wept actually, during or after nearly every song, as well as the major scenes between Eden and Megan... those that heavily focused on their characters' friendship. No one has the chemistry and connection these two have in these roles. Breath-taking! I kept thinking, "this is the last time they will do this, and the last I will see the show." I got a massive headache from all the crying I did... adding to the neck and shoulder pain I had developed from the binocular viewing that afternoon. 
Eden and Megan were definitely working it hard last night, bringing in much of what they have been crafting since Halloween, tapered and heightened, depending on the moment, by the emotions of the evening. I have seen them funnier and even more riffy. However, last night was definitely wowifying. It absolutely was the perfect closing night performance!! I think it's one of my favorite Megan performances. She was very real and in the moment, using her own emotions to enhance her already flawless Glinda. And Eden was, as always, beyond amazing. Words just. can't. even... But I'll try: focused, intense, quirky, inspired, inspiring... everything I love about her as a performer. I am forever in awe of how gorgeous Eden's voice sounds while crying. It's inhuman! Eden and Megan weren't the only ones wearing their hearts on their sleeves. Carol Kane was also showing some major emo throughout her performance. You could here it in her voice and see it in her eyes. One of my favorite moments of the evening was at the end of "As Long as Your Mine". After the "I feel wicked" kiss, Eden and Derrick grabbed each other in a fierce hug while the audience continued their uproarious applause. So much love and sadness in that theatre tonight, it was overwhelming. At the end of the insanely appreciative curtain call, Stephen Schwartz (score) and Winnie Holzman (libretto) came out to give thanks... LA, the producers, the Pantages Theatre, the cast and crew, etc. They finished with an emotional acknowledgement to the three principle cast members who are leaving the Wicked family "for good". Derrick Williams, who has played Fiyero in all the US productions at one time or another; the lovely and extremely talented Megan Hilty, who is a 4 1/2 year Wicked veteran; and last but not least, the extraordinary 5 1/2 year veteran, Eden Espinosa. Each one got rock star cheers, but the crowd went mad for Eden even before Stephen said her name. It was thrilling!! Everyone on stage was crying, most visibly Eden... probably because of her make-up. The green shines and glistens. I could tell she was clearly devistrated from the moment she and Megan came out for their bows. The poor thing was seriously struggling.
It was a unique show for everyone, and one that will stand out and live on in my heart forever!
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