She truly is the best actress to play the role. Every single Glinda has been incredible and brought so many different things to the role, but KRC really captured Glindas anguish and depth in act 2 better than anyone I've seen. Truly incredible.
Astounding how poignantly Katie Rose Clarke expresses how Glinda indeed could NOT be happier at this point. Her choices (aligning herself with the "Goodness" of a corrupt Wizard and prioritizing the fickle crowd whose adoration is based on a mere illusion of her over Fiyero and Elphaba who know the real Glinda) have trapped her into performing happiness instead of ever experiencing it.
RU-vid just suggested that I watch someone else do this, from three months ago. And I’m like…no. So I hunted down the version of this that I like best, and I found it. It’s this one. This is the best version I’ve seen. As I said in that other video: I’m not impressed by belters. I like folks who can sing and emote. So this version fits the bill for me.
Megan HAS to be up there as well. I will also always champion Jennifer Laura Thompson. The second standby and first replacement in Broadway. She truly set the tone for what Glinda became. Kristen did an incredible job originating the role, but if you look at a lot of the deadpan humor and the over the top Popular and even the emotional depth was truly started with her. She changed the game and was the true template for the role. She deserves some recognition.
Anyone notice the conductor cued in the band too early at 1.22? You can tell Katie hesitates slightly and even looks to them at 1.34 to check what happened. She looks a bit spooked but powers through. Only a tiny thing but amazing the band quickly corrected.
I just realized something- I think Hilferty made a character driven choice for this costume in having one arm bare and bedazzled and the other covered in a full sleeve. It’s not for just the “twisted Edwardian” look. Could it also be to show the duality of Glinda at this moment? The inner conflict of doing what’s politically correct over what she knows is right? Could it also represent that she’s still trying to hold on to the person she was at Shiz and having doubts about her current role in Oz? If that’s the case I think it makes “Thank Goodness” even more poignant and is just another detail that drives home the importance of the scene- Glinda is NOT okay even though she has, yet again, gotten what she wanted in life.
