When he first said it, I thought "there already is a reprise; we don't need another one." Then he explained his whole idea and I thought "that's brilliant and absolutely necessary." LoL
I’m so pleased about Jonathan being FIYERO. Getting to see him and Cynthia is gonna be a dream come true. I really hope the movie is good because they’re wonderful!!!
I've always thought that Fiyero should have had at least single verse in "Couldn't Be Happier," or possibly his own reprise of it. Fiyero's growth mainly happens through dialogue, and it does feel like there's a missing piece to his development because we don't get anything musical from him between "Dancing Through Life" and "As Long As You're Mine." By musical convention, the turning point in his character arc not being set to music makes it inherently less important and impactful than any of the moments that get musical numbers, and it seems like an extremely good way to bulk up the story in a way that truly adds something to the musical. I don't want to cut Glinda's part down, but "Couldn't Be Happier" feels like something she and Fiyero should both be expressing musically, each unaware that the other is unhappy.
100% agree! It would be perfect as a reprise of Couldn’t Be Happier, maybe more acoustic and sad, trying to convince himself he’s happy for Glinda’s sake. And it gives him that growth through song exactly like you said it makes sense to have. I would love both that and a reprise of Not That Girl (like Mickey Jo said) just to give his character a little more backstory and depth, and having all 3 of them sing a version of Not That Girl would be so satisfying storyline wise!
Completely agree, it was a long known thing among the fans that Dancing Through Life is probably the worst song of the musical, and Fiyero being frankensteined from 2 characters in the books in underdeveloped, the movie is a great opportunity to actually make him a good consistent character
To be honest I was thinking the whole time that for me personally a good Fiyero could really change my excitement for this movie and I was also imagining Johnathan as Fiyero. So I am very very happy about him being cast!
@@nekusakura6748Johnathan Bailey is a really talented Broadway singer. Her played Jamie in a recent revival of The Last Five Years and was also in the newer revival of Company where he played a gender swapped version of Amy (coincidentally also named Jamie lol). He was fantastic in both.
As a huge Jonny and musical fan, I am so happy about this news. He is super talented, and I bet he's going to be brilliant. P.S. Your Aussie accent was pretty good. (coming from an Aussie). 🙂
Loved your analysis. A very gifted actor indeed. Of course Jonathan can dance. He's received training in ballet as a kid... Also he's super athletic. In his earlier works 'Campus' he does several acrobatic stunts including the toe touch jump. And I've heard he did a stunt in 'Company' too , in the middle of that super fast song.
I've kind of always thought that Fiyero could potentially do with his own song after 'Thank Goodness' before we check back in with Elphaba. For as much as I love Wicked, Fiyero is *really* short-changed as a male lead; he's basically there to just act cool, dither about a bit and then get turned into the Scarecrow so the show doesn't have to end on a complete downer. It's kind of the one thing I'm hoping the movie(s) can actually improve on. Like, during 'Thank Goodness' it's obvious that he's not happy with Glinda and the whole "Elphie = Wicked Witch" development but the shift from unhappy but sort of willing to tolerate it to outright running away with Elphaba with very little prompting when he next shows up has always struck me as just seeming a little disjointed and out of nowhere. Having his own song (and I'm completely down for it being a gender-flipped reprise of 'I'm Not That Girl') in between those two events would go a long way to really demonstrating the extent of his internal conflict at that point in time and showing that his decision to be with Elphaba isn't just a spur of the moment thing which is how it occasionally comes across in the stage show but is something that's actually potentially been on the cards with him for a while. As to the casting itself, I'm fairly sure Jonathan Bailey will absolutely kill it. He was phenomenal in Company and is a terrific actor. And if we're being honest, Fiyero *really* isn't a demanding role from either a vocal or an acting standpoint - it's all very straightforward to the point where I'm sure a lot of guys could do it in their sleep. To be honest, I'm just excited that we've got three for three in terms of casting the lead roles with people with actual musical theatre experience...
I've forgotten the exact reason why, but a Broadway costumer told me that white fabric is never used for white stage costumes. They're always cream colored. It was some technical thing having to do with stage lighting. So Fiyero's pants are white-adjacent, not actually white.
Fiyero isn't a very demanding vocal performance so it doesn't need a strong tenor with full range and depth of tone. What is essential, and what Johnny does have, is charisma and sensitivity. 100% confident his performance will be good and that he'll have great chemistry with Cynthia. I'm less sure about his chemistry with Ari, plus I wonder if the age gap will be noticeable (Johnny and Cynthia are close in age).
Ari is actually close in age too. She just looks *so* young. I honestly hate her casting just because she looks that young. It’s going to be bizarre/weird when she and Jonathan Bailey are paired up in the first movie.
@@jennifermangin5447 the characters are only around 15 years old. When the show starts, And they are 23 or 24 at the oldest by the time the show is over. They're supposed to look young.
Obviously. I’ve seen the show many times. But they decided to cast Jonathan and Cynthia who both look their age - 30s. Ari looks miscast next to them. And any expansion on the fiyero/Glinda “relationship (ew) will be borderline creepy given how far apart in age they look. Ari looks a decade younger than Jonathan.
Obviously. I’ve seen the show many times. But they decided to cast Jonathan and Cynthia who both look their age - 30s. Ari looks miscast next to them. And any expansion on the fiyero/Glinda “relationship (ew) will be borderline creepy given how far apart in age they look. Ari looks a decade younger than Jonathan.
Jonathan will now be the second prominent Jamie Wellerstein to play Fiyero ever. I think he would do well as he’s got some good Last Five Year clips floating around and I really liked him in Company.
Meryl Streep studied with the famed opera coach Estelle Liebling as a young girl for years. If she sounded better to you in Into the Woods than in Mamma Mia, it's probably because of the material, not a Hollywood vocal coach.. She's not a pop singer. But she was well-known for her singing in her early stage career.
I'm very excited about this casting! It definitely increased my interest in the movie (to be fair, I've only just watched Bridgerton). Enjoyed Jonathan in Company as well. The Australian Wicked cracked me up :D
Honestly never even heard of Bridgerton before the last few days when I finally (I'm late, I know T.T) found out about the casting. I know Jonathan Bailey as the voice of G'raha Tia from the game Final Fantasy XIV, easily my favorite character and his voice is like buttah. I was unbelievably stoked to see my G'raha is gonna be Fiyero
I’ve personally never had an issue with West End Wicked having British accents because of the vocal difference it sets between the citizens of Oz and the Wizard who canonically is from Kansas and so is always performed with an American accent, so I’d be fine with the movie doing either option tbh! ☺️
He is going to be AMAZING in this role! Funny that you mention the accent shock because it happened to me too when I first heard 'Dancing through life' at the theatre and they introduced the song with a strong 'Let's dance'!
About the accents, the three main characteres (Elphaba, Glinda and Fiyero), plus the Wizard, could theoratically have different accents since they are from different parts of Oz, and the Wizard is from Kansas.
@mickeyjotheatre I love your vids. This particular video was a bit journalistic/educational which I loved. Perhaps collab with an editor to throw in pics/vids of the content you are referring to. Would really up your game!!
Love love love Jonathan. I do think he is a tad too old for the role. But I still am not mad because I know he will nail everything he get. After both being able to pull off Jamie in Company (which I fortune enough to see) and Anthony in Bridgerton (I am a huge fan of the book series and he really was the embodiment of the character in the book despite the terrible book of the series where they cut so much of his depth) I truly believe he can do anything. (Also: you totally sold me the British accent with the delivery of these lines. Holy.) (Also also: whoever called them "white trousers": no. They are and always were cream and I have never heard anyone say they were white.)
I’m silently losing my mind, bc Johnathan voices my favorite video game character who can canonically sing but we’ve never heard it…now I’ll get to imagine my fave singing Wicked songs 😂
If you haven’t watched him perform IF I DIDN’T BELIEVE IN YOU for his audition for the West End’s production of “The Last Five Years” I recommend-he’s an amazing singer!
If adding a standalone Fiyero song I'd definitely see one after "Thank goodness", (some sort of reprise of lyrics of both Thank Goodness where indeed he'd say "I'm not that boy" as well ?) at the end of which he decides he'll go on his own to look for Elphaba
Personally I’d love to see Fiyero do a reprise of “I’m Not that Girl” titled “You’re not that Girl” @ Galinda after “Thank Goodness” seeing just how much she’s compromised to get ahead in life in versus the green girl trying to help the animals. As for the accents, I’m sure they’ll allow for a British accent from this hot character since Americans are conditioned to find British and Irish accents attractive. Great work!
@@gabrielleduplessis7388 I’d think of it as sad bc the curtain has been parted, so to speak. At that point in the story, Fiyero sees through Galinda’s flowery essence and gets a glimpse of the brutal ambition hiding underneath the blonde hair. Either way I’m sure it’ll be great!
I can picture Fiyero singing a sing with a montage of events. Shortly after he arrives and gets to know Elphaba and Dr. Dillamond, he begins singing his own song while saving the lion and than you watch a series of events making him question his purpose and who he wants to be. Part of the song could be about not loving Glinda anymore which is also not falling in love with his vain and selfish side anymore. Than Elphaba is where his mature and evolving side belongs to.
Starting watching this video because I'm a massive musical theatre fan, stayed watching because as an aussie, the comments made me curious. That was hilarious and made my day😂😂
I am very excited for the Wicked movie. I would love to see a solo for Flyero… I’m Not That Boy would be an awesome name for the song.❤. It would be amazing if Ali Stoker who was Ado Annie in Oklahoma on Broadway played Nessa Rose.
American here....and I am all for a British accented for Fiyero Bridgerton ;-) But dear Lordt, don't let Ariana Grande attempt one. Oz is in neither the US or the UK, I say let them use their natural accents. My favorite Elphie was the amazing Rachel Tucker when she was in the West End company. Northern Irish Elphaba was a delight to hear.
If there are a mixture of accents, I want it to be consistent. In Oz, it makes sense there will be more diversity (ironically) because that it its facade. So I can picture a variety of accents. In other cities, I can picture different accents in each section depending on background and socioeconomic status.
I think he's a fab casting choice. Also I am so excited for the riff on the line, "it's up that I fell" in as long as you're mine. I would like a riff like Oliver thompest did, that is my ultimate one
What I've liked about the casting so far is that they've cast people who are well know in pop culture, but also have musical theater background. So we know the singing talent is there. But who knows if they'll continue to cast it like that for the whole cast. If the rumors are true about Ethan Slater playing Boq, then this would be his first high profile project. And from what I've heard about the latest casting notice for Nessa, it seems they're searching for an unknown actress.
Just some thoughts on the "Wicked" movie in general. I think breaking it into 2 films is a bad idea. The musical is around 2.5 hours, making me wonder how much filler they'll add to make two feature films - particularly if they are each 2+ hours. I suspect a motivator is being a cash-grab. I do not have high hopes for this adaption. "Wicked" works well on stage, but I don't see it working well as a film. This is especially considering the track record of some recent big musical to screen adaptions which have ranged from lackluster (Phantom of the Opera) to horrific (Les Misérables).
Great idea for "I'm Not That Girl." I think he'll be fantastic. I'm in the US, so I've never seen him on stage but I've heard him sing on videos here. I do hope that since they are expanding the running time, maybe they will write a decent song for the Wizard.
He's a good choice for the role, I was just hoping they would cast Jordan Fisher because the book says that Fiyero is dark skinned and it would've been nice to see them lean in to that.
I like the "I'm not that girl" idea!! he could have a song around the time of "Thank Goodness" (could be that one as he realises he's not sold on the role he's ended up in); or he could have a song after he is 'saved'/turned into a scarecrow! I can't remember exactly how he reunites with Elphaba after that, but a song before he knows if he'll see her and processing what's happened to him could maybe work?! Also how am I only now finding out about the non-replica production with a redhead Elphie?!?
If you want to hear the contrast between a British accent (Galinda) and an American accent (Elphaba) then can I suggest the BBC Children in Need clip of 'What is this feeling?' Personally I LOVE the contrast, (after all, Galinda is from the Uplands, Elphie is from Munchkinland) and I think it totally works. Heck, give Fiyero another accent just to hammer home that they're from all over Oz and I'll be cheering from the cinema seats!
Brilliant idea about the third version of 'I'm not that ...' Your Aussie/Ozie accent is hilarious! But why do I think Meryl's gonna do Morrible? Hmmmmm ...
Yes I think if Fiyero did a song I’m not that Boy would be good. And then Fiyero singing a song after Thank goodness would be great. Also he could sing what his feelings are to Alphaba .
I would love to see them ask Joel Grey to reprise his role as the wizard!! I think he's still performing?? Otherwise if they go for the slightly "younger model", I'd love Harry connick junior!! Would love to hear him singing "wonderful"!!!
Dancer Jonathan Bailey: your question It has been published that Jonathan Bailey as a child performer was originally a dancer. Although very young at the time, if he had a propensity for dance for dance initially, perhaps that love, that passion is still there or at least can certainly be enthusiastically accessed by JB. He is a superb artist who puts his heart and soul in to the work he does. I have faith that he will make the dancing gods proud!
One way they could explore Fiyero is to have him do his own reprise of No Good Deed. It is a song all about intentions and failure to protect those you love, and being vilified for it. We also don't get to see any of his perspective on how things played out. I can see this being like a power ballad reprise while he's posted up in the fields. Perhaps culminating in his magical transformation into a scarecrow. (Since NGD starts as the literal incantation to do so) I may be bias seeing as No Good Deed has a been a signature repertoire number of my 10 year (and counting) drag career.
I read they're trying to cast someone genuinely in a wheelchair for Nessa. Of course the biggest name on Broadway who uses a wheelchair is Ali Stroker. She's brilliant but I almost think her voice is too big for Nessa? We'll see.
I don't know what are they going to do regarding accent cause Boq is being played by Ethan Slater who is American & Megan Startel & Bowen Yang also Americans are gonna be two of Glinda's friends/sidequicks. However Hannah Waddingham who is British is highly rumoured to play Morrible but so is Michelle Yeoh.
I hope they do something clever with the accents - Elphaba, Nessa and Boq are from the same place, but Elphaba and Nessa are ruling class. James Gillan's Scottish Boq gave us a lot of social commentary about munchkins being ruled by foreigners. Glinda is from a different area so her having a different accent would work. Helen Dallimore is, indeed, from Aus.... Costumes - ohh, now that is where I'm concerned, because if they come at it with the attitude of "can't look like the stage show" then they'll cut themselves off from some absolute genius costume design. The stage costumes for Wicked are, in my opinion, some of the best designs out there.. Elphaba's amazing Act 2 dress has the remnants of her Defying Gravity dress built in, as if she's spent months, years, patching and repairing it with whatever fabrics she can get her hands on. Her little white jacket in "I'm not that girl"? obviously Glinda took her shopping, it's not something Elphaba would have ever picked for herself but it suits her perfectly. Just one costume piece can tell us so much more than the script has time for.
As someone really into the books as a kid, a multitude of accents makes sense. Oz is a decent-sized country with distinct cultural regions and a University would attract people from every part of it.
I love his success but as a Final Fantasy 14 fan, I'm starting to get worried we're gonna lose him as the voice of one of the series most beloved characters ;_;
I'm hopping for mid Atlantic for most of the cast and regional American for roles that require it. To me as an Australian out national version did this a d it seems right with the source material being a quintessential American tale. I always feel weird seeing clips of the west end version as the vowel sounds don't fit.
Honestly the idea of a reprise of 'I'm not that girl' is really good! Something like a reprise or a part of 'couldn't be happier' would be fantastic. Edit: Oh my god! Australian Wicked would kill me xD