Second National Tour. 23 June 2013. Conductor Valerie Gebert, featuring Jennifer DiNoia as Elphaba and Hayley Podschun as Glinda (not sure). This video was not recorded by me. All rights reserved to the owner.
Gotta say, that is consistently my favourite moment in the entire show. Done right, it demonstrates the perfect relationship between performer, conductor and light tech. The performer leads the conductor to cut the music at the exact moment they want the vocal part to end. Then the light tech cuts all the lights beyond one right on the performers face that lingers just a half second longer. It gives the performer just a moment longer to give a dramatic head-toss or something. And every time I see it done right, I'm like... *chef kiss*
@@aqe2732 Stage managers are freaking awesome! And I love all aspects of production. Can confirm: highly timed and co-dependent moments are magical and exciting when everyone nails it. As a live events stage manager, I have to admit I've screamed with joy much to the shock and amusement of nearby production staff XD
That conductor is brilliant. I've never seen a conductor that relaxed and calm and just be spot on the entire way. Hope they don't lose her anytime soon, i'll say that
The real wizard behind the curtain - is the crew that gets Elphaba *safely* tethered to the "elevator" in just under 4 seconds. Also the elevator device was hydraulic-ram based (the Munchkinland Tour with Idina Mendel and Christin Chenowith), was huge, and about 6,000 lbs. The system was pressurized and moved during the louder musical passages. In the theater I worked the elevator was stored "flown" from the grid on electric chain hoists. lowered to the deck right before this scene starts, connected to the pump and reservoir, and placed into position during the second verse. This was in 2009 and the tour re-designed a number of effects and other changes have been made since then to accommodate smaller stages and reduce the number of trucks needed to move the show. The level of professionalism from all departments and crafts on this show are amazing.
I love that the conductor is so familiar with Jennifer DiNoia 's performance that she knew exactly when the "down" was coming, Whoever conducts in London has a habit of cutting actresses short.
Valerie conducted several shows at the Sacramento Music Circus when I was the keyboard player in the orchestra. She is fantastic and so fun to work with. Great video.
She sounded like a total rock star live, in the best way. Her voice has a little bit of a rasp, sort of like a little touch of Pink's voice, and it's fantastic. She's absolutely one of my favorites
I havent felt like this about this song in years..... I watched this video and suddenly I was in 6th grade having just discovered wicked for the first time and playing a pixelated bootleg of idina over and over and over.....just, wow. Thank you
This conductor and the dialogue happening unspoken between so many different aspects is remarkable. It gives me chills. The timing, precision of the hits, fades, all with singer lights and stage are on full perfect execution. What a gem this pit cam is. Well done yall. Chills. Goosebumps.
I know she's a professional and that this is part of the job, but I gotta give mad credit to Ms. Gebert for being so composed during this. If I were conducting this song to Jennifer DiNoia I'd be goin absolute HAM on that podium
Hanson they didn’t when I subbed in the production, but I’m sure each theater has different things happen depending how exposed their orchestra pits are!
@@Nenn-qs2yw I've seen it happen and it's really cool. I guess if you have some spare dimmers to run to the pit why not use them- it's a great effect when everything shuts off like that. I've even seen the conductor video screen blackout, and the audience isn't even looking at that!
@@aj.guevarra12 when i was playing in the pit for this show for the broadway run. we never had a black out in the pit too because the pit was fully covered (except the conductors podium)
That conductor is amazing- staying calm through all of that backphrasing, and the rhythmic changes she made (I am more of only change when necessary type of person) but stellar job!!
The next time you're in the theater, turn around and look for the conductor screens. I never noticed them until I went on stage for a professional musical myself (Ciske de Rat, Dutch original). The actors have (multiple, often black and white, dimmed) screen(s) in the theatre hall to see the conductor too. Of course conductors take cues from actors, especially in solos, but for ensemble numbers, it's very useful. Backstage there are also a few screens for those singing off stage.
I recently did a show at my local theatre and let me tell you those screens are literal life savers if you ever are unsure if it’s your cue or not you can just look at the conductor on the screen. They are the best things ever
I mean, I admire the conductrice for her calmness aka professionality, I would be headbanging, arm-swinging, jumping and everything while "conducting" this
This is one of my favourite videos ever. It's so wonderful to see the music behind the show. And the musicians behind the instruments. The music is so special.
Perhaps the greatest pair of female roles in the 21st century theatre. The HARMONIES here and in For Good are stunning. And this is one of the most epic and emotionally affecting Act I endings. WHAT A SHOWSTOPPER. Can’t help but cheer the actress who belts out this difficult bridge... BRAVO 👏🏾
thank you, I'm not a professional musician or something close to that but I've always thought about the moment and conducting in the orchestra pit, leading defying gravity, no one mourns for wicked, one short day, the wizard and I... really thank you. I feel like my dream comes true just by watching this.
After my sister being a musical director for a westend musical, I know how hard it is to even get pit forward to be picked to do this F***ing incredible and magical and dream job! Me and my sister have both been musical directors and are both (not to be big headed) pretty good at it. I just did the musical directing for a local performance of evita and obviously being a Lloyd Webber can't be half done so we had an 18 piece orchestra! X
I heard the music in a such a new way. There are layers to the song I have never noticed before but this video brought them out for me. Thank you so much for giving us such an amazing glimpse into such an iconic theater moment.
You are actually hearing the audio coming from the pit, rather than the reinforced/mixed audio coming from the speakers. It's so nice to hear the music "raw" when it's recorded that close by!!
Nicola Mahtani same. I’m hoping to get into berklee next year so I can keep up with the competition. Hopefully I can get hooked up with some contacts while at berklee. I need to play drums in a pit other than my high school lmao
I can't say i have heard the Xylophone as much in other recordings as i did here. I also thought the pit would have a larger group of instruments in there too. Interesting!
Constantly anticipating what the singers do. Mad props. Makes it feel like she's leading them 100 percent even though she has to follow them to some extent.
I guess I never even put together the thought that the lighting guy is also watching her for the blackout cue to hit with the stinger at the end. I’d give my right arm to sit in either the pit, FOH, or lighting booth of a Broadway show
@@figarothecat3707 Audio on the other hand is usually watching the conductor on monitor very closely. When operating audio it isn't great to have a clearcom in one ear so usually there is a light on the console that indicates sound cues (cued by a calling SM). However it's important for the VCA mix to be cued exactly and the conductor is often more reliable "in the moment" than the calling SM!! Like in this number here, I would much rather be watching the conductor monitor than waiting for a green light!!
I read something somewhere that elphaba controls the conductor when shes in the air because elphaba cant see the conductor from up there. (But on Broadway I know there is video screens) but what I had heard is when elphaba lifts her broom before shes gonna end Ahhhh note it cues the condctor orchestra and ensemble. Which the conductor here kind makes the same movement as elphaba.
When she does the final aAaAa note, she lifts her broom and it cues the ensemble to sing "down" and when she throws her hand down, that's the cue for the orchestra to go
This is true, to an extent. For DG specifically, the first arm thrust cues the ensemble and the one that follows cues the orchestra. The final thrust/power move determines when everything stops. This is true for TWAI and NGD too. Both songs end on the actor's cue. That's why you'll see most of them twisting their torso back to signal they're about to end it.
I couldnt imagine trying to play with all the feedback of hearing their voices, then hearing the delay of it coming through the mic while trying to keep in time/pay attention to what youre playing.
The conductor triggers a click track that some players will use in their headphones. Pit musicians have Aviom personal monitor mixers for their headphones so none of the other musicians are affected by individual choices.
+ Chris R The Wicked tour orchestration only calls for 3 woodwind doublers so everyone is there! The venue (Uihlein Hall) is massive and the pit is very large, so there is definitely lots of room!
Where is it situated in relation to the stage? Or are they behind the stage and the conductor is watching a screen of the stage performance? My brain is so confused by this lol
I'm presuming that's a huge screen of the show infront of the conductor rather than the actual stage? Great to have such a good over-view of everything from the cam in this one.
Videos like this make me excited to be in pit in the coming years- unfortunately I play alto saxophone so I couldn’t really play in a lot of musicals like Wicked because it’s a different music style but it’ll be fun nonetheless :>
