Wicked
After her Carnegie Mellon Showcase, Megan got a packet with the information for an audition. Someone had shown an interest in her to play a key role in Little Shop of Horrors.But the man playing opposite her was at an age that didn't fit with her age.She was devastated. Her agent told her there were some openings for a new show starring Kristin Chenowith and Idina Mendzel. Megan was asked to see the show the night before the audition. In an interview, Megan said that after watching the show, she was stunned and sudenly no longer wanted to audition. She said in an interview,"I thought I had absolutely no chance to get the job, and that liberated me, so I just concentrated on having fun." Shortly after on the same day as her audition, her agent called and according to Hilty said, "I don't know what you did, but they want you in the show." Shocked, she was ready to get started.
"A couple of hours later, my agent called me and said 'I don't know what you did, but they want you in the show.'"
Megan trained and rehearsed in a room with only a few backup dancers and ensemble members. After having played the role of standby for a few performances, she was struggling with staying true to Kristin. According to Megan in an interview, an assistant stage manager told her that she needed to stop trying to clone the performances of Kristin and Jennifer. She was asked not watch the show again and just make the role her own. "Because of that I had to sit down with the script again, and I was like, 'Okay, I can't be as funny, charming as these two ladies, especially in these places, but maybe if I can make it funny here, if I can bring something else to it in a different spot.' I really had to go back and treat it like any other script." She didn't step into the bubble in the full Galinda-style ballgown dress until her first night on stage starring as Glinda opposite the crazy-famous Idina Mendzel. Although she says everyone was supportive, I'm sure her stomach must have been doing somersaults! Many people who saw her in those early days as standby were blown away by her strong, well thought out performance (I mean she winked with the music in the opening number!) and were shocked to learn that she didn't play the role nightly.
"A couple of hours later, my agent called me and said 'I don't know what you did, but they want you in the show.'"
Megan trained and rehearsed in a room with only a few backup dancers and ensemble members. After having played the role of standby for a few performances, she was struggling with staying true to Kristin. According to Megan in an interview, an assistant stage manager told her that she needed to stop trying to clone the performances of Kristin and Jennifer. She was asked not watch the show again and just make the role her own. "Because of that I had to sit down with the script again, and I was like, 'Okay, I can't be as funny, charming as these two ladies, especially in these places, but maybe if I can make it funny here, if I can bring something else to it in a different spot.' I really had to go back and treat it like any other script." She didn't step into the bubble in the full Galinda-style ballgown dress until her first night on stage starring as Glinda opposite the crazy-famous Idina Mendzel. Although she says everyone was supportive, I'm sure her stomach must have been doing somersaults! Many people who saw her in those early days as standby were blown away by her strong, well thought out performance (I mean she winked with the music in the opening number!) and were shocked to learn that she didn't play the role nightly.
After some time, she replaced Jennifer Thompson and continued with Idina Mendezel playing Elphaba. Later, Shoshana Bean became her Elphaba. Megan and Shoshana became very close and started their own webseries called the Meg an' Sho Show. They put on a concert that they called The Wicked Swap where they sang the songs of each other's character. Although it was originally performed live, it became a YouTube hit among fans. Shoshana retired her role and was replaced by Eden Espinosa. Eden is known to be one of the few Broadway babes to have never attended college for theater.
Wicked was Megan's start to fame. She became known for the role and on YouTube, and many comments indicate that "Thank Goodness" is considered by Wicked fans to be 'Megan's song.' Glinda was a perfect role for her to play fresh out of college. It lead to many other projects that eventually led to her small screen debut. It's safe to say that she has definitely become POPULAR!
Comment Prompter: Who is your favorite Glinda/ Elphaba combination?
*The direct quotations came from AOLMusicBlog and MeganHiltyOnline
Comment Prompter: Who is your favorite Glinda/ Elphaba combination?
*The direct quotations came from AOLMusicBlog and MeganHiltyOnline
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