Shoshana Bean is an actress well-known for her portrayal of Elphaba in Wicked. She is credited as the first Broadway replacement Elphaba.
Biography[]
Bean made her Wicked debut back in September 2004, when she replaced Eden Espinosa as the Standby to Idina Menzel's Elphaba. She replaced Idina Menzel in the role on January 11, 2005 with Saycon Sengbloh replacing her as the Standby. However, Bean began to perform the role earlier than planned, due to an infamous injury sustained by Menzel at a previous performance, and continued in the role a further year. During her time on Broadway, Bean performed opposite Jennifer Laura Thompson and Megan Hilty. Bean's final performance was January 8, 2006 and was replaced by Eden Espinosa. She then reprised the role along with Megan Hilty as Glinda (replacing Julia Murney and Kendra Kassebaum) for a limited time on the North American Tour from September 9 through December 30, 2006.
As well as an actress and singer, Bean is a songwriter as well. Bean has a hit single "Superhero" which won an Independent Music Awards for Best R&B Song. This song was also Independent Music Awards Vox Pop winner.
Shoshana Bean as Elphaba
Bean has made several appearances outside of Wicked. View her Wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoshana Bean to read about her feats. Or visit her official web page www.shoshanabean.com
Bean also appeared in the video "Pop Goes Broadway" by the YouTube channel 'Superfruit', which is run by Mitch Grassi and Scott Hoying from the A Capella group Pentatonix. She lent her vocals for "Jealous" by Nick Jonas and "Break Free" by Ariana Grande and Zedd. As a nod to her work as Elphaba, Grassi and Hoying wrote the last note that Bean would belt out "no more" and then they would come in for a three part harmony.
Bloopers[]
- In Shoshana's last show as Elphaba, during Popular with Megan Hilty, Megan held out a pair of pink frilly panties for Shoshana and said, "The only way to be popular is to wear a pair of these!".
- On what was meant to be Idina Menzel's last Broadway show, Bean was on due to Menzel having been injured during her penultimate performance. During Popular, Jennifer Laura Thompson couldn't get the pink flower to stay in Shoshana's wig, so she ended up pinning it to her bosom.
- According to Rondi Reed in an interview, in one of Bean's entrances as Elphaba, she was running in and, because of the Gershwin's raked stage, she fell into the orchestra pit.
- In her first Defying Gravity as lead, Bean accidentally knocked off her hat, along with her active mic which was attached to it, in mid-air. Her second mic (in her wig) was quickly switched on, but the audience were unable to hear the lines "And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free."
- While she was being lifted in the elevator for the song No Good Deed, her heel got caught in between the stage and platform causing the show to come to an emergency stop. She later continued the show with a swollen foot.
Facts -
Bean has a B.F.A in Musical Theatre from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. (Which she received in 1999) She was a roommate of fellow Wicked alumni Kristy Cates.
Bean has also performed with another Wicked alumni Megan Hilty in a variety show called The Meg an' Sho Show, in where they would perform a "Wicked Swap" where Bean would sing Glinda songs and Megan would sing an Elphaba Song.
Videos[]
Shoshana Bean Sings "No Good Deed"-0