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Eden in bloom

By Suzy Evans

May 5, 2008 9:32 p.m.

Flying 50 feet in the air over a smoke-filled stage, Eden Espinosa captivates the entire theater with her explosive vocals and spine-tingling riffs. And as spotlights hit her from every direction and the orchestra reaches its final crescendo, she belts the climactic line: “Nobody in all of Oz is ever going to bring me down!”

“It’s almost out of body,” Espinosa, who created the role of the green witch Elphaba for the Los Angeles company of “Wicked,” said of the show’s Act 1 finale. “It’s a good moment.”

Espinosa made her Broadway debut as the standby in the original Broadway cast and subsequently performed the role for the San Francisco leg of the first national tour and for eight months on Broadway. And though she took her final flight at the Pantages Theatre on Dec. 30 after being with Wicked for over four years, Espinosa has no plans to come down any time soon.

These lyrics will bring new meaning to her career as she leaves her days in Oz behind and takes a chance on a very different show, “Flora, the Red Menace,” which opens tonight at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse concluding the 2007-2008 Reprise! season.

“I can react as Elphaba in any situation at any time because I know her so well. And I lived in her skin, so to speak, for so long,” Espinosa said. “It’s going to be a challenge and an interesting exercise for me to apply what I’ve learned.”

Although she admits it’s nice to finally “de-greenify,” Espinosa feels certain the audience will see a difference in more than just her skin color. Her pop-musical style and mind-blowing belt brought her to fame, but she said “Flora” presents the challenge of “old-fashioned musical theater,” something she has not attempted before.

“It’s a very different voice for me,” Espinosa explained. “People might come expecting to see the Eden they saw at the Pantages, but that’s not who this person is. And that’s not what this show is.”

“Flora” tells the story of a young aspiring fashion designer living in America’s Great Depression who falls in love with a stuttering Communist and must decide between love and her personal beliefs. The show marks the first collaboration between the celebrated songwriting team Kander and Ebb, who also wrote the more well-known “Chicago” and “Cabaret.”

In the show, Flora sings “All I need is one good break,” and while that break came for Espinosa with “Wicked,” her performance in “Flora” will prove whether her name can help carry a show. Unlike “Wicked,” the show does not have a huge fan base around the world. Espinosa must rely on her own fans because, as she said, not that many people have seen “Flora.”

She recognizes that audiences may typecast her from roles in more modern shows like “Wicked” and “Brooklyn The Musical,” for which she originated the title role on Broadway. And while she definitely feels the pressure ““ a good pressure, though ““ she looks forward to proving her versatility as a performer.

“Obviously, people will see you a certain way,” Espinosa said. “So if you go in (to audition) for something that you know you can do, and they say “˜You’re not this type,’ you’re like “˜But can I show you?”’

She intends to do just that. She has no plans to provide a carbon copy of Liza Minnelli, who originated the role of Flora in 1965 and won her first Tony for it. In fact, Espinosa did not even listen to the original cast album before starting rehearsals.

“My voice is not like (Minnelli’s) at all, and I didn’t want to get myself in the zone of “˜Oh God, I can’t make it sound like that,'” she said. “It wouldn’t be authentic or honest for me at all if I were to copy. … I don’t think I’ll be compared to (Minnelli) that much, hopefully.”

Espinosa credits her years doing shows at Disneyland and Universal Studios as the time when she developed her individuality, both as a performer and as a person. Her first job was as a Christmas caroler in Disney’s parade “Christmas Fantasy,” and she went on to perform in shows as Pocahontas and Ariel, as well as in the short-lived revue “Steps in Time” at California Adventure. At Universal Studios, she had featured roles in “Spider-Man Rocks” and “Beetlejuice’s Rockin’ Graveyard Revue.”

Although she did not attend college ““ a decision she does not regret ““ her experience doing these shows five times a day, five days a week allowed her to build her vocal stamina, preparing her for Broadway’s rigorous eight-show-a-week schedule.

Even though Espinosa described her theater experience as “charmed,” she had to work extra hard to please audiences during her time as a standby in “Wicked.” Espinosa had to perform for a month when Idina Menzel, the original Elphaba, left to film a movie a week after she won the Tony for the role.

“You feel the apprehension. “˜Who’s this girl? She’s not Idina. We have to spend the whole show with her. I hope she’s good,'” Espinosa said of the audience’s reaction at this time. “And you almost feel the energy of them sitting back in their seats with their arms crossed like, “˜Okay, show me what you got.'”

Though Espinosa does not have a Tony of her own yet, her talent attracts audience and performers alike. Manoel Felciano, her co-star in “Flora,” partially attributed his involvement in the show to her.

“I jumped at the opportunity to work with her,” he said. Felciano, who received a Tony nomination for his performance as Tobias in the Broadway revival of “Sweeney Todd,” plays the love interest, Harry, in “Flora.” He and Espinosa also worked together on “Brooklyn” in 2004.

The two have remained friends, and while some actors may think playing romantic opposites with a close friend would be awkward, Felciano described the experience as a pleasure.

“We feel like we can be really honest with each other and support each other,” he explained. “It makes it a real pleasure as opposed to something that might be awkward if you happen to not get along with your co-star.”

But even if the show is a delight for both the cast and the audience, there is limited time for rehearsals and performances, which presents a new challenge for Espinosa. While “Wicked” began as an open-ended run at the Pantages, the cast of “Flora” has 10 days to rehearse for only two weeks of performances.

“I have a feeling that I’m going to feel cheated because I like to discover as I go with the people that I’m working with. … So by the time we’re closing I’m going to feel “˜Aw, I was just getting it. I was just feeling comfortable,'” Espinosa said.

Though she’s not used to spending such a short amount of time with a character, Espinosa wants to take every moment to heart.

“I’m learning already from her, in that things aren’t always going to happen the way you want them to, but just stick to your beliefs, and it’s going to be OK,” she said.

And even offstage, Espinosa applies this lesson to her daily life. As a pastor’s daughter growing up in the church choir, she looks to her faith and her family for her strength.

“If it’s not God’s plan for my life, it’s not going to happen, and that’s OK. Something else will come along,” she said. “I just know I’m always taken care of. I have somewhere to turn to.”

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