Added: 5 years ago
From: puccinilover
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  • that opt-up....i just.....what???????

  • I like this version. but personally i prefer Idina.

  • This is the best "Nobody's Side" I've ever seen. Julia killed it!!!!

  • flawless.

  • I think she did an awesome job, but she is overdoing her vibratio! ;/

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  • god,m this role is like written for her..

  • Idina is absolutely better...better emotion and better facial expressions. When Idina is on stage I don't look at anyone else.

  • @mkr20003 then you must be blind! idina looked uncomfortable as hell when she sang this, and didn't act or make any STRONG choices!! julia kills this! idina treated it like a pop song!

  • Just perfection. Stunning. And Julia oozes sex appeal.

  • SHE. KILLED. IT. viva la julia

  • I think this performance is amazing - she controls herself as a consummate performer whilst showing her character is falling apart at the seams

    brilliant - and sexy

    Bravo

  • Im just saying, I'm a diehard Idina Fan, and I think its stupid to compare the two. They may be singing the same song but they both do it justice. They do it completely different. I dont think either would have been asked to play the part if they couldn't sing the part. I agree Idina is pitchy but I love her voice and the chill I get when I hear her sing this song. (and I'm not going to lie, this girl is amazing too!)

  • She is amazing

  • I fucking love Adam Pascal. Even though he was only in the very beginning of this haha

  • Can't we just agree that Idina and Julia both did a fantastic job with this song and stop fighting over whose performance is better. Just because Idina interpreted the character as of having more of a bitter edge and Julia was trying to gain sympathy for the character doesn't mean either version was bad.The whole point of having a complex character such as Florence is so you can take it in different directions whenever you preform it. Stop fighting who is better and just appreciate both versions

  • Aside from that weird screech towards the end, I really do love this version. She's so powerful and embittered.

  • Julia Murney truly is INCREDIBLE!!

  • That's the best I've ever seen this song done.

  • @crownedkitty67 ...that because the character is angry..........

  • @puccinilover at the beginning yes

    but in the middle shes confussed

  • I LOVE her acting portrayal of this song as well as her singing. Also, don't know why but she reminds me of Celine Dion :-)

  • If you watch the rehearsal version of Julia it's exactly the same performance. It is incredibly difficult to replicate something this detailed and she did.

  • @AshleyApelzin If you watch Seths deconstruction of Julia singing Raise the Roof, you'll here the same litte riffs and accents on EVERY Raise the Roof Julia sings, even in the on stage version. She incredible!

  • Holy crap. Adam Pascal!

    TWO COOL PEOPLE ON THE SAME STAGE. LOVE IT.

  • This has to be the best rendition of this song I've ever heard.

  • wow, she didnt sound like a sheep in this song!! lol

  • her acting is phenominal, and this is the best vocal performance ive seen her do.

  • Idina Who? Julia is a better vocalist and better actress. Sorry Idina fans.

  • I'm not usually a julia murney fan, but this is amazing

  • I'm sorry but that was one weird she pulled out at 4:13

  • Much better than Idina. What is this from? Did she step into the Albert Hall concert? As good as this is, the best will always be Ms. Paige's version.

  • @uncageg this is from The Actors Fund charity concert in 2003

  • @uncageg Seth Rudetskey did a concert in 2004 of chess and that where the Chess concert idea came from for the Idina/Kerry version. They use the same men but replace Sutton and Julia.

  • FInally I can understand the lyrics!

  • "don't forget the best wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiil­lll go wroooong" = genius.

  • why must it always be a comparison? BOTH idina AND julia are freaking awesome. can't that be enough?! :] i love this song and both of them DOMINATE.

  • Never really liked Chess as a show but her and Judy Kuhn have convinced me to love this song only! It is sad that 17 people accidentally slipped and hit the dislike button?

  • holy fucking mother of belting did she belt/mix/banshee yelp an Ab after 3:02? You kidding me?? Someone confirm that I'm not hearing things!

  • @TBon3Supl3x it is julia murney... anything is possible! :D

  • @TBon3Supl3x It happened man it was amazing!

  • This is a good version, but the choir is to strong! And this is so much better then Idinas whiney version of the song. The best version, however, is the swedish one with Helen Sjöholm

  • i love her facial expressions

  • Is that Roger from Rent at the start?

  • @timothyalmonte yes, Adam Pascal was the original Roger from Rent

  • Really great singer!!

    I prefer Idina tough, I think she reaches the high notes better!!

    But i was surely impressed with Julia's performance.. 1st time i hear her singing!

  • "Take a little love where you can" at 2:38 is so perfect. Everything is, but God, I love the way she did that.

  • I don't even really like Chess, but damn, Julia rocks this song

  • Is there anywhere to get a copy of this concert? This is the cast I much prefer.

  • @lcowles Agreed, any word on this?

  • I was fortunate enough to see Judy Kuhn in the original Broadway production. Next to her, Julia is it on a stick. What a singer and actress!!!!!

  • both are superb. each has her own strengths and interpretations. idina gives florence an innocence and naiveness, while julia gives florence a spunk and a more go-getter feel.

  • @MTwannaB4jesus I totally agree. It's a case of "apples and oranges" to me. I love both Idina and Julia and both, just as in "Wicked," bring something different to "Chess".

  • I just watched both Idina and Julia's performence of this over and over. In my opinion, both are amazing in their own different ways. idina brings a innocence to Florence while Julia brings a sense of wisdom. Both are amazing, their the oness up there doing this, not a bunch of queens sitting behind their comps complaining and comparing and picking out all the bad things...so let's be civilized and live with ours and eachother's opinion.s

  • Julia rocks!!!!!!!!! Way better than idina

  • Oh, look. It's Roger in Russia.

  • i love julia murney but idina to me is better at this she just has the whole package in what i think florence should be lke

  • Okay, i love Idina to death but I like some of the things Julia does better but Idina is the better actor, Idina doesn't get lost behind the choir like Julia and Idina's a better belter but the transition at 1:15-1:18; Julia does better. They both have there strong suits but all together, in my opinion, Idina is better.

  • Actually, yes, Idina does. Idina's performance of this song is weak, flimsy, and character-less. I love Idina, believe me - and she excels in other things she's done (like RENT for instance), but Chess was one of her weakest performance.

    Julia understands the dynamic of Florence's character, and vocally and acting-wise delivers a much stronger performance.

  • Aww, you're cute. Did you totally see Indina in Wickud too when she was that green girl? Omgsies!

  • Idina's diction is painful, and she doesn't sing as well as Julia.

  • I think that Idina was a better Florence, though I don't have anything against Julia.

  • If this isn't considerend acting then what is? In my opinion, Idina is plain.

  • well it's nice that she can "act" with more passion and drama, cause she sure as hell can't SING the song, while Julia can do both.

  • @puccinilover You have no idea how much I agree with that statement. Julias acting is unreal.

  • Julia is beautiful...she's so beautiful in every aspect of what she does.

  • @puccinilover hmm gee..I thought that both Julia and Idina did great in terms of vocals...Julia has a more legit style to this while Idina has more of a pop voice to it...but silly me...thank you for pointing out Idina cant sing...I was so stupid to think that the several Broadway shows she has led along with her tony, sold out concerts, and album may have led to the assumption that she had talent.

  • @degeorgetitanic I didn't say she was untalented just that in this role I was VERY underwhelmed, plus this is a role that can come off very easily as being a complete and total bitch and Julia Manages to make her sympathetic. and snotty comments like this that you made will be deleted. I'm warning you.

  • @puccinilover ummm....sorry but saying "she CANT sing the role" isnt snotty?

    Sorry didn't mean to sound snotty but to say that she couldnt sing the role is kinda harsh. I know plenty of people that adore her in the role.

  • @puccinilover In soviet russia, snotty comments are not tolerated.

  • @degeorgetitanic

    Talent... yes. Vocal technic.... No. I don't know how anyone can stand that single register yelling that she calls singing... then again this is the same generation that loves Ke$ha and Lady Gaga...

  • @Stevo8844 because its YOUR opinion that you dont like her voice...stop trying to act as if people who like her voice are lower then you.

  • @degeorgetitanic Technic is not an opinion....... and I never said people who like her are lower. They just don't have an ear for real singing.

  • @Stevo8844 That's basically saying they are lower theatrical fans then you are.

    I am a singer, and I have several friends who are very well trained in musical theater, and they would disagree with you greatly. So before you act as if you know it all, maybe you should realize that what we have is a difference of opinion.

  • @degeorgetitanic once again.... vocal technic is NOT AN OPINION. She has no register coordination to speak of.  That is NOT AN OPINION. Singing without register coordination is unhealthy and will completely destroy Idina's voice... Once again, NOT AN OPINION.

  • @Stevo8844 So why has she been singing for years and yet to loose it? I'll admit that after WICKED her voice was a little different...but so is Julia's.

  • @degeorgetitanic Listen to the OBC recording of Rent then compare that to her now. The decline is very obvious. And with the deterioration she forces the high notes more leading to greater constriction.

  • @degeorgetitanic Idina Menzel really can't sing...she's pitchy and whiny. I brought evidence to back me up /watch?v=j0y15o98kdU

  • @MithraMusic Wow...you brought a video to prove that she is pitchy. I'm guessing that performance is meant to represent ALL of her performances correct?

  • @degeorgetitanic No, that performance was posted to show that she doesn't know when to call it a bad day and just not go on stage. Sadly, even the best performances she has ever given in shows are pitchy, plus her lack of vocal technique shows in the fact that her voice sounded very hoarse and much more harsh when she started Wicked on the West End by comparison with Wicked on Broadway. But none of that is an excuse to go onstage and give such extremely inconsistent performances.

  • @MithraMusic LOL i wish i sounded like that when i DONT have a throat infection.

    hey everyone hating on idina menzel, just get the fuck out. this is a julia murney video. and everyone hating on julia murney, get the fuck out as well. trolls.

    i think both performancs do them justice, though i do believe murney overdid it with that jump at 3:02. other than that she was just makin the song hers. shes a brave performer.

  • @zillious06 I wouldn't be hating on her if people didn't keep bringing her up EVERYWHERE. It gets really annoying.

  • @ALIvePR0DUCTIONS ......I'm sorry but I disagree. I was there at the concert and Idina did not sing well and didn't suit the part. She sang 'Heaven help my heart' like she was singing 'Happy days are here again' - no understanding of the lyrics or interpretation through her acting. Julia is sublime in comparison.

  • Idina couldn't act her way out of a paper bag. Are you serious?

  • @angelxschunard

    Haa that's a hilarious (and sadly true?) comment.

  • I think this is my favorite thing on youtube, if not my favorite thing EVER. It made me a die-hard julia fan. nobody is better. It is even more amazing to watch this on google video where the end is not cut off and you hear the audience EXPLODE into applause for sooooo long....totally stopped the show. LOVE her

  • Wow...I rarely repeat on Youtube for a performance!!!

  • I love Julia Murney!

  • I cannot get over how AMAZING Julia is!!!

  • This is... without a doubt... the most epic female solo musical number OF ALL TIME.

  • incredible!

  • This is the BEST interpretation of this song I've ever seen!!!!

  • In the chorus it sounds like the Choir is too loud... don't you think?

  • I agree

  • Julia is frakkin' FIERCE!!!

  • She's excellent.

  • I'm sorry but that note at 3:02-3:03 does NOT sound pretty to me. I love the rest of it but that one note makes me cringe.

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  • Thank You. I can't stand these stupid people.

  • adam (sigh)

  • she knows what she's singing that's why it's more emotional than some of the other doing the same song.

  • She's putting on a brave-face -- Julia's Florence refuses to show weakness, and so rather than look defeated and disgusted, she just smiles to mask that she DOES know how austere the words she sings are.

    It's the best interpretation I've seen of the song.

  • That's one scary smile.

  • What does that smile say to you? Happy? It doesn't say anything to me but "Fuck you" to Adam Pascal's character.

  • uhhh no it isn't?

  • I agree. as much as I love her. the smile and the inappropriate dancing kinda ruined it for me.

  • Don't forget she had like 2 days to prepare for this role. Not to mention, I think this is one of the best interpretations of the song. Her singing exudes the bitterness of this song.

  • the best performer of all! in this version of "Nobody`s side!

  • Brava! and she looks phenomenal

  • Do you have the performance of "I Know Him So Well"

  • I don't I'm sorry :(

  • wow! im inspired!

  • wow. gritty and raw. very strong performance. glad i saw this. I am a huge Elaine Paige fan and this is quite a remarkable star turn.

  • adam pascal does his best, but ACH!! those high notes at the beginning. why would you ever write a male part up there?? even if your placement is unreal, you sound strained and unpleasant.

  • This video was recommended to me...and I am glad it was...Thanx!!!

  • Best rendition of this song EVER!

  • Oh Julia your voice is great but it's your acting ability that sets you apart from the rest!!!!

  • Murney has so much acting skill and a voice of strength...florence!

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  • ...that didn't even make sense.

  • LOL Julia doesn't have talent? Oh please. Just saying that discredits any opinion you may have.

  • Idina plays Florence as a spineless pussy. Julia completely rocks this role with more "heart and talent" than Idina will ever have.

  • I agree with this. Idina was cast b/c she plays "strong" characters but she doesn't fit Florence very well. Not to mention her off-tempo style ruined "I know him so well."

  • Much stronger than Idina was. Like her Florence 100% better

  • I just fell in love with Chess, because I saw the recording of the Royal Albert Hall concert. I thought everyone was well cast (and I still think that), but now I see why some peope prefer Julia Murney. What a voice!

    Is there an entire videotake of this concert? I'd love to see the rest!

  • I am with her untill 3:00 to 3:08..she is amazing..but the score did not need the cat scream..I will always live for EP in this role(but Julia was VERY GOOD.. I just wish sometimes they trust the music and not add unecessary notes.. This musical is just fine the way it is musically..But the Bitch Sang!!!! can't hate that

  • menzel was great in london's chess!

  • @jcwelover ..........you've got to be kidding. She was shocking - I was there and Kerry Ellis blew her off the stage. Awful miscasting - Kerry would have been a much better Florence.

  • A very strong performance but I still don't think anyone compares to Judy Kuhn's portrayal.

    I adore Idina but I have to agree that perhaps this wasn't her strongest role.

  • I just watched the version with Menzel, Pascal, and Groban on PBS -- WHAT a disappointment Idina was! She was laughably weak and had no back-bone, just like in "Wicked."

    Julia Murney KICKS ASS. This woman is fierce.

  • I agree with you

  • @AtLastOnTheGround ......Completely agree. I was there and she was awful.

  • God , i LOVE julia murney!!!!!!

  • Julia Murney is great at this! Got a really individual sound.

    Menzel was (yet again) a huge disappointment in London - The astonishing Kerry Ellis who was playing Svetlana should have sung Florence.....

  • @aavauxhall .Completely agree. Kerry was ace on the night, but Idina was awful

  • SHE IS AMAZING

  • Julia absolutely rocks this role. She's tons better than Idina, especially in this song, both her acting and her voice. I'd love to see a production using her and Sutton Foster, with Josh Groban.

  • Idina is a good performer but she's so overrated it makes me sick.

  • thank you! somebody who shares my sentiments. julia completely outshines all previous/future actresses of this role. that vibrato don't stop, ya'll!

  • she IS florence in chess. seriously, they need to revive it with her as florence. i watched the london concert and I had to stop. it was just so blah once you've seen the actor's fund one. replace sutton foster with kerry ellis and put the AF's concert cast in a revival.

  • as much as i adored idina's florence in the dvd. i wish that julia could've done the concert. she is just the perfect florence to me.

  • Her voice absolutely SOARS in this song. This is the perfect music for her voice.

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  • Julia Murney takes my breath away when she sings this song... She has so much more expression than Idina...

  • Wow, that's some makeup

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  • ok, when and where is this from? I am a newbie to CHESS, so kinda wanna find out as much as I can.

  • damn!

  • don't really like comparing but i have to say julia wins acting wise, idina wins vocally IMO. not that julia isnt a powerhouse.. but i just prefer idina's tone and style more than julia. but damn can julia act.

  • That note at 3:09 is just unbelievable

  • This performance takes my breath away every time. Her interpretation is spot on in my opinion. I watched the Royal Albert Hall performance and it was also amazing. I am a hardcore Idina fan (seeing her live was one of the highlights of my life), but she -- or anyone else -- doesn't begin to touch Julia on this song. Amazing.

  • wow, she really did an amazing job on this song! and she seems to be capable of doing so much with her voice. also, as a side note.... if anyone understands this reference, i would defeinately cast her in a claymore live aciton film.. maybe Flora? anyway, great song, great singer.

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  • Julia owns everyone who ever has done this role with this song!

  • Julia even pwned Idina. Don't kid yourself.

  • Idina is better in this role?

    ...okay.

  • to you she might not be, but just becuase you dont think so doesnt mean its a fact she is not good, just like how my opinion that she is great is not a fact just an opinion. But her hords of fans and her tony and her several leading roles on Broadway tend to lean on my side lol.

    BUT...Julia ROCKS in this, love her voice/acting

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  • LOVE HER!! I agree with those who think she portrays this role better than Idina..and for me, that's saying a lot!

  • *agrees*

  • ordinarily i cant stand julia but i loved that

  • murney you are GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!

  • *sigh* watching this again...I think this is the 5th time I've commented on this...and the 100th time I've watched it. I LOVE IT.

  • Murney > Menzel.

    That is all.

  • hahah truthh! but, i still love idina

  • Of course you can stop ones own vibrato...Control Felicity..I love this song cant wait for the DVD of the Albert Hall. Nobodys side.