Eden Espinosa learns a few tricks at Disney Land

While she made her claim to fame with the smash hit Broadway musical Wicked, Eden Espinosa really learned the trick of the trade in another magical land - Disney Land, that is.

Espinosa, who stared as Elphaba, Wicked Witch of the West, didn’t get her start as an actress in an off-Broadway production or in a community theater. Instead, the 29-year-old singer got her start working behind the scenes at the Magic Kingdom as a youth, having one foot in the door due to the fact that several of her family members also worked at Disney. Growing up in Anaheim, Orange County, the young aspiring actress was also fairly close to the theme park - something that would both come in handy and further inspire her to pursue her dreams, according to a Dec. 2007 article published by the Los Angles Times.

At age 17, Espinosa  got her first role in  a Disney Christmas production and then moved on to star as Ariel in “The Little Mermaid,” Pocahontas in that major production and as a supporting actress in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” according to the Times article. This was the start of an extremely successful career.

But her jobs at Disney made her tough and taught her the ropes before it was time for her to move up and perform with the show-stoppers on Broadway, Espinosa said during her interview with the Times.

“It’s rough; it’s five or six shows a day,” Espinosa said. “And if you were in an outdoor theater, sometimes you had special ‘Code 90′ shows, which meant that you had a modified show because it was so hot. The costumes are heavy, and you’re running around.”

Her tolerance for costumes has risen considerably, however, since starring as Elphaba in Wicked - a role in which she had t her face painted green throughout the entire show. Wicked, the prequel to “The Wizard of Oz,” tells the story of Elphaba and Glinda, their friendship and eventual turbulence and how their story unfolded long before Dorothy and Toto ever dropped into the land of Oz.

Don’t miss this amazing performance and be sure to snag a pair of Wicked tickets right here at Stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on January 14, 2008 - Post a comment