Today's Specials: Steamed artichoke and punch with lemons and melons and pears (oh my!)
It's arguably the biggest musical theatre event of our generation. It has made huge Broadway stars of Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth. And it has inspired adoration from legions of fans around the world.
And now, I've seen it.
I'm talking, of course, about Wicked, the hit musical reimagining of the story of the Witches of Oz.
I bought the soundtrack last winter and immediately fell in love with it. So when I found out that the Wicked national tour would be "flying back to the Emerald City" this fall, I leapt at the chance. Not even an $80+ ticket price could keep me away. Fortunately, the show turned out to be totally worth it.
Things I loved:
- The sets, costumes, and lighting. Seriously, I don't think it can get any better than this. Every scene was an absolute feast for the eyes.
- Defying Gravity. OMG, total theatrical ecstasy.
- Donna Vivino as Elphaba. Her Elphaba struck the perfect balance between the sensitive, compassionate soul who deeply feels injustice against others and the strong woman who must use her sharp wit to survive in a world that won't accept her. I particularly liked her cackle and the way she told Fiyero that she felt "wicked."
- The many references to the Wizard of Oz. I know, it seems obvious that a story using the characters from that book and movie would have plenty of references, but the ones I loved the best were surprising and really, really funny.
- Popular, as sung by Chandra Lee Schwartz. All in all, I thought Chandra was a great G(a)linda. However, I didn't much care for her performance of Popular. She was far too spastic and she sounded very out of breath for the whole song.
- The plot was, at times, a bit hard to follow. For instance, I'm not entirely sure why Elphaba was suddenly inspired to go free the monkeys after talking to her sister. I know they had to get all the movie plot points in, but some of the turns in the story seemed forced.
No comments:
Post a Comment