| Wednesday, July 08, 2009 |
| Wicked cool |
As a theatergoer, the biggest risk I take is buying a ticket to a big Broadway musical. They are expensive ($90-100 per ticket) and there's always the risk that I will be sorely disappointed, as I was with "Spamalot," "Spring Awakening" and "Chicago." But they're so enjoyable when they're good that I can't resist paying my money and taking my chances that I'll see something I love, like "Avenue Q," "The Producers" and "Jersey Boys."
Last night's gamble was "Wicked," which had its pre-Broadway tryout in San Francisco way back in 2003 and has been packing in the crowds in New York since it opened almost six years ago. I remembered reading that "Wicked" was especially popular with young girls because of its storyline about the friendship between the teenaged Glinda and Elphaba (the future Glinda the Good and Wicked Witch of the West). I feared it might be a similar experience to "Spring Awakening" where I kept thinking, "Gee, I would have loved this -- when I was 16." Parents just don't understand!
Anyway, I'm extremely pleased to report that I loved "Wicked" and like "The Wizard of Oz," it truly is magical fun for all ages. The current San Francisco production opened back in January and is selling tickets through late September, though considering how full the Orpheum Theater was last night, further extensions seem like a definite possibility.
Glinda and Elphaba meet at college, where they wind up being forced to room together despite their differences -- namely, Glinda is a super-popular perky blonde, and Elphaba is... green. She was raised by her widowed father, the governor of Munchkinland, who blatantly favored her disabled sister Nessarose. She may be in a wheelchair, but at least she's not green.
After declaring their mutual "unadulterated loathing" for one another, of course the girls do wind up becoming friends of a sort, and Glinda even tries to make her roommate "Popular," in one of the evening's catchiest songs. But things fall apart, as they so often do, when they fall for the same guy.
This musical has a lot of plot, perhaps not surprisingly for a play based on a 500+ page book. It's almost three hours long, including intermission, but it certainly held my interest throughout. The sets and costumes are breathtaking, and the performers were all excellent. It was fun to see Patty Duke in a supporting role as the college headmistress.
Joe and I both agreed that theatergoers definitely get their money's worth with "Wicked." If you want to see a huge, splashy, high-energy blockbuster, check it out. One small caveat: we were sitting on the left-hand side of the theater, and there are a couple of spiral staircases at either end of the proscenium arch that sometimes obscured certain parts of the stage. I'd suggest trying to get a seat in the center section, even if it means you'll be sitting a bit further back. |
posted by 125records @ 2:51 PM  |
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| 2 Comments: |
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I was disappointed by the play, but that was largely because I l-o-v-e-d the book, which is VERY different. I probably would have enjoyed the play on its own terms. I do recommend the book, by the way: it's MUCH darker and creepier (and has a completely different ending).
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I hadn't read the book and I LOVED the ending of the play, so maybe the book will seem TOO dark! But I have requested it from my local library and will give it a try.
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Name: Sue
Home: San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States
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I was disappointed by the play, but that was largely because I l-o-v-e-d the book, which is VERY different. I probably would have enjoyed the play on its own terms. I do recommend the book, by the way: it's MUCH darker and creepier (and has a completely different ending).