Wicked was really Entertaining!
Written: Jul 08 '05 (Updated Nov 11 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Ben Vereen, Amazing Sets, Great Acting
Cons: Plot was a little weak, no really catchy tunes
The Bottom Line: A highly entertaining musical with some amazing staging. Well worth seeing if you are in NYC.
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| modernmarvel's Full Review: Wicked |
I saw Wicked in New York City in June 2005. I thought it was a great show with an unbelievable set and really great acting. I have to say though that I was a bit disappointed in the story line and the songs.
THE STORY (LOTS OF SPOILERS)
The premise of Wicked is that "a lot happened" before the story we all know as the Wizard of Oz. The plot is basically the story of Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West. It starts by explaining that the Wicked Witch of the West was born green. Her name was Elphaba and she grew up as a smart and independent girl who was shunned because of her skin color. A large part of the story focuses on Shiz University where both Elphaba and Glina attended college. By happen stance, they ended up room mates and, although, they resisted at first, they ultimately became friends. Another important twist is that Elphaba has the ability to create strong magic and Glinda has the ability to create some magic, although not as strong as Elphaba's magic.
An odd part of the story line is that, somehow, in Oz, animals are forgetting how to talk. Even one of the girls' professors, who happens to also be a goat, also forgets to speak. The plot implies that there is some evil force at work but it is never really explained. In any case, Elphaba sets out to save the animals and starts to exploit her magic to do so. She is completely misunderstood and the towns people believe she is evil - thus establishing her as the Wicked Witch.
Another subplot is that Glinda has a love interest in a shallow boy in their class. He develops a friendship with Elphaba, becomes less shallow, and eventually falls in love with her.
The story also explains how the Wicked Witch of the East, the cowardly lion, the scarecrow and the tin man came into being but these explanations don't all work with the story of the Wizard of Oz. I though this part was a bit odd since the story is supposed to be a prequel to the Wizard of Oz.
I won't give the full ending but will say it was a bit of a surprise for me and it was appropriate for the story.
THEATER
I saw this play in the Gershwin theater in Times Square, NYC. The theater itself had nice acoustics and was quite open and airy. The staging was absolutely amazing and much of it was built into the theater itself. If you have seen the touring version of this show and loved it, if you get the chance to see it in NYC, jump at the chance. The scenery almost stole the show.
SETS
I have to say that Wicked had the most elaborative and inventive sets of any show I have ever seen. There was a large mechanical dragon over the top of the stage that wagged its heads during certain parts. The sides of the stage were covered with mechanical-looking staging. The sets themselves were layers of backdrops and scenery that gave incredible depth to the stage. There were also numerous props that the characters walked and climbed on. By far, Wicked had the best sets I have ever seen.
COSTUMES
The costumes were also really standouts in this production. There was a large cast with lots of citizens of Oz - or chorus people, in addition to the speaking actors. They all had several costume changes. Each chorus member had a different costume in the crowd scenes and large production scenes. The costumes added another level of satisfaction to this elaborate play.
MUSIC
The production we saw had a live orchestra that provided a strong accompanyment to the play. The conductor was visible but the rest of the orchestra was in the pit. The accoustics from where we sat were very good.
I liked the musical score but didn't love it. A couple of songs were memorable like "Defying Gravity" but most were not. I had no interest in buying the cd or humming the songs on the way out.
ACTING
I thought the acting was really, really good in the version of Wicked that I saw. Shoshana Bean played Elphaba and was amazing. Her singing voice was top notch and she really made the songs enjoyable. Ben Vereen had a small speaking part as the Wizard. He also did a song with Elphaba that was great. He was as good in Wicked as he has ever been.
Rue McClannahan, of Golden Girls fame, played Madame Morrible, who was in charge of the school that the girls attended and, later, it turned out was in cahoots with the Wizard. She was really, really excellent and enjoyable to watch.
Megan Hilty played Glinda, the other major character in the play. I thought she was really good, but a notch below the other actors in the play. She seemed to miss some of the comic timing although her singing was very good and up to Broadway standards.
RATING
I would give this play a PG rating. There was no sex or violence. There is one kiss between two main characters but no touchy feely. What justifies the higher rating is some sort of scary scenes where the monkeys fly overhead (well, over the heads of those with really good seats) and the scenes with the wizard. If your child is scared of the flying monkeys in the original movie of Wizard of Oz, don't take them to this play.
There were quite a few children in the audience when we attended, most of whom appeared to be nine year old girls.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
I can easily give this play five stars. It was incredibly entertaining and the acting and staging in New York was fantastic.
MY MINI-GUIDE TO NEW YORK CITY
Things to Do:
The Metropolitan Museum
Ellis Island
The Statue of Liberty
Places to Eat:
Lucky Cheng’s has Chinese food for adults.
Ruby Foo’s has Chinese food for families.
Pipa is next to Manhattan Mecca ABC Carpet & Home.
Starlight Diner is where singing servers bring your burgers.
Rue 57 fuses French and Japanese cuisine in Midtown.
Places to Stay:
The Roosevelt Hotel
The Hudson
The W on Lexington
Sheraton Manhattan
Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers
New York Hilton
Broadway:
TKTS sells half-price tickets to Broadway shows.
Gypsy is Broadway at its best.
Rent is an unusual Broadway rock musical legend.
Chicago is a classic.
Sweet Charity has a 60’s vibe.
Recommended:
Yes
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