A "Wicked" musical..........
Well…haven’t been up to much worth writing about so I thought that I would write a little review on the Broadway show “Wicked” that I saw whilst in New York.
If you haven’t seen the show and don’t want your enjoyment spoiled should you wish to go and see it then I’d advise you to read no further…..
As this was my first real life musical and it has to be said I no fan of musicals, I don’t really have much to compare it to. I’m by no means qualified to comment on whether or no the singing of the performers was up to scratch, so I base my comments on whether or not I felt that they entertained the audience and the overall commitment and energy that they gave.
Wicked is based on the book “Wicked. The life and times of the wicked witch of the west” by Gregory Maguire. I have in fact just started to read this book (although I know someone who is probably on the last chapter by now) and can already tell that there is a huge difference between the two, although the essential parts of the book appear to have been retained. Obviously with the constraints of a say two and a half hour show it would be impossible to turn the whole book in to a musical, and the book is a little more “adult” to boot.
The musical begins with the demise (or so we think) of the wicked witch and opens with one of the two standout songs of the musical “No one mourns the wicked”. I’m not too sure if this or “Defying Gravity” is my favourite from the show but “No one..” did strike a personal note we me, being the only one in the audience who actually is wicked. During this number the good witch (yuck!) Glinda recants how Elphaba’s (the wicked witch’s name) mother was having and affair with a mysterious stranger. This stranger entices her mother to drink a green elixir before they erm..get down to other matters. As a result of this dalliance the poor resultant baby is born with green skin. We then move on to the story proper with Glinda (previously known as Galinda) picking the story up when both she and Elphaba were students at Shiz. Shiz is Oz’s “Hogwarts” (Hogwarts is apparently a school for those dim witted wizards in the “Harry Potter” stories). The first encounter between Galinda and Elphaba doen’t go to well and is magnificently captured in the song “What is this felling”. Kristy Cates, who was the understudy for the role of Elphaba, brought howls of laughter from the audience with the single word “Blonde”, which sums up Galinda in so many ways. In fact the overall performance for the two leads, Ms Cates and Jennifer Laura Thompson as G(a)Linda, was exceptional. Perhaps Ms Thompson edged it slightly with a very powerful and at times operatic vocal performance which more than impressed me. The love interest for the show was provided by the character Fiyero, whom Galinda instantly takes a shine to. However, Elphie also has desires on him which are illustrated beautifully in the number “I’m not that girl” which had lesser mortals sniffling and holding back tears. Strangely, Elphaba and Glinda become friends through Glinda (as she is later known having dropped the first "a" - or may be it became silent) helping Elphie’s wheelchair bound sister Nessarose by passing on an unwanted suitor onto her. Elphaba in return insists that Glinda also receive special magical instruction an honour that was bestowed up Elphie after she displayed that she was in position of exceptional power which she used to free a scared lion cub from a class where it was being used in an experiment.
News of the green skinned girl with an extraordinary power soon reaches the Emerald City and Elphie is granted an audience with its great and powerful wizard (since when have wizards been any of those?). Accompanied by Glinda, Elphie soon realises that the Wizard wants her to create monstrous flying monkeys. It’s at this point that Elphaba steels the great grimoire and flees and the propaganda machine beings to roll and she is deemed “Wicked”. This also brings the show to its half time break with the rousing show stopper “Defying Gravity”. This was an electrifying number with the interplay between Ms Thompson and Ms Cates improving as the show went on.
After the break a bit of a disappointment with the song “Thank goodness”, not as strong as those that went before it, but “Defying..” was a hard act to follow anyway this informs the audience that Glinda and Fiyero are to be married, although he is beginning to realise that his feelings lie else where. Glinda has been dubbed Glinda the good by the Wizard in an attempt to turn the citizens of Oz against poor Elphie.
Elphaba returns to the wizard’s lair to free the flying monkeys and in doing so also finds her Shiz mentor, Doctor Dillamond a talking goat, who has lost the ability to talk. Elphie learns that it is the wizard who is behind the drive to rid Oz of talking animals and any chance of a reconciliation between the wizard and the witch is over. During this scene a duet between George Hearn (the wizard) and Ms Cates takes place. Mr Hearn is a very talented and experienced singer and it was an honour to be in the audience and hear him sing. During her escape Fiyero goes with her and they both express their love for each other during the number “As long as your mine” . However nothing last…and the dastardly wizard (I’ve always hated them and so should you. warlocks are far superior) and Elphie’s former Shiz headmistress conjure up a tornado to drop a barn on Elphie’s sister Nessarose and set a trap for her when she turns up to aid her sister. Their plan works and Elphie escapes but Fiyero is captured. In order to spare Fiyero from pain and suffering Elphaba turns to the grimoire and casts a spell to save him but in doing so turns him into a scarecrow during the inspired song "No good deed". This is based on the notion that no good deed goes unpunished, some thing I avoid by not doing any good deeds.
The show is now nearing the end and Elphaba, hunted by most of the village, entrusts the grimoire to Glinda and bids her to carry on the fright during the emotional "For good".
We're now back to where we started and the "Wicked witch" again meets her demise, but we find out that it was a deception and that she survived to live with Fiyero never to return to Oz again.
True to her word, Glinda tells the Wizard - who we have since found out was the mysterious stranger who seduced Elphaba’s mother all those years ago - to leave Oz and never return.
The show closes with “No one morns the wicked” , however I feel that after watching this some people may look more favourable on those of us who are of a more “darker” nature and not believe things solely on reputation.
All in all a very good first time musical experience…but I still prefer “straight” plays to musicals.
Phew..I think that this took almost as long to write as the musical lasted.
If you haven’t seen the show and don’t want your enjoyment spoiled should you wish to go and see it then I’d advise you to read no further…..
As this was my first real life musical and it has to be said I no fan of musicals, I don’t really have much to compare it to. I’m by no means qualified to comment on whether or no the singing of the performers was up to scratch, so I base my comments on whether or not I felt that they entertained the audience and the overall commitment and energy that they gave.
Wicked is based on the book “Wicked. The life and times of the wicked witch of the west” by Gregory Maguire. I have in fact just started to read this book (although I know someone who is probably on the last chapter by now) and can already tell that there is a huge difference between the two, although the essential parts of the book appear to have been retained. Obviously with the constraints of a say two and a half hour show it would be impossible to turn the whole book in to a musical, and the book is a little more “adult” to boot.
The musical begins with the demise (or so we think) of the wicked witch and opens with one of the two standout songs of the musical “No one mourns the wicked”. I’m not too sure if this or “Defying Gravity” is my favourite from the show but “No one..” did strike a personal note we me, being the only one in the audience who actually is wicked. During this number the good witch (yuck!) Glinda recants how Elphaba’s (the wicked witch’s name) mother was having and affair with a mysterious stranger. This stranger entices her mother to drink a green elixir before they erm..get down to other matters. As a result of this dalliance the poor resultant baby is born with green skin. We then move on to the story proper with Glinda (previously known as Galinda) picking the story up when both she and Elphaba were students at Shiz. Shiz is Oz’s “Hogwarts” (Hogwarts is apparently a school for those dim witted wizards in the “Harry Potter” stories). The first encounter between Galinda and Elphaba doen’t go to well and is magnificently captured in the song “What is this felling”. Kristy Cates, who was the understudy for the role of Elphaba, brought howls of laughter from the audience with the single word “Blonde”, which sums up Galinda in so many ways. In fact the overall performance for the two leads, Ms Cates and Jennifer Laura Thompson as G(a)Linda, was exceptional. Perhaps Ms Thompson edged it slightly with a very powerful and at times operatic vocal performance which more than impressed me. The love interest for the show was provided by the character Fiyero, whom Galinda instantly takes a shine to. However, Elphie also has desires on him which are illustrated beautifully in the number “I’m not that girl” which had lesser mortals sniffling and holding back tears. Strangely, Elphaba and Glinda become friends through Glinda (as she is later known having dropped the first "a" - or may be it became silent) helping Elphie’s wheelchair bound sister Nessarose by passing on an unwanted suitor onto her. Elphaba in return insists that Glinda also receive special magical instruction an honour that was bestowed up Elphie after she displayed that she was in position of exceptional power which she used to free a scared lion cub from a class where it was being used in an experiment.
News of the green skinned girl with an extraordinary power soon reaches the Emerald City and Elphie is granted an audience with its great and powerful wizard (since when have wizards been any of those?). Accompanied by Glinda, Elphie soon realises that the Wizard wants her to create monstrous flying monkeys. It’s at this point that Elphaba steels the great grimoire and flees and the propaganda machine beings to roll and she is deemed “Wicked”. This also brings the show to its half time break with the rousing show stopper “Defying Gravity”. This was an electrifying number with the interplay between Ms Thompson and Ms Cates improving as the show went on.
After the break a bit of a disappointment with the song “Thank goodness”, not as strong as those that went before it, but “Defying..” was a hard act to follow anyway this informs the audience that Glinda and Fiyero are to be married, although he is beginning to realise that his feelings lie else where. Glinda has been dubbed Glinda the good by the Wizard in an attempt to turn the citizens of Oz against poor Elphie.
Elphaba returns to the wizard’s lair to free the flying monkeys and in doing so also finds her Shiz mentor, Doctor Dillamond a talking goat, who has lost the ability to talk. Elphie learns that it is the wizard who is behind the drive to rid Oz of talking animals and any chance of a reconciliation between the wizard and the witch is over. During this scene a duet between George Hearn (the wizard) and Ms Cates takes place. Mr Hearn is a very talented and experienced singer and it was an honour to be in the audience and hear him sing. During her escape Fiyero goes with her and they both express their love for each other during the number “As long as your mine” . However nothing last…and the dastardly wizard (I’ve always hated them and so should you. warlocks are far superior) and Elphie’s former Shiz headmistress conjure up a tornado to drop a barn on Elphie’s sister Nessarose and set a trap for her when she turns up to aid her sister. Their plan works and Elphie escapes but Fiyero is captured. In order to spare Fiyero from pain and suffering Elphaba turns to the grimoire and casts a spell to save him but in doing so turns him into a scarecrow during the inspired song "No good deed". This is based on the notion that no good deed goes unpunished, some thing I avoid by not doing any good deeds.
The show is now nearing the end and Elphaba, hunted by most of the village, entrusts the grimoire to Glinda and bids her to carry on the fright during the emotional "For good".
We're now back to where we started and the "Wicked witch" again meets her demise, but we find out that it was a deception and that she survived to live with Fiyero never to return to Oz again.
True to her word, Glinda tells the Wizard - who we have since found out was the mysterious stranger who seduced Elphaba’s mother all those years ago - to leave Oz and never return.
The show closes with “No one morns the wicked” , however I feel that after watching this some people may look more favourable on those of us who are of a more “darker” nature and not believe things solely on reputation.
All in all a very good first time musical experience…but I still prefer “straight” plays to musicals.
Phew..I think that this took almost as long to write as the musical lasted.