Vacation Notes 5a aka Wicked and Wicked Stage-Door
This is the latter (but really former) part of the recap of my Saturday in the City. :)
Saturdays have always been one of my favourite days - usually being a work-free and plan-free day to play with :) But not quite so for this Saturday :) The plan was to visit the Gershwin very early and drop off wickdillusions for the Behind the Emerald Curtain tour, try to catch breakfast and then wait for sammysam to come into the City. Beyond that, there were vague ideas about Lotto-ing for Wicked (and seeing Kendra!).
Originally (back when trips to school were uphills both ways), I'd left the Saturday matinée open dependent upon what was showing up on the TKTS booth - Grey Gardens was a definite option, and even mumblings about Spring Awakening had been entertained. However, in light of the missing Ms Kassebaum (seen Thursday but not Friday night), the Grey Garden plans went out the window by way of bubble, and Wicked would be the Saturday matinée performance whether by lotto or by cancellation line. :: nods ::
Between dropping off wickdillusions and waiting for ... Godot, I mean, the Lottery, there was another attempt at getting hot cocoa from Starbucks which was thwarted by long lineups (who's up this early on a Saturday?!!!). Obviously we are. sammysam arrived earlier than we'd expected (or maybe I'd forgotten the timing afterall), but an interception at the Studio 54 theatre box office and another trip back to the hotel, meant that we were neatly timed to be waiting at the lottery line up at the Gershwin for 11.30AM. :)
Wicked Lottery? Very very crowded. I'd never done the lottery before, and suspect that I won't be doing so in the future. I'm not very lucky with lottos, and it's a bit less nerve racking for me to either pay full price (as for Wicked) or purchase a chit with discount in advance. However, not winning the lotto and standing in the cancellation line was an interesting experience. The grandmother (and granddaughter) in front of us had apparently paid 250PP for two tickets, and she needed one more (for herself). (which was WOW and eye-popping and stunning). rysler and I ended up with seats at E11/13 :) Oh so close and slightly to the left of the stage.
Lunch with sammysam then a meandering back to the Gershwin for us, and to Studio 54 for sammysam and The Apple Tree. :) And best of all, no signage for substitutions at the Gershwin. :D The first show that I'd seen with all principals intact :D
It's very interesting to see Julia Murney's Elphaba interact differently with her Glinda's. I'm still unsure whether during the Friday night performance (with Katie Adams), Ms Elphaba was almost... giddy during some points. And certainly, there are the differing note selections that you can track the changes through - from Tour to Broadway, where some Elphaba's have sung a certain note, Ms Murney may have opted not to. Or less.
I don't think of No One Mourns The Wicked as being Kendra Kassebaum's signature song. I'd suggest possibly Popular (for the sheer exuberance) or even Thank Goodness for the pathos within. The performance was exciting and energetic, and the audience surrounding us were a good mix of first-timers and repeat attendees.
I miss the scene of waltzes during Wonderful and appreciate the fleshing out of the 'Fiyero/Elphaba' story (as recounted by Nessarose nonetheless!). The choreography changes that had started in London, and I'd seen part of while the Tour was in Toronto, has been fully meshed into the Broadway production. In part, the waltz in Wonderful represented one 'last moment' of exuberance and joy before everything goes to a hot place in a small wicker basket. I can understand why it'd be removed, but I shall miss it just the same. O+O;
All in all, the performance was wonderful, and I'm always amused by what I can see happening offstage while the principals are onstage, i.e., ensemble members warming up with high kicks just before Dancing Through Life, or the removal of that rack of shoes from Galinda's side to show the 'machinery' gears.
Stage-dooring the Gershwin is always an interesting sight - this being the third occasion that rysler and I were standing around the barricades. I think that the matinées brings out the younger crowd of theatregoers. Some more rude than I'd expected to see. Since I was handling the camera, I wasn't standing at the barricades (meant more for those seeking autographs). Yet, in the end, there were theatregoers (or autograph-seekers) that sought to circumvent the orderly line up by shouting at the cast (and standing to the side of the barricades) hoping for autographs. :( And these were not young children, but at the very least into their teens and possible a bit older than teens. I'm chagrined. O+O;
I'm cheered to note that I got some very clear and very lovely pictures of both Ms Kassebaum and Ms Murney. Ms Murney actually recognized rysler as being there on previous occasions (yes, Thursday and Friday night!), and I think that by Saturday, I'd finally learned to take pictures on my own focus needs versus letting the camera do so (and randomly at that!). See for one of the few pictures of Ms Kassebaum without other identifiable people within. :)
Post-Stage dooring meant another walk back to the hotel for naps (or vertically inclined rest) before needing to go to the Hilton Theatre for The Pirate Queen.
Saturdays have always been one of my favourite days - usually being a work-free and plan-free day to play with :) But not quite so for this Saturday :) The plan was to visit the Gershwin very early and drop off wickdillusions for the Behind the Emerald Curtain tour, try to catch breakfast and then wait for sammysam to come into the City. Beyond that, there were vague ideas about Lotto-ing for Wicked (and seeing Kendra!).
Originally (back when trips to school were uphills both ways), I'd left the Saturday matinée open dependent upon what was showing up on the TKTS booth - Grey Gardens was a definite option, and even mumblings about Spring Awakening had been entertained. However, in light of the missing Ms Kassebaum (seen Thursday but not Friday night), the Grey Garden plans went out the window by way of bubble, and Wicked would be the Saturday matinée performance whether by lotto or by cancellation line. :: nods ::
Between dropping off wickdillusions and waiting for ... Godot, I mean, the Lottery, there was another attempt at getting hot cocoa from Starbucks which was thwarted by long lineups (who's up this early on a Saturday?!!!). Obviously we are. sammysam arrived earlier than we'd expected (or maybe I'd forgotten the timing afterall), but an interception at the Studio 54 theatre box office and another trip back to the hotel, meant that we were neatly timed to be waiting at the lottery line up at the Gershwin for 11.30AM. :)
Wicked Lottery? Very very crowded. I'd never done the lottery before, and suspect that I won't be doing so in the future. I'm not very lucky with lottos, and it's a bit less nerve racking for me to either pay full price (as for Wicked) or purchase a chit with discount in advance. However, not winning the lotto and standing in the cancellation line was an interesting experience. The grandmother (and granddaughter) in front of us had apparently paid 250PP for two tickets, and she needed one more (for herself). (which was WOW and eye-popping and stunning). rysler and I ended up with seats at E11/13 :) Oh so close and slightly to the left of the stage.
Lunch with sammysam then a meandering back to the Gershwin for us, and to Studio 54 for sammysam and The Apple Tree. :) And best of all, no signage for substitutions at the Gershwin. :D The first show that I'd seen with all principals intact :D
It's very interesting to see Julia Murney's Elphaba interact differently with her Glinda's. I'm still unsure whether during the Friday night performance (with Katie Adams), Ms Elphaba was almost... giddy during some points. And certainly, there are the differing note selections that you can track the changes through - from Tour to Broadway, where some Elphaba's have sung a certain note, Ms Murney may have opted not to. Or less.
I don't think of No One Mourns The Wicked as being Kendra Kassebaum's signature song. I'd suggest possibly Popular (for the sheer exuberance) or even Thank Goodness for the pathos within. The performance was exciting and energetic, and the audience surrounding us were a good mix of first-timers and repeat attendees.
I miss the scene of waltzes during Wonderful and appreciate the fleshing out of the 'Fiyero/Elphaba' story (as recounted by Nessarose nonetheless!). The choreography changes that had started in London, and I'd seen part of while the Tour was in Toronto, has been fully meshed into the Broadway production. In part, the waltz in Wonderful represented one 'last moment' of exuberance and joy before everything goes to a hot place in a small wicker basket. I can understand why it'd be removed, but I shall miss it just the same. O+O;
All in all, the performance was wonderful, and I'm always amused by what I can see happening offstage while the principals are onstage, i.e., ensemble members warming up with high kicks just before Dancing Through Life, or the removal of that rack of shoes from Galinda's side to show the 'machinery' gears.
Stage-dooring the Gershwin is always an interesting sight - this being the third occasion that rysler and I were standing around the barricades. I think that the matinées brings out the younger crowd of theatregoers. Some more rude than I'd expected to see. Since I was handling the camera, I wasn't standing at the barricades (meant more for those seeking autographs). Yet, in the end, there were theatregoers (or autograph-seekers) that sought to circumvent the orderly line up by shouting at the cast (and standing to the side of the barricades) hoping for autographs. :( And these were not young children, but at the very least into their teens and possible a bit older than teens. I'm chagrined. O+O;
I'm cheered to note that I got some very clear and very lovely pictures of both Ms Kassebaum and Ms Murney. Ms Murney actually recognized rysler as being there on previous occasions (yes, Thursday and Friday night!), and I think that by Saturday, I'd finally learned to take pictures on my own focus needs versus letting the camera do so (and randomly at that!). See for one of the few pictures of Ms Kassebaum without other identifiable people within. :)
Post-Stage dooring meant another walk back to the hotel for naps (or vertically inclined rest) before needing to go to the Hilton Theatre for The Pirate Queen.