Feeling Wicked
I did say I was going to write something up for this even though I saw it over two months ago but given the spirit of the holiday, today is just as appropriate as any for a review. The seats this time were awesome! J and I were on the first balcony as usual but this time we were in the front row. Even better we were in the center right, just on corner before the section became the right wing, which meant that J (who is 5'10" by the way) had plenty of leg room.
How do I describe Wicked? It was unexpected. I daresay that I enjoyed this production far better than all the others from Broadway that I have seen so far including Chicago, Legally Blonde, and The Lion King. I have browsed through the book and am not afraid to say that I quickly perused over the parts that I found way too dark for me. In other words, I know of the unhappy ending. That's why throughout the entire production I was holding my breath because I wanted Elphaba to finally have her happy ending because by the ending, I felt she had had enough! She had paid more than enough to balance out any good she deserved. I was tearing up pretty badly, which is something I hadn't done for the other productions. Hell, let's not mince words: I was bawling.
And then the happy ending came. I cannot begin to describe the joy I felt for Elphaba at that point because throughout the whole story it seemed like her life's plotline was the road to hell is paved with good intentions. She got her happy ending with Fiyero. And as G(a)linda demonstrated to Madame Morrible, really beware of the shallow ones; they're not always as dumb as they look. Now even with the lighter adaptions, I have to admit overall that Wicked is one of the darkest pieces I've seen. Fiyero and Boq's fates were Nightmare Fuel and let's not even get started on Nessarose's behaviour.
I think this was the first production I ever bought merchandise from. While there was a plethora of t-shirts, I wanted something more subtle than most offerings. To be honest, I had wanted a hoodie, similar to to my Evanescence one (which is still like new after five years) but since that wasn't available, I settled for the t-shirt below:
This actually has a very light green background but the camera gave the background more of a gray cast.
The t-shirt above was also tempting but again, it was subtle and I wanted something I'd be able to wear well in public without drawing too much attention. When I was buying my t-shirt, many were buying the above one as well, including one of my friends from the Con.
Wicked reminded me that you really have to search for the true gems for live performances. This isn't to say that the other Broadway shows were crap; I loved them but they didn't evoke the same level of emotion as this one did. I think to date the only theatre production that has made me reach a higher level of emotion would have been the Shadow Theatre (my favourite theatre group)'s production of Enigma Variations, which also had me tearing up, laughing out loud, and then outright bawling (I wasn't the only one in the audience). If Shadow Theatre ever does That Darn Plot or Enigma Variations again, I'm so going to see them just like I would Wicked though I'd be a bit hesitant about the last one because I don't want to ruin the perfect experience I had this time around.
How do I describe Wicked? It was unexpected. I daresay that I enjoyed this production far better than all the others from Broadway that I have seen so far including Chicago, Legally Blonde, and The Lion King. I have browsed through the book and am not afraid to say that I quickly perused over the parts that I found way too dark for me. In other words, I know of the unhappy ending. That's why throughout the entire production I was holding my breath because I wanted Elphaba to finally have her happy ending because by the ending, I felt she had had enough! She had paid more than enough to balance out any good she deserved. I was tearing up pretty badly, which is something I hadn't done for the other productions. Hell, let's not mince words: I was bawling.
And then the happy ending came. I cannot begin to describe the joy I felt for Elphaba at that point because throughout the whole story it seemed like her life's plotline was the road to hell is paved with good intentions. She got her happy ending with Fiyero. And as G(a)linda demonstrated to Madame Morrible, really beware of the shallow ones; they're not always as dumb as they look. Now even with the lighter adaptions, I have to admit overall that Wicked is one of the darkest pieces I've seen. Fiyero and Boq's fates were Nightmare Fuel and let's not even get started on Nessarose's behaviour.
I think this was the first production I ever bought merchandise from. While there was a plethora of t-shirts, I wanted something more subtle than most offerings. To be honest, I had wanted a hoodie, similar to to my Evanescence one (which is still like new after five years) but since that wasn't available, I settled for the t-shirt below:
This actually has a very light green background but the camera gave the background more of a gray cast.
The t-shirt above was also tempting but again, it was subtle and I wanted something I'd be able to wear well in public without drawing too much attention. When I was buying my t-shirt, many were buying the above one as well, including one of my friends from the Con.
Wicked reminded me that you really have to search for the true gems for live performances. This isn't to say that the other Broadway shows were crap; I loved them but they didn't evoke the same level of emotion as this one did. I think to date the only theatre production that has made me reach a higher level of emotion would have been the Shadow Theatre (my favourite theatre group)'s production of Enigma Variations, which also had me tearing up, laughing out loud, and then outright bawling (I wasn't the only one in the audience). If Shadow Theatre ever does That Darn Plot or Enigma Variations again, I'm so going to see them just like I would Wicked though I'd be a bit hesitant about the last one because I don't want to ruin the perfect experience I had this time around.