Wicked: the musical
as opposed to say. . . the book, which was creepy and weird.
OK I’m going to start this review off, and then you’ll have to check comments for the rest of the girls opinions. Now that we’ve all seen it, we thought it’d be time to review it. So believe it or not, I don’t spend all my time watching fabulous tv shows like “Flavor of the Month,” “Cougar Tales,” and “Transvestite Wives” (review to follow). I’m actually a pretty prolific reader, and I’ve read everything by Gregory Maguire. Having said that, did I actually like “Wicked” the book? Not really. It was a fun and interesting read, but a little too sexual and darkly disturbing for my taste. Needless to say it took me forever to be ok with going to the Broadway production. When my sister, and half the Mormon population assured me that no one was getting down and dirty with any animals- I was in.
The show actually takes all the very best bits of the book, and puts them to music. I’m a big fan of old Broadway- big costumes, high intensity dance scenes, and outrageous costumes. This completely satisfied that need in me. The music was unbelievable and I literally walked out of the theatre wanting to sing my heart out. Watching some of Elphaba’s solo’s gave me chills up my spine. Every actor brings something different to their part- our Ga-linda was hysterical in a very Amy Poehler, SNL sort of way. One of the best parts of the show was just all the detail that went into every bit of it’s creation. I felt transported to Oz- the costumes and set were just breathtaking. Complete eye candy.
Now all this being said, I have to tell you I wouldn’t see it again, and I really can’t honestly say I would recommend anyone else seeing it. One hundred dollars for a show isn’t that steep for me- and there are shows I’ve seen over and over again that have cost about that, but I did feel it was a bit steep for this show. I also felt like this was an experience I only wanted to do once- instead of walking out feeling like it was money well spent. I thought everything about the show was great- but I wasn’t over the moon in love with any part of it. Mind you, this is coming from someone that has never done musical theatre, has no interest in anything drama related, and would rather listen to Metallica then the soundtrack to Hairspray. I will say that if you do see it- get good seats. We had great seats, and I’m really happy we did since there were a lot of nuances in the acting that I don’t think we would have picked up otherwise.
I know I’m in for some angry commentary- since all of us here at blogthedayaway, and most of our readers have seen it- so have at it below. What did you think?
6 Comments so far
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OH my goodness! I couldn’t agree more! I feel like I should give up my ovaries or something, because I keep seeing enamoured posts in blogland about it.
I saw it in NYC a few years ago, and while it was really good, it’s probably only in my top 5 shows. And I’ve seen my fair share of Broadway shows.
I’m actually super excited to see West Side Story in July. Way more excited that Wicked.
By Kristina on 04.30.09 8:08 pm | Permalink
I am so surprised to hear your review because I thought you loved it. I for sure would not see it again and I absolutely thought $100 was too much but I had a fun time going out with the girls. That being said I feel our $60 combined total to see the last Batman 3 times with my husband was money better spent. Wolverine comes out this weekend and I’m looking forward to that more than I was Wicked. I’m really glad I saw it because I thought the story was clever but I certainly wouldn’t see it again.
By Alisa on 04.30.09 8:20 pm | Permalink
I did love it- but not in a I’m-dying-to-go-see-it-again kind of way, which is sort of a make it or break it for me.
By Laura on 04.30.09 8:32 pm | Permalink
Good to know. My daughter and I love the soundtrack, so we have been dying to see it. I like to hear other opinions, it is refreshing. Now I don’t feel as guilty about not putting up the money yet to see it. It was her bday and I opted for JoBro tickets instead of Wicked tickets. Who knows…
♥ Jen
By Jen on 05.01.09 8:55 am | Permalink
I for one, loved Wicked! I thought the twist on The Wizard of Oz was really creative and loved the characters. The actresses that played Elphaba and Glenda had amazing voices (especially Elphaba) and the set was just really cool. I’ve been wanting to see Wicked for a couple of years now, and it definately lived up to the hype. Im glad I went. Thanks Laura:)
By Liz on 05.01.09 11:36 pm | Permalink
I actually thought it was completely worth the money, especially since we’re not in NY or London where there are enough shows around that you can find half-priced tix fairly easily. I would definitely recommend it to others too.
I wonder if reading the book first made a difference in how much you liked it… I started it but stopped early on, so 80% of what I saw on stage was new, clever and exciting to me. For some reason I was expecting Glinda to be the star–maybe having heard about Kristen Chenowyth’s legend made me think this–and have all the best singing parts, so I was happily surprised to see that Elphaba stole the show with her powerful voice and dramatic numbers.
By Julianne on 05.04.09 9:23 pm | Permalink
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