Wicked the musical, based on the book “Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West” by Gregory Maguire, tells the story of the two witches of Oz, Glinda the Good, and Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West, before Dorothy dropped in. The Broadway production opened in 2003, and was nominated for 11 Tony’s, winning 3 including Best Actress for Idina Menzel (Elphaba).
I jumped on the Wicked bandwagon a little late. It was only this past year that I read the book, and finally bought the soundtrack CD. The book is a hard read to say the least. Gregory Maguire has created a different Oz from the one we’re all used to, the terminology and language can be daunting at times, and it took me two tries before I finished it. The book is great, don’t get me wrong, it’s just a hard book to read. One must understand though: the book, and the musical, and the original book by L. Frank Baum, and the movie “the Wizard of Oz” are all four separate and at times unrelated pieces of works. This can get very confusing, but it’s much easier if you just go with the flow and don’t ask too many questions.
The production of Wicked that is touring the country right now (yes right now!) is as close to the Broadway production as you’ll get. The sets are elaborate, complete with a giant dragon whose wings span the entire width of the stage, a giant ticking clock, and a beautiful Emerald City. The costumes are brilliant, identical to those I’ve seen in pictures of the original Broadway production. The special effects, especially Elphaba ascending into the air with her broom, are breathtaking.
The cast. Oh my, the cast. Listening to the soundtrack over and over and over, and given my pre-existing infatuation with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth (the original Elphaba and Glinda), I really had my doubts about whether I would enjoy anyone who dared set foot into their roles. In the touring production, Elphaba is played by Victoria Matlock and Glinda is played by Christina DeCicco, two unknowns to me, but I knew I would love Victoria Matlock by reading in her bio that she played Emma in Jekyll & Hyde. It’s just a thing with me. I automatically like anyone who’s done Jekyll & Hyde. It’s how much I love that musical. Needless to say, the two far exceeded my expectations. Victoria Matlock nailed “The Wizard and I”, my favorite song to belt in the car, and she had me on the edge of my seat during “Defying Gravity”. The girl can sing. Christina DeCicco, simply put, is Glinda. After seeing her performance, and forgive me Kristin Chenoweth, I still love you, I can’t imagine anyone else in that role. Her quirkiness is adorably loveable and is absolutely perfect. She kicks her feet up, jumps up and down, and has the energy of Molly Shannon’s Mary Katherine Gallagher, only without being even the slightest bit annoying. Christina is perfect. Victoria is perfect. So they’re “perfect together”.
“Wicked” is the perfect musical. If only there was a movie version…I know there are rumors, but nothing more than rumors. I just want to be able to watch it over and over and share it with my kids. Click here and find out if “Wicked” will be coming to your city. Who knows when it will be back.
I jumped on the Wicked bandwagon a little late. It was only this past year that I read the book, and finally bought the soundtrack CD. The book is a hard read to say the least. Gregory Maguire has created a different Oz from the one we’re all used to, the terminology and language can be daunting at times, and it took me two tries before I finished it. The book is great, don’t get me wrong, it’s just a hard book to read. One must understand though: the book, and the musical, and the original book by L. Frank Baum, and the movie “the Wizard of Oz” are all four separate and at times unrelated pieces of works. This can get very confusing, but it’s much easier if you just go with the flow and don’t ask too many questions.
The production of Wicked that is touring the country right now (yes right now!) is as close to the Broadway production as you’ll get. The sets are elaborate, complete with a giant dragon whose wings span the entire width of the stage, a giant ticking clock, and a beautiful Emerald City. The costumes are brilliant, identical to those I’ve seen in pictures of the original Broadway production. The special effects, especially Elphaba ascending into the air with her broom, are breathtaking.
The cast. Oh my, the cast. Listening to the soundtrack over and over and over, and given my pre-existing infatuation with Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth (the original Elphaba and Glinda), I really had my doubts about whether I would enjoy anyone who dared set foot into their roles. In the touring production, Elphaba is played by Victoria Matlock and Glinda is played by Christina DeCicco, two unknowns to me, but I knew I would love Victoria Matlock by reading in her bio that she played Emma in Jekyll & Hyde. It’s just a thing with me. I automatically like anyone who’s done Jekyll & Hyde. It’s how much I love that musical. Needless to say, the two far exceeded my expectations. Victoria Matlock nailed “The Wizard and I”, my favorite song to belt in the car, and she had me on the edge of my seat during “Defying Gravity”. The girl can sing. Christina DeCicco, simply put, is Glinda. After seeing her performance, and forgive me Kristin Chenoweth, I still love you, I can’t imagine anyone else in that role. Her quirkiness is adorably loveable and is absolutely perfect. She kicks her feet up, jumps up and down, and has the energy of Molly Shannon’s Mary Katherine Gallagher, only without being even the slightest bit annoying. Christina is perfect. Victoria is perfect. So they’re “perfect together”.
“Wicked” is the perfect musical. If only there was a movie version…I know there are rumors, but nothing more than rumors. I just want to be able to watch it over and over and share it with my kids. Click here and find out if “Wicked” will be coming to your city. Who knows when it will be back.
Love,
Jenny
beccajane67@yahoo.com
2 comments:
Judi has this book and I tried to read it. I hated what they did with Oz. It's a kids classic and they had to go and add sex and stuff. Icky.
The musical is sooo much different from the book. I mean, yeah, there's (implied)sex in the musical, but it's SOOO much more upbeat than the book is.
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