Broadway Musical Wicked
Broadway musical Wicked
Tony Award-winning Broadway and West End musical Wicked is an excited adaptation of the best-selling novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire and a parallel novel of L. Frank Baum’s classic story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz.
Wicked the musical is not Wicked the novel. While the novel is its source, the musical presents only pieces of it, in a much simplified form, and often diverging wildly from the novel’s narrative. One might be tempted to think all this destroys the work; but in the end it improves it, shining a bright light on the story’s numerous ironies and interlaced levels of social commentary. But the score of Wicked musical is heavily thematic, bearing in some senses more resemblance to a film score than a traditional musical score.
The musical debuted on Broadway on October 30, 2003. It was produced by Universal Pictures and directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento. Choosing from the 38 speaking characters in Wicked the novel, the authors of Wicked the musical show decided to focus their show on eight key characters plus a few others and the ensemble. Current San Francisco Cast principals are:
• Kendra Kassebaum as Glinda
• Tim Talman as Witch’s Father
• Neka Zang as Witch’s Mother
• Fiama Fricano as The Midwife
• Teal Wicks as Elphaba
• Deedee Magno Hall as Nessarose
• Eddy Rioseco as Boq
• Patty Duke as Madame Morrible
• Tom Flynn as Doctor Dillamond
• Nicolas Dromard as Fiyero
• Tim Talman as The Ozian Official
• Lee Wilkof as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
• Everth Lopez as Chistery
Wicked tells the story of Elphaba born with emerald-green skin, smart, fiery and misunderstood, the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Their friendship struggles through their opposing dispositoins and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, their reactions to the Wizard’s corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba’s public fall from grace. Their buddy story of is only one of several storylines and subplots in a carefully constructed, surprise-filled musical adventure. The music and lyrics of wicked orpheum theatre are birilliantly selected and presented by Stephen Schwartz. Wicked is a truly heartfelt story of friendship and love. As Richard Zoglin of ‘Time Magazine’ put it, “If every musical had a brain, a heart and the courage of Wicked, Broadway really would be a magical place!”
Wicked topped the nominations counts for all Broadway shows with a total of ten nominations and was Tony-award winner in three of them: Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical – Idina Menzel; Best Scene Design – Eugene Lee. The musical garnered the most nominations and Drama Desk awards of any show this season. Wicked’s final awards announced May 16, 2009 was:
• Oustanding Musical – Wicked,
• Outstanding Lyrics – Stephen Schwartz,
• Outstanding Book – Winnie Holzman,
• Oustanding Costume Design – Susan Hilferty,
• Oustanding Set Design of a musical – Eugene Lee
• Oustanding Director of a Musical – Joe Mantello
At the end of January 2009, wicked san francisco has taken the top place. A second Wicked tour of the United States and Canada started on March 7, 2009 at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers, FL. Now the tour continues trough Orpheum Theatre-tn Memphis,TN, Tempe, AZ, Tulsa, OK, San Diego, CA, Austin, TX, Seattle, WA, Nashville, TN, Des Moines, IA, Denver, CO, Wichita, KS, Kansas City, KS, Cleveland, OH, Schenectady, NY, Providence, RI. Others cities will expect Wicked in 2010: Philadelphia, PA, Syracuse, NY, Greenville, SC, Dayton, OH, Miami, FL, Richmond, VA, Durham, NC, Toledo, OH, St. Louis, MO.
There is currently one U.S. touring production. This popular a production makes tickets very hard-to-find, but Ticketloot.com is your source for premium tickets for those sold-out shows. Pick up your tickets today and be a part of the magnificence of the Wicked. Buy cheap wicked tickets to enjoy the play with live performance.
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Moments after the conclusion of the popular Broadway musical “Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz,” my initial thought was that I had just experienced a play where “The Wizard of Oz” met “E! True Hollywood Story.”
The stage production definitely doesn’t present your mother’s Oz memories. Instead, it establishes a bizzaro world of Oz in the first act.
There’s no Dorothy, Toto, scarecrows, lions or tin men. Instead, the audience is retold the events found in the film, complete with conspiracy cover-ups, betrayals and murder plots – replete of the seediness attributed to most exposes.
It may seem bratty to some – “Wicked” definitely hits a certain chord with its younger female fans – but despite the initial teenybopper-esque feel, the musical develops a certain charm strengthened by the tongue-in-cheek humor scattered throughout.
The musical begins with the citizens of Oz celebrating the death of the Wicked Witch of the West. Glinda the Good Witch (Katie Rose Clarke) confirms the witch’s melting, and upon questioning, tells a story about the relationship between herself and the departed.
The story line travels back in time to years prior to the birth of green-skinned Elphaba Thropp (Carmen Cusack), the protagonist who later becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. We find out that she endures a miserable childhood due to discrimination because of her bizarre physical attributes and magical powers, something intensified upon arrival to the fictional Shiz University where she attends school.
Elphaba’s roommate at Shiz is a social climber, Galinda Upland, who one day becomes Glinda the Good Witch, marking the start of an immediate revulsion between the two for each other. During their time at Shiz, Elphaba is crafted as a rebellious magical prodigy while Galinda becomes a desirable popularity queen admired by the university student body.
Elphaba’s aptitude as a spellcaster eventually lands her a role as a private pupil under Shiz headmistress Madame Morrible (Myra Lucretia Taylor) and as a helper for Dr. Dillamond (Tom Flynn), a goat who serves as Shiz’s only animal instructor.
Shortly thereafter, we meet the other principle characters of the play. Fiyero (Cliffton Hall), a self-absorbed prince who serves as Galinda’s love interest, Boq (Brad Weinstock), a munchkin with unrequited love for Galinda, and Nessarose (Deedee Magno Hall), Elphaba’s sister who one day becomes the Wicked Witch of the East.
When the ties that bind “Wicked” and “Wizard of Oz” begin to take form, the aura is reminiscent of a Disney movie with a classic good vs. evil scenario that draws the audience in, and keeps them there with a wonderful score courtesy of composer Stephen Schwartz.
There is genuine attachment with characters that greatly differ from the film – people cheering for the not so “Wicked” Witch and the hardly “Wonderful” Wizard of Oz – powered by numerous musical selections that not only strengthen each character’s development but add a different dynamic to them.
Despite their differences, the first act culminates in a friendship between Elphaba and a newly named Glinda (quipping that the “guh” is now silent). By virtue of this relationship, Cusack and Clarke do an exceptional job as the pillars of the play, their chemistry resonating each time they share the stage. Their dialogue provides humorous exchanges given the contrast between Elphaba’s stern personality and Glinda’s spastic behavior.
It’s also a sight to see. “Wicked’s” popularity certainly goes hand in hand with the awesome production value that could go toe-to-toe with any Hollywood big budget blockbuster.
Simply put, “Wicked” is a fun experience. Stellar acting and vocal performances complimented by larger-than-life visuals bring the story to life in a way “Wizard of Oz” never could. True to its roots, Elphaba’s story flawlessly bewitches the audience – no warts whatsoever to speak of.