WICKED

1st National Tour
Boston Opera House 8-17-13 (matinee)
Providence Performing Arts Center 12-29-13 (matinee), 1-4-14 (matinee), 1-7-14

Today, the First National Tour of Wicked will once again vacate the Providence Performing Arts Center, moving on to another American city. Celebrating its 10th anniversary in October, Wicked has become a familiar old friend to many theatre-goers who have seen the show multiple times... some in the double digits.... some reaching the TRIPLE digits (now that’s dedication). I, myself, just hit #14-- one Broadway performance and 13 National Tour performances in Boston, Providence, Philadelphia, and Hartford. For a while, Wicked followed me around the United States as I moved from New England to Philadelphia and then back to New England, and so it’s been quite easy to catch a performance at least once or twice per year. As I said, Wicked is like an old familiar friend, one that offers a simple but beautiful message, while simultaneously blowing the audience away with its electrifying score and breathtaking special effects. Wicked is, indeed, something special. 

If you follow my blog, you are very likely to have seen Wicked at some point, and so I doubt that a long synopsis is warranted. Suffice it to say, Wicked is described as “the untold story of the witches of Oz. Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the land of Oz. One, born with emerald-green skin, is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. Wicked tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good” (retrieved from http://www.wickedthemusical.com/the-show). I would add that its Ozian origins may attract an audience, but Wicked is truly its own story, and a much, MUCH better story than The Wizard of Oz. 

The purpose of this blog is not to review Wicked. I really don’t need to do that. Wicked has not only established its place in modern day musical theatre, but has also raised the bar for other new musicals during the last ten years, and that speaks louder than anything I could write. Instead, I would like to share some of the things I enjoyed about this particular cast. 

GINA BECK AS G(A)LINDA
Gina Beck comes from the West End production on Wicked, where she played Galinda for two years. We should all welcome her to the U.S. because she was a fantastic Galinda! 

1.) I love her accent. Obviously, she is from the U.K., but she spoke with an American accent that suggested the slightest hint of British. The accent was perfect for Galinda- it made the character seem less childish and truly from the “Upper Uplands.”  

2.) I’ve seen many actresses emphasize the childish, egotistical side of Galinda, and sure, watching her act like an airhead or a dumb blonde is perfectly funny, but sometimes I miss the depth. Of all the Galindas I’ve seen, Gina was the most balanced.  By balanced, I mean that she was the perfect amount of childishness, self-absorption, and ignorance, which was perfectly balanced with insight, sincerity, and kindness. She didn’t overplay the ditziness (thank goodness). It never seemed that she was trying too hard to give an over-the-top performance; rather, she embodied the character naturally. She was also one of the strongest Galindas vocally that I’ve heard to date. 

ALISON LUFF AS ELPHABA
This was my first time seeing Alison Luff perform, and she has certainly joined the ranks of the preceding Elphabas that I’ve been fortunate to see. Her Elphaba was young, vulnerable, and sweet. 

1.) What really stood out about her performance were her scenes with Galinda. The chemistry between the two witches just seemed more apparent with these two actresses. I enjoyed “For Good” more than I typically do. Actually, I felt like I was hearing the song for the first time (again). 

LAUREL HARRIS AS ELPHABA (standby)

Oh no, that dreaded piece of paper just fell out of your playbill!  Have no fear. Laurel Harris will not disappoint you, not even one bit. Between Boston and Providence, I saw Laurel twice as Elphaba and Alison twice as Elphaba. Both were fantastic. So have no fear. 

1.) I think Laurel is one of those Elphabas who makes it look really easy. Being on stage for three hours, singing songs like “The Wizard and I”, “Defying Gravity”, and “No Good Deed” surely cannot be easy, yet everything about her performance was done with ease. 

2.) Great belter. I wish I’d seen her as Eva Peron on Broadway. 

JOHN DAVIDSON AS THE WIZARD

1.) Best Wizard I’ve ever seen, hands down. Confession: I usually view the Wizard as a character that exists solely to propel the plot forward, not as a comedic role. I don’t know exactly what made this Wizard different from the others. His comedic timing? His mannerisms?  I have no idea. But, he was SO FUNNY. I loved his scenes. And for the first time, I actually felt sorry for the Wizard when (SPOILER) he finds out that Elphaba was his daughter. 

ALISON FRASER AS MADAME MORRIBLE

1.) Again, she is another cast member that seemed to breathe some new life into a character that’s been portrayed by many before her. She portrayed Morrible as younger and a bit more quirky and eccentric… yet kind of endearing?  She may be a villain, but I didn't hate her this time! 

So there you have it! Thanks for reading! Oz speed. 

GUEST BLOGGER- Wicked London

Apollo Victoria Theatre

1/27/12

My name is Heather, and I have been given the pleasure of being asked to write about a special vacation(that had theatre involved in it!) that I was able to go on recently.

My brother had given my mom a trip to London (and Paris!) for Christmas. They asked if I wanted to come along. Well, who would say no to that! I managed to get time off from work and off we went!

One of the things we planned was to take in one of the fabulous London West End theatre productions. We decided Wicked was the Winner!

We had looked into several deals and offers, including dinner and a ticket for 65 pounds, but nothing worked out. We left for London without tickets. On January 27, 2012, the day we were looking for tickets for the show, we went to a travel agency who claimed the best they could offer us was 72 pounds--a person. I had the idea of trying to rush the show, so we headed over to the beautiful Apollo Victoria Theatre. Luck was on our side, as we were able to score tickets in the orchestra seats, or "stalls," as they called them…..for THIRTY TWO pounds each!! That was a steal! We were 12 rows from the front! Excited, we headed out to explore the rest of London before the 7:00 evening performance.

We arrive at the theatre early, and it is already swarming with people!! They don't line up neatly on the streets like in NYC, they just kind of go in through any open door. Once they scan your ticket and point you in the direction you need, you are left to your own devices. No one takes your ticket and leads you to your seat. You are expected to find your seat yourself. Another thing they do, is not give you a Playbill. It took me until intermission to realize you had to buy the Playbill. It comes in what we know as a program, and they charge 7 pounds for it. Of course, I bought one, so it's an ingenious way to make a few extra bucks.  Hope they don't decide to adopt that policy in America, though! Getting a Playbill(for free!) is sometimes the perfect souvenir from a memorable show! Also, in America, ushers tend to monitor the audience a bit closer, being spread around the theatre. There were hardly any ushers to be found in London.  The last thing that I noticed as a difference, the day after the show I decided I wanted a Wicked charm bracelet from the Theatre, so I walked back to the theatre and told one of the ticket scanners I was just buying a bracelet. He let me through the doors without a second thought! I don't think that would have happened in America. If you don't have a ticket, you don't get into the theatre. Now, I am not the kind of person who would see a show dishonestly and sneakily, but I am sure other people are!

Now it is time for the show!

Cast:

Glinda-Gina Beck

Witch's Father: Kieran Brown

Witch's Mother: Bonnie Parker

Midwife: Aileen Donohoe

Elphaba: Rachel Tucker

Nessarose: Lillie Flynn

Boq-Adam Pettigrew

Madame Morrible: Julie Legrand

Doctor Dillamond: Christopher Howell

Fiyero: Matt Willis

Wizard: Desmond Barrit

Chistery: Paulo Teixeira

I don't think I need a synopsis, as this is a well-known and loved show, but summing it up quickly, this is the story of Glinda and Elphaba(aka the Wicked Witch of the West) in college, where they develop an unusual friendship.  In other words, a prequel to the well known and well loved Wizard of Oz.

The show begins, and we have a perfect view! I have only seen Wicked on tour, and this performance made me fall in love with Wicked all over again! There were much more special effects, and more of the Time Dragon Clock! The Time Dragon Clock was different from the Time Dragon Clock I have seen on tour and at the Gershwin Theatre in NYC(I have done a Behind the Emerald Curtain tour at the Gershwin).  The costumes seemed to be more elaborate in London, as well.  I was very impressed with the sets, props, and costumes.

The theatre itself was an older theatre, but very well maintained. It was immaculate. The seats were a bit worn but comfortable! But my favorite thing was of course, the talent of the cast!

Elphaba was played by the AMAZING Rachel Tucker! She was a powerhouse! Her vocal ability was simply amazing! Gina Beck, as Glinda, had a wonderful voice, too! They blended very well together on the harmonies. They had a real stage presence and fed off each other impeccably. Matt Willis played the adorably charming Fiyero, the handsome, rebellious schoolboy that both Elphaba and Glinda have set their sights on, was perfectly cast for the role. His voice was fantastic! Julie Legrand was fantastic as Madame Morrible, with the perfect amount of evil. Desmond Barrit had a lovely voice, and was a fantastic Wizard! As far as Lillie Flynn and Adam Pettigrew, they were an excellent casting for Nessarose and Boq. The whole show was outstanding, with no glitches and a sparkling, flawless performance. I was very pleased, and felt very fortunate to be able to snag tickets(for much cheaper than I would have in NYC without winning lottery!) to this performance of Wicked! Especially since shortly after I got tickets, the show sold out!

I also noticed the cast has performed a lot in different shows, but almost everyone had exclusively performed in England. I think if they came to shows in America, people would love any of them. I know I would go to see them, and enjoy any performance I was able to see them in!

Their English accents were also nice to hear during the show. I get so used to American actors, and it was pretty neat to hear the British during this show.

I did not stage door after this production. I was not sure if that was a custom in London.

In conclusion, if you are ever in London, DO NOT miss the opportunity to take in a West End production! I know you would not be disappointed, and the ticket prices are pretty reasonable!

Unnaturally Green by Felicia Ricci

With the astronomical success of Wicked in the past eight years, it’s surprising that there hasn’t been an “Elphaba memoir”. In fact, I don’t know of any Wicked cast member who has written an account of their Wicked experience. Original G(a)linda, Kristin Chenoweth, briefly recounted Wicked in her memoir, but Wicked was not the focus. I would say that it’s about time someone wrote a complete account of the Wicked experience- from auditioning to costume fittings to rehearsals to first performance to closing night.  And finally, someone has- Felicia Ricci... and she doesn’t disappoint. 

Felicia Ricci was an Elphaba standby in the San Francisco production of Wicked in 2010. Her memoir, Unnaturally Green, tells not only of her Wicked journey, but also of her fear of failing as a new actress, overcoming personal challenges, coping with loss, and learning life’s lessons (sometimes the hard way)... or as she puts it, “ one girl’s journey along a yellow brick road less traveled”. This memoir does not disappoint the true Wicked fan; however, the reader does not need to be a Wicked fan to enjoy this book. In fact, Felicia does a great job of relating to all readers as she acknowledges the struggles that we all face, whether we work in the theatre or not. 

Unnaturally Green is smartly written; it is no surprise that Felicia was an English major. Felicia is endearing with her quirky, self-deprecating sense of humor. There are many “laugh out loud” moments. For Wicked fans, her description of her first ‘Defying Gravity’ performance is hysterical (for the reader, not for her at the time). I also found her description of bodily functions to be hilarious (i.e. the Week I Didn’t Poop, sweaty armpits). She tends to say the things that we all think but are afraid to say out loud. She writes honestly and comes across as the type of normal, down-to-earth person any of us could have for a friend. She wasn’t afraid to admit how hard she had to work to play Elphaba and conquer the “Songs of Death”. 

After her first performance as Elphaba, it wasn’t long before someone posted a bootleg video of her “Defying Gravity” performance. I loved reading her account of watching herself on YouTube. I think it must be hard for performers to watch their performances on the Internet- and worse, to read unjustified negative comments. Is it really fair to the performer to be recorded on low-quality cameras that distort sound or when they are sick or having an off night? You can’t judge a performance by a YouTube video and no YouTube video could ever compare to a live performance. 

As Felicia continues in “Life Lessons 101”, it will be interesting to see what path she will take and if she will return to the stage.  And will there be a second book........? 

People who would appreciate this book:

A must-read for Wicked fans (duh)

Theatre-goers 

Young adults who are just getting started in the world

Anyone who feels “green” (look it up in the dictionary)