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I was lucky enough to have been taken to the excellent yet pricey
Wicked, at the Orpheum in San Francisco. The show had been hyped
up quite a bit, and had been acclaimed by so many of my peers, that I
didn't know whether it could deliver on my expectations. It did; from the
first resounding chord of the overture to the last, Wicked proclaims
its ambition to become a new Broadway classic. Smart, funny, and touching,
it will live in my memory as one of the best musicals I've seen.
Wicked follows the story of The Wizard of Oz's Wicked Witch
of the West. A freak as a child, Elpheba withstands the ridicule of her
peers and contempt of her father and emerges a quick-witted, sarcastic,
strong teenager. At the boarding school Shiz, where she is sent to watch
over her sister, Nessa Rose, she is roomed with Glinda (Or
Guh-Linda, rather, as she explains carefully). Riding into school
atop a gargantuan cart of luggage, Glinda is a quintessential princess:
pretty, popular, and accustomed to always getting her way. Although she
and Elpheba are at first at odds, they eventually grow to be good friends.
Also introduced at the school is Fiero, a dashing young prince, proud of
his live-for-the-moment, skim-the-surface take on life. At first drawn to
Glinda's beauty and outgoing personality, his feelings shift as he
recognizes the fire burning in Elpheba's heart.
At Shiz, Elpheba learns through one of her teachers, who happens to be
a goat, that animals in Oz are losing their powers of speech, after which
said teacher is soon carted away by authorities for 'subversive activity.'
The government men unveil a caged lion cub, explaining that by caging the
animals from birth, they can prevent them from learning to speak, and
hence curb any subversive, rebellious behavior. Elpheba, horrified,
steals the lion and sets it free, in the process unleashing her mysterious
magical talents on the guards. From there she travels with Glinda to the
Emerald City to ask the Wizard to help with the animals' plight. I won't
spoil the plot, but keep in mind that The Wizard of Oz presents
only one perspective on a complex world.
The musical numbers in the performance are as superb as they are
varied. The overture, No One Mourns the Wicked, which recurs a
few times, is furious and in-your-face, with a great brass section
hammering chords into the audience. Popular, sung by Glinda, is
frisky, playful, and hilarious, bringing out Glinda's inner child.
Just For this Moment is almost pop (though quality pop), and one
could imagine hearing it on the radio. Defying Gravity, one of
the star numbers, is accompanied by some great light, stage, and rope
work, and carries the first act to a great climax. The pit band is
absolutely incredible, with a baritone saxophone, trombone, and tuba that
especially shine: These three players, when they need to, lay down a wall
of sound that could crush Tokyo. The dancers, too, are excellent, though
occasionally distracting from the principals.
The distraction from the main players occasionally comes up in other
areas. While Glinda and Elpheba are strong actors, dancers, and singers,
they are relatively simple in garb and movement. The ensemble, on the
other hand, tends to be over the top and flamboyant, sometimes detracting
from the stars. The worst example of this occurs in the Emerald City,
where Glinda and Elpheba, in plain dresses, are completely overpowered by
the borderline-ridiculous shimmering green outfits of the city's
denizens. The rather busy choreography doesn't help, either- it often
brings the eye away from the focus of the scene.
The set design and tech work in the show is unbelievable. From the
mechanized dragon hovering over the stage to the exit signs in the
theatre, the entire set is expertly designed and utilized. Elpheba is
usually lighted by three colored overhead spots, projecting a triple
shadow onto the ground, which maintains the mood of the work much better
than a bright white one would. Mechanized props are used a few times to
good effect, and as mentioned before, there are some great uses of
ropes and lights.
Wicked is a great work of art, and I fully recommend seeing
it. Tickets are quite pricey, however, so checking out discount sites and
stores is a good plan. The Orpheum is a good theatre, in that most seats
offer a decent view of the action. I was in the front of the third-tier
balcony, and had no problems.
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