The Wizard and I – Wicked

Jenn, Peggy and I had tried three times on our trip to New York together to get lottery tickets for the show, but it never worked out. So when it was announced it was coming to Toronto, I sent out an email at work and got a group together to go see it. We got the cheap seats, the stools in the last row of the mezzanine, but honestly, for the price they’re not a bad deal, and it was nice to be able to see the show from a totally different angle after seeing it from the front row in New York!

This tour is terrific. It’s really a shame it’s not staying in the city longer, since it was so nice to be part of a sold-out, enthusiastic audience in Toronto again! In terms of sets and costumes and lighting, etc, it is very comparable to the New York production. The only things that I really noticed that were different were the lack of the big hat in the opening scene, and that instead of using the boxes of the theatre, they had platforms that moved in and out. But that was about it!

The cast is also excellent for the most part. Stephanie Block is a great Elphaba. There were only a couple of times where I thought of her as Liza. 🙂 She has a great, powerful, belting voice, and good delivery of so many lines. The audience was totally with her. Kendra Kassebaum is also a really good Glinda, though I was a little doubtful in the opening scenes. But from Popular on, she had the audience in the palm of her hand too. She made me laugh in Popular, with the line “Don’t make me laugh”, she pointed at Elphaba and said again, “Don’t!” It was cute. 🙂

I love David Garrison, and he’s a wonderful Wizard (ha! Okay, that was lame). Derrick Williams is really fun as Fiyero, and my friends and I had an interesting conversation about the implications of a black Fiyero when Elphaba’s discrimination is based on the colour of her skin. Boq and Nessarose were also both adorable. I guess the only cast member who really didn’t work for me was Carol Kane as Madame Morrible. She just came across as totally ditzy, and didn’t have that edge of danger that I think the character needs.

Still, that wasn’t enough to put any kind of damper on the evening. If the tour is coming to your city, make sure you get tickets, you won’t regret it!