The Wizard and I – Wicked

Waiting at the Wicked lottery

I figured the lottery for this show was going to be pretty popular, and I was right, there was a really large crowd there! But I got lucky again, and even ended up in the very centre seat of the front row – you can’t ask for more than that!!

The reviews I’d read of the show had been pretty mixed, but I was looking forward to it for a lot of reasons – first of all, I enjoy Stephen Schwartz, plus there was the fantastic cast, and then it’s always nice to have a strong story and new music in a show (rather than a Tonight’s the Night type show). I hadn’t read the book before I went, so I’m not sure how much it was changed for the stage, but I think the story as it is in the musical works pretty well. Anyway, in more detail…

First, there is the music. This is the one area where I have to admit to being a little disappointed. There are some nice moments in the score, but nothing really memorable, and some of it I would have to call downright bland. “Popular” is a very fun song, and works well for Glinda, but a song like “As Long As You’re Mine” didn’t seem in character for either of the people singing it. And some of the lyrics were really not up to what I was expecting. However, my feelings about this may be chalked up to the fact that I was expecting quite a lot in the first place.

Next is the cast, and here there are absolutely no complaints. Kristin Chenoweth is the star of this show, and she absolutely shines for every second that she’s on stage. She was out of the show the night before I saw it, and for several performances afterwards, but if you hadn’t told me that, I would never have had the slightest inkling that she wasn’t feeling well. Her voice was as lovely and pure as ever, and she has great comedic timing. She brought a real heart to the character and made you care about her even when you didn’t agree with what she was doing. And she brought tears to my eyes in some of the later scenes! Overall, just a brilliant performance that I feel lucky to have seen.

A sign for the show outside the theatre

Idina Menzel is also wonderful as Elphaba. She’s got a lot of the heavier stuff to deal with, but she does it skillfully, and truly succeeds at making us see the story from Elphaba’s point of view, which is essential if the show is going to work. She’s got a great voice as well, more “pop” than Kristin’s, the two complement each other beautifully. She did a particularly good job at portraying Elphaba’s progression towards the “Wicked Witch” as we knew her in the film (her cackle in Act Two was great!).

The supporting cast is fantastic, every one. I was particularly looking forward to seeing Norbert Leo Butz, since I love him on the Last 5 Years recording, and he was great with a part that doesn’t have the best development. Joel Grey was very good as the Wizard, and it was a thrill just to see him. Carole Shelley, Michelle Federer and Christopher Fitzgerald were all great as well.

But as far as I’m concerned, the real star of this show was the story. It’s one of the more clever and original stories I’ve seen on stage in quite a while! The Wizard of Oz references were worked for a few laughs, but the way they explained some of the development of the characters from that story was really ingenious, I thought! And the ending! I don’t remember the last time I was so taken by surprise by an ending – I really didn’t see it coming. It’s not very often that I leave a musical feeling inspired to go home and write a book! In short, I just got really caught up in the world of the show, and isn’t that what a good show is all about? I would definitely recommend this show to anyone looking for a good evening of theatre, particularly with this cast.

I did go to the stage door afterwards, and got a picture with Norbert Leo Butz, but my camera wasn’t working! So some other ladies there took a picture for me and promised to send it to me – when it arrives, I will post it here!