There Ain't Any Justice Dept.- Page 2
There Ain't Any Justice Dept.
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#25There Ain't Any Justice Dept.
Posted: 3/4/15 at 8:10pm
Stephen Schwartz joins the Boston Gay Men's Chorus on stage for a show celebrating his music from Godspell, Pippin, Wicked and More. March 21 and 22.
We hope to see Roxy and Liza's Headband there!
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Updated On: 3/4/15 at 08:10 PM
#26There Ain't Any Justice Dept.
Posted: 3/4/15 at 11:31pm
I saw Wicked for the first time three days ago (at the Pantages, in LA), but remember little about the WW of the East sequence -- I primarily remember Elphaba being upset about some kid from Kansas who took her sister's shoes. I also thought it came too much out of the blue when Boq suddenly announced that Nessarose had become a wicked witch.
Speaking of out of the blue, Wicked would seem to provide a lot of opportunities to cast non-white actors (except for Glinda, who has to represent the "Establishment"). Does anyone know whether a non-white performer has played Elphaba or any of the other key roles?
Audrey, the Phantom Phanatic, who nonetheless would rather be Jean Valjean, who knew how to make lemonade out of lemons.
AEA AGMA SM
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/13/09
#27There Ain't Any Justice Dept.
Posted: 3/5/15 at 12:05amOn Broadway there have been two Latina actresses who've played Elphaba, Mandy Gonzalez and Lindsay Mendez, Taye Diggs has played Fiyero, and Ben Vereen has played the Wizard. Those are the ones that I know off the top of my head, though I don't really follow the casting in that show very much at all to be able to immediately recall everyone who's played the various lead roles.
#28There Ain't Any Justice Dept.
Posted: 3/5/15 at 12:15amThanks, AEA AGMA SM. I can definitely see Taye Diggs as Fiyero, but I'm surprised at Ben Vereen's having played the Wizard. I see him as a serious actor, and, frankly, I think he's too normal-looking to be a natural for the goofy and seedy Wizard. Tim Kazurinsky, an SNL alum, is the Wizard on the current tour, and he's definitely enough of a goofball to pull it off.
Audrey, the Phantom Phanatic, who nonetheless would rather be Jean Valjean, who knew how to make lemonade out of lemons.
#29There Ain't Any Justice Dept.
Posted: 3/5/15 at 12:19amSaycon Sengbloh was either the standby or understudy Elphaba for a time. Not sure if she was ever an official member of the main cast though.
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Fantod
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/3/14
#30There Ain't Any Justice Dept.
Posted: 3/5/15 at 12:37am
Aside from the "overture", Wicked Witch of the East is my favorite song in the show as well, though I like the whole score. I like the show too. There is a great section on The Baker's Wife in Not Since Carrie, and what it basically says is that they set out to make this huge musical and they should have tried to just make a nice gentle show. It has since gotten a production like that, but because people like the score so much they refuse to cut any of it, so a show that should be 100 minutes at most is about three hours. Sometimes you have to cut some of the music, even if you like it to make the show better.
The original set is also horribly ugly (you can find pictures of it online), but I believed they refused to change it because it was Jo Mielziners last set design
Updated On: 3/5/15 at 12:37 AM
#31There Ain't Any Justice Dept.
Posted: 3/5/15 at 12:47am
I think it's lovely personally.
Keeping BroadwayWorld Illustrated
#32There Ain't Any Justice Dept.
Posted: 3/22/15 at 12:59am
Tonight I went to the concert that FindingNamo mentioned: "Wicked Awesome," a night of Stephen Schwartz music by the Boston Gay Men's Chorus with special guest Stephen Schwartz. Loved it. Loved the song choice and the singing.
I'd never seen Schwartz perform in person. I found him very moving.
#33There Ain't Any Justice Dept.
Posted: 3/22/15 at 1:10am
Speaking of out of the blue, Wicked would seem to provide a lot of opportunities to cast non-white actors (except for Glinda, who has to represent the "Establishment"). Does anyone know whether a non-white performer has played Elphaba or any of the other key roles?
In addition to the aforementioned Saycon Sengbloh (who was the standby), Lilli Cooper is the current Broadway standby. And Brandi Chavonne Massey understudied the role for a spell. Alexia Khadime played the role full time in London for a couple of years. I'm sure there have been other women of color on the various tours and international productions.
Derrick Williams was also the original touring Fiyero and did stints on both Broadway and in Chicago.
#34There Ain't Any Justice Dept.
Posted: 3/22/15 at 1:13am
Speaking of out of the blue, Wicked would seem to provide a lot of opportunities to cast non-white actors (except for Glinda, who has to represent the "Establishment")
I would absolutely love to see a non-white Glinda, especially a dark-skinned Glinda, and I don't see a single reason that the establishment needs to be represented by whiteness.
#35There Ain't Any Justice Dept.
Posted: 3/22/15 at 1:34amWhat is so special about "What is this feeling" ?
Use my fabulous TodayTix code: JEYCY
#36There Ain't Any Justice Dept.
Posted: 3/22/15 at 1:38am
I'm in the minority here and I don't care if Schwartz eviscerated the book. I love the score of Wicked. My feeling is that the song The Wizard and I fleshes out his lead as well as any song from any musical.
I think he created something special. And when I look at the body of work that is the music and lyrics of Wicked, I find them more clever, interesting, and beautiful than almost anything since.
#37There Ain't Any Justice Dept.
Posted: 3/22/15 at 1:50am
dented, I love the score of Wicked too.
Tonight at the concert, Schwartz sang "The Wizard and I," but before that, he told us about two earlier versions of it -- well, not quite versions of it, but songs that were each in their turn going to be the I-Want song before he wrote "The Wizard and I." They were both called "Making Good." He sang a verse of each.
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