Wicked Saved Broadway!!! So did many musicals before Wicked! Cake!- Page 2

[stylinbohemian]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:12pm

omfg rob ur taking this too far oz thespis forbid

[Jera]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:12pm

1. The title was controversial to get people to read the message.
2. I never said that Wicked alone has saved broadway. Clearly I am aware that it is not the first and certainly not the last popular show.
3. I never even said Wicked was a good show.

All I know is that I have talked to many people that were introduced to Broadway through Wicked. I also know people who were introduced to Broadway through Rent, Chicago....

We need overblown, over-hyped, shameless productions on Broadway, because many young teens are simple and don't understand the glory of Sondheim.

[DefyGravity23]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:13pm

"But what is it worth if the only shows they see are WICKED and BROOKLYN? What about other good shows, such as FIDDLER ON THE ROOF? DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS? LA CAGE AUX FOLLES?"

Um...well maybe I'm the only one out there, but I'm a teenage girl who got interested in broadway shows through Wicked. Before I "discovered" Wicked I never looked at any theatre outside of the stuff my local community theatre did. I knew the classics, sure, but not much other than that. Ever since I saw Wicked I've been doing nothing but listening to other broadway show recordings, and I'm even going to the national tour of Fiddler on the Roof in a couple of weeks. Out in the midwest theres not much of a chance to go to many shows but if Dirty Rotten Scoundrels or other "good shows" ever come around here I'm going! I also have a lot of friends and classmates that went to NYC with me who, before Wicked, didn't like the thought of spending 100 bucks on a broadway show (especially wicked they said) but afterwards got interested in that show as well as others! But maybe we're just the exceptions...

P.S. I love cake. Especially chocolate. mmmmmm

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:13pm

Boy, insomniak do I feel you're pain... In my drama club... I had to explain what LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS was... it was very sad..

[Over_the_Moon]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:14pm

I'd rather have cake than have to argue about Wicked.

It's an enjoyable show, that's all.

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:15pm

Before WICKED, I was in Fiddler On The Roof in Middle School and loved every minute of it.. so Im much deeper than you're average Wicked fanatic

[TGIF]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:16pm

Brought a whole new audience to Broadway?

What about...

The Lion King (brings in little kids)
Beauty and the Beast (brings in little kids)
Rent (brought in the MTV generation)
The Chicago Movie? (anyone who liked the movie)
Mamma Mia! (Abba fans)
All Shook Up (Elvis Fans)
Good Vibrations (Beach Boy Fans)
Dracula (Dracula the novel Fans)
Aida (Elton John Fans)
Spamalot (Python Fans)
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Lithgow Fans)
The Producers (Mel Brooks fans)
Hairspray (John Waters/Ricki Lake fans)

Must I go on? Evey show appeals to a new and different crowd outside of the theatre world. Now why is Wicked the one to be singled out, that "SAVED" Broadway?


Edit: I think I will go on.

Julius Caesar (Denzel Washington fans)
Sweet Charity ( Applegate fans)
Steel Magnolias (Movie fans/Delta Burke/Designing Women fans)
Modern Orthodox (American Pie/Jason Biggs fans)
Boy From Oz (Hugh Jackman/Peter Allen fans)
La Cage (The Nanny fans/The Birdcage fans)

Updated On: 4/11/05 at 07:16 PM

[bjivie2]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:16pm

I must admit... I just finished directing a middle school production of Into the Woods, and those girls are obsessed with Wicked. Even the ones that didn't already know it became obsessed once they found out about it.

[insomniak]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:17pm

Clumsy, tell me about it. Sad thing is, they think they're all experts on what makes a good show. I certainly don't pretend to be a broadway encyclopedia, I have a lot left to learn, but I hate to hear them proclaim Wicked the show to end all shows when they don't even know how much they don't know.

[Jera]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:17pm

For goodness sakes people. I am aware that Wicked alone did not save broadway! I'm going to change the title of this topic.

jera

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:18pm

I got into it because we were going to see it for a trip in school... I didnt know what it was about then I heard the music and was hooked... I love it because of the music... simple yet awesome... its a good CD... its not Sondeheim or anything earth shaking but its not Mariah Carey singing Glitter.

[TGIF]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:19pm

Jera your problem is, is that there is nothing special about bringing in new audience. Every show apeals to different people. That's why this topic is pointless.

[Jera]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:22pm

Pointless! This topic may be many things... controversial, interesting, scary, pointless, but it certainly isn't, wait, what were we talking about?

jera

[TGIF]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:23pm

Exactly.

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:24pm

MMmmm, Veniero's! Yummy yum yum!
Anyway, to the real topic at hand. Before I saw Wicked, I was interested in theatre and Broadway. I love to act and every time I was in NYC I would want to see a show. Then I fell in love with Wicked. And I fell hard. I was completely obsessed ( I am still obsessed, but not in the same way). Wicked brought me to this board and the board, in turn, introduced me to all other types of musicals and theatre. I am now "obsessed" not just with Wicked, but with Broadway in general. I want to learn as much as I can and see as many shows as I can. And not just musicals! I am not saying that Wicked was the only show that could have done this for me, but it is the one that did. I certainly don't think Wicked saved Broadway, but to say that it brought many new people to Broadway is certainly not an understatement. Just my thoughts...

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:24pm

Jera,

You're trying too hard.

[Jera]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:26pm

hmmm... I resent that. What's with all the personal attacks?

jera

[DefyGravity23]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:38pm

One thing I've noticed about this board since I joined just a couple weeks ago is that everyone is so ANGRY. Why must we all be so angry? We all love theatre right?

Like someone said before, they are just SHOWS! Music, entertainment, and dare I say it...fun! Shows are supposed to bring enjoyment to the audiences, not cause arguments between audience members. If you like a show, great! If you don't, great!

Okay, now let's all eat some cake and stop attacking one another children.

[Marquise]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:44pm

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:45pm

Don't let them get you down Jera.

Theatre is an elite art form. There are always fans who resent when a small, private appreciation blows up into full-scale mainstream success. Wicked is not the first show to do this and won't be the last. And Theatre is not the only place this happens: I remember the first R.E.M. fan who suddenly hated them because they made it to top 40 radio.

And Wicked is a very successful show right now. It didn't really save Broadway but it's sure getting a lot of people in the theatre for the first time-- just like Spamalot is (read that ridiculous NY Times article). Anything that brings people in and puts money into broadway is a good thing in my book.

And I don't think you are overstating the case too much-- here in Chicago there have been numerous stories about how much our production of Wicked is going to boost not only the other theatres, but the restaurants, hotels, cab drivers, etc.

[stylinbohemian]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 7:50pm

gee whiz u guys cant we all like agree to disagree here!?

[uncageg]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 8:53pm

I enjoyed the NY Times article.

And I don't eat cake.

[Aigoo]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 9:38pm

Although Wicked drew me into Broadway a bit more, I can't say that it has attracted more teens. At the point when I was Wicked-obsessed, I introduced the OBC Recording to many of my friends. Needless to say, some of them were allured, as well, however....most of them treated me like the theatre nerd I am.

Personally, I try to stay away from those "rockish-American-Idol-screamish belting-musicals" but I find myself singing along to them and such. It all depends on the person, but despite Wicked's popularity, it has yet to make a small dent in the history of Broadway.

[lisa902652]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 9:48pm

I think Hairsprray Introduced Broadway to Many teenagers.

[ShuQ]

Posted: 4/11/05 at 9:51pm

Well, I don't want to get into the whole mess of who is wrong or who is right but I will say that there are a ton of girls at my school who LOVE Wicked and these are the type of people who would never ever be interested in a Broadway show. Most of them probably can't name five other shows on Broadway either...

Now, don't get me wrong, these girls drive me up the wall, but Wicked atleast did something for them. But it's not like it introduced them to the rest of Broadway...