the current wicked cast..when did it get so bad and young?

[massofmen]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 6:57pm

saw Wicked on the sat matinee'. i have seen the show 5 times now. Not because I want to, but because people keep getting tix, and ask me to go last minute.
I think I have seen every possible combination of leading female, and male performers.
I have to say I am wonderfully dissapointed in the current cast.
Shoshana is up on stage like its an american idol contest, meghan hilty tries to make the role her own but will live in Chenowith's shadow from the comparisons (that she cannot live up to).
And last but not least, please find a fyero that can sing. Is this an impossibility, cause David Ayers can't accomplish the menial task of staying on pitch for an entire show.
The producers were so smart not to bill the show around the performances and instead around the "Wicked Experience" itself. You can throw anyone into these roles (and aparrently have) and the show will sell.
It also amazes me that on of broadway's most brilliant performers (George Hearn) gets barely an entrance applause, while Shoshana (ensemble hairspray and off bway godspell) gets a thunderous one because she wears green paint. And while Carole Shelley is a true diva on that stage in every positive sense of the word, she is barely applauded for.
If this is the state of musical theater, I would rather gamble with my 100.00 in vegas than go see this again.
Looking foward to havning Eden back when shoshana's contract runs out. While age has nothing to do with this next comment, I am sure I will get some backlash. I hope we can start getting adults on the stage again and leave the college kids at home.
-Paul Miller

[Al Dente]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 7:01pm

You mean it's even worse? Now that's disheartening.

[Prettylittlepicture2]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 7:07pm

Hear, hear! No one applauded for George Hearn when I saw the show, nor were they adamant for an autograph at the stage door when I returned with a large (and rather geeky) poster for George Hearn.

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 7:07pm

Not to change the topic completely from a Wicked thread, but on the same line about stars not getting applause, I think the audeinces have forgotten legitamit theater icons. When I saw DRS, Joanna Gleason barley got an enterance applause that I had to start! Also, when I saw Little Women, Maureen McGovern barely got an enternace applause. Agian, I led it after like 2 seconds in her entrance when I realized no one was applauding. Seriously. It was so disheartening. It's like broadway audiences have a 5 year timespan and after that, they don't remember people...So weird.

[IdinaRocks]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 7:07pm

Touchez (is that how you spell it?) !! Haven't seen Megan yet, but I can't agree more about the other stuff!

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 7:17pm

i'll give you the david ayers thing outright- he comes off as the gayest, least talented fiyero they've had. I've seen clips of shoshana and feel that she sings it better than idina but doesn't act it as well

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 7:22pm

I agree a bit. I saw Saycon not Sho, but the first time I saw the show was in NYC and I was extremely disappointed. i loved the cd and the music and the story, but the show left me underwhelmed with the talent.

Then I saw it in Chicago (cuz I knew I should like the show, and I wanted to see Steph and Jenna!) the show in Chicago and realized that the show was pretty damn good..and it was the people on Bway that ruined it for me the first time.
In my opinion the touring cast is leagues better than the bway cast...I'm sure some would disagree though :)

to each his own!

[ashley0139]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 7:28pm

Completely agree about David. I was really dissappointed by him. I find it interesting that you didn't like Shoshana and talk about "college" kids being in the show and compare it to American Idol, yet you can't wait for Eden to come back, who screams more than anyone else. She is more like AI than anyone. Also, it's not like she's that much older, right?

[Chip1012]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 7:35pm

you think EDEN will make it less American Idol-ish? Updated On: 5/21/05 at 07:35 PM

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 7:39pm

Saycon Sengbloh. Say it soft and it's almost like praying.

Posted: 5/21/05 at 7:48pm

everyone is entitled the his/her opinion (although i think your's could have been stated a little nicer...)
so i'll add my thoughts.
first of all i thought shoshana was brilliant in the role. her voice is pure, controlled, and beautiful. and i truly felt for elphaba.
i saw stacie morgain lewis on for glinda and she did a really nice job. acting and singing was good. george hearn was fine, under-utilized, and carole shelley was great too. michelle and david ayers were great, no complaints. music, scenery, costumes, all stellar.
i thought the chemistry between the characters was right-on and the acting was superb.
as far as certain actors getting more applause i think that has to do with the audience at a particular performance, and the amount of an actors' fan base present. not to mention the characters they play in the show. shoshana has created a name for herself based on both talent and commitment to her fans, show, etc. and i am in disagreement about the actors being "college kids" and american idol-ish. these actors worked their butts of in school and afterwards to get where they are. give them some credit!
Updated On: 5/21/05 at 07:48 PM

[massofmen]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 7:52pm

The thing is, I saw eden do it. And I must say, I really think she does a beautiful job with the music. She uses subtlties (sp?), that I haven't heard any other elphaba use.
Her acting is much better than Shoshana's I think. I don't think that Brooklyn is a good range of acting talent for eden, as the book of brooklyn is horrid.
I hope that she comes back to Wicked, so people can see what she can do.
The only one i haven't seen is Stephanie Block, and I hear she is top notch.
Maybe I will see the tour one day.
And while I am writing this, david ayers is still "morrible". Get it? I used horrible, but changed it to morrible like the show..oh..wow..that was good...
ugh....sad...i am sad.
-paul miller

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 7:52pm

"Nice is different than good." -- Stephen Sondheim

[massofmen]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 8:03pm

I appreciate your reply, and I respectfully disagree on almost all accounts.
Except that they "worked their butts off to get here". I completely disagree on that one. I am sorry to say that unless you know all the performers you are talking about personally, you have no idea what their work ethic was in college or is now.
And this might be rude, but if the said performers I wrote about really worked their butts off, maybe their acting, and pitch problems would be better.
Broadway is one of the only places in professional business where you don't need higher education to get to the top. Engineers, accountants, Lawyers, doctors, teachers, Bankers, venture caplitalists, ceo, cfo, coo. All need college degrees, and usually masters, or doctorates. Even basketball, football, and baseball players usually HAVE to go to college to gain experience. Unless they are 7ft tall at 18 yrs old.
Actors need none of those things. They can show up to a rent call, and be in a rock band and be on broadway, and make 60,000/yr. Or are able to sing a high q because of the gift from God, and Jesus Christ Superstar needs them to sing a high q, so they get hired.
So how do you know they all worked their butts off on their voice, acting, dancing? You really don't.
Thanks.
-Paul Miller

[Mythus]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 8:19pm

I wish I could hit a high q. Updated On: 5/21/05 at 08:19 PM

Posted: 5/21/05 at 8:46pm

true, i don't know about all of them but shoshana went to CCM...they work you like crazy there and prepare for the business...talent, marketing, ethic, etc. and she definitely has all of those things. that is my opinion. and hilty went to CM right? they're well-known for their musical theatre program.
and yes, again i can't vouch for all of them but a few yes.

[Pinguin]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 9:04pm

I totally agree with you on the cast being just awful, but I don't think the problem is age is necessarily...to be fair, both Glinda and Elphaeba are supposed to be in HIGH SCHOOL :0)

They just need to find performers who aren't ridiculous, like both Shoshana AND Eden.

[BluCat500]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 9:15pm

The characters themselves are very young, and at least once every decade or two its nice to see performers the proper age on broadway

[alphieboy]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 9:36pm

Has Eden been confirmed?

[massofmen]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 9:37pm

ethics? They have an ethics class for musical theater? Really? What would that teach?
I have never heard of an ethics class for theater. I took Nichomean Ethics in Philosophy being a Philosophy minor. It is a Aristotilean based ethics class, but I doubt if that is in the curriculum at CCM.
I agree with you on the musical theater programs being good, but again..never mind...this is an endless debate. If you know them, and know that they worked their asses off, then that's great.
If you don't know them, then you can't base their work ethic on how difficult the program is.
Updated On: 5/21/05 at 09:37 PM

[emo_geek]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 10:01pm

They didn't want shoshana, they wanted Eden, but she was taken. Eden truely is an amazing singer- one of the few to really touch my heart while singing.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 10:06pm

Actually, Pinquin, they are supposed to be in COLLEGE. i.e. Shiz University

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 10:42pm

I was gonna say that Ashley...

SHIZ UNIVERSITY..sounds like college to me..I don't think age is the problem w/ the cast..:)

[Elizabeth_DeBris]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 10:50pm

Part of me just died, in learning about George Hearn getting little entrance applause. I guess I should expect that, but he's frickin' George Hearn! ;__;

[LittleBitRacist]

Posted: 5/21/05 at 11:03pm

when i went to Wicked with me school, it was a wednesday matinee and i was the only one in the audience that clapped for George hearn AND JLT's entrance (my enthusiasm didnt exactly catch on...i was just stared at like i was weird or something) it was kinda sad. couldnt disagree more about shoshana though, i think she is incredibly talented.