#1
Posted: 8/11/05 at 4:16pm
Having moved from New York to attend Indiana University, I was able to see far fewer Broadway shows than I normally would. Instead of attending just about everything "big" that year, I would have to settle for two to three shows, depending on how long my annual visit back to New York would be (my parents moved to Arizona after I graduated high school). So, since "Wicked" got mixed to negative reviews from many critics, and since a musical drawn from "The Wizard of Oz" didn't seem that exciting to me, I never really got around to seeing it. However, having been a member of BroadwayWorld.com for over a year, and having read and seen countless threads about this show, I decided I finally had to buy a ticket. Having just moved to Chicago, I felt that this would be a perfect opportunity, even if it isn't the Broadway production.
Let me say, first off, that I generally agree with what most major critics have said about the show. Schwartz's score, with only a few exceptions (most notably "Defying Gravity," of course), is mostly generic pop. Many of the songs simply sound the same, while some are so generic they could be put into just about any show (i.e. the Frank Wildhorn-esque "As Long As Your Mine"). The book also has some major flaws. The story of "Wicked" is fascinating and often ingenious as a "prequel" to the famous story of Dorothy and her friends, but Winnie Holzman's adaptation is, frankly, not a very good one. I could spend another paragraph ripping into the problems with the show's book, but enough people have already done that, so I'll refrain. I'm also aware that "Wicked" has a huge following this board, so I'll hold back on some of my criticisms of the material itself and instead focus on the Chicago production that I saw.
The cast was, for the most part, excellent. As Glinda, I cannot praise Kate Reinders more highly. True, I haven't seen Kristen (or any other actress) in the role, but I thought she sang superbly (actually sounding a lot like Chenoweth), and nailing both the comedy and drama. Her rendition of "Popular" was particularly outstanding. Rondi Reed was perfect as Madame Morrible, Gene Weygandt did all that can be done with the severely underwritten role of The Wizard, and Steven Skybell made the most of his small role as Dr. Dillamond. In the younger roles, Kristoffer Cusick, Heidi Kettenring, and Telly Leung all did well, although I felt that Cusick was a little stiff.
The only real beef I had with anyone in the cast was, unfortunately, the most important person--Ana Gasteyer. Her singing voice is good, even if it has a strange huskiness. But the role of Elphaba and all the vocal pyrotechnics involved require much more than a "good" voice, and Gasteyer really doesn't have the chops for it. Much of this has to do with her rather limited vocal range--the low notes during "I'm Not That Girl" were almost out of her reach, and she had to reach so much for her high notes that I kept on worrying that she was going to crack (and, in fact, she did--or at least ran out of breath or something--on the end of "No Good Deed"). Her acting is also problematic--she over-emotionalizes her dramatic scenes (the second-act fight with Glinda in particular), and goes for each of her comedic lines like she's still on "Saturday Night Live," which is not only distracting, but probably less funny than a more truthful comedic approach would have been.
What's troubling about all this is not that she's "bad"--she's servicible in the role I suppose--but obviously she was cast because of her marquee value, which "Wicked" doesn't need. The show is such an established hit already that people are going to go see it no matter who's in it. Case in point, the Broadway production, currently featuring two "unknowns" as the leading ladies, is still selling out. Stunt casting for box office purposes is annoying, but when such a boost isn't even necessary, it's even more aggravating. Although Gasteyer hits the marks, there are many women out there who could have surpassed them.
The rest of the production, since it's all a clone of the New York production, is what's expected. The sets and lights are amazing, and the costumes are creative and serve each character well. However, if you're a "Wicked" fanatic, I wouldn't bother making a special trip to Chicago just to see this.
Let me say, first off, that I generally agree with what most major critics have said about the show. Schwartz's score, with only a few exceptions (most notably "Defying Gravity," of course), is mostly generic pop. Many of the songs simply sound the same, while some are so generic they could be put into just about any show (i.e. the Frank Wildhorn-esque "As Long As Your Mine"). The book also has some major flaws. The story of "Wicked" is fascinating and often ingenious as a "prequel" to the famous story of Dorothy and her friends, but Winnie Holzman's adaptation is, frankly, not a very good one. I could spend another paragraph ripping into the problems with the show's book, but enough people have already done that, so I'll refrain. I'm also aware that "Wicked" has a huge following this board, so I'll hold back on some of my criticisms of the material itself and instead focus on the Chicago production that I saw.
The cast was, for the most part, excellent. As Glinda, I cannot praise Kate Reinders more highly. True, I haven't seen Kristen (or any other actress) in the role, but I thought she sang superbly (actually sounding a lot like Chenoweth), and nailing both the comedy and drama. Her rendition of "Popular" was particularly outstanding. Rondi Reed was perfect as Madame Morrible, Gene Weygandt did all that can be done with the severely underwritten role of The Wizard, and Steven Skybell made the most of his small role as Dr. Dillamond. In the younger roles, Kristoffer Cusick, Heidi Kettenring, and Telly Leung all did well, although I felt that Cusick was a little stiff.
The only real beef I had with anyone in the cast was, unfortunately, the most important person--Ana Gasteyer. Her singing voice is good, even if it has a strange huskiness. But the role of Elphaba and all the vocal pyrotechnics involved require much more than a "good" voice, and Gasteyer really doesn't have the chops for it. Much of this has to do with her rather limited vocal range--the low notes during "I'm Not That Girl" were almost out of her reach, and she had to reach so much for her high notes that I kept on worrying that she was going to crack (and, in fact, she did--or at least ran out of breath or something--on the end of "No Good Deed"). Her acting is also problematic--she over-emotionalizes her dramatic scenes (the second-act fight with Glinda in particular), and goes for each of her comedic lines like she's still on "Saturday Night Live," which is not only distracting, but probably less funny than a more truthful comedic approach would have been.
What's troubling about all this is not that she's "bad"--she's servicible in the role I suppose--but obviously she was cast because of her marquee value, which "Wicked" doesn't need. The show is such an established hit already that people are going to go see it no matter who's in it. Case in point, the Broadway production, currently featuring two "unknowns" as the leading ladies, is still selling out. Stunt casting for box office purposes is annoying, but when such a boost isn't even necessary, it's even more aggravating. Although Gasteyer hits the marks, there are many women out there who could have surpassed them.
The rest of the production, since it's all a clone of the New York production, is what's expected. The sets and lights are amazing, and the costumes are creative and serve each character well. However, if you're a "Wicked" fanatic, I wouldn't bother making a special trip to Chicago just to see this.
Updated On: 8/11/05 at 04:16 PM
