Entertainment Weekly Names WICKED Top Musical

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 7:15pm

In this week's Entertainment Weekly they have their best of the decade. Wicked was named the best musical of the decade, and August: Osage County the best play. I think I would agree on August, but I'm on the fence about Wicked. If we're going by cultural impact, then yes, but I still think Caroline, or Change is one of the best musicals of the 21st Century. Oh, and Avenue Q is listed on the list as well. I guess 2004 was a good year for musicals.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 7:21pm

Best of the decade? Heck no.

[Pgenre]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 7:24pm

HAIRSPRAY and (shockingly) LaChiusa's WILD PARTY both garnered more votes than WICKED in the nearly 50 entries for the Top Ten Musicals of the 00s Theread I started a week or so ago from BWW users, for whatever that's worth.

P

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 7:28pm

Hm, I forgot about Hairspray. I mean Wicked is a cultural phenomenon, even more so than Hairspray. LaChiusa's Wild Party? Hm, I just can't get into it.

[Sauja]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 7:30pm

A lot of their choices seemed based on popularity more than quality--and I'm not specifically referring to theater here. Gladiator among the top ten movies of the decade? Please.

If you look at the list as top entertainment events that made an impact instead of the "Best of" list they bill it as, the whole list becomes more palatable. Or did for me at least.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 7:32pm

Gladiator did win some Oscars, no?

Avenue Q was groundbreaking in a way, and sort of started the whole "from Off-Broadway" trend. (Maybe not started it, but brought attention to it).

[Pgenre]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 7:35pm

Oscars mean nothing. Nothing.

And LaChiusa's WILD PARTY is the greatest American musical since FOLLIES so maybe you should give it another shot. (But it didn't win any TONYs, CONTACT and AIDA beat it so you might like those more if you feel awards equal artistic merit).

That being said (sorry Larry David), if you think AVE Q was "groundbreaking" chances are TWP isn't your kind of thing.

P
Updated On: 12/8/09 at 07:35 PM

[defygravity24]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 7:36pm

I think Wicked deserves it. I understand how people think its hyped up too much and overrated but it's about something pretty much everybody knows about and people can relate to it. And it has some pretty big songs

[Sauja]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 7:50pm

Gladiator did win a whole bunch of Oscars, but I can't lie: I hated that movie. Haaaated. To each their own.

Also, defygravity24, I find it unsurprising that you believe Wicked deserves the title of best musical of the decade. I can't imagine why. :) I kid, I kid.

For my money, single greatest isn't Wicked OR the show it lost the Tony to, but another of that year's Best Musical nominees: Caroline, or Change. Man, I love that score.

I also wish that if they had gone for something big and popular, it had been Hairspray. I don't hate Wicked--I think the only reason people react so strongly against it is because it's so popular. But I'm not a fan. Again, to each their own.

[wendilin622]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 8:05pm

I didn't hate Wicked either. I was very fond of it. But I wasn't really moved by it, and I have to disagree that it is the Musical of the Decade. While most of my musical viewings in the early 00's consisted of RENT (I had a slight addiction), I have to say my personal "Best of the Decade" was Hairspray or Next to Normal. Hairspray was so fun and touching and just a wonderful score. And I have never been so moved by a show as I have with Next to Normal. While it might not be my favorite musical, it is certainly one of the best I've ever seen.

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 8:07pm

I feel like lists like that are more about cultural impact and popularity rather than actual quality. Hate it or love it, Wicked has had a huge impact on Broadway and is truly a phenomenon unto itself...a musical with no huge names and mixed reviews based on an extremely dark and sexually explicit book becoming a massive mainstream hit and running for 6 years (and counting) is something that no one could have predicted. I personally like Wicked and even though it's not my favorite thing ever I can see why it made that list.

[Play Esq.]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 8:09pm

"I think Wicked deserves it."

I think it's overblown pop tripe.

And Sauja: with all due respect, I react to it that way not as a result of it being popular, but because it really is quite cliche and unabashedly bombastic.

Please forgive the use of generalizations: I just don't care enough to elaborate.


Updated On: 12/8/09 at 08:09 PM

[James885]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 8:21pm

In terms of box office and cultural impact, then yes.

If we're going by quality then Wicked is no where near the top ten musicals of the decade. It's trite bubblegum fluff with a couple good songs. I didn't find it particularly moving.

a musical with no huge names and mixed reviews based on an extremely dark and sexually explicit book

But that's just it. Almost all the dark and explicit elements from the book were either cut or sugarcoated in the musical. Now if they had decided to go the more darker route like the book, maybe it would be more moving.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 8:28pm

Sorry Pgenre, I just didn't like it. I like some of his other stuff, but sometimes it just all gets too heavy.

And I agree about Caroline or Change. Beautiful music, beautiful production, etc.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 8:29pm

"And LaChiusa's WILD PARTY is the greatest American musical since FOLLIES"

Pfft, hardly! "Ragtime," "Caroline or Change," "Last 5 Years," "Parade," etc. All of these are A LOT closer to "the greatest American musical" than LaChiusa's "Wild Party. "

[darquegk]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 8:38pm

Wicked is certainly not one of the best musicals of the decade- although I wouldn't call it one of the worst, by far.

However, it's hard to argue that it is probably THE most culturally significant musical of the decade, and probably the biggest since RENT in that regard. Its unexpected and possibly unwarranted popularity has helped to spearhead the sudden reemergence of musical theater in pop culture. Without Wicked, I don't think the art of theater would be any better or worse, but it would certainly be less popular, and that applies to all shows, not just Wicked, since Wicked is a big "gateway show" like RENT that gets people exposed to more theater.

[brad3]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 8:53pm

um. Absolutely not! Mamma Mia! has been far more successful and has been a worldwide success! It should be the best musical of the decade. not Wicked. Its good. But Mamma Mia! has been overwhelmingly successful.

[wdwfreak]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 8:57pm

Also, they names August:Osage County as the best play.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 9:38pm

It's in my original post, if you read that.

I'm kind of not sure about August. While I think it's a crazy good show, I'm not sure if it's the best of the decade, but maybe so. 2000 seems so long ago.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 9:42pm

Wasn't DOUBT in this decade? I'd put that over AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 10:29pm

No notable names? Since when are Idina and Kristin not names, I mean in the Broadway community anyway?

[romgitsean]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 10:51pm

I think that's hard. There's so many moving plays in the last ten years (Kimberly Akimbo, Doubt, The Laramie Project, A:OC...) that while I think A:OC is a good choice, I think I would choose The Laramie Project over it. Doubt and A:OC in second. A:OC was BRILLIANT.

And Wicked? Well...a few thoughts on that.

My experiences with Wicked are all positive. I saw it three months after opening, with all OBC, third row, and I was enthralled. While I know more about Stephen Schwartz now and his works, is it the strongest work he's ever produced? No. But, the show certainly made me want to get involved in musicals a lot more...it was so inspiring and magical to me. But, was it over-publicized and is it over-rated now? Yeah. I think so. I think Wicked has lost the magic over the years for me. Which is sad. But because of what it did for me, as a youngster, it really helped me become more well rounded in this crazy world we call theatre.

Originally, when I was young I didn't want Avenue Q to win, because it had no affect on me. But it did deserve the Tony, because truth be told, it is a really modern musical comedy that most people can enjoy, and it does have really great adult humor and we can love the characters all in all.

But I guess I might agree with Wicked, just because of what it did to me.

[mywonderwa11]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 10:59pm

Pgenre - LaChiusa's Wild Party the best American musical since Follies!? Hardly! I'd put any of these above Wild Party on the list of "Best American Musicals Since Follies:"

Parade
The Light in the Piazza
Caroline, Or Change
Ragtime
Into the Woods
Sunday in the Park with George
Little Shop of Horrors
Dreamgirls
Annie
A Chorus Line
A Little Night Music
Chicago

Yeah, it's a long list, but I'd put any of those above LaChiusa's Wild Party.

It also depends on how you describe the "Best American Musical Since Follies" and what the qualifications are.

Updated On: 12/8/09 at 10:59 PM

[Pgenre]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 11:02pm

The fact that GREASE is on that list disqualifies you.

Sorry. Better luck next time.

(My opinion is all it is and was.)

P

[A NIce Macaroon]

Posted: 12/8/09 at 11:09pm

I stopped letting Entertainment Weekly and their "opinions" stressing me out years ago. I advise you all to do the same.