Is Wicked really THAT great a show?

[hbmonique2]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:47am

Hello all,

I just found this site and saw your postings about Wicked. Forgive me. I am uninitiated when it comes to this show. I have not yet been hit by its supposed AWESOMENESS! I do have a bunch of tickets and it looks like I may be going on three different nights here in Los Angeles. My best seats are 6th row center orchestra. I was going to take me and my 2 kids and another undesignated friend. However, with the outrageous prices being charged for these orchestra seats, I am tempted to sell them and go in the cheap balcony seats I have. If you had the choice, what would you do? My orchestra seats were $125 each but I can probably get $300+. My balcony seats (nosebleed section) cost me $38 (more my speed) and these seats are going for $100. Is the show really THAT good?

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:49am

I thought it was okay -- the newest in the line of bloated megamusicals that are nevertheless quite enjoyable. Some people here are really obsessed with it, though, and then there are those who find it highly overrated.

Your kids will love it.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:51am

Yes, your kids will DEFINITELY love it. You might even like it. Personally, I don't think it's very good. There are as many people on here that despise it as those that LOVE it, so you're going to get mixed answers.

[QHDramaQueen]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:52am

oh boy... talk about continually beating a dead horse...
Updated On: 4/4/05 at 02:52 AM

[Derech2]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:55am

Never seen it. I adore the music though. Perhaps it is not that great of a show, but I would beg to differ with anyone who finds it too be terrible. That seems rather absurd to me. It's been so successful ... terrible shows are not successful. If it ever stops anywhere near me, I'm sure I'll see it multiple times and I'm sure it's worth seeing at least once.

[Marquise]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:57am

it's not a GREAT SHOW, not by a long shot. but it *is* an entertaining one and i found it a nice time at the theatre. but it isn't the *mother of all musicals* either. just a *cute* show with some nice songs that takes a different approach to a tried-and-true classic. nothing more, nothing less....

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 2:59am

Technically, not at all. But it will touch your heart more deeply than any other show. It did for me anyway.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:00am

Touch your heart more deeply than any other show?

Are you sure about that?

[TGIF]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:01am

I enjoyed it. I went in knowing nothing about it (saw it during previews) and came out very entertained. It is far from "the greatest thing since sliced bread" and has its flaws.

But you kids will enjoy it and if you are a fan of The Wizard of Oz you might like the new take on the story.

Edit: Cabaret touched my heart the most, but thats just me.

Updated On: 4/4/05 at 03:01 AM

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:06am

I agree with TGIF. It's entertaining fluff, but don't expect to come out enlightened. (Unless you're Britney Spears.)

If you've got excellent orchestra seats, then $125 is worth it, but because of the grand scale of the sets and special effects, and the size of the Gershwin, balcony shouldn't be horrible either. If you feel iffy about the show, try that first, I'd say.

[TGIF]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:07am

Tiff, they are in LA. :)

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:09am

Yes Munk, I'm positive. I'm not saying it will do that to everyone, but that's the effect it had on me. And LOL at the Britney Spears comment. I am an obsessive Wicked whore, but I'm in no way "enlightened."

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:13am

It's been so successful ... terrible shows are not successful.

I don't know about that. CATS ran forever. And OH CALCUTTA! was pretty damn successful, for reasons of which we are all aware.

[TGIF]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:14am

Success does not rely on quality.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:18am

Often, it relies on one of two things: sex or family. If your show can appeal to either the perverts or the Minivan crowd (or both!), it'll probably do well.

Updated On: 4/4/05 at 03:18 AM

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:22am

Oops, TGIF, I missed that part!

Well, what have other people said about the balcony view at the Pantages? I think someone started a thread on this, didn't they? Hmm...well, my comments remain the same. Stick with Balcony if you aren't too keen on the show and can make some quick cash from your orchestra seats!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:30am

"I am an obsessive Wicked whore"

Are you, now?

[eslgr8]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:35am

I will add my two cents worth. I've been seeing musical theater for decades, and Wicked is one of my all-time favorite shows. The music got to me first. The CD was in my car player for at least a week, non stop. I was incapabable of listening to anything else. For me, (and I know BlueWizard disagrees with this assessment), the score is powerful, inventive, funny, tear-provoking, dazzling in its richness. I saw the show twice in New York last summer and if there was any sense of let down, it was miniscule, and simply because I already knew the score so well. The sets and costumes are dazzling. And the show provides young singing actresses with two of the best roles available in musical theater. The message of the redemptive power of friendship is another reason this show has so resonated with its many fans. There has been a backlash, because whenever something is as loved as Wicked is by its admirers, there are those who simply cannot understand the acclaim. I do understand it, and I highly recommend Wicked.
Updated On: 4/4/05 at 03:35 AM

[DickonDefysGravity]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:41am

I loved the show and continue to speak its praises.
Although, there are a couple plot holes and some interesting directing choices, Wicked is by far one of the most dazzling and entertaining musicals to come to Broadway. The score is fresh, varied, and fun. The Lighting and costumes are stunningly wonderful and a joy to witness. While the roles will always belong to Menzel and Chenoweth, Ms. Bean is doing a fine job and I have yet to see Ms. Block.
By every means, Wicked deserves a nod as a musical theatre gem.

[hbmonique2]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:45am

Thank you for the glowing reviews. I have a tendency to love a beautifully dressed show. My husband and I call these kinds of shows "eye candy". He is a lighting designer. From what I saw of the print work it's looks ravishing! And I heard the witch and monkeys fly. Is this true?

[DickonDefysGravity]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:46am

You should wait and see...Spoilers are no fun... :-P

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:49am

Sure they are! Who likes surprise, anyway?






**spoiler alert**





The witch gets elevated in Defying Gravity (although some people have said on tour, it's later on in the show at a different number in Act 2). The monkeys fly in the background with wires, but use ropes to climb and swing on in the beginning. Think of Cirque Du Soleil and the aerial silks.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:58am

Unfortunately, the monkeys don't fly on the tour. They merely sprout wings and climb up and down that huge fence at the back of the stage.

Elphaba still flies during "Defying Gravity." I have no idea what these other people are talking about.

Updated On: 4/4/05 at 03:58 AM

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 3:59am

Well, be more specific. Elphaba stands on a forklift in "Defying Gravity."

[hbmonique2]

Posted: 4/4/05 at 4:02am

Was OH CALCUTTA! that show done in the nude at the Edison in New York a million years ago?