I just saw the show yesterday for the matinee and I wanted to post some of my thoughts- but didn't want to start a new topic, so here they are.
First of all, if anything needs to be recognized when this show makes it to New York, it is how AMAZING Ms. Stephanie J. Block is. SERIOUSLY. I wish I could put into words how fabulous her performance was, and I will try, but I'm not going to do it justice.
Her transition from young girl to a strong woman is subtle but noticeable. I don't really know exactly what choices she made as an actress- because I didn't really notice until the end how much of a difference there was, but I found myself sitting there going, "Oh wow, she's really grown up." It might have been in her voice, the way she held herself, the energy in her step, but she transitions beautifully from a young, fearless girl to a strong, graceful woman.
And her voice. Seriously? I'm going to say it right out- I am a huge Idina Menzel fan. But Steph can sing Idina under a table. She goes from husky, to belting, to beautiful soprano MULTIPLE times throughout the show without a blink of the eye. She has an amazing range, and so many colors in her voice. I can't believe that the role of Elphaba was stolen from her, because her voice is just ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. I cannot wait until the cast recording comes out. I'm already chomping at the bit and I don't know if they've even started yet?
All that said, the show in general was pretty great, but I do think they have a lot of work to do. The first act seemed to be going in about 15 different directions, and it wasn't until the end of the act that I finally understood where they were going. I think some things need to be cut out or shortened... I honestly thought that the act was going to end when they left to find Grania's father, and so the rest of the act was kind of like, "When is this going to end?" for me. Not because I was bored, but just because I had felt like it was going to end and so I was sort of confused. And the people around me were feeling the same way, because some of them started to get up at the end of the song, and we all were kind of like, what ??
One issue I hold is with Donal. His character seems to be more written for the convenience of plot than anything. I think, if he is going to turn back to evil after his moment of goodness, this needs to be foreshadowed in some way. Maybe the money scene should be put up front, or something. But I was left thinking, “where on earth is he going?” Not that characters should be predictable at all, but it just seemed unfocused.
I couldn’t really understand Queen Elizabeth either, and while Linda Balgord has an amazing range, I feel like bringing some of her songs down might help to make the lines somewhat clearer. I felt like I was missing information.
The other complaint I have is the setup, when you first walked in. As soon as I stepped into the theatre all I could think was, “Wow, this looks like Wicked.” I don’t know how… it must have to do with the map, or the cartoonish quality, but before even opening my playbill I knew that the set designer had also done Wicked. It was bizarre. I kind of felt like they should go somewhere else with it…
Anyway, besides a few flaws, I thought the show was really great. It has a lot of potential and I hope they continue to work on the script. If the first act was tighter, I think it would solve a lot of the problems. The music is beautiful and I can’t wait for the cast recording. Here’s hoping for a great NY reception!
"You know, a little orphan girl once told me that the sun would come out tomorrow. Her adopted father was a powerful billionaire, so I supressed the urge to laugh in her face. But now, by gum, I think she might have been on to something!"
--Reefer Madness
