WICKED- Broadway vs. Tour

Hey guys. I have tickets to see both the B'way and Tour versions of WICKED, B'way next month and Tour next March in Charlotte, NC. What are some of the major differences between the tour and B'way? Thanks guys!

Broadway's proscenium extends out into row g or H of the orchestra, I didn't realize it till a few years back when I sat in the Mezz at the Gershwin for the first time.

The only really noticeable differences are that (a) Elphaba enters from stage left at the beginning of "No Good Deed" instead of rising through a trap door and (b) *SPOILER?* Elphaba sometimes comes out of a set piece after melting instead of climbing up through a trap door in the stage.

Other than that, it's pretty similar.

Depending on which tour you're seeing (1st nat'l or 2nd nat'l) there may or may not be trap doors. I've never seen the 1st nat'l tour, but the 2nd was disappointing in comparison to the sit down I saw in LA. There's not giant witch hat in the beginning, the flying monkeys don't climb on the proscenium to work the dragon clock (it's done by stage hands that you see climb ladders before the show starts), Elphaba has to run out onto the stage for both No Good Deed and after March of the Witch Hunters (Broadway uses trap doors for both of these, Boq comes out on a wheeled stair cases fro March of the Witch Hunters (He's on the proscenium on Broadway), I don't think Elphaba rises as high in Defying Gravity in the tour which makes the moment a bit underwhelming. I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones I can remember. I'm not sure if the 1st nat'l tour has less changes or not.

EDIT: Their beds are also pushed on my cast members for Popular instead of being automated.

Updated On: 6/3/12 at 08:03 PM

She never rose up at the end of "March of the Witch Hunters" via trapdoor. The cog wall opens up during the choruses finale note as they rush to the middle of the stage as a group and the actress playing Elphaba sneaks up behind them and stands when they disperse.

---

The 1st National Tour has been in Houston, TX 3 times. The only changes I can think of from 1st National Tour & Broadway are:

1.) The flying monkeys do not fly out over Orchestra audience on tour.

2.) Elphaba does not rise out of floor for "No Good Deed."

I believe, as far as the show goes (set has been well discussed), those are the only changes.

The tour cast is slightly smaller and some of the lines are shifted around

Bwaydide92, if you watch the Behind the Emerald Curtain: Scenic addition, Time Clock Dragon Video on You Tube you will see where the stage hands being seen was an original concept of Eugene Lee's.
http://emeraldvideo.wickedthemusical.com/

On the tour however, the dragon is run on a motor. There are cables that swing the head and open the mouth as the dragon's neck oscillates back and forth. The stage hands only operate the wings.

---

Updated On: 6/4/12 at 08:07 PM

As Eugene said in the video his conceit for the design was you saw the under workings of Oz. Ergo the gears, stagehands ropes and pulleys. Even the girls beds were driven by geared turtles which were visible.

The concept was taken directly from McQuire's book where the Time Dragon Clock travels from town to town exposing the truth behind the story. All the gears, ropes and pulleys helping to present the tale.

---

Updated On: 6/4/12 at 08:50 PM

SNAFU wrote: As Eugene said in the video his conceit for the design was you saw the under workings of Oz. Ergo the gears, stagehands ropes and pulleys. Even the girls beds were driven by geared turtles which were visible. The concept was taken directly from Mcguire's book where the Time Dragon Clock travels from town to town exposing the truth behind the story. All the gears, ropes and pulleys helping to present the tale.

This show really is full of half-realised concepts, isn't it? On just about every level too: the design, the book, the score, the direction, the orchestrations. That's the problem with WICKED. Everything is half baked. Nothing is meticulously crafted from start to finish. It's only crafted to be good enough, resulting in a feast of mediocrity. It's such a pity, as there is truly something special at the heart of the idea for WICKED, although this isn't even realised quite fully even in the source material, because Gregory Maguire isn't a good enough writer, which becomes more and more evident as one makes ones way through the "Wicked Years" novels.

---

Updated On: 6/5/12 at 01:38 PM

I don't find the score or orchestrations to be "half-baked" if you actually listen to the music, there are ideas and concepts that pull you through the entire show. It also has connections to The Wizard of Oz, part of its source material, and is extremely dense (in a good way) there is so much layered into the score that you can't even catch all of it at once, but it still affects you.

And have you ever seen the set and costumes? They are so detailed and unique to the world of Oz that it's almost like the designers are from Oz.

The book is also a great commentary on politics and popular beliefs, while keeping you connected to the individual characters. It's definitely an improvement of the book it was based off of, which was terribly boring.

No, it's not the greatest, but it is a damn fine piece of art. Better than Phantom is in every way too. It's a commercial hit because it is good. The special effects aren't that spectacular, so you can't say that that's why it's selling. It's selling because the majority of people that will go to see it are going to enjoy themselves. What's so wrong about that?

Of course, many people have already posted similar replies, but here is my take:

I have seen both the Broadway company and the First Nat'l Tour a total of 4 times. The Broadway production definately has more scenery around the proscenium that in a way extends around part of the audience. (There are many vines, gears, spooky lights, etc). On Broadway, the dragon's wings are a slightly different shape than the tour, perhaps a little bigger, but not by much. Also, the dragon on Broadway has visible ropes tied to it that animate it, where the tour's dragon is not controlled by ropes.

On the tour, the proscenium is brought into the theatre it plays at, and consists of various gears/cogs, and a large speaker on either side covered with vines. Another difference between the productions is that the Broadway stage is raked (on a slight tilt), and no other production is. (This does not in any way effect the quality of the show.) Also, on the tour, the groves in the stage that carry scenery on and off are slightly different. Also, on Broadway, the monkeys fly out over the audience at one point, they fly around on stage in the tours.

In the first national tour, the only differences from the Broadway show are the ones describes above. Practically everything that happens within the prosceneum is exactly the way it is in New York (aside from the fact that on Broadway, Elphaba rises from a hole in the stage for "No Good Deed" as opposed to on tour, where she runs on). Both productions are equally spectacular.

As for the 2nd tour, I have not seen it, but have seen youtube clips and pictures enough to be able to describe it well to you.
The second tour is built to play in smaller cities (not nessecarily smaller theatres, as many believe). The set for the second national tour has two wooden panels that have pictures on gears/cogs painted on them (in addition to a smaller proscenium with actual gears/cogs). The dragon is designed in the same way as it is on the first tour (perhaps a tiny bit smaller). However, in some theatres, depending on where you sit is certain theatres, you view of Elphaba flying can be obstrucked by the dragon's head. Also, the deck (the stage that is brought in with the show) is thinner than that of the 1st tour or Broadway. Also, the 2nd tour has a smaller orchestra and some smaller set peices that do not function as fully as their counterparts on the 1st tour or Broadway do. This is not to say that you shouldn't see the 2nd tour, of course you should if you get the chance; it is still a spectacle!

In terms of actors and actresses, all productions are equal. In fact, many performers move from cast to cast.
Hope this has been helpful!

---

After having the 1st National Tour in Houston 3 times, they are bringing in the 2nd National Tour for it's 4th run here.

Interesting choice...