#1
Posted: 4/23/10 at 5:12pm
So, I saw Wicked at its opening night at the Durham Performing Arts Center (which is actually a pretty nice touring house), as this marked my seventh time seeing Wicked. The last time I saw it was in 2007 in London.
I have to say, this was one performance where I pretty much clearly disliked or liked things. Overall, so-so...but it's a touring production, so you have to take it for what it is.
LIKES:
Vicki Noon as Elphaba (she reminded me of a young Shoshana or Eden Espinosa), Chris Peluso as Fiyero (very nice voice!)
Michelle London as Nessa (really powerful actress. Gave me chills),
Zach Hannah (Boq).
Don Richard (Witch's Father, Ozian Official, Ensemble)
The vocals in general were really strong, the ensemble really pulled it together.
I felt as if the set transferred really well! The only edits made were the lack of use of the balconies, which was forgivable.
DISLIKES:
Natalie Daradich as Glinda. She was trying wayy too hard to immitate Kristin and to be perky and cute. She also was young, and it made her seem too much like Elle Woods. And she had a very pretty voice too. I felt like it wasn't the right role for her. Or at least, she could've done SO much better in making it her own. Even Jennifer Laura Thompson, who replaced Kristin Chenoweth did an excellent job of making the character her own instead of an immitation of Kristin's.
The added choreography/movements for Elphaba/Glinda in "Loathing". It was wayy over the top. And Glinda's movements in "Popular" were too over the top.
Elphaba's 'toss-toss' was way over-acted.
A lot of over-acting in general from the two. Elphaba practically screamed at the crowd at Shiz for staring at her green skin. She's supposed to be frustrated, not like she's about to kill them.
I guess since I've seen SO many different incarnations of Wicked, it feels like such a let down.
As far as leads go, the OBC (even with Joel Grey), Idina, Eden (her first performance as standby), Shoshona and Kerry Ellis as Elphaba; Kristin, Jennifer, Megan and Helen Dallimore as Glinda; Carol Shelley & Kane, Rue McClanahan and Miriam Margolyes as Morrible; Norbert, Joey, David Ayers and Adam Garcia as Fiyero; Joel, George, Sean McCourt, David Garrison and Nigel Planer as The Wizard; Michelle Federer, Cristy Candler and Cassandra Compton and Christopher Fitzgerald, Jeffrey Kuhn and James Gillan as Boq. And they were all pretty good. (I remember not really caring for any Glindas after JLT or Jeffrey Kuhn as Boq, though).
I felt like there was also alot of updated projections I noticed in London and I was surprised to see them still there...as I feel like the projections they originally had were just fine. I don't understand their need for tweaking them; or the choreography for that matter. The show was fine the way it was, but I feel like it has really sold out. And of course, someone's gonna say, "It always sold out", and I really don't believe that to be true. I feel like the show was really incredible when it came out (but you need to factor in my age. I was eleven or twelve when it first came out on Broadway and I saw it). I feel like after about 2005 the show really started to try to immitate what it had been on Broadway, and just has never been the same. :
For touring and if I had never seen it before, I'd say it was pretty good nonetheless.
But I had a really great conversation with Chris Peluso who was in Lestat on Broadway and Don Richard who was in the workshop of Lestat about the show, and it was very enjoyable.
I have to say, this was one performance where I pretty much clearly disliked or liked things. Overall, so-so...but it's a touring production, so you have to take it for what it is.
LIKES:
Vicki Noon as Elphaba (she reminded me of a young Shoshana or Eden Espinosa), Chris Peluso as Fiyero (very nice voice!)
Michelle London as Nessa (really powerful actress. Gave me chills),
Zach Hannah (Boq).
Don Richard (Witch's Father, Ozian Official, Ensemble)
The vocals in general were really strong, the ensemble really pulled it together.
I felt as if the set transferred really well! The only edits made were the lack of use of the balconies, which was forgivable.
DISLIKES:
Natalie Daradich as Glinda. She was trying wayy too hard to immitate Kristin and to be perky and cute. She also was young, and it made her seem too much like Elle Woods. And she had a very pretty voice too. I felt like it wasn't the right role for her. Or at least, she could've done SO much better in making it her own. Even Jennifer Laura Thompson, who replaced Kristin Chenoweth did an excellent job of making the character her own instead of an immitation of Kristin's.
The added choreography/movements for Elphaba/Glinda in "Loathing". It was wayy over the top. And Glinda's movements in "Popular" were too over the top.
Elphaba's 'toss-toss' was way over-acted.
A lot of over-acting in general from the two. Elphaba practically screamed at the crowd at Shiz for staring at her green skin. She's supposed to be frustrated, not like she's about to kill them.
I guess since I've seen SO many different incarnations of Wicked, it feels like such a let down.
As far as leads go, the OBC (even with Joel Grey), Idina, Eden (her first performance as standby), Shoshona and Kerry Ellis as Elphaba; Kristin, Jennifer, Megan and Helen Dallimore as Glinda; Carol Shelley & Kane, Rue McClanahan and Miriam Margolyes as Morrible; Norbert, Joey, David Ayers and Adam Garcia as Fiyero; Joel, George, Sean McCourt, David Garrison and Nigel Planer as The Wizard; Michelle Federer, Cristy Candler and Cassandra Compton and Christopher Fitzgerald, Jeffrey Kuhn and James Gillan as Boq. And they were all pretty good. (I remember not really caring for any Glindas after JLT or Jeffrey Kuhn as Boq, though).
I felt like there was also alot of updated projections I noticed in London and I was surprised to see them still there...as I feel like the projections they originally had were just fine. I don't understand their need for tweaking them; or the choreography for that matter. The show was fine the way it was, but I feel like it has really sold out. And of course, someone's gonna say, "It always sold out", and I really don't believe that to be true. I feel like the show was really incredible when it came out (but you need to factor in my age. I was eleven or twelve when it first came out on Broadway and I saw it). I feel like after about 2005 the show really started to try to immitate what it had been on Broadway, and just has never been the same. :
For touring and if I had never seen it before, I'd say it was pretty good nonetheless.
But I had a really great conversation with Chris Peluso who was in Lestat on Broadway and Don Richard who was in the workshop of Lestat about the show, and it was very enjoyable.
Recent Broadway and Off-Broadway:: Carrie, Merrily, Ionescopade
Next On The List :: Clybourne Park, Once, Streetcar, BOM
Next On The List :: Clybourne Park, Once, Streetcar, BOM
