Wicked (stage design/sets)

[Lorelai]

Posted: 3/24/04 at 3:44am

I am going to see Wicked for the first time on Sunday, I can't wait to see Idina and Norbert perform.

But to my question: I have been listening to the cast recording quite a bit and when I hear some songs I picture all these amazing sets......I know I'll find out on Sunday, but how are the sets? I hope so because it would be awful to have all this great music and a bad set.......

Just tell me...will I be disappointed?

[shira467]

Posted: 3/24/04 at 4:10am

The set is truly phenomenal. It is somewhat gigantic, becase the theater is so large. Seriously, the set is breathtaking.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 3/24/04 at 5:02am

There are a few breathtaking visual moments, but by and large the set is messy and overstuffed with too many tschotchkas. The 'framing' makes everything look very cluttered. I guess the needed SOMETHING to fill the cavernous space.

And one huge and impressive part of the set does MUCH less than you'd think. After it went through its motions, I remember thinking "That's IT?!"

Updated On: 3/24/04 at 05:02 AM

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 3/24/04 at 10:02am

well, master, that's one opinion. i, on the other hand, nearly wet myself with glee at the scenery. it managed to take the cavernous gershwin and crank it down to size (pun intended).

the piece of scenery that you mention figured more prominently in the earlier drafts of the script as it did in the book. re-writes rendered it almost obsolete, but it was a key to the look of the set as a whole even if they did downplay it. it cost a buttload of cash and they were not about to toss it out into a dumpster on 50th street.

i foound the set functional, at moments breathtaking, and overall quite fun. it will get eugene another tony as well.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 3/24/04 at 10:26am

Doesn't the set extend out into the walls of the orchestra seating?

The lighting is also phenomenal!

Updated On: 3/24/04 at 10:26 AM

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 3/24/04 at 11:11am

eh, the lighting's ok. nothing special.

[lostwallflower]

Posted: 3/24/04 at 3:47pm

I disagree. I thought the lighting was fantastic. However the set drove me crazy. They carried the theme of gears and such too far. It became too much. The dragon was cool, but I wonder if it was worth the effort they must have put into it.

[WestEndBird]

Posted: 3/24/04 at 3:59pm

I just saw it last wednesday! It was FANTASTIC!!! I loved the set and Idina and Kristen amazed me!! Idina held NOTHING back for some reason and it was GREAT!! She nailed everything! Kristen came off as kind of divaesque but she was still good although Popular wasnt as great as I thought it was gonna be, other than that KUDOS to set and lighting!

[wickedfan]

Posted: 3/24/04 at 4:29pm

I personlly found the set great. The dragon isn't really needed, but who cares about that when it's moving above your head! The set is truly phnomenal. All of the physical credits are (sets, lighting and costumes) it filled out the normally barren gershwin theatre perfectly

Posted: 3/24/04 at 5:25pm

Check this out for more on the sets, etc.:

Wicked: Behind the Scenes

[NYCbabe3789]

Posted: 3/24/04 at 5:33pm

I love that set. It's so huge and real it takes you to another world as soon as you enter the theater.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 3/24/04 at 5:35pm

ah! I can't wait to see this show! 2 months, 2 weeks, and 4 days. woo!

[Lorelai]

Posted: 3/24/04 at 5:56pm

"Idina held NOTHING back for some reason and it was GREAT!!"

Actually, the times I've seen her perform elswhere, she's never seemed to hold anything back.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 3/24/04 at 9:14pm

Once again, the lighting is phenomenal!

The dragon really is needed...it is a huge part of the story and to leave it out completely would be senseless.

[BillyLawlor]

Posted: 3/25/04 at 1:02pm

The lighting, for me, is what makes the show. Certain moments have such intricate lighting. The colors and shapes they put on the stage with the lights are really fabulous----for example, during "One Short Day", when the entire set was green, it was bathed in white for a split second to indicate the flash coming from the camera of an ensemble member who was taking a picture in Emerald City. It was really beautiful.

But back on-topic, the set is really something to see. It extends pretty far out on either side of the stage, and really does take you to another realm. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 3/25/04 at 1:57pm

again, i found the lighting to be uninspired and pedestrian. it merely utilized the same old angles and tricks we've seen a million times in broadway shows and had little if any inspiration. even the shapes they used offered little imagination. with such technological possibility and the caverous gershwin and a budget equal to that of some small states, i would have expected there to be at least a few moments of awe, but instead came away having noticed the lighting for all the wrong reasons.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 3/25/04 at 2:02pm

Well maybe because I am so interested in lighting, I love it...

[citylights]

Posted: 3/25/04 at 10:45pm

If you read the book, the set is relevant and really interesting (I especially liked the curtain? scrim? that is on before the show begins, I don't know the term for this). I think people who see the show without the book first will enjoy the, um..big, elaborate, slightly pointless thing...over the stage but will think it's just there for show. I wish they had some reference to it in the show that would make it worth having there, though.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 3/25/04 at 11:11pm

The show curtain.

[wickedlygreen]

Posted: 3/26/04 at 1:26am

I think the lighting is wonderful, the sets are breathtaking, Idina and Kristin are incredible...I have nothing bad to say! But I'll stick to the subject at hand...sets and lighting. For those who haven't seen it yet or who are going again (I've seen it twice and am in the works of planning a third trip), keep your eyes peeled for an awesome lighting effect during Idina's (Elphaba's) powerful "No Good Deed" in the second act. I'm not giving away any details because it would ruin it! But seriously, it's really cool.