#1
Posted: 8/12/04 at 10:44am
Before I say what I'm about to say, I feel some background is necessary to support all of my opinions. I am a self-professed Wicked fan. Probably not as fanatic as others, but I know the show inside and out and I have set images in my mind as to what works and what doesn't work. Am I the slightest bit elitist because I'm a music theatre whore and had the pleasure of seeing the original cast intact? Absolutely. As an actor, do I expect certain things? Absolutely. Does the fact that I've seen the show twice before and sat in the front half of the orchestra taint my view of the show? You betcha. That being said, I'll start with what I considered the weakest link and work my way up.
I found Joey McIntyre's portrayal to be altogether boyish, not cohesive, and weak. He made poor choices, consistently wobbled from side to side, couldn't hold himself onstage, seemed confused, and appeared to be completely disconnected from the material. Granted, the man has had approximately 3 weeks in the role and a 2 week rehearsal period I won't completely hold it against him. The Bostonian accent has got to go. He's in the mythical land of Oz and starring on Broadway, there's no reason that he should talk with that thick and noticable of an accent. The singing only served to amplify this. His vowels were flat; not open, not rounded in the least. He kind of whispered his phrases and half sang, kind of like he was whining. The boyband dance moves didn't do it for me either. During "As Long As You're Mine" I had a really hard time believing the alleged attraction between him and Idina. There was just nothing there. It was as if Idina was the leader and dominant person in the relationship. He needs to make stronger choices. Everything just kind of came off as half assed and nonchalant. I didn't for a second believe he was a self-assured, and egotistical prince. It just didn't work. I don't see the need to put a popstar in a Broadway show that is doing just fine without one. There are many more capable Broadway actors who are much more capable and qualified than he is. Perhaps he just needs more time to grow in the role, but that can only be a viable excuse for so long.
George Hearn was fine as the Wizard. I'm not sure how I feel about the added in verses in "Wonderful." They were fine, just didn't see the need to add things for him. I liked his acting, his singing was fine - he's just not really a song and dance man in the true sense of the word, I suppose. That role is just so poorly constructed. He did what he could with it...acting good, singing good but just kind of blah overall. He didn't leave much of an impression on me but that role never really has. Perhaps I'll need to see Sean McCourt in the role...
On the whole, I really enjoyed JLT's portrayal of Glinda. She gives a very strong and regal performance. Beautiful voice...not quite as unified as Kristin's. She's more like "this is my soprano, this is my belt," but it works, and she delivers the songs beautifully and really strives to make the character her own and breathe fresh air into the role. She looks stunning in the costumes as well. Where I felt she had the most trouble was the first act. To me, she just didn't have a full grasp on how she wanted to play Galinda. She was stiff. Not altogether ditzy, not altogether paying attention. Now, I feel that because the show is so heavily weighted upon the Glinda/Elphaba relationship a lot of what Idina and Kristin portray did not come across between JLT and Idina. BUT SHE'S NEW. She's still testing things out and seeing which of her choices work and which do not. It was difficult to watch "Popular" because there were so many line readings she gave prior to the song which strayed away from how, for lack of a better term, "air-head" Kristin played the role. She bounced around during "Popular," leaps intact, and it just seemed like it completely strayed from the character she had built from the beginning to that point. Her second act was much stronger and much more cohesive. She handled the serious material incredibly well. She lost a lot of the "ditz" voice in the second act which I think worked well for her. Bottom line, I liked her singing, I liked her acting, I just didn't feel fully invested in the Glinda/Elphaba relationship and that's probably due to the fact that Idina and JLT are still developing and manipulating their characters around one another.
I saw the show last night from the rear of the orchestra. It was a much, much different show than it was sitting front orchestra and perhaps that made me feel less connected with the piece. I just didn't fully invest myself in the relatinships because they're still tepid and are not fully intertwined. Because I'm familiar with the show, I think it may have detracted from the experience as well. I found myself anxiously waiting for certain parts and dreading others. The pacing was off and the flaws of the show just kind of popped out because I wasn't invested in all of the characters and the relationships. The second act dragged towards the end.
Bottom line, I'm still a fan and I completely realize that the actors need time to gel. I have tickets for the end of December so I think it'll be interesting to see how these three actors' choices change. JLT will be fab once she gets the character fully realized in her own mind. I'm looking forward to her growth. I'm sure there's more stuff I want to say, so I'll post more if it comes to me...but my mind's exhausted for now.
I found Joey McIntyre's portrayal to be altogether boyish, not cohesive, and weak. He made poor choices, consistently wobbled from side to side, couldn't hold himself onstage, seemed confused, and appeared to be completely disconnected from the material. Granted, the man has had approximately 3 weeks in the role and a 2 week rehearsal period I won't completely hold it against him. The Bostonian accent has got to go. He's in the mythical land of Oz and starring on Broadway, there's no reason that he should talk with that thick and noticable of an accent. The singing only served to amplify this. His vowels were flat; not open, not rounded in the least. He kind of whispered his phrases and half sang, kind of like he was whining. The boyband dance moves didn't do it for me either. During "As Long As You're Mine" I had a really hard time believing the alleged attraction between him and Idina. There was just nothing there. It was as if Idina was the leader and dominant person in the relationship. He needs to make stronger choices. Everything just kind of came off as half assed and nonchalant. I didn't for a second believe he was a self-assured, and egotistical prince. It just didn't work. I don't see the need to put a popstar in a Broadway show that is doing just fine without one. There are many more capable Broadway actors who are much more capable and qualified than he is. Perhaps he just needs more time to grow in the role, but that can only be a viable excuse for so long.
George Hearn was fine as the Wizard. I'm not sure how I feel about the added in verses in "Wonderful." They were fine, just didn't see the need to add things for him. I liked his acting, his singing was fine - he's just not really a song and dance man in the true sense of the word, I suppose. That role is just so poorly constructed. He did what he could with it...acting good, singing good but just kind of blah overall. He didn't leave much of an impression on me but that role never really has. Perhaps I'll need to see Sean McCourt in the role...
On the whole, I really enjoyed JLT's portrayal of Glinda. She gives a very strong and regal performance. Beautiful voice...not quite as unified as Kristin's. She's more like "this is my soprano, this is my belt," but it works, and she delivers the songs beautifully and really strives to make the character her own and breathe fresh air into the role. She looks stunning in the costumes as well. Where I felt she had the most trouble was the first act. To me, she just didn't have a full grasp on how she wanted to play Galinda. She was stiff. Not altogether ditzy, not altogether paying attention. Now, I feel that because the show is so heavily weighted upon the Glinda/Elphaba relationship a lot of what Idina and Kristin portray did not come across between JLT and Idina. BUT SHE'S NEW. She's still testing things out and seeing which of her choices work and which do not. It was difficult to watch "Popular" because there were so many line readings she gave prior to the song which strayed away from how, for lack of a better term, "air-head" Kristin played the role. She bounced around during "Popular," leaps intact, and it just seemed like it completely strayed from the character she had built from the beginning to that point. Her second act was much stronger and much more cohesive. She handled the serious material incredibly well. She lost a lot of the "ditz" voice in the second act which I think worked well for her. Bottom line, I liked her singing, I liked her acting, I just didn't feel fully invested in the Glinda/Elphaba relationship and that's probably due to the fact that Idina and JLT are still developing and manipulating their characters around one another.
I saw the show last night from the rear of the orchestra. It was a much, much different show than it was sitting front orchestra and perhaps that made me feel less connected with the piece. I just didn't fully invest myself in the relatinships because they're still tepid and are not fully intertwined. Because I'm familiar with the show, I think it may have detracted from the experience as well. I found myself anxiously waiting for certain parts and dreading others. The pacing was off and the flaws of the show just kind of popped out because I wasn't invested in all of the characters and the relationships. The second act dragged towards the end.
Bottom line, I'm still a fan and I completely realize that the actors need time to gel. I have tickets for the end of December so I think it'll be interesting to see how these three actors' choices change. JLT will be fab once she gets the character fully realized in her own mind. I'm looking forward to her growth. I'm sure there's more stuff I want to say, so I'll post more if it comes to me...but my mind's exhausted for now.
