Wicked SF 3/13 Review (Long)

[caitlinette]

Posted: 3/15/09 at 2:12am

3/13, 8:00 PM, no understudies.

So, I saw the show for my second time (I first saw the national tour with Eden Espinosa in SF back in 2005) on Friday. I almost saw it in NYC last summer but had been feeling awfully over-exposed to all things Wicked at the time. However, my family was very interested in it after seeing some clips and I knew it would be fun to go with them. It made seeing the show 10x more exciting to be with people who were so awed by it, and it's nice that it drew me in as much as it did and that all my excessive online clip watching didn't dampen the experience too much. Anyway...The review!

First of all, the sets, lighting, and costumes are are exquisite. I don't recall the Emerald City scenes popping as much as they did this time. The green was so strong it made me squint. The orchestra is also divine -- very crisp and powerful. I did feel throughout the evening that the cast was slightly under-miced, though. The show also lacked a certain charge that I definitely felt the first time I saw it -- perhaps due to the production, or because this was my second time seeing it.

The ensemble is energetic and doesn't phone in at all, but like I said, at times lacks an particular energy. I can only describe it as something my voice teacher calls "ministering to the audience" -- that sense of pushing your energy, expressions, and intentions out to the audience, making a connection with them, and aiming everything you do to the farthest and highest corners of the theater. The whole cast lacked that at times, and I noticed it at the very beginning when that one guy calls out, "Look! It's Glinda!" Maybe I've listened to the way it's done on the cast recording too much but I was expecting a really big, dramatic shout and got more of a quiet quick, "Look -- Glinda".

I didn't see Kendra last time and was bummed about it because I had heard how great her comedic timing was and in all the clips I'd seen of her she seemed absolutely hilarious, full of hyper energy and delightful little mannerisms. Her Glinda was everything you'd expect and want -- but I kept wanting her to milk it a little bit more. Every time she did a kick or shimmy or got excited the audience LOVED it and I wished she had given more of that to us. I don't know if she usually does this, but after she said the line, "That may be your secret, Elphaba, but it doesn't make it true" -- said very seriously and heartfelt -- she waved her hands over Elphaba's head and went, "Poof" as though to make it go away, with equal sincerity. It was great. I also love the way she grabs Elphaba on the line "little ways to flirt and flounce" and playfully shimmies her around. I was hoping she would take it farther as I've seen her do before and actually start to flip Elphaba's skirt around.

Her voice sounds great and, even though there were no Cheno or Hilty-style notes in her performance, I was surprised at the strength of her upper register.

She does very well as mature Glinda but could use a bit more frothy exuberance as young Glinda. I didn't get the sense that she was really giddy to be at Shiz with all her luggage, surrounded by admirers, going to a dance with Fiyero, or the fact that it was Elphaba's very first party.

Teal Wicks is a very petite, angsty Elphaba. It was a different kind of take on the character and I liked it. We were in the last row of the mezzanine so facial details were blurry but you can the woman is a drop-dead gorgeous Elphaba. I appreciated how well she utilized her legit voice, and when she transitioned into belting it was a very easy, light sound and she would end her big notes -- in Wizard and I, Defying Gravity, and No Good Deed -- with a really full, loud sound that blew everyone away. It's amazing what sound can come out of such a little person!

Anyway, she conveyed very clearly the constant sense of frustration and having to stick up for herself that Elphaba deals with in her life. I got the sense that her Elphaba was just trying so hard all the time to make the best of the world -- and change the world -- and it made life even harder for her.

And I've gotta say, you forget watching good ol' YouTube just how amazing Defying Gravity can be. When that girl flies, everyone stops breathing, leans forward, and lives in that moment with her. It's such a risky, vulnerable, and empowering moment for Elphaba and a great moment of theater.

As Long As You're Mine is always a bit of a dozer for me because I feel the melody makes too much light popyness of Elphaba and Fiyero's relationship, the guilt they must feel at hurting Glinda, and the sense of a long-lingering attraction that blooms in the face of immense personal and political issues. Luckily, the pair didn't sit there belting it out in each other's faces and sang the song with a fair amount of softness and vulnerability. Teal's "I feel...WICKED!" line gave me chills. It was so genuine and passionate.

I'm trying to remember other details of the evening. (I should really have waited until tomorrow when I'll be properly rested and thinking coherently, but no. ) Again, mic volume seemed a little low. I wanted the volume to be blasting at times -- such as when Morrible calls Elphaba a wicked witch for the first time in the interlude of Defying Gravity. I've always recalled that the actress being miced in a way that makes her voice booming, echoing, and evil, but the lines happened without that impact. Bummer.

Nicolas Dromard was a pretty good Fiyero. I like his look, with a kind of square-jawed, hip, jock look. The boy moves well and has a decent voice. I dunno, what can you do with Fiyero really? It's an odd character.

An interesting one was Deedee Magno Hall as Nessarose. She seemed incredibly one-sided at first, playing the nice girl in the wheelchair who was simply happy to go to a dance. In act 2, though, there was an incredible tension, a strain to her demeanor. She has a light, ethereal singing voice which, paired with this tension, made Wicked Witch of the East standout.

All in all, the sets, colors, and orchestra really made the evening. I feel the leads could use a little more zest and pop -- and everyone could reach out just a tiny bit more to the audience. (I understand that Kendra has been doing this show for quite some time now. She doesn't phone in, just skips over some areas that deserve attention. If she dug in a little deeper, she would have the audience eating out of her hand. I don't think she's quite there yet -- the same with Teal, in fact.)

The End! Thanks for reading.

[Satine36]

Posted: 3/15/09 at 3:03am

Thanks for the great review! I think you described Teal perfectly. I have yet to see her in SF, but really enjoyed her portrayal in LA.

[caitlinette]

Posted: 3/15/09 at 3:33pm

I haven't read many reviews of this production -- anyone care to add to mine, or compare notes?