Wicked Sit-Down in Chicago Review 7/2

Posted: 7/2/05 at 10:46pm

I was worried going in; This was my third time seeing the show and after the OBC and the touring cast I wondered how long they could keep introducing such talented casts-- Well they did it again.

First of all, the show looks great- The traps are back and the Monkeys fly once more. The lights look better than Broadway and the stage gleams. The "One Short Day" set and "Dancing Through Life" have never looked better-- when the Italian lights lit up, the audience literally gasped with delight. The Time Dragon looks particularly animated, with his glowing red eys and billows of smoke whenever anything magical happens.

The cast was uniformly fine-- Telly & Kristoffer Cusick were particularly good in their thankless roles. The "Chicago contingent" of Lincolnshire standby Gene Wygant (Wizard) and Steppenwolf's Rondi Reed (Morrible) showed the kids how you chew the scenery without leaving toothmarks. I particularly liked Reed's flamboyant Morrible- She swept on stage each time like she built the damn theatre. Wygant was a real Humbug and made "Wonderful" sparkle.

Kate was fine-- The more I see this show the more I love Cheno (Not a dig, it's jsut a hard performance to top). Kate killed in the "combat scene" and knocked the crowd out with Popular.

Ana? What can I say? I was worried, but she hit it out of the park. So much has been said about her range, but what struck me was her delivery. She sang each line like it just occcurred to her. It was an astoundingly natural performance, the likes of which I've never seen before, especially in this show. Her "Method-like" delivery made the show come alive in a way I've never seen. Her phrasing was extremely real, so much so that sometimes she seemed off the beats, but I loved it. When she delivered "Defying Gravity" and "No Good Deed" she sounded not like a diva delivering the big number but a woman in torment, who HAD to get this out of her system or die. It was a performance that ranks up there with the greatest I've experienced. And whoever said that her voiced cracked? Bah! She was dead on, with amazing power.

The only glitch was early, during Elphaba's birth where the bed rolled off before she was born and the "Bubble" came down instead. So when Dad howled "Take it away!" It was already long gone-- we never saw the little green baby, the bed rolled off while Mom was contorting.

The sounds and lights were much better than the tour. "No Good Deed" looked incredible, with Ana zooming up out of the floor in a flood of color and fog. Spectacular.

We took my sister & Neice and they both want to come see it again. My 60-year old sister (Who's previous theater experience consisted of "Phantom") wants the CD AND the T-Shirt! We sat up in Balcony row M- the front of the upper section and the seats were GREAT- especially for $48. I thought it was the best place to sit in the house!

[alphieboy]

Posted: 7/2/05 at 10:49pm

Great Review!

[willact4food]

Posted: 7/2/05 at 10:50pm

Wow! Sounds like you had a great time! I've heard so many good things about Ana. I really hope I make it up to see her!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 7/2/05 at 10:53pm

A friend who works on the creative end of this show and who has seen just about everyone do the central roles says that Ana Gasteyer is the best Elphaba they've had so far, and that includes Idina Menzel.

I hope she comes to New York after her run in Chicago is done.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 7/2/05 at 11:05pm

I want to know what changes they did since the tour was in town. So the entrance fo no good deed is just like on broadway? and the monkeys fly over the audience during the release scene?
what else?

[sidneybruhl]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 12:18am

I'll be seeing the show again the Saturday evening performance on 7/23. I'm so looking forward to seeing Ana. Thanks for the best written review of the Chicago sit-down I've read so far.

Posted: 7/3/05 at 12:19am

Ana comes up out of the trap in "No Good Deed" and goes down one in that other scene. (Just in case) There are a lot of Monkeys but sadly no monkeys in the house. Monkeys come down ropes on stage, hang on the trellis upstage and are projected all over.

My mind may be playing tricks on me, but I think there were actually some small dialogue changes-- and lyric changes in Wonderful. It played REALLY differently with a lot more dancing.

It might just have been the shot in the acting arm that Ana gives it- A lot of scenes played so differently, but I can't think of any concrete changes.

I hate to "compare" performances, expecially since I so enjoyed both Idina and Stephanie, but Ana was extraordinary! I HEARTILY recommend it!

Some of the "Changes" I saw in the lights I think were the reult of seeing the show from farther back. I think 80% of all Wicked questions revolve around "Can I see from these seats?" Well let me tell you, I sat 8th row center at the Oriental last time, and I MUCH preferred the show from the cheap seats. Seeing the Dragon all the time was a big improvement, and the choreography & sets look much better from farther back. Really, there are NO bad seats!

And, lastly, I was struck again how PERFECT this show is for this house-- The Oriental looks like it was built for this show! You can't tell where the set ends and the house begins!

[donnamurphy2]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 12:29am

The current set in Chicago is the tour set, they left it there and got a complete new one at the next stop so it shouldn't look any different than before. What do you mean by Italian lights?

Posted: 7/3/05 at 12:35am

The small yellow lights around the stage (like Christmas lights) during the OzDust Ballroom sequence and the green lights during the Emerald City scene.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 5:36am

I noticed two things that I thought were different from the tour/NY...however I could have just never noticed them before...

During Dancing Through Life...Nessa and a few other people have drinks (as they always do) but did the drinks used to smoke? cuz the ones they had for the sit-down have a LOT of smoke emitting from them! it kinda looked silly actually.

and OHH there was a beautiful girl during One Short Day that was en pointe! it was gorgeous! She was in the very front of the right side (I was front row right side) and I've been on the left side the last two times so maybe I never noticed it before..but I was like "PRETTY BALLERINA!! ohh!" such a girl :)

I'm glad to see you liked Kris, Joe....a lot of people didn't and I think they are weird :)

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 9:47am

Kristoffer Cusick is awesome, Very nice review. And whoops about the bed, haha.

[DefyingPopular]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 10:04am

"My mind may be playing tricks on me, but I think there were actually some small dialogue changes-- and lyric changes in Wonderful. It played REALLY differently with a lot more dancing."

ur not losing ur mind, they changed it up on Bway also.

[Glebb]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 10:10am

Damn, I've got to stop reading these threads.
I actually may go see it.
Didn't want to tarnish my NYC memories.

[LotsWife]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 11:38am

I'm just curious about Kate's voice. I thought she really wasn't showing full potential in GYPSY or GOOD VIBRATIONS. I mean, I wasn't terribly impressed with her sound. How is she with this music? is she hitting all the notes? Is she as operatic as Cheno?

I really have to get to Chicago to see this show. I mean, it's here in NY and I've gone to it in a while, but I think I am more interested in seeing Ana go on.

Just wish there were more production shots.

[bunchamuncha]

Posted: 7/3/05 at 11:46am

Did anyone go to the evening show? I heard Kristy Cates went on for Ana.

Posted: 7/3/05 at 11:49am

Kate sounded good. She did some runs & trills that I hadn't heard before. She struck me that she was creating a new character-- not just "doing" Chenoweth. Glinda seems more ambivilent this time. She really aches in the second act. She doesn't seem as bitchy as she could in act one.

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 7/5/05 at 12:18pm

I saw this production on Friday..July 1st. First of all I have to mention the Theater (Oriental-Ford Center) is GORGEOUS !!!
This cast is a breath of fresh air. I've seen the B'way production 4 times and saw many changes in Cast members and this one is very tight. I found the 3 males,The Wizard(Gene Weygandt), Fiyero (Kristoffer Cusick), and Boq (Telly Leung), to be the BEST in these roles that I've seen. Ana Gasteyer as Elphaba blew me away vocally...she runs a close 2nd to Idina as far as I'm concerned. Kate Reinders as Galinda, although not as strong as Kristen, is just as enjoyable and adorable. Rondi Reed as Madam Morrible is a GREAT presence on the stage...she knows how to take a role and make it her own. She was the BEST in this role that I've seen.
A note to all stage door people....this was the sweetest cast I've ever met. They were glad to sign programs and take pictures and to talk.
If you live in or around the Chicago area or are visiting...make sure you see this production.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 5:51pm

Thank you so much for this review. It made me do two things I thought I would never do.

1. Post a message. ("I like to watch," as it were. This is my first post EVER.)

2. Plan a trip to Chicago to see the production for myself!

It just goes to show you that when you write passionately, articulately and persuasively, you can actually motivate people to action. (I live about 300 miles from Chicago...and have seen "Wicked" in NYC 9 times already.) Maybe you should take over all national PR efforts. We really need to convince the rest of the world we're not a bunch of louts. Maybe you can take an approach like, "How bad can a country be that's responsible for the creation of musical theatre as we know it today?" I wish life were more musical comedy and less absurdist drama. It sure would be a happier place.

Anyway, thanks again for the excellent review. I thank you, my husband thanks you and my two kids (who will also be seeing it with us) thank you.

[loudasthehelliwant]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 6:00pm

Miss Pennywise, you will love this production. Everything JoeKv said was totally true in my opinion. Its a fantastic production.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 6:23pm

Thanks for the second opinion.

I was a tad concerned because I was not sure about Ana Gesteyer's ability to pull it off. I have loved her for years and thought she had a wonderful voice when she sang on SNL, but the role of Elphaba is so demanding...and it's certainly not a 5-minute "skit," so I was skeptical. (I will NEVER forget her hilarious impersonation of Celine Dion.)

Once I read Joe's review, I said to my husband, "Let's be mad and impestuous and pretend we're 'young' again." He had a migraine at the time and was not particularly interested in my perky spontaneity, but within a few minutes, we had a plan...and tickets!

(We're going to be in Michigan for a week next month visiting my in-laws...not too far from Chicago, so it worked out. NOW I am actually looking forward to this trip! I guess there really is a first time for everything.)

[xxnewgirlxx]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 6:24pm

Fabulous review! I should know in about 15 minutes if my roommate won the lottery. Now I REALLY want to see it!

[Sunfish]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 7:07pm

Nothing like a nice side trip to sweeten a visit to the in-laws, eh???

Have a great time!!

Posted: 7/7/05 at 8:33pm

Gosh Miss Pennywise thanks for all the kind words! I can't help but worry that if something goes wrong, I'll be responsible for ruining your trip!

If your big worry is Ana pulling it off, I have no fear you'll enjoy it. She's really quite remarkable. I hope you'll be emboldened to share your opinions with us after you get back!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 8:55pm

So glad you liked it!

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 7/7/05 at 10:45pm

Hey, Joe, look at it this way: Even if it turns out that I don't share your enthusiasm for the Chicago production, I'll have a full day's break from my in-laws! It'll be worth it just for that!

I'm sure I'll enjoy it though. I wanted to see the new cast in NYC, so I went last week and loved it just as much as I did the first time I saw it...when it was still in previews. (As a kid, Stephen Schwartz's "Pippin" was my favorite Broadway musical; I saw it 14 times! I adored Ben Vereen from then on, so it was a kick to see him in "Wicked.")

I agree with the many posts declaring Ben Vereen the best Wizard ever and Rue McClanahan as a horrible Morrible. I saw the show with 2 different understudies of Carole Shelley's and they were quite excellent although neither has a big "name" like McClanahan. But that's just me. The person with whom I attended the show had never seen it before, and she thought Rue was good. (This is the 3rd time I've seen Megan Hilty, and all I can say is that she is INCREDIBLE for someone barely out of college. She's INCREDIBLE for someone NOT barely out of college, too!)

Also, I was impressed by how much Shoshana Bean has grown in the role. (I didn't care for her performance when I saw it in February.) Good for her! She works hard...and there were none of those breath control issues that Idina had for the last 6 months she was in the show.

Oh, and David Ayers was WAY better than he had been in February...he gets the award for "most improved." He still needs to find his "Fiyero voice" though. His Fiyero doesn't have any fire. (I doubt anyone will ever match Norbert; he's one-of-a-kind. And I thought Joey McIntyre was terrific especially considering he had to follow the originator of the role). I do think David needs to bulk up a bit. I have never said anything so superficial about a performer before, but he just seems so fragile to me. I guess I want the guy who swings on the vine to be a tad more "mascy."

Actually, everyone in the cast is better now that they've had the chance to develop their characters and relationships. I think fans are too hard on performers when they first take over a role. That's why I have never posted before. It gets brutal on this board sometimes.

Anyway, onto to Chicago! (And I already have tickets for the touring company when it comes to the Kennedy Center!)