I totally loved their poles!! That takes total skill, otherwise you'd see actors heads rolling off the stage into the audience.
"she does not compare to Kristin as an actress and the flub up completely turned me off."
BestofBroadway - that turned you off, but the fact that Kristin was laughing during the entire show, didn't? Interesting....
Broadway Star Joined: 5/12/03
I didn't notice her laughing the entire show...or if she was it seemed in character to me. If your speaking of the 1 moment in the second act yes it was unprofessional but it wasn't nearly as unprofessional as Idina who completely stopped the show. I did not notice her laughing except that one moment after the broom was dropped. Updated On: 1/9/04 at 03:43 PM
Everyone just friggin' stop before I drop a house on you all!
I do love a good flub when i see a show. Though, it might be unprofessional, thats what makes live theatre interesting. Oh yea, by the way, i loved the choreagraphy in aida. Well, it wasn't the BEST i've seen, but it was pretty good.
I saw Wicked last night and I liked the book a lot. I think the scenes are stronger than the songs. The worst part of the entire show was "Dancing Through Life". The song is cheesy. Fiyero is cheesy. The choreography was obviously ripped off from "Hit Me Baby One More Time"'s music video. Girls in uniform skirts kicking high into the air and the men caressing their legs? Skank-ified choreography that needn't be there. Each time the scene changed was interesting the way it was done. It was always done in a mechanical fashion. The best scene change has to be when Glinda shouts FIYERO! and then Elphaba overpowers it and comes out from the floor. The flying effect wasn't such a big deal. If you saw it on David Letterman, you pretty much saw it. Act II was stronger than Act I for sure. Cilento was more original in Aida with his choreography, but with Wicked. It was just terrible. I dread to see what lies in store for Sweet Charity's revival. I think Kristin will win the Tony. I used to like the twisted ending at the very end but after seeing it, I have to agree with others it just cheapens the "Wicked" experience and what Maguire tried not to tamper with.
Hmmm...
very interesting......
look how many posters happened to catch this very performance that we're all talking about.
Wow. Guess everyone was there to catch this once in a lifetime event.
How lucky for us.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
Too bad you weren't at the theater last night WSS2 to yell out, "To all of you uptight citizens who think these actors are being unprofessional: this, THIS is what live theater is all about." Too bad you're not there now.
Stand-by Joined: 5/16/03
My Name...what a little nasty comment from you.
But would we expect anything less?
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
You bring out the best in me, with your oppositional stances that even you can't possibly believe.
Understudy Joined: 8/11/03
Don't mind Namo, WSS2. He never misses an opportunity to bash Wicked or those who like it (or defend it). It's gotten very predictable and very boring.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
It's not like WSS2 has even seen it. And I don't bash it. In fact, I hold my tongue until every fifth post wherein somebody says something that is a blatant lie like, "There is nothing to be changed in Wicked, it is the perfect show," or "The story is really good," or "Every song is awesome" and the like. Sometimes a man has to speak up, and those are the times.
I was there also on the 8th, some of the reason for most of the laughter was due to Kristin's wig, it was very very frizzy, her new wig hasn't come in yet, and other laughs were shared do to an incident that occurred before the show started during
warm-ups. Idina and Kristin's contracts end in June, along with some of the ensemble.
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
Oh. Her new WIG hasn't come in yet. Well, then.
Broadway Star Joined: 9/27/03
While the behavior of the actors was appalling, I wish something similar had happened when I first saw it on Dec. 31. It would have made the unbearable second half possibly bearable to me.
ahh Defying Gravity, do you know the exact date of when they leave? I'm coming to nyc on june 16th-21th. It would totally suck if i missed them by a HAIR. or does anyone else kno.... because on the other threads it said they were leaving in oct. soo confused!
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
By a hair? Is that a new wig reference?
Your a quick one! hahaha Even though i didnt mean it to be like that. =D
Understudy Joined: 12/20/03
"The worst part of the entire show was "Dancing Through Life". The song is cheesy. Fiyero is cheesy."
Deep breath, exhale...Um, my dear discerning theater goer, it's called "character growth" as in Fiyero having the low brow philosophy of "Dancing Through Life" when he first appears. Not to give any spoilers, but just let me ask you if at the end of "Wicked" Fiyero is still living by that philosophy? There is a reason that song is in the show and there is a reason for the very choreography that accompanies it. Geez.
And to all you whiners who were so upset about some tittering on stage between actors, get over it! It doesn't happen every night quite obviously. D@mn some of you folks on this forum are uptight! All this whining by you guys is going to turn me straight and drive me right into some uncomplaining, unwhining woman's arms, thank you very much (Now NAMO, don't get your hopes up)
Has anyone see it both with and without Norbert? I know that the girls carry the show, but from everything I have heard, it seems like part of the glue has been missing with him.
Understudy Joined: 10/30/03
hey namo...
do us a favor and hold your tounge more often.
"And to all you whiners who were so upset about some tittering on stage between actors, get over it! It doesn't happen every night quite obviously. D@mn some of you folks on this forum are uptight!"
I know I should be mature about this and let it drop, but alas, I'm just not ready yet. I realize that what irritates me most about the whole 'issue' is the lack of standards running rampant here. If you can't have high standards for a Broadway show, charging Broadway prices, and expecting to win multiple Broadway awards, what's left? Tittering onstage between actors is what you see at East Bumf*ck Jr. High School's presentation of Annie, not a Tony contender. And irking me even more is the knowledge that we will be reading, ad nauseaum, how everyone involved in Wicked DESERVES the Tony more than any other actor in any other show EVER...because they're awesome. And lets not even think about how many endless Kristen vs Idina threads are yet to come. I'm not arguing talent here. I'm not even saying that either one of them shouldn't win. Hell, I saw Wicked and LIKED it, I thought Kristen and Idina were excellent. I even bought the damn CD and play it sometimes, so I really don't fall into your Wicked-basher stereotype. I just think that making excuses for actors at this level serves no one well. The unexpected can always happen at a live production, but not being able to regroup and get it together for ther rest of the show? C'mon. I expect a professional chef to cook my food correctly, a professor to know more about a subject than I do, and a surgeon to deal with the unexpected when an artery unexpectedly blows during surgery. I require the President to know the difference between a country and a continent (oh, wait...different thread...), and I expect Broadway actors to act professionally. I'm thinking that makes me reasonable, not uptight.
Broadway Star Joined: 5/12/03
Iflitifloat- Excellent post. I agree completely with you.
DefyingGrafity2- I understand the reason for the song but it doesn't make it any less chessy or Wayne's choreography (if you can call flailing around the stage choreography-what a mess) any better. Now if someone can please explain the loathing number in Act I to me. Talk about a pointless song that leads to no where. And One Short Day is a ridiculously bad song. And yet there are more good songs in the show. Defying Grafity was one of the most thrilling moments in theater I have experienced, Popular had me in tears, As Long As Your Mine is a gorgeous duet, the Wizard and I is a wonderful song. But there are still huge problems in the show. Believe me it's far from perfect.
Wonderful post, Ifitfloats. What fascinates me is how within serious discussion of professional standards at this board -- whether it's star absenteeism or this Red Skelton skit syndrome -- posters want to slap us, immediately, just for daring to have the conversation. As Ifitfloats persuasively argues, Broadway is big business as much as (or more than) art, more expensive to attend than ever before. To discuss its standards and practices surely is a worthy goal of this board, is it not? This is not (just) the weekly meeting of the East Jesus Idina n'Kristin fan club, is it? Surely raising concerns about no-shows or performances that lose focus is as legit as whether to leave emerald green carnations at the Gershwin stage door.
Like Ifitfloat, I'm a WICKED fan. Not even a closet one. Have debated its merits with this site's stronger, conflicting voices, i.e. Namo and MusicMan, and enjoyed the discourse. It's what kept me coming back here in October. But why shout down differences of opinion as "whiners?" HERE? Please, even fans are entitled to put aside their state of gaa-gaa-ness and contemplate the quality of performances, and yes, even the work ethic of those who create them.
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