Wicked Tour in DC, Saturday Evening 1/7/06

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 6:09pm

This weekend, I traveled from NYC to Washington DC to see the Wicked Tour...and I have no regrets at all. My motivation for seeing this tour was to see Stephanie J. Block as Elphaba so when I got to the Kennedy Center Opera House a little before 7:00PM, I immedately checked the board to make sure Stephanie was in. She was, and from that moment on, I was beaming and incredibly excited to see her.

Since the 4-week run of the show in Washington DC was sold out in such a short time, my friend called the day the tickets went on sale and got a standing room ticket in advance for only $27. Totally worth it! We went in shortly after the doors opened and got a great spot in the back of the orchestra. The Kennedy Center does not specify where to stand for standing room, you just stand anywhere in the back of the orchestra.

The map of Oz was the curtain and there was also a dragon head at the top of the stage (like the show in NY). I also wanted to mention something about the audience members for Wicked in DC. I was surprised to see that most of the people there were dressed up and most of them were over the age of 45. It was a completely different audience type that those who see the show in NYC, which probably made for an even more enjoyable experience. Then, at 7:30, the show began.

Before I get into reviews of the individual actors, I would like to comment about the differences of the sets from broadway. Honestly, there were minimal differences and the changes they made were fine and did not affect my enjoyment of the show. There are a couple of scenes in which Morrible, Glinda and Boq are on elevated platforms on the sides of the stage in NYC. Since the touring company cannot recreate these set pieces wherever they go, they had small platforms that came out on the sides of the stage and then retracted once the actors were done delivering their lines. Also during "One Short Day," during the line "hot air ballooning," a silhouette of a man in a hot air balloon comes down from the ceiling, but that did not happen in the tour. One final difference that I noticed was that in the beginning of "No Good Deed," Elphaba did not make her entrance from underneath the stage, she just walked out from stage left to the podium where the Grimmerie was. The podium came out from underneath the stage, but kind of looked cheap. But honestly, the one hole in the stage that they needed to have, was there (I am referring to the one at the end when we find out Elphaba is alive). Also, when the Wizard sets the monkeys free, two of them flew over the stage instead of one flying over the audience. The rest of the sets looked identical to broadway and the lighting was still fabulous. I also noticed very minor differences in the orchestrations, but nothing that took away from my enjoyment...and I have no problem hearing the actors at all. Overall, the show looked and sounded as good as it did on broadway and if I hadn't seen the show in NYC three days before on 1/4/06, I probably wouldn't have noticed some of the differences.

Aaron J. Albano went for Logan Lipton as Boq and since I had just seen Robb Sapp in the role on broadway, I thought Aaron was just serviceable in the role. I think it is a difficult role to ruin, but he was just ok.

Carole Shelley as Madame Morrible was excellent as always. It was my third time seeing her in the role and she did not disappoint. God only knows why talent-free Rue was hired for the broadway company.

Jenna Leigh Green was perfectly cast as Nessarose. I had only seen Michelle Federer in the role, but I loved Jenna's characterization. Her "Wicked Wicked of the East" in Act 2 was wonderful.

David Garrison was probably the best Wizard of Oz I have seen. I previously saw Joel Grey, George Hearn and Ben Vereen in the role and I thought David did an excellent job with such a poorly developed role. I loved his singing voice and his acting was excellent.

Sebastian Arcellus was a great Fiyero. I loved his interaction with Glinda and Elphaba. He had just started in the role on Tuesday and honestly, it seemed like he had been playing the role for months already. I loved his voice and he defnitely looked the part. His hair is much shorter than it was in Good Vibrations, probably comes up to the middle of the back of his neck instead of halfway down to his back. He has great hair though, and is adorable. An excellent replacement for Fiyero.

Kendra Kassebaum's Glinda was fabulous. What I loved most about her performance was that she was not trying to imitate Kristin Chenoweth. Kendra has developed her own Glinda and I think it works perfectly. The "Popular" scene was fantastic, she hit all of the high notes during the opening number and "Thank Goodness," and I absolutely *loved* "For Good." I could tell that Kendra really worked at making the role her own with her mannerisms, tone of voice and how she played off the other actors. I was very impressed.

And now, the woman of the evening, Stephanie J. Block! Let me start off by saying that out of the four Elphaba's I have seen, Idina, Eden, Shoshana and Stephanie, Stephanie is by far the best overall. In fact, she was so good last night, that I think Stephanie should have originated the role on broadway (sorry Idina fans). From the moment she walked out (to scattered entrance applause), she had the audience in the palm of her hand. She played Elphaba in Act 1 as a very vulnerable young woman who just wants to fit in. Her "The Wizard and I," was definitely the best I have ever seen. I could tell from her acting and singing that she was truly excited about the opportunity to meet the Wizard, to meet someone that wouldn't judge her just by the way she looks, someone who would accept her for her. As the evening went on, she became more and more sure of herself and by "Defying Gravity," she was determined to make herself known and correct the Wizard's wrongdoing. I also wanted to say that her "No Good Deed" in Act 2 was brilliant. Stephanie is the best actress to take on the role of Elphaba and she has the voice to match! I went in with high expectations for her, and she exceeeded them...absolutely incredible.

I did stage door the show afterwards and got to meet Jenna Leigh Green, David Garrison, Sebastian Arcellus and Stephanie J. Block. Jenna and David were both very gracious. Sebastian was also so nice. I asked him how long he had been in the role and was shocked when he told me he had just started on Tuesday. I also told him that I saw him in Good Vibrations and his reponse was "the hair is shorter now!" When Stephanie came out of the stage door, I had this huge smile on. She greeted everyone at the stage door and said "Thanks for waiting." I told her that she was excellent as Elphaba, that I saw her in The Boy From Oz and that she was wonderful in that as well. As she signed my playbill, I told her that I came from NYC just to see her in this role and she said "awwww, thank you so much!" and was so appreciate. Then after she finished signing for the other people waiting (all 5 of us...haha, so different from NYC), I thanked her again and told her she did a great job. She graciously thanked me back for coming and told me to have a safe trip back to New York. What a sweet woman.

Overall, I enjoyed the Wicked Tour more than the show on broadway and I really hope that Stephanie will be a replacement for Elphaba sometime during its run in New York.





Updated On: 1/8/06 at 06:09 PM

[greenegirl87]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 6:11pm

Wow, I had a very different opinion after seeing it in DC, but thanks for the review!!!!

[mikem]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 6:12pm

Great review, WithoutaTrace. You might want to put some "spoiler" messages in your title or in your text, since your review tells what happens at the very end of the show.

[Popular]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 6:16pm

Thanks for the review! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Sounds like they got the sound problem fixed then?

[Parks]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 6:18pm

David was an absolutely AMAZING wizard. I LOVE that man in the role. I really don't understand why he isn't taking over.

Wait...why isn't he?

Stephanie is a great woman--I want to marry her. She is so enthusiastic about the show and she doesn't show any signs of being bored with the role.

The tour ensemble is absolutely amazing--they were still fresh and exciting when I saw them in October here in Dallas. When I saw the show last time in NYC in July (3 understudies in...ooH), the show was dead. NO life. VERY sloppy.

I'm sick of Wicked, but the tour cast is so full of life and excitement.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 6:24pm

Ben Vereen's contract isn't up yet. Hopefully David will take over as The Wizard once Ben leaves the show.

[Kimmygonbefamous]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 6:24pm

So glad you enjoyed it...I had a great time when I saw it in Hartford.

Interesting, though...you say she hit the high notes in "Thank Goodness"? Because when I saw it, at the end of the song, I heard that high note, but Kendra definitely wasn't singing. Made me a little sad, but otherwise I totally loved her G(a)linda.

[James885]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 6:52pm

Great review! I was there the same day, but at the matinee performance. I wasn't going to post a review, knowing how people feel about Wicked threads, but I guess I'll just add mine here.

We were sitting in row E, which turned out to be the front row, to my surprise. It was really cool being that close to the stage. During the opening when the monkeys came out, one of them actually stared at us for a couple seconds before he turned that gear thing to lift the curtain. I pretty much agree with everything you said. The ensemble was strong, and Stephanie Block and Kendra Kassebaum were fantastic in their roles. The sound problem still seemed noticable to me. During some parts it seemed that the orchestra overpowered the actors, but it might just have sounded like that 'cause I was sitting a few feet from the orchestra.

Since I haven't seen the show in NY (this was actually my first time seeing the show), I can't really comment on the difference between the tour and the broadway version. I loved the gigantic, very mechanical- looking sets. The lighting was very good, especially during Defying Gravity. I'd heard that on the tour, Elphaba doesn't come up from under the stage at the end, but she did at the Kennedy Center, so I guess it must depend on the theatre the tour is playing at.

During the intermission, I got to talk to some of the musicians, which was nice, being a musician myself. All in all, a nice afternoon at the theatre.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 6:58pm

Kimmy, I am almost 100% sure that it was Kendra who hit that last note in "Thank Goodness" (I had my binoculars out pretty much the entire show).

James, so glad you enjoyed your first experience seeing Wicked. From the back of the orchestra where I was standing, the sound problem did not seem to exist. But wow, I would have loved to see it from the front row!

[Mamie]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 7:01pm

I know it sounds strange, but the sound is actually better in the back of that theatre than it is in the front.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 7:02pm

i'm glad we were in the back then!

[greenegirl87]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 7:03pm

Has it been fixed since the tour started? I was in the front row of the rear mezzanine and I felt like I was straining the whole time, it was so different from being at the Gershwin and feeling like the sound is all around you.

[colleen_lee]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 7:07pm

I saw the tour when it was in Chicago this summer (which prompted the sit-down).

I LOVED Stephanie. She totally blew me away. I definitely agree that she should have originated the role.

On the other hand, I really did not enjoy Kendra when I saw her. It's possible she has grown in the role, but vocally I found her incredibly weak, especially in the more legit sections that Glinda sings.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 7:08pm

greengirl: the sound probably differs with each venue. i don't know how much the people sitting in the rear mezz of the Kennedy Center could or couldn't hear.

[James885]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 7:22pm

For me, the sound problem was most evindent during the ensemble numbers, especially March of The Witch Hunters. There were some times when the ensemble was singing and I couldn't make out the lyrics.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 9:55pm

I'm bumping this because I agree with so many of your observations.

I definitely noticed how different the crowd in DC was as opposed to in NYC as well. The Kennedy Center, however, tends to attract a much different crowd and unless people had heard about the show ahead of time, probably wouldn't consider taking their children to see. Especially on a school night like when I went

Oh, and I know the dress code is so much different. I wouldn't dream of wearing jeans into the Kennedy Center, let alone some of the other stuff I've seen people wearing to Broadway shows (like UVA sweatpants at Sweeny Todd!)


Aaron J. Albano went for Logan Lipton as Boq and since I had just seen Robb Sapp in the role on broadway, I thought Aaron was just serviceable in the role. I think it is a difficult role to ruin, but he was just ok.

I saw him on as well and thought the same thing. I love Robb Sapp as well, so while Aaron wasn't bad, he didn't blow me away.


all 5 of us...haha, so different from NYC

Yeah, seriously. I thought about waiting, but there were only 5 people there and I had to get home on the Metro, so I just left. It felt weird, especially since the cast members just wandered out at their leisure, not expecting anything like the mob scene at the Gershwin stagedoor.

I also loved Sebastian Arcelus as Fiyero, definitely the best I've seen. He just seemed to personify the character so much more than David Ayers did to me. And I saw him last Thursday, so he'd only been in 2 days and was already fitting into the cast so well.

I'm also glad I'm not the only one that thought the sound in the Opera House sucked! I was in row P and I was straining to hear dialogue at some points.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 10:05pm

thank you orangeskittles for your comments. i'm so glad you enjoyed the show as much as i did.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 10:41pm

I made the same complaint about the sound during the Hairspray tour last summer.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 11:05pm

Sebastian Arcellus - anyone have a picture of him? curious to see what the new fieyro looks like.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 11:06pm

Sebastian Arcellus - anyone have a picture of him? curious to see what the new fieyro looks like.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 11:55pm

http://www.google.com/images

And it's spelled Arcelus.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 9:49am

The official website will likely update the tour pictures when the cast changes in March. Arcelus looked great as Fiyero, but out of the four actors I have seen, David Ayers had the best look for the part.

Oh and by the way, I'm back in NYC! It was such a fun weekend in Washington DC...I had a fabulous time.
Updated On: 1/9/06 at 09:49 AM

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 10:44am

Great review, WithoutATrace. I agree that David Garrison was a most excellent Wizard. This also sort of renews my disappointment at having seen Stephanie's understudy when I went, even though she was also quite good.

I originally didn't think that I'd experienced the sound problems that other people mentioned, but looking back some of the dialogue was hard to hear. I'm sure there are much better venues, acoustically.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 10:50am

Did you see Jenna Leigh Green or Maria Eberline? When did you see the tour in DC?

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 10:55am

I saw Maria in the Dec. 23 matinee.