Wicked in Chicago

[lovepuppy]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 5:22am

Apologies if this has been discussed before, recently, but I'm *finally* getting to see it tomorrow (ok, today...Saturday) and am wondering...how's the current cast? I'm so bummed that I missed Ana Gasteyer last year, but oh well. I'm looking forward to it anyway! Thanks!

[Brokenlizard14]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:50am

Haven't actually seen the new cast, but my two absolute favorite cast members, Christopher Kusick and Telly Leung are both gone.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 9:38am

Derrick Williams is their new Fiyero, and I saw him on Broadway. He was very good, certainly of the best in that role.

Both leads have changed since I last saw the show, so I can't comment on them. Although, I've heard good things about Dee Roscioli's Elphaba.

Rondi Reed is very good as Morrible, but I found Gene Wygandt to be a very, very dull, uninteresting Wizard.

[RevolutionaryCostume]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 10:01am

I know! I was so sad that Telly Leung left Wicked in Chicago.

I didn't know that he went to RENT in NYC, so imagine my surprise when I went and saw it on a whim and he was there screaming "HONEST LIVING!" lol.

So fun. He's an excellent performer.

I was such a nut for Kristy Cates, I wonder if Dee is any good?

~Jacob.

Posted: 1/20/07 at 10:05am

I saw it a month ago and everyone was fine. Fiyero was especially strong. I love Rondi Reed and actually I think Weygandt is an excellent wizard.

[BroadwayBound062]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 11:51am

I saw the new cast just a few weeks ago and you will not be disappointed. They are outstanding!

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 11:51am

I've seen Dee on as Elphaba and actually she's pretty high on my list (possibly even higher than Kristy (I've seen like 6 or 7 Elphabas)...so she's fantastic.

I've heard Erin (glinda), and met her, and know she's pretty great in the role.

I saw Brad (fiyero)at the Taste of Chicago (singing with Dee) and he was fantastic. So I'm sure he's great.

I think Chicago is doing the best job of keeping fantastic performers in the cast. From what I know, we always seem to have the strongest cast.

Go see it!

[Brokenlizard14]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 11:51am

Yeah, Telly's the absolute best. I saw him in Wicked, and then again when he did a weekend-long production of Sweeney Todd in Madison. He was a fantastic Tobias.

Kris will always be my favorite Fiyero. I'm sure part of that is just because he was the first one I ever saw in the role, but he was fantastic.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 11:58am

AGREED!

Telly and Kris are DEARLY missed


but if you want to see Kris he's in LA, and Telly is in Rent on bway!! There are so great.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 12:08pm

I saw Dee as Elphaba as a standby and she was excellent. Rhondi and Gene are fantastic.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 1:05pm

In my opinion, I think we have the strongest combination of performers that Chicago has had yet (I've loved everyone in their roles, but I think right now both Elphaba and Glinda are extremely strong, along with a great Fiyero). Dee is wonderful as Elphaba, Erin is one of my favorite Glindas, and Derrick is my favorite Fiyero. Enjoy the show!

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 2:40pm

Dee is a great Elphaba, a very strong singer. Adam Fleming (who replaced Telly) is just as good, if not better than Telly.

[Candleshoe2]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 3:08pm

I wouldn't say Adam Fleming is better than Telly - in my opinion, he was very monotone and stiff. Maybe it was an off performance, but he didn't do anything that made him stand out among the rest.

As for the rest of the cast, they are very strong. Dee is a powerful singer and performer and Erin is hilarious as Glinda! Everyone else is just as great! Enjoy the show!

[Brokenlizard14]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 6:06pm

So Adam Fleming took over for Telly? Maybe I'll try to see it again. lol

[lovepuppy]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:43pm

OK, I just got back from seeing it. WONDERFUL!!! (And I thought that before I realized there was a song with the same title. :) )

Dee Roscioli was fabulous, and so was Erin Mackey. They both sound remarkably close to their OBC counterparts. (I never got to see them in NY but I've seen enough TV and YouTube clips to know how they sounded together.) I thought that Dee sounded so close to Idina's voice and was so good that she even might have been holding back. Either she's settling into the role (she's new, right? Not sure how long she's had the part here) or maybe was just taking it easy since it's a vocally demanding role and hey, they have 2 shows today. When she sang, she sounded similar to Idina but when she spoke certain lines, her voice has sort of a lower timbre or tone to it, and it sounded like it was a relief to her throat for those brief moments. But there were times that she was just a powerhouse, especially, obviously, "Defying Gravity." You just can't take your eyes off her in that scene and the audience just erupted when the stage went dark. Erin gave the character a very cute personality, but then again, it's written that way. She gets most of the funny lines.

And that Fiyero! There was note in the playbill saying it's no longer Brad Bass and is now played by Derrick Williams, and he rocked. Macho, charming, sweet, and seems to have that 'something' that should make him a star some day, with all that personality and versatility.

Heidi Kettenring plays Nessarose, and unfortunately there's not much for that character to do, but she's cute and has a pretty voice. Other than in "The Wicked Witch of the East," we don't get to hear enough of her.

Also, having not yet had the chance to read the book, I was really impressed with the story in general and how the author tied everything together into the prequel. I saw Nessa's striped tights and shoes and suddenly remembered Glinda chirping in the movie, "that 'twas her sistah, the Wicked Witch of the East" before they started singing. Duh. The house fell on the sister! Guess we didn't get to see too much else about Nessa's witching activities in this show.

Oh, and I've seen Rondi Reed in various Chicagoland productions for many years, was thrilled that a local gal would this kind of gig...and she didn't even have to leave home! She was just great. The only one who didn't seem to have as "larger than life" a personality as the rest was Gene Weygandt as the Wizard, but he sang well.

*SPOILERS*: It was also cool to see how the lion, tin man, and scarecrow came to be. Quick question: I don't know if it was the sound system or the fact that I was up in the balcony, but I think I missed or mis-heard a few plot specifics. When Elphie sings "No Good Deed," she says something about making sure Fiyero never dies...but does her spell have something in it to remove his brain, somehow?? He returns as the scarecrow--a puppet, really--but obviously can still think, walk, and talk to her. Also, in the book, was it a plot point for her to fake being melted and coming up through a trap door to meet Fiyero so they can run away together?

Thanks! All in all, it's quite a spectacle, a beautiful show. Can't wait to see it again sometime.

Updated On: 1/20/07 at 07:43 PM

[TWSFan4Ever]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:48pm

In the novel, from what I remember, Elphaba DID die, unlike in the musical.

But remember before "For Good", Elphaba says "We have seen his face for the last time..."

[lovepuppy]

Posted: 1/20/07 at 7:51pm

Well, yeah, but isn't that because firstly because Glinda kicked him out?