Wicked's choreography

#1

Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 12:40am

Is it just me, or is Wicked's choreography godawful? This is coming from a die-hard Wicked fan, btw. As much as I love the show, the choreography makes me cringe and want to look away.

#2

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 12:44am

I actually like it. I'm a Cilento fan.

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"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
To Kill A Mockingbird

#3

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 12:45am

I don't know if I would say awful, but it can really not be called dancing, as some have tried to call it. Although in No one mourns the wicked-the choreography is not impressive at all!


edt: i like wicked!

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"That Sondheim kid has a big future."-Nathan Lane

Updated On: 9/3/05 at 12:45 AM

#4

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 12:50am

What Choreography? Take a look at "What is this feeling" and all you see are the two leads walking all over the stage. It seems akward at times. I actually like the show, but find that parts of it are pretty clunky.

#5

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 12:51am

well it's not a dancy show... just in dancing through life-which still is very minor. and i don't know if this counts as choreography, but i find the ensembles "movements" in like no one mourns the wicked and finale, you know, how like a few at a time turn and come forward towards the audience. you know? lol well i think that's cool, and with the music and singing is very powerful.

#6

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 12:52am

the way he designed it was supposed to be different than anything before... it was supposed to be "Ozian" rather than conventional. You were supposed to go... Oh... that's.. different... which I think, it the general reaction.

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that's a really big mic...

#7

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 12:53am

I find it moreso to be just fancy staging. The only real dance number is dancing through life and I hardly would find that one number to constitute as the show having actual dance routines with real choreography. Its ok, but I mean I don't go into wicked expecting cats, chorus line, or movin out sequences

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#8

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 12:54am

i thought the one short day dancing was really good. i agree with Jess925 about the music being poweful, the minimal choreogrpahy is cool.

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Bob: "there is a chance, albeit a microscopic one, that our baby at some point in his or her formative years will get lodged in a tree" ~Related~

#9

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 1:18am

The choreography reminds me of a bad Britney Spears music video. I swear it's from "Hit Me Baby One More Time". The boys caressing the girls legs in DTL. Oy.

But is it me or in the DTL sequence, do they do pirouettes?

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Bill Finn rocks. Woot.

#10

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 1:28am

You call that choreography? :o)

Personally, I think Cilento is probably the worst so-called choreographer on Broadway. I don't understand how he keeps getting jobs, let alone Tony nominations. When I saw Aida in its pre-Broadway run in Chicago, I though Jacki Chan did the choreography (and in retrospect, its rather insulting to Jackie Chan).

#11

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 1:37am

I love Wicked, it has a powerful score, a very entertaining book, and I'd say 90% of the time great acting...now the choreography, Mr.Cilento should have stayed in the chorus line he came out of, I mean I respect him because he has gotten far indeed but even though Wicked is not a dancing show, it could have a better choreography at those points in which the score suggests dancing. Cilento is definitely not the best choreographer, I think the most disappointing choreography was from "My Strongest Suit" in Aida, now what was that about?

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"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"

#12

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 1:41am

agreed Fosse. I couldnt believe a show that features the song "Dancing through Life" would actually contain so little dancing. Even in that number there is barely any dancing. And I think its only on the PBS Broadway Docu DVD, but in the backstage docu. on the creation of Wicked in SF, that chroegraphy looked god-awful. I think the song they were working on was cut from the show, but everyone was just spastically jerking around like some epilleptic orgy.

#13

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 2:38am

well...the way he defends himself on this is-"It's musical staging, not meant to be choreography."
ok...

If you see the extra feature about Wicked's road to Broadway on the Broadway: The American Musical dvds they show a portion of the cut number, "Which Way is the Party" and there are some creative combinations, though they never made it into the production.

Updated On: 9/3/05 at 02:38 AM

#14

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 8:51am

If the adaptation was going to change Nessarose's disability, then why, oh, why? wasn't there a magical, moving dance number for her once she had the use of her legs? She'd been desiring that opportunity for her entire lifetime and chooses only to walk around a bit? If ever a modern musical comedy moment cried out for dance, this was it!

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"Love Life. Live." Michael Bennett

#15

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 8:52am

I personally like a lot of it...I realize it is not the best choreographed..and there are better shows..but there are parts I really like..like Dancing through Life...it's just..fun!

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and all that I could do because of you was talk of love...

#16

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 8:59am

Cilento's choreography is a perfect fit for Wicked.

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" ...the happiness in the tune convinces me that I'm not afraid."

#17

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 9:08am

Isn't he credited for "musical staging" or something like that...not choreographer?

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CCM '10!

#18

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 9:17am

That would make sense. It's similar to NINE. They're not typical song and dance numbers like they should be in Sweet Charity.

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" ...the happiness in the tune convinces me that I'm not afraid."

#19

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 10:51am

Cilento is credited for "Musical staging" not choreography. He himself said its not dancing, just intense movement

#20

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 10:53am

I don't really know if it was bad, but when I saw WICKED which was right after it opened...the choreography was so sloppy...I was kinda shocked by this.

#21

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 12:26pm

As for the Nessa comment, it probably would have been kinda silly. I mean she just starts walking after sitting her entire life in a wheelchair. That she could start dancing (and dancing well) right away would be stretching too much. But then again...its OZ.

#22

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 12:28pm

Well Cilento actually choreographed dancing in CHARITY. But a lot of the numbers fail in comparison to Fosse's original choreo.

Anyway. If people are looking for a dance show on Broadway, it would be silly to go see WICKED.. People should go to CHICAGO for that.

#23

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 12:30pm

Cilento sucks.

Wicked's "choreography" looks like a community college modern dance recital.

Updated On: 9/3/05 at 12:30 PM

#24

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 12:35pm

"Cilento is credited for "Musical staging" not choreography. He himself said its not dancing, just intense movement"

What's his excuse for Sweet Charity, then?

#25

re: Wicked's choreography

Posted: 9/3/05 at 12:37pm

It's the Weissler's fault for hiring his ass for choreography.

What a huge mistake.

There is someone callled ANN REINKING who amazingly recreates Fosse's choreography... and would've done great for Charity.

But oh well, it's still an enjoyable revival. And some of the choreo isn't THAT bad.