Wicked tour review 5/25/08

This was my second time seeing the current tour cast.

Carmen Cusack as Elphaba- Vocally, she was AMAZING. Her voice had a richness that it didn't have last time. She gave her all in the show, but in terms of acting, she gave too much. I would have liked to have seen more layers. I still love her though.

Katie Rose Clarke as Glinda- Her stage presence, singing, and confidence have continued to grow. I don't like that she's more hyper in Act 1, but it makes her transformation in Act 2 even more powerful. Her acting in Act 2 especially is completely flawless and extremely deep.

Cliffton Hall Hall as Fiyero- He's improved a lot. He's got the charm down. I just wish his singing and acting were better, although his acting was better than last time.

Alma Cuervo as Madame Morrible- She seemed a bit off, but she was still great. I love her commanding presence.

Lee Wilkof as the Wizard- He could have toned it down a bit, but I could tell he was having fun. I like his portrayal.

Deedee Magno Hall as Nessarose- I have no words for how brilliant she is. She's just perfect in the role.

Brad Weinstock as Boq- I didn't like him as much as last time. He made Boq kind of annoying.

Paul Slade Smith (u/s) as Dr. Dillamond- He wasn't goat-like enough for me.

ensemble- They did well, but I've seen better.

Overall, it's a very good cast.

sounds like a great production! that is kind of surprising to me because i don't LOVE the cast, but it's good to know that you liked the production!!

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Glad you had fun! I loved this cast when I saw the show!

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http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/living/arts/s_585749.html

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I saw the Wicked tour. I did not enjoy it that much. Carmen Cusack did nothing for me as Elphaba. I had understudies for Glinda, Fiyero, and Nessarose.

Glinda was really good and was played by Meggie Cansler. She played Glinda more reserved. It was hard to explain how she interpreted the character. Some other Glinda's kinda perform towards the crowd and their jokes are more directed towards the audience rather than it being organic and part of the scene. Meggie played it fully 100% in character and with the sacrifice of some of her jokes not getting many laughs. It made her performance stronger and more heartfelt in my opinion. I am explaining it bad but I am not sure how to describe what I mean here. She dropped a line in "One Short Day."

Fiyero (Blake Whyte) had a unique voice and was very good as well. He didn't have very much energy though and was kind of forgettable. "Dancing Through Life" didn't pop and awe like it usually does.

Lori Holmes portrayed Nessarose and was a mixed bag. First act, she was terrible. Her voice was all over the play and sounded like a tone deaf 6th grader. Then "The Wicked Witch of East" comes around and a total turn around! She was fierce! Her voice was through the roof. I am not sure what happened there.

Carmen Cusack as Elphaba was nothing special. Didn't do anything exciting with the part and riffed way too much. Some of her riffs were flat and made the score unrecognizable. What's wrong with sticking to what's written?

They cut Wonderful in half and there was some other snippets here and there. The dancing seemed to be toned down a lot as well. It was enjoyable but not nearly as special as my other viewings of Wicked.