"Wicked" Review, 02/15/06, Ft Lauderdale Opening Night, SPOILERS

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 1:10pm

Pre-Show

So, I figured I would try the lotto last night because it was opening night, the middle of the week, and I figured no one would know about it since it wasn't very highly publicized around here. I was wrong. I got there early, around 4:30, and there were already a few people there. By the time they started drawing names, there were between 50 and 60 people. The woman running it told me that any night they can have between 10 and 26 seats, and for last night, they had 18. My friend and her Mom and I put our names in, and because of the large crowd, our prospects weren't looking hopeful. Since I am seeing the show three times next week, I started to cope with the fact we wouldn't be winning. Well, the sixth or seventh name in, we won!!!! After we purchased the tickets (Left Orchestra Row M Seats 23 and 25,) we realized that there were three of us and we only had two tickets. Fortunately, one of the other lotto winners had already had seats prior to winning, so my friend's Mom bought the ticket the woman already had (Right Center Mezz Row G) and my friend and I took the lotto tickets. We left, got something to eat, and came back for the show. Fortunately, it was full cast in (not too suprising considering it was opening night,) and off we go! (EDIT: Turns out that because the first few rows were removed for the pit, our seats were about ninth row. AMAZING view.)

The Show

Act 1

NOMTW: Wow. It really gets you when you're seeing the show for the first time and you hear those opening bars. Kendra came down and got entrance applause, which was nice. Her soprano has VASTLY improved. She hit everything quite well, and even ad-libbed a little (when she stepped off the bubble she looked out and went "Ooooooooh, sparkles!") I also really noticed the energy of the ensemble in this song. It just very very good (although when the shadow of Elphaba came up in the back at the end, it looked really computer projected, as it is haha.)

DOS: Not much to say about this song. Steph came in and got entrance applause as well, and did a very good job with reacting to the people mocking her.

Entrance at Shiz Scene: Carole got entrance applause, and said something like "Oh No no, you musn't" and put her hands up, which got some laughs. I noticed here how JLG plays Nessa quite softer than most of the others. You could tell how she really had a close bond with Elphaba (at one point she even grabbed her hand and rested her head on her, after she freaks out and the chair goes nuts.) Kendra also did really well here.

TWAI: I was very pleasantly surprised with Stephanie. I have never been a huge fan of hers, but she really did a great job with this song. When the last note came, she just bent back and let it rip.

WITF?: Very very funny. Yet again, Stephanie did a very good job of reacting to everyone around her. At the end, when she does "Boo!," instead of just coming up and scaring Glinda, she pointed out like it was nothing and said it and Kendra still flipped. Haha.

Classroom Scene: I was kind of disappointed by Timothy Britton Parker here. His acting was alright, but when he mis-pronounces "Galinda"'s name, he didn't do a goat sounding gaaaa all (which is sort of odd because when they come and take him away later he did a goat noise just fine.) Other than that, Steph did well with getting angry at how he was being treated.. she portrayed that passion Elphaba has to feel really well.

SB: This is a song I have never really been a fan of, but I didn't really mind it. Stephanie and Tim's harmony towards the end was really nice, and it kind of set an ominous tone for what was gonna come.

Fiyero's Entrance Scene: Sebastian Arcellus was really charming and suave here. You could tell why everyone was so enamored with the character the way he portrayed it.

DTL: Sebastian’s voice reminded me of a mix of David Ayer’s and Joey Macyntire’s, and although he seemed a little sharp possibly at times, he sung quite exceptionally well, compared to the other Fiyero’s.

Popular: What can I say? Kendra has really turned this song into a SHOW STOPPER. I noticed here more than anywhere else how ditzy and flirty she plays Glinda. At one point, she even sat on the bed with her legs open, and the audience picked up on it and clapped and laughed, and she did an innocent giggle type thing. She did a lot of kicks and twirls and even Stephanie could barely keep in her laughter. Stephanie tried to toss her hair and did it so rapidly she fell over on the bed. I loved how, when Stephanie left, Kendra grabbed the mirror right after “You’re welcome” and went “OOOOOH! MEEEEE!” The audience went crazy.

Lion Cub Scene: You could really see a strong connection and chemistry between Sebastian and Stephanie, which really took me by surprise, since he has been in the show for such a short time. If I hadn’t known that before hand, I would have never been able to tell. Stephanie also really showed some vulnerability here. Her acting was just spot on.

INTG: Now I know why Stephanie says this is the most emotional song for her to sing in the show. It was very evident here. She sounded beautiful, and I was just blown away by her element to convey the emotions so powerfully. The look of hurt on her face when she saw Fiyero and Glinda together was just hearwrenching.

Train Scene: Not much to say… Not that it was bad or anything, it just wasn’t very memorable. Kendra really was believably hurt about Fiyero rejecting her.

OSD: Very energetic, very fun. I really enjoyed this song. More here than other places I noticed just how incredible the ensemble is.

ASM: David Garrison got entrance applause, and I was pleasantly surprised with his performance. He reminded me a lot of Joel Grey, and came across as so friendly and loving… it made the revelation of his true intentions all the more effective. And quite a nice singing voice as well!

DG: Wow. Just… wow. I will admit, I have never been a big fan of Stephanie’s. Of everything I’ve ever heard of her, she’s always been over the top and heavy on vibrato and... I just never liked her. But she blew me away here. She was so… natural. It just poured out of her and she blew the roof off the place. She really scaled back on the vibrato and everything and was so pure. The audience went nuts.

Act 2 and Post-Show to follow….

[Popular]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 1:17pm

Loving you... keep writing! :)

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 1:21pm

Ok, i didn't want to start a new thread just to talk more about Wicked, so i saw the show last night in Fort Lauderdale. The show was far more enjoyable than it was when i saw it in NYC. I happened to see Idina Menzel, Megan Hilty, Joey Mc Intyre, Carol Shelley and George Hearn on Broadway.
Stephanie J Block was great. She really does sound like a young Liza sometimes. She was brilliant and she had excellent diction, and a very powerful voice. The sound was a little low on the tour. It was too loud in NYC.
Kendra Kasseubaum was just ok i thought. She wasn't funny enough but at least she did hit all the high notes, but her voice wasn't as powerful as some of the girls in the ensemble. Megan Hilty was definitly way better as Glinda.
Jenna Leigh Green was good as Nessarose.
Argentinean descend Sebastian Arcelus was great as Fiyero, he had great dancing skills and his singing and acting were very good. He was great in Good Vibrations too, so it was not a surprise.
Carole Shelley was good, but the funniest thing is that she got booed at the curtain call.
David Garrison was great as the Wizard.
Overall the show was more enjoyable becuz the audience in NYC resembles the kind of audience that i saw at the Justin Timberlake concert. And that is not appropiate for a Broadway show. The audience was well behaved, except for a group of drunk queens in the mezzanine, no wonder why they call this town Fort Liqordale. Not too many kids.
The book by Winnie Holzman is very clever.
Stephen Schwartz is a master doing catchy songs and creating hits. The settings by Eugene Lee are amazing. I am glad this high budget production is a hit, and probably this show will make a lot of people want to see other shows on Broadway. Is it the best musical? No way!!! They kinda stole the idea of the leading lady "flying" in Defying Gravity from "Kiss of the Spider Woman" where The Spider Woman sings the title song of the show in the center of a spider web. Shows like "Kiss...", "Rent", "Bombay Dreams","Wonderful Town" or "Aida" are show that i would wanna see over and over and over. This will be my last time seeing "Wicked", once one knows the story the show doesn't make that much sense anymore. Get over it Wickedheads!!! The show is a success and doesn't need financial support from anyone. It is a big fat hit.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 1:21pm

Ok, i didn't want to start a new thread just to talk more about Wicked, so i saw the show last night in Fort Lauderdale. The show was far more enjoyable than it was when i saw it in NYC. I happened to see Idina Menzel, Megan Hilty, Joey Mc Intyre, Carol Shelley and George Hearn on Broadway.
Stephanie J Block was great. She really does sound like a young Liza sometimes. She was brilliant and she had excellent diction, and a very powerful voice. The sound was a little low on the tour. It was too loud in NYC.
Kendra Kasseubaum was just ok i thought. She wasn't funny enough but at least she did hit all the high notes, but her voice wasn't as powerful as some of the girls in the ensemble. Megan Hilty was definitly way better as Glinda.
Jenna Leigh Green was good as Nessarose.
Argentinean descend Sebastian Arcelus was great as Fiyero, he had great dancing skills and his singing and acting were very good. He was great in Good Vibrations too, so it was not a surprise.
Carole Shelley was good, but the funniest thing is that she got booed at the curtain call.
David Garrison was great as the Wizard.
Overall the show was more enjoyable becuz the audience in NYC resembles the kind of audience that i saw at the Justin Timberlake concert. And that is not appropiate for a Broadway show. The audience was well behaved, except for a group of drunk queens in the mezzanine, no wonder why they call this town Fort Liqordale. Not too many kids.
The book by Winnie Holzman is very clever.
Stephen Schwartz is a master doing catchy songs and creating hits. The settings by Eugene Lee are amazing. I am glad this high budget production is a hit, and probably this show will make a lot of people want to see other shows on Broadway. Is it the best musical? No way!!! They kinda stole the idea of the leading lady "flying" in Defying Gravity from "Kiss of the Spider Woman" where The Spider Woman sings the title song of the show in the center of a spider web. Shows like "Kiss...", "Rent", "Bombay Dreams","Wonderful Town" or "Aida" are show that i would wanna see over and over and over. This will be my last time seeing "Wicked", once one knows the story the show doesn't make that much sense anymore. Get over it Wickedheads!!! The show is a success and doesn't need financial support from anyone. It is a big fat hit.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 1:21pm

Ok, i didn't want to start a new thread just to talk more about Wicked, so i saw the show last night in Fort Lauderdale. The show was far more enjoyable than it was when i saw it in NYC. I happened to see Idina Menzel, Megan Hilty, Joey Mc Intyre, Carol Shelley and George Hearn on Broadway.
Stephanie J Block was great. She really does sound like a young Liza sometimes. She was brilliant and she had excellent diction, and a very powerful voice. The sound was a little low on the tour. It was too loud in NYC.
Kendra Kasseubaum was just ok i thought. She wasn't funny enough but at least she did hit all the high notes, but her voice wasn't as powerful as some of the girls in the ensemble. Megan Hilty was definitly way better as Glinda.
Jenna Leigh Green was good as Nessarose.
Argentinean descend Sebastian Arcelus was great as Fiyero, he had great dancing skills and his singing and acting were very good. He was great in Good Vibrations too, so it was not a surprise.
Carole Shelley was good, but the funniest thing is that she got booed at the curtain call.
David Garrison was great as the Wizard.
Overall the show was more enjoyable becuz the audience in NYC resembles the kind of audience that i saw at the Justin Timberlake concert. And that is not appropiate for a Broadway show. The audience was well behaved, except for a group of drunk queens in the mezzanine, no wonder why they call this town Fort Liqordale. Not too many kids.
The book by Winnie Holzman is very clever.
Stephen Schwartz is a master doing catchy songs and creating hits. The settings by Eugene Lee are amazing. I am glad this high budget production is a hit, and probably this show will make a lot of people want to see other shows on Broadway. Is it the best musical? No way!!! They kinda stole the idea of the leading lady "flying" in Defying Gravity from "Kiss of the Spider Woman" where The Spider Woman sings the title song of the show in the center of a spider web. Shows like "Kiss...", "Rent", "Bombay Dreams","Wonderful Town" or "Aida" are show that i would wanna see over and over and over. This will be my last time seeing "Wicked", once one knows the story the show doesn't make that much sense anymore. Get over it Wickedheads!!! The show is a success and doesn't need financial support from anyone. It is a big fat hit.

[liotte]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 1:27pm

Thanks for the reviews.

muscle, I don't think Idina and Megan ever did the show together...

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 1:28pm

well..they did, Megan was Jennifer something's understudy.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 1:34pm

guys...no offense...you should do something better with your time. Seeing a show 3 times in a week is a little too excessive. Go see some other shows. There are other plays in the area, you know? expand your knowledge about theatre.

[chernjam]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 1:35pm

Glad to hear you guys liked Wicked on tour and Muscle - I hear you about seeing it in NY. I saw Wicked the night after it opened (halloween 03) and then when I went back a few months later it had gotten more kid-oriented audience which was a bit distracting to me... I was glad they loved it, but, it was just a bit much to me...

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 1:59pm

i would see Stephanie Block's Elphaba three times a week if I could...I don't think anyone will ever do as good as job with the role as she did. just perfect.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 2:10pm

why not just go to see Wicked 8 times a week and follow the tour??? and then when the tour is taking a break, go to NYC and see the show the remaining time??? LOL

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 2:11pm

no, seriously...this is my 2nd and last time. I think the show doesn't have any mystery left.
By the way...whoever wrote this review has magical powers and saw the show on the 02/15/06, unfortunatly today is 02/09/06 and i am a regular human being and im reviewing last night's show(02/08/06).

Updated On: 2/9/06 at 02:11 PM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 2:19pm

"why not just go to see Wicked 8 times a week and follow the tour??? and then when the tour is taking a break, go to NYC and see the show the remaining time???"

sadly, this is something i would do if i were independently wealthy...

byt the way muscle, great review, glad you enjoyed the show more on tour than you did in NYC. i felt the exact same way.
Updated On: 2/9/06 at 02:19 PM

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 2:22pm

LOL, you are crazy!!! hehe
did u like my review?

Updated On: 2/9/06 at 02:22 PM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 2:23pm

i won't deny it

[Popular]

Posted: 2/9/06 at 9:21pm

*evening bump*

[IssaMe]

Posted: 2/10/06 at 9:23am

Small point...Sebastian Arcelus - Argentinian?
Believe he is of Russian (a Romanoff), Italian, Uruguayian descent.

[Galilee]

Posted: 2/10/06 at 11:08am

Issa...You are spot on about Sebastian! Bravo :)