Wicked- Why the Hatred?

Okay before I ask my question, I just want to say one thing: I am totally aware that I am going to get eaten alive for asking this. That being said, I'm going to ask it anyway.

I have been looking through various threads on this board and I see that a really large percentage of you absolutely hate Wicked. I am honestly just wondering why. I completely respect your opinions, but no one really posts legitimate, fact-based reasons for disliking the show. I would like to know actual DETAILS about why some of you are so insistent upon hating and bashing Wicked. I happen to love the show. I am not, however, a 13-year-old teeny bopper. I love theatre and all kinds of musicals on Broadway. But I think that Wicked is a great, entertaining show. Maybe it doesn't have the best plot ever, but so what? It has great music, wonderful sets, and an outstandingly talented cast.

Anyway, that's just my opinion. If some of you Wicked haters can just post and say SPECIFICALLY WHY you hate Wicked, that would be nice. Thank you.

I thought we've moved onto Brooklyn at this point...

Noday,
I'm with you. Wicked is one of the best I've seen. Idina is a master and the score is wonderful. The show is pure entertainment and that is the most important. I go to Broadway to have fun and be entertained. I hardly ever sit there and pick apart shows. I respect the performers too much for that.

Sweetie, it IS a great show. A unique, fresh, innovative, creative, entertaining, stylish, plot-driven, tuneful, memorable and admirable show. Amateur composers the world over would give their Left Nut to write anything half as worthy. Try it. TRY to write a show. TRY to write clever, meaningful lyrics. TRY writing memorable tunes ... before you dare condescend to a master at the peak of his form.

I think the Bashing is the same phenomenon coined by the hip-hop community: "Haters". The Haters hate. Jealousy? Envy? Low Self-Esteem? Because it's "cool" to hate something popular, succesful, "main-stream". If it's not off-off B'way, underground, avant-guard, "insider-clique", it's not worthy of their consideration. It's pathetic.

Wicked's success will outlive every sad disparagement bandied about by this bitter, laughable group. Trust me, k?

hugs and kisses,

the Jo Jo.

*apparently there are spoilers in here, but if you've been reading the "Wicked" threads you probably know this stuff anyway. But I digress...*

What the hell, I'll bite.
I dislike "Wicked" for a lot of reasons. Firstly, I must point out that I have never seen it live, only listened to the CD and read the book, so my opinions may not be as valid as someone who has seen it.
I've never been a huge Stephen Schwartz fan, and this effort didn't endear me to him. I thought the songs sounded very similar; they all blend together for me. I thought the lyrics were also...well, less than inspired (search the boards for the "Nessa-confessa" argument).
But my biggest complaint is that the musical has almost no similarity with the novel. I'm not in love with the book, but they changed way too many things for my taste. The ones that really drive me crazy are adding the Galinda/Fiyero romance, because it's nonexistant in the novel, making Boq the Tin Man and Fiyero the Scarecrow (for a little while, Elphaba thinks that Fiyero might be a scarecrow she sees on her way to Dorothy, but eventually realizes that he's really dead) and Elphaba's little escape at the end. In the book she dies, and I think it's so much more powerful to the story. It makes her story that much sadder, and I feel it cheapens the story to have her escape to do who knows what.
So there you have it. Those are my reasons for why I don't like "Wicked."

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Updated On: 10/1/04 at 12:35 PM

I agree Noday...

Dottie- See, I don't get that argument. The extensive posts about Idina are completely true. People post about Idina so much because she is just that good. Not to add to your annoyance at the Idina loving posters, but she truly is amazing. I think that waiting for her to leave just because a lot of people post about her is foolish. Trust me, you are missing out on something incredible.

Updated On: 10/1/04 at 12:53 PM

I'm a Wicked fan, but I can understand arguements from both sides of the spectrum. I also feel the need to point this out once again. This lyric is not "Nessa, I've got something to confessa reason why .. " as you can see that makes no sense. The ACTUAL lyric is "Nessa, I've got something to confess, a
reason why .." and Rose, I would appreciate it if you could place something to the effect of ****SPOILER***** in your post since you divulged ALL of Wicked's secrets. THANKS!

Yeah the Tony's weren't exactly her best performance. Haha but yeah I've heard Shoshana is great too so hopefully you'll like her. I think Idina was awesome in Rent, but if you didn't like her that's your perogative. I just wanted to make sure you weren't just ASSUMING you wouldn't like her because a lot of people on the boards do like her. But I completely respect your opinion.

Updated On: 10/1/04 at 01:14 PM

It's less a question whether Idina is good or bad. It's the overcaffeinated "OH MY GOD! SHE'S THE BEST THING EVER!"

Um.... no. She was great when I saw her. But not the best thing ever.

Then, there's the infighting withing the Wicked-ites as to whether Idina or Eden Espinosa were better. That latter faction has gone onto to overhype "Brooklyn" in the same manner.

Lastly, there's the faction within the Wicked-ites who continue to disparage Avenue Q's win of the Tony.

It happened. Get over it.

In conclusion, I have no hatred of Wicked itself. I liked much of the production when I saw it. Just not enough to want to see it again because of the flaws in the book and less than memorable music. I couldn't give two hoots as to whether Kristin was better than Idina, or whether Idina was better than Eden, etc. But I do hope it continues to do well.

O.K., I'm Wicked bored (up here in Boston, we say Wicked alot, it's wicked cold, the Sox are Wicked hot right now, etc.)

I'm over it. Last word from me ... teh show's phenomenal success is it's truest justification. period. if it were a bad show, it would have closed long, long ago.

Now, I'm losing my mind over the POTO Movie thread. Patrick Wilson????? OMG, I'm swooning (did y'all see him in HBO's Angels? Naked on the Beach??) Minnie Driver, Miranda Richardson .... omg, omg, omg, omg, omg

Prissy, get my smelling salts .....

Aunt Pitty Pat (aka Jo Jo)

Actingbugg474: Yes, I know it's not spelled "confessa" but it is how it's pronounced.

Joester: The change I'm most willing to overlook is making Nessa unable to walk instead of armless. I mean, how many armless actresses are there? And like I said earlier, they changed too many thing FOR MY TASTE. It's a matter of opinion, and that's just mine.

TGIF: I'm with you, dear.

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What's still tickles me is that those that dislike WICKED have gone out of their way to be specific in their critiques of the show, and yet the 'lovers' just boil it down to 'you're jealous' or 'you try writing a show'.

Well...I don't write shows. I star in them. And I'm extremely familiar with Schwartz's work. I had great hopes for this show because of his earlier efforts...in particular, his glorious, character-driven score to THE BAKER'S WIFE. Nothing in WICKED, I felt, matched the kind of storytelling. I don't necessarily agree with Namo that it was a collosal failure, I do believe it was a big disappointment.

But it doesn't matter. I'm just a hater who doesn't really know anything about musicals and am just jealous.

Yeah...that's it.

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