...my wickedly PERFECT night in SF....

[mad4music]

Posted: 8/20/05 at 7:24pm

Wow. All I can say is WOW..... I have FINALLY seen *WICKED*!!!

After driving twelve hours Wednesday and touring San Francisco Thursday, by Thurs. night I was SO psyched to finally be seeing the show I had been addicted to for a year. When I finally
saw the huge OPRPHEUM sign with the Wicked logo I felt like I had died and gone to heaven! And the show hadn’t even started!!!

I had great seats (middle row N, not too close, not too far away) and was loving the theater itself. (the architecture is awesome!) From the second that huge overture note hit I was under a spell for the night.... and when that giant OZ map finally lifted to reveal the cast it was wonderful.... the
opening song was SOOOOO good!!!! It gave me chills!!!

And THEN Galinda descended in her bubble and had me laughing from the second she said her first line. (“Isn’t it nice to see me?”) And YES! It was! Kendra was SOOOOOOOOO amazing the whole night!!! She was just absolutely perfect for the role. I cannot see how Kristin Chenoweth or JLT or any other Glinda for that matter could do any better.... Kendra was just awesome!!! I LOVED her little one liners and the way she used her facial expressions and entire body just cracked me up!!! Her POPULAR was phenomenal! So freaking hilareous!!! She just had the perfect comedic timing and I loved everything from her *sparkles* to her little flashing the audience!!! I cannot rave enough about how great Kendra did. I also loved during the “witch fight” scene when she did her little karate chopping thing with her wand! SO funny! By the time it was Act II and she sang “Thank Goodness” I was totally won over. KENDRA DID THAT SONG BETTER THAN KRISTEN CHENOWETH ON THE C D!!!! I loved how she used more of a belting voice for some of the higher notes rather than the operatic voice.... it was SO good! And you could see her emotion in that song SO strongly.... you knew in her face that she did not want to betray Elphie and that everything really wasn’t happy.... but she had to keep going and
not let anyone see her hidden pain.... she added this great depth to the role of Glinda. When Kendra sang the reprise to “Not That Girl” I absolutely LOVED her last note (what is it? a low E or something?) She hit that note so strongly (better than the CD) and her big low voice showed
off a little darkness to her character... that Glinda truly is not perfect and is capable of “wickedness” herself. If I had to point out one tiny teeny little thing I guess Kendra’s opening
singing was kind of weird... NOT bad... but weird. Her little operatic trills and stuff sounded good but it was like she didn’t even open her mouth.... just different I guess. But all in all - I LOVE KENDRA KASSEBAUM!!!

Now onto the other diva of the show..... Eden Espinosa!!!! OMG!!! There are no words to describe!!! She was absolutely breathtaking!!! After hearing a few negative reviews about her
and a few wisecracks about her”screeching” high notes or something.... I was in shock that anyone could ever say that!!! SHE WAS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!!! I have no idea in the world how she could get a bad review about her singing... and screeching? Clearly NOT!!! Her high belting notes were spot on and awesome!!! Whoever didn’t like her clearly needs to clean
out their ears or something!!!

I went into the theater that night expecting Eden to not be quite as good as Steph and not even close to Idina’s OBC recording... I mean come on! Idina is just Idina and besides, the Elphaba I had lived with for a year was in a studio standing with a computer to edit anything wrong while I
was just about to see Eden singing live on stage.... I just didn’t think they would compare and trust me, I was a tough critic. But HOLY COW was I ever wrong!!!!!! Eden could not have been better!!! I never thought I would say this but she did better than Idina!!! (also I was with a friend who had seen both Idina and Anna that told me Eden gets the gold for best Elphie ever!) From the second she ran on stage in dazzling green Eden was amazing. She was beautiful!!! Her
“Wizard and I” really stole the audience and I loved the little things she added that made it so much more amazing. She had so much power and fire in her and her last note of the song was
just awesome!!! She and Kendra did fabulous on “What Is This Feeling” and Eden’s little imitation of Glinda (flapping her arms around and jumping up and down) was SOOOOO hilareous!!! By the time “Not That Girl” had come around she almost had me in tears.... her acting was just wonderful. The emotion she put into that song was perfect and she just broke my heart! .....The climax of the whole show for me though came at the Act 1 finale.... DEFYING GRAVITY BLEW ME AWAY!!!!! Eden’s singing was enchanting and dang that girl is a powerhouse!!! It was just incredible. By the time she was hovering over the stage belting the ending I was wide eyed and grinning. It was the most indescribable feeling of perfection! Her high notes and little changes added SO much to the effect and the energy oozing from the stage was outstanding!!! I LOVED IT!!!! wow, woW, wOW, and WOW!!!!!! In Act II things just kept getting better.... her acting was truly remarkable... you could totally see the whole change of attitude into the “witchness”... and she was perfect for the role in the fact that she still looked
absolutely beautiful (that black shining dress in the beginning of act II was SO awesome!) but she still had enough edge in her face that made you think “maybe she possibly could be wicked”.
Her “As Long As You’re Mine” w/Derrick gave me chills!!!! SOOO good!!! When “No Good Deed” came around I was (agian) in total shock and amazement at how perfect Eden’s voice was
for the part. She was incredible on that song!!! I guess the one tiny dissapointment was, after hearing her change up so many other parts, I was waiting for a big huge high note at the end of the song.... but she went down instead like on the CD... however, the power in her voice made up for it and it actually caught me off guard so I think I may have liked it better that way anyway!!! I could not have asked for a better Elphaba. When “For Good” came Kendra and Eden had so much connection and I think that I truly was “changed for good”.....

As for the rest of the cast.... WOW! Everyone was fabulous! Derrick Williams made a GREAT Fyerro... I guess he didn’t blow me away... but he was still great for the part. Logan Lipton fit the part of Boq and, although it wasn’t what I was really expecting, I could tell that kid had talent and he did an awesome job. Carol Kane as Madame Morrible was just a perfect match! And although she did speak a lot more than sing she still was great for the part! Jenna Leigh Green as Nessarose was probably the next best thing to Kendra and Eden.... she was sOOOO good!!! I loved the song she sang.... wished it was on the CD!.... and just loved the power in her voice! My
friend who saw it in NYC and Chicago said Jenna was clearly the best Nessa yet and I would have to agree because she was just amazing!!! (gave me chills on that big note she hits in "wicked witch of the east!”) David Garrison as the Wizard was another perfect match and I thoroughly enjoyed him all throughout the show (watch out Joel Gray)... Timothy Britten Parker made a great Dr. Dillamond and I just really don’t think there is a better cast out there that could have collectively made such an amazing show!!!

After the finale ended and the bows were made I rushed to the stage door to get signatures!!! On the way down I had memorized the whole chorus names and pics so I was able to recognize them
at the stage door which really surprised most of them. When talking to Brooke Wendle after she had watched me flag down a few chorus members and then spot her out she said “Dang! You’re
good!” Aaron J. Albano was like “how on earth did you know who I was?” and Nicholas Dromard thanked me sincerely for greeting the whole cast... it was great! And I got SO lucky too
because, after everyone said Kendra NEVER comes out, she did!!!! So I got a pic and signature with her! Unfortunately Eden wouldn’t take pics... she just signed and said “sorry I have family waiting... I feel bad but I can’t do pictures tonight”.... which was a huge bummer but I still took
them of her!! (she just didn’t pose!) Derrick Williams was great at afterward... so down to earth. I took a pic with him and the accidentally dropped all my stuff and he was down on the ground picking it up for me in seconds!! I was like “wow... i guess they are just real people huh?!” When I had gotten most ppls autographs I kinda stood back and my friend and I got into a conversation with Kendra’s mom (mom and sis were waiting for Kendra to get done) (while I could see ppl waiting for Eden too).... her mom was so cool! We had a good little conversation about how proud she must be of her daughter, etc.

But I just still can’t say enough about Eden!!!!! FLAWLESS!!!! I could go on and on about how absolutely wonderful she was. I am SO glad that she did the SF tour because I cannot imagine
how anyone could have possibly portrayed Elphaba better. Eden as my first girl in green was just absolutely incredible!!! I cannot even think of enough words to describe it. She was just plain awesome. wow, woW, wOW, and WOW again!!!!!!!! My only regret is that I didn’t buy ten more tickets to come back and watch her!!!! (I would honestly drive the twelve hours again!)

Anyway, by the time I was walking back to the bus stop to go to dinner I just couldn’t believe what a remarkable evening it had been. I couldn’t have asked for more from my first *WICKED*
experience. The city was perfect. Eden was perfect. Kendra was perfect. The chorus was perfect. The whole night was just perfect!!! Perfectly WICKED!!!

As for now "I Couldn’t Be Happier."

(Only 8 more months till I can see it again in NY!)

[Imchristine4real]

Posted: 8/20/05 at 7:28pm

I... uh...wow. That's ...Long!

[mad4music]

Posted: 8/20/05 at 7:31pm

lol.... sorry!!! Im a bit longwinded!!! I just loved it too much to cram it all into a short review!!!

....maybe I'll write a novel next....

:)

[YankeesFan175]

Posted: 8/20/05 at 7:37pm

glad you enjoyed yourself!

[SimpleJoysHaveSimpleVoice]

Posted: 8/20/05 at 9:05pm

Thank you for the review...I love your passion for the theater. Keep it up and spread your love to others. Pay no mind to the short sighted people that sometimes forget what theater is about...it is what you summed up in your post...excitement...the stage...the people...etc.

Go for it, my brother...or...sister.

[sassypanz]

Posted: 8/20/05 at 9:59pm

Thanx for the review! It was funny.

Posted: 8/20/05 at 10:05pm

I agree on Eden, saw her in Brooklyn and loved her. Loved her.

[mad4music]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 12:13am

Thank you SJHSV! And to anyone who thinks I'm a psycho... well, okay fine! you win! I am! lol... I had just been looking forward to that night since last September when I got the CD and music book for my B-day... and it was worth the wait!

Has ANYONE else seen the WICKED tour in SF w/Eden? Did you get any understudies? If so, how were they? (I was so lucky - only got the Witch's Mother as an understudy)

Much Wicked Love!

p.s. brother

[tagiunagi]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 12:23am

I'm so glad that you enjoyed it. Unfortunately I didn't love the SF production as much as you did. It was a fun show, but certainly not as good as the Bway perfs.

[mad4music]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 12:53am

........hmmmm........

who did you see?

My friend (who saw it in Chicago and in NY during Idina's last week) did say that JLT was a tiny bit better than Kendra. She gave Kendra a 10 out of 10 and JLT a 11 out of 10! lol... what did you like better on Broadway? just wondering....

Also.... does anyone know why there was no giant witch's hat in scene 1? I was looking forward to that and after the show it was wierd... I was like "okay was there a hat and I was just too excited to see it or was it really just not there?" why would they not have it?

[Hairspraydoll]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 5:07am

I saw it in LA with Eden and I loved it. I love your passion. You can feel your excitement in your post. Nice review.

[lfae]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 5:56am

wow, that was an amazing read!! and I'm so excited about SF now myself...I mean more so than usual three weeks!!!

[COOOOLkid]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 6:29am

It's always great to read a very detailed report!!!Too bad it won't be coming back to CA for a year...

[Justice]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 6:50am

The witch's hat was cut from the tour...

As for your review, I can pretty much say the same about JLT that you said about Kendra.
I thought JLT was better than Kristen (even though I love Kristen dearly) in some ways. Of course, i saw JLT with Idina, and Kristen with Eden, so it could have been the chemistry.

As for Eden, I agree she is wonderful, and her Defying Gravity is probably the best I heard, however, her acting was not a s good as Idina's, in terms of the character. Eden came off a little too sweet for me in some way, but, you could see more of Idina's hurt and anger. (Even though Eden delivers the line "We can't all come and go by bubble" better.)

Still, I'm sure Ana Gasteyer is the best Elphaba, even though I haven't seen her, and am living vicareously through all the reviews.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 9:06am

I actually had fun reading that *long* review. Thanks for that. It's coming to my city next May (my that's a long way away) and I can't wait to compare tour to Broadway (Shoshana and JLT). But great review! Glad you enjoyed!

[mad4music]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 7:17pm

Has anyone seen both Eden and Stephanie on tour? Cuz I'd really like to know how the two touring Elphaba's compare. Like I have stated (a million times! lol) I really can't imagine Stephanie or anyone for that matter being better than Eden in any way... can anyone verify that or will I just have to take another drive to Denver or sumthing to see for myself?

[Popular]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 7:23pm

I've seen both, and I thought Eden did a kick ass job.... but Steph is the fiercest IN MY OPINION and that's all I have to say about it. :)

[Overthemoon6]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 8:50pm

Thanks for the review!!! Did you see it on Thursday night? Because if you did, I was there, too. I was sitting in the mezzanine in row J seat 103. I totally agree, Kendra was amazing!! She was so hilarious with her little dances and kicking after she said or did something funny. I have seen JLT, Megan, and now Kendra, and I have to say, JLT and Kendra are tied for my favorite Glinda. As for Eden, I thought that she was good, but my favorite will always be Idina(I really don't want to be biased, but I am). I thought her singing was better than Shoshana's (though hers was still 12 times better than anything that I could do and I have a really good voice), but both Shoshana and Idina were better actresses in my view. And I thought Kendra and Eden worked better as a team than Megan and Shoshana (though, my bias comes through again when i say that JLT and Idina were my faves) THis didn't stop me from totally loving the show overall though (unfortunately i couldn't stay for autographs).

Updated On: 8/26/05 at 08:50 PM

[threatXthree]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 8:58pm

Great review. Thanks for sharing. (:

[SondhFan]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 10:21pm

Great review. Your passionate review makes me want to see SF's production. I felt the same way about Chicago's Wicked with Ana and Kate and all the rest. They are phenomenal and I can't imagine anything better. But I just know you are right on the money re SF. Isn't crazy how someone can have such a vastly different opinion? Different but not vastly different is understandable. I hope you get to see Ana and I get to see Kendra and the others. I love your enthusiasim!

[colleen_lee]

Posted: 8/21/05 at 10:35pm

I saw Kendra as Galinda when the tour was in Chicago and strongly disliked her. She had the character down just fine and decent comedic timing (though she forgot a number of lines and then broke character in the middle of a scene). But, I definitely didn't feel like she had the singing chops for the role. Her upper range was weak and I missed some of the fuller, richer operatic sound that Kristen had as Glinda matured throughout the show. Part of what I liked about the Kristen/Idina pairing was their vocal contrast. Idina (and most of the women who have portrayed Elphie) are big belters, so the more legit sound was a nice balance to have.

I did LOVE Carol Kane as Morrible. That goofy voice of hers just seemed so fitting.

I am excited to see Megan in the role in January as I've generally heard excellent things about her.

Updated On: 8/21/05 at 10:35 PM