Wicked...

[fajrdrako]

Tonight I went to see Wicked at the National Arts Centre with Donna. My ticket was a birthday present from her.

And oh, what a beautiful show.

Some of the best staging I've ever seen, particularly in terms of set design and lighting design. Above the stage there was a magnificent dragon on the proscenium arch - beautiful timing, since at various times today I've been reading Terry Pratchett's dragon-filled novel, Guards! Guards!.

What struck me most about the story - forgive me - was how slashy it was. Femslash. The whole plot is about the strong emotional relationship between Glinda and Elphaba, and it's written in the style of a romantic comedy/tragedy. They meet, and dislike each other. They fight, make friends, become close, become parted by circumstances, change each other's lives several times over, and - after a battle almost to the death - make great sacrifices for each other.

Yeah, I liked it.

Best line: when Elphaba wins the boy, and they kiss, and she says, "Now, for the first time, I really feel Wicked."

I wondered why Elphaba was green. I guess it didn't matter.

I assumed that resemblances to Harry Potter were not accidental.

The show is a travelling American production, which is great way to handle a big musical - part of a programme called Broadway Across Canada. Donna noted how all the actors, singers, dancers and production crew were one hundred per cent American - and indeed, the programme notes mention that one actress who had been in London, England, for a while, was pleased to be "playing to an American audience again", so obviously they didn't bother to change the wording just because they found themselves in another country.

The story must be a strong one, because even when I wasn't sure whether I was getting into it, I found myself crying over it. The plot had a few surprises for me - I always loved that - and I wondered if I would still have been surprised if I were more familiar with The Wizard of Oz in any of its forms. Probably.

Magnificent though the show is, the least magnificent part of it is the music, which carries the story beautifully, but still doesn't have the impact of the rest. Doesn't need it, the point of the songs is to be part of the storytelling. The songs aren't songs in their own right, but vehicles to tell the tale.

And the costumes - except for the clothes worn by Elphaba (which were delightfully plain, sort of like the musical theatre version of Jane Eyre) and Fiyero (who made me think of the Imperial soldiers of Barrayar), I thought most of the costumes were colourfully ugly, even unsettling and creepy, because they were all asymmetrical. Or was that just me? Were they supposed to be attractive?

Elphaba seemed more real than Galinda, who was a caricature - well, actually Elphaba was the only real personality in the show. I liked Madame Morrible, who looked great, and reminded me of the Matron in Chicago. I was also very impressed by Doctor Dillamond.

Those flying monkeys were particularly wonderful. They made the same sort of impression on me as the horses in Equus.

Comments

[jkluge.livejournal.com]

Everything I've heard about this musical has been good. I hope to see it some day, because it sounds so much better than the book, which was just freakin' weird, had absolutely no direction, went nowhere, and left me cold, and utterly bemused at all the hype over it and its sequel(s).

Elphaba (in the book) was born a freak of nature, with the green skin and horribly pointed teeth. IIRC, something is done to improve her teeth, but she remains green-skinned.

Edited to add: Wow -- I see a few other people liked the book. I really wish I could have seen what they saw. To me, there was just no strength to any of the relationships; I just felt nothing for these characters (except maybe a bit for Elphaba, but even there, the writing as *so* sterile as to make that difficult). And, I mean, I'm very used to reading sf and fantasy novels with completely new worlds to learn in the space of a novel, yet so many sf and fantasy books have had truly powerful relationships and bonds between the characters. I just didn't get that here. Wish I *had*.

[coalboy.livejournal.com]

I didn't like the book either & consequently don't want to see the stage version.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

That makes me disinclined to read the book!

Should I read the L. Frank Baum originals?

[coalboy.livejournal.com]

Oh, YES! they're wonderful. Lots of puns for the benefit of the parents reading to the kids.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It feels like a gap in my education, that I haven't read them. Ever.

[coalboy.livejournal.com]

very easily remedible

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

That's true. It isn't as if they're obscure or anything.

[jkluge.livejournal.com]

I can totally understand your viewpoint. It does sound as though the musical is better, but paying to see a pricey stage production can be very disappointing if you end up *not* liking it. :-)

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think it would be difficult not to like the stage musical - the show had people enrapt.

But there are different kinds of musicals, and I tend to prefer the old style, rather than the ones based on grand spectacle.

This isn't a criticism of Wicked, which, like the best of the new musicals, isn't just spectacle, it's spectacle with heart.

[jkluge.livejournal.com]

That's good to know; thank you!

My sister saw the travelling production when it came here and liked it a lot.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It's rather amazing that such a technically complex show can travel. Quite impressive.

[flautopiccolo.livejournal.com]

We've taken our family to see both the NY production and the traveling production (in Boston). The NY production's set was more elaborate, and flying monkeys could fly further, but the traveling set was great, too.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'd love to be able to see the New York production. But the Ottawa one was fine enough - especially those monkeys!

[catalenamara.livejournal.com]

I saw "Wicked" yesterday.

I was with a friend who had attempted to read the book, hated the book, loved the musical - she's seen it twice so far.

She didn't like the book's writing style; she said the play is an entirely different experience.

[coalboy.livejournal.com]

Great!Glad it was enjoyed.

[catalenamara.livejournal.com]

It's a great examination of friendship. And I loved the way they showed the origins of the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and the Scarecrow.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I liked that too - there was that delightful sense of recognition. Iconic - it's amazing how recognizable those images are.

[catalenamara.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry I didn't catch on when I saw the lion cub - but of course later on all they had to do was show his tail.

Iconic indeed...!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I didn't figure out who the lion cub was either - but then later it all started to fit together and make sense. Very cool.

[catalenamara.livejournal.com]

I particularly liked the way the Scarecrow came about. Very clever! It added so much depth to my perception of these characters.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

What I liked most was seeing them before they had the form we recognized - it was like seeing their origin stories, so we knew what they were like before.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think it's the measure of the musical's success (artistically) that even people who disliked the book love the show.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Since I haven't read the book, I can't comment. Hard to imagine the story without the music!

Certainly the show is all about 'strong bonds between the characters' - Elphaba's sister obsessing over Boq, Elphaba and Galinda being close, each of them wanting Fiyero - the only comparable theme is Elphaba's desire to protect the talking animals. It comes across strongly.

[jkluge.livejournal.com]

From your description, yes, the play is much better at conveying the bondas of love and friendship. I'm not even sure that the part about Elphaba and Galinda wanting Fiyero was even in the book -- it may have been, but if so, it wasn't memorable enough to stick in the ol' noggin. :-) Anyway, I'm so glad you enjoyed the play. I suspect the book might be much more enjoyable if read after having seen the play...but maybe not. It's...not hopeful like the play.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'm not even sure that the part about Elphaba and Galinda wanting Fiyero was even in the book -- it may have been, but if so, it wasn't memorable enough to stick in the ol' noggin. :-)

Good heavens - they must have changed a lot! Fiyero's role between Galinda and Elphaba is one of the major points of the plot. At one point he's (passively) engaged to Galinda - but runs away from their engagement party.