Hmmm. No subforum for stage plays. This might get me into trouble (there is a film version in the works)....

I somewhat-recently attended Wicked - The Musical here in Orlando, FL (please no catcalls about what a pansy I am). The show, from what my admittedly untrained and uncultured eyes could see, was PERFECT. The cast hit their marks each and every time, no one stuttered, no one forgot their lines, the effects all worked, and the performers acted their souls out, especially Jackie Burns and Emily Ferranti as Elphaba and Glinda (respectively).

Anyways, something rather peculiar has happened to me. My mother wants to visit New York City one last time in May before she's permanently housebound with my ailing father (he's almost bedridden). We've discussed about what to do, including seeing Wicked again right there in the Big Apple.

I...hrrrr...what's a good word to use...thinking...SQUIRMED at the idea. I'd love to see it again, but dammit, I want to see MY cast, not a bunch of posers (professionals like Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel notwithstanding).

I'm even wondering if I'll see the filmed version (which is absurd, I know).

Is that strange? Does this demand some sort of therapy? Can something be SO good and SO dazzling that the mind rejects it being recreated?

This really has me bothered (I'm being serious). I dunno if I'll get any sympathy/empathy here, but I figured I'd see what y'all thought.

[sigh] And only the second post out of the gate. I must be good at making an impression.

I've seen Wicked twice, with different leads, and enjoyed it both times. And that's after listening to the cast recording many times, so I should have been spoiled by Menzel and Chenoweth. If you're worried about ruining the memory of a perfect experience, you might not want to see it again--someone could be sick or whatever. But I think the show holds up a second time, and I picked up things I hadn't seen the first time.

I saw the musical for the first time, last week at the Kennedy Center - and I loved it! However even though it'd be great to see Chenowith and Menzel in the leads, I just couldn't see it as a film... maybe I'm still a bit wowed by the theatrical look - the staging was amazing.

in regards to future musicals - 'Nine' was a film that hurt the genre, not help it.

Hey fellow Central Floridian! If it means so much to you, I would probably go with a different play for Broadway. IMO, they blow away the local stuff here.

I saw Wicked recently as well. It was awesome.
I'd love to see it in NYC, even with a different cast.
If your mother wants to see it, take her to see it. She's your mother, dammit.

If this is your first time seeing a live musical with a different cast, I can understand your apprehension accepting a new cast. Especially in cases when it's an original cast and/or you listen to the original cast recording. But it'll be fine. It'll be fun, but it can be a little off putting at first. Part of the fun when you get to see multiple performances is comparing your favorite leads to one another and also the fact you are seeing something live and alive.

Even if you hate it, it won't ruin your previous experience. I've seen multiple casts, understudies, etc do the same show and never felt the favorite performance suffered.

I was surprised they never filmed a version of the play for dvd when Chenowith and Menzel were both there.
in the mean time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g4ekwTd6Ig

I'm sure they did for archival purposes. As far as something that would be shown on TV or released on DVD, that's complicated. Some PBS stuff is not authorized for commercial release. And they might not have wanted to release anything that would hurt sales of the productions on tour or on Broadway, or distracted from the movie.

I also like this one:

<iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IwpKB-sj7GI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I missed Great Performance's Lincoln Center's recent performance of South Pacific

Take her to see The Book of Mormon. ....

and then be prepared to get slapped in the face

I know, that sucks. I had a a bunch of stuff like The Light in the Piazza on an old HDD/DVR that I hadn't burned to disc (three-hour programs, two-hour discs) when my machine died. Still hoping it'll come back to life before I have to figure out complicated resurrection techniques.

My thanks for those with (constructive) comments regarding this. I had actually written-off this thread after the first two utterly pointless posts, but the rest have been outstanding.

After mulling it over, and assuming it's affordable, I think my mother and I will attend Wicked in NYC, presuming our plans come to fruition in May of 2012. I just finished Maguire's first novel (starting on the second) and have a renewed interest in seeing the stage play again, regardless of cast.

And I might even take a peek at the film version or TV mini-series (should the latter be produced).

So, thanks again. And Hi!, PopcornTreeCt!

Wicked was my first Broadway show this year. I plan to see it again next month. The story, costumes, set was absolutely fantastic!

question to fleggett: was the movable dragon prop over the stage featured in your production? for a touring production this looks quite complex to assemble/dismantle everytime the show moves from one theater to the next.

Giles, yes, the dragon was present and fully articulated (I believe the book refers to it as the Clock of the Time Dragon). It even billowed smoke. And you're right, it looked hellaciously complex (and heavy!), along with The Wizard's head and other stage props.

The show we saw was fully realized. Not just backdrops, but a totally manufactured onstage universe, from Shiz to The Wizard's chambers to The Emerald City to Munchkinland. It was the most immersive and complex production I've ever seen in my, admittedly limited, experience.

candyrocket786, whoever designed and constructed Elphaba's WWotW costume should be given an Oscar. Glinda's is very showy and glitzy, but the amount of fine detail in Elphaba's is unbelievable.

I seriously doubt I'll ever see anything similar to Wicked's potent imagery again in my lifetime. And the cast was beyond top-notch. I hope they all go on to have stellar careers (that includes everyone in the production company).

For those of you who fell in love with Wicked (as I did), I thought y'all might get a kick out of this:







(Sorry for the flaring, but it's damned hard to shoot something under glass.)

After the show, the cast offered some "goodies" to those in attendance. For $50, you could obtain a Wicked poster signed by the entire performing cast. All the proceeds went to a breast cancer charity. For $100, you could receive a backstage tour. I was with others, so the tour was out, but I just had to get a poster.

The two shots of the leads (Jackie Burns and Emily Ferranti) I got off of Yahoo! pictures and had printed at a local FedEx Office on thick stock. The Wicked logo I downloaded from the official website (I had to do a little Photoshopping), also printed at FedEx Office. After some research, the closest font I could find was something called Ravenscroft. The Playbill is an actual Playbill distributed before the show. The plate was manufactured at United Trophy and the framing was done at Sam Flax (for a very reasonable price).

All the elements are inset from the front board material, which gives it a rich 3-dimensional look.

I think it turned out beautifully.

Very nice!

"Castle in the Sky" also looks damn impressive - where'd you get that??

I think it's great that you're getting into musical theater, and Wicked is definitely a great show to see.

I had a similar experience when I first saw Les Miserables in middle school. Thought it was the end-all-be-all since it was so different from the "old" shows like South Pacfic and The Sound of Music I'd grown up with (my mom used to be a drama teacher/director).

That said, there are a WORLD of musicals out there worth experiencing, so I'd recommend not limiting yourself to "big" shows like Wicked. The last time I was in New York, I saw The Toxic Avenger musical off-Broadway and it was easily the hardest I've ever laughed at a show, and the music was outstanding too. I also saw Rock of Ages on Broadway and that was a great show also, but I left enjoying The Toxic Avenger a lot more.

Good luck with your journey!

EDIT: And thanks for posting that YouTube clip, davidh777 - I'm pretty "Wicked-ed" out these days but that's my favorite song from the show.

I wanted to see this musical when it came to town, but I heard that the story was significantly changed to make it more of a crowd-pleaser (happier, less dark and disturbing). I was also surprised by how much a good seat costs!

This show is worth spending some money on good seats. I was 6th row almost center. It's a magnificent production and I like the feel of being close. I want to see it again but will not be living here when it stops in San Diego next year.