Hola fellow theatre people! So I was thinking of what to do for my first post, and decided to review one of my favorite (and the only one I've seen on Broadway) musicals. That's right-Wicked. Expect corny Wicked related puns.
I had been begging to see Wicked live on Broadway for what felt like ages. I'd seen the clips on YouTube...but that's not really the same. But then, by some bizarre and unexpected twister of fate-I finally got tickets. I would see the matinee show on July 18th, 2012. It was the best birthday present I've every gotten, by far.
My mother, grandmother, and I took the train in to Grand Central Station on the morning of the 18th. As it seemed, I was the only one truly excited for the show. I was practically bouncing in my seat. You have to understand-I was about to see one of my favorite Broadway shows, on a real Broadway stage, seeing people do the thing I've dreamed of doing for a long time. So I was understandably excited.
We arrived at the Gershwin Theater around an hour and a half before the show actually started. ...Let's just say that I was practically dragging my family through the streets of New York City and leave it at that.
I sort of blew all of my summer money on merchandise (but how can you not???), buying the Grimmerie, Glinda's necklace, and an 'eco-friendly beach towel'.
See! Wicked people support the environment. *insert super cheesy smiley face emoticon here*
So, it was finally time to take our seats-and we had amazing ones! Front row mezzanine, nobody in front of us, awesome view of the stage. Once seated, I instructed my mother and grandmother to
NOT BEND THE PLAYBILLS! I'm very protective of all the playbills I own.
Then, it started. The overture started playing, and I don't even think that I sat back in my seat once. From the moment Chandra Lee Schwartz descended in the bubble I was-to use fangirl speak-
ASDFGHJKL;ing.
The show went off perfectly (at least to my untrained eye), and there were no visible mishaps. Jackie Burns was amazing, I really loved how she played her Elphaba. Her Wizard and I was unique, and lovely. But, Defying Gravity and No Good Deed....they were perfection. Throughout all of her songs (and actaully the whole show)-I was thinking
Why can't I sing like that? They're just amazing!
Being a high soprano, and hoping to play Glinda one day (pleasepleaseplease?), I was really looking forward to Chandra's performance. And I want to say, she did not disappoint. Her Popular was perfect-my favorite of all the actresses who played Glinda, though I've only viewed the others through YouTube. Her Thank Goodness was also one of my favorites.
When the finale came around, I was wondering where those hours had gone. I wished the show had been longer, and I'm not afraid to say that I may have had misty eyes in the end... just looking at the stage watching these wonderful performers, and hoping that I may have the honor of being in their place one day-it made my heart hurt.
In short, Wicked was amazing and I can't believe that I waited this long before seeing it! I recommend it to anyone looking for a show to see-on Broadway or otherwise. Thanks for reading this extremely long winded review.
~Lexi
