Wicked

I finally got to see Wicked at the Pantages yesterday. (I know Esther's probably rolling her eyes thinking, "It's 2009 and you hadn't seen Wicked YET?!!!) My book club read Gregory Maguire's book back in 2004 and we were stoked to go see the musical coming soon to the Pantages--but never got around to it.

Tonight is Wicked's final performance at the Pantages--it moves up to San Francisco for a year or two. And my sister Laurie and brother-in-law Dennis are in Los Angeles to supervise the move! That seemed like as good an excuse as any to finally catch the hit musical before it left L.A. once more.

The Pantages Theatre is this old gorgeous art deco theater where, if what's on stage isn't keeping your interest, you can be mesmerized by the ornate ceiling. Thanks to my sister's connections, we were able to score great seats--just ten rows back from the stage. I think the balcony would have given us a better perspective of the spectacle, but (except for the idiot "lovebirds" in front of me who were leaning into each other and blocking my sight line...) we had a great view of the stage.

Eden Espinosa and Megan Hilty, who originated the roles of Elphaba and Glinda in the Los Angeles production of Wicked were on hand to close out the L.A. run of the show. Dennis informed us that we were in for a treat with Espinosa, who--other than Idina Menzel who originated the role--was the best of the actresses who had performed the roloe of Elphaba. He wasn't kidding. Espinosa's voice was wonderful. Clear, crisp and strong--she enunciated so well it made the complex lyrics easily understandable.

Hilty also did an outstanding job although her part in the opening number "No One Mourns the Wicked" was overshadowed by the chorus. I've never seen Kristin Chenoweth's portrayal of Glinda, but from watching her as Olive Snook on Pushing Daisies and then seeing Hilty's performance, it's easy to see how Chenoweth defined the role of the Good Witch of the North. Hilty's portrayal of Glinda seemed to be a lot of Kristin Chenoweth--with a bit of Kristen Wiig thrown in for good measure in my opinion...

The Los Angeles production also featured Carol Kane in the role of Madame Morrible and she was exceptional. For those of you wondering where Latka Gravas' SO ended up, there's your answer!

The musical is not quite as dark as the book and is quite funny at times. It ties in more of the standard mythology from the movie version than did the book and, in typical Broadway musical fashion, has a happy ending that the book did not. I guess that's to be expected--you want people to leave the theater humming the score, not sobbing and depressed. Although, the score and songs aren't quite as "catchy" as something from a Lloyd Webber production...

(I don't quite understand, however, how you can depict a magical land with animals who talk and monkeys that fly and wizards and witches--good and bad--and yet a green girl is considered "weird"...)

The set was stunning. After the show, Laurie and Dennis took us backstage to look around. We got to see the amazing wardrobe up close. The details of each costume were exquisite! Laurie said they cost thousands of dollars apiece. We peered into the orchestra pit and Dennis showed us the trapdoor where Elphaba reappears after "melting" and all the wiring and such that goes into making a magical musical.

It was a wicked good time!