Buy Tickets to see Wicked!
WICKED currently playing on tour in Oklahoma City, OK (till Mar. 10) and then will move to Austin, TX (from Mar. 13)

Archive for April 15th, 2012

Sunday, April 15th, 2012

Mark Jacoby plays the role as the Wizard in the touring production of the smash musical “Wicked” at The Buell Theatre. Reporter Adam Goldstein caught up with the stage veteran to get his take on the musical’s popularity.

Mark Jacoby plays the role as the Wizard in Wicked

Mark Jacoby plays the role as the Wizard in Wicked

As a cast member who’s been with the touring production of “Wicked” for more than a year, can you speak to the durability of the piece? What is it about the show that’s made it such a reliable money maker since its debut in 2003?

I’ve thought a lot about that, to tell you the truth. I think first of all, this is going to sound ridiculously mundane, but it’s really good in every department. All of the elements of stagecraft are there. Nobody leaves the theater thinking, ‘I didn’t get my money’s worth.’ The other thing I would look at is this very compelling friendship between these two women. It starts with friction and ends with love. The other thing that brings people in is the other worldly, paranormal nature of it. It’s not anywhere, USA. There’s something about that that captures people.

This is a story that’s seen plenty of adaptations. How do you think the musical juggles references to the original L. Frank Baum book, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” with subsequent retellings? Do you see any links to the film from 1939 woven into Maguire’s source material?

My favorite single aspect of the show is the very ingenious and clever way in which the story is layered over the ‘Wizard of Oz’ story that we all know so well. There is sometimes tongue-in-cheek, sometimes symbolic references to that story. I think it’s delightful. One of the conceptual problems is that most of us are more familiar with the movie than we are with the book. The notion that the whole thing is a dream is not part of the original book. It’s presented as a real story. The question then is to what extent are the factual elements of the book and the movie part of our underpinnings. That’s an ongoing question. Playing the Wizard, the question is, am I that guy that Dorothy met in Kansas or am I not? Is this a different notion? Things like that are ongoing. There’s much discussion backstage even after seven years.

Speaking of the Wizard, the character has seen several incarnations and portrayals in film and in literature since 1900. In “Wicked,” the character takes on a much more sinister aspect, a quality drawn from Maguire’s book. How do you approach the Wizard’s motivations and actions in tackling the role?

I’m always surprised when somebody comments about the Wizard being the villain of the piece. I think very few villains see themselves as villains. True villains, as a rule, don’t see themselves as such. I think the Wizard is a very simple guy, a very ordinary man who, due to circumstances beyond his control, found himself in an extraordinary situation where he became feared and deified in Oz. Being a simple man, he rode with it. He got himself carried away. As he says, ‘What can I say, I got carried away, and not just by a balloon.’ It’s an easy thing to do when people imbue you with supernatural powers.

The interview by reporter Adam Goldstein {Via AuroraSentinel.com}

Wicked play at Temple Buell Theatre continue through May 20, 2012. Get $10 OFF on Wicked Denver CO Ticket Orders of $350 or more by using code #SpringSavings at Checkout.

Sunday, April 15th, 2012

Wicked will open at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center Wednesday, April 18 for a two-week run.

For the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center, the Broadway musical’s 16-show run is by far the largest in the venue’s 13-year history, and it’s projected to be the highest-grossing show as well. One of the most successful Broadway musicals of all time, the show has taken its sweet time before finally landing that broom in the Lowcountry.

“The premiere engagement of Wicked is one of the most anticipated shows in the Performing Arts Center’s history,” said PAC General Manager Dave Holscher. “It’s been one of the most requested shows from our Best of Broadway season ticket holders, and we are excited to have it finally come to North Charleston.”

The show’s 16 performances is unprecedented for the Best of Broadway series — a testament to Wicked’s appeal.

“We’re thrilled to have the biggest show in Broadway history coming to the North Charleston Performing Arts Center,” said North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey.

wicked Musical show, based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel which in turn was based on Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, has developed into a full-fledged cultural phenomenon since opening on Broadway in 2003. You’ll still struggle to snag tickets for the Broadway show today, and there are national and international tours of the production as well. Numerous actresses have taken on the starring roles of Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda since Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth set the bar nearly a decade ago; Charleston audiences will see Anne Brummel and Tiffany Haas filling the roles.

Read the complete review {Via CharlestonCityPaper.com}

Wicked play at North Charleston Performing Arts Center continue through April 29, 2012. Get $10 OFF on Wicked North Charleston SC Tickets Orders of $350 or more by using code #SpringSavings at Checkout.

Wicked The Musical Show – Tickets, Cast, Tour News Blog directory Entertainment blog search directory Visit blogadda.com to discover Indian blogs Blog Directory & Search engine blogarama - the blog directory On our way to 1,000,000 rss feeds - millionrss.com Wicked The Musical Show - Tickets, Cast, Tour News at Blogged


Buy Tickets to see Wicked!


Buy Tickets to see Wicked!