Wicked north american national tour is in Des Moines, IA through November 10, 2013 and currently performing at Des Moines Civic Center (221 Walnut St., Des Moines, IA 50309).
Wicked Casts Spell Over Des Moines – Reviewed By Brooke Bridenstine, BroadWayWorld.com.
The musical that flew back to Des Moines last week needs no introduction. Wicked, The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz, cast its spell on Des Moines in two prior engagements and this time around new spectators and Wicked veterans alike will be flocking to see the gravity defying musical. Wicked is now a ten year Broadway veteran, and with a timeless story, excellent production value and top talent, Wicked will no doubt continue to thrill audiences for years to come.
Wicked takes the classic fable of The Wizard of Oz and turns it on its head by focusing on the unlikely friendship between Glinda, the Good Witch, and Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. When the two meet at school, there is instant hatred between popular Glinda and loner Elphaba. But when the two are forced to interact they learn that perhaps they have more in common than they thought.
Wicked endures because the story it tells is timeless and filled with relatable themes. Set in the fantasy world of Oz, Wicked is not bound by conventional time. Again and again, audiences are transported to the magical, green world of Oz and the story never becomes dated because it is not of our world. Oz is a land where animals talk, there are thirteen hours on the time dragon clock, and the Wonderful Wizard of Oz presides over a seemingly perfect society. Themes such as the importance of friendship, seeking personal identity and the battle of good versus evil are woven throughout the show. And while the themes are familiar, when told against the Ozian setting they are as fresh as ever.
Wicked is the rare show that successfully combines spectacle and heart. Whether you have seen it or not, take a trip to Oz this week. Wicked continues its’ Des Moines run through November 10th. For ticket information visit Des Moines Performing Arts.
‘Wicked’ lures audience again and again – Reviewed By Michael Morain, DesMoinesRegister.com.
“Wicked” returned to Des Moines Wednesday for its third visit and brought with it another horde of ticket-buyers, drawn in like trick-or-treaters for a sugar fix.
Nobody can really explain why the show hit the sweet spot that by now has generated more than $3 billion from 38 million viewers worldwide. It could be that we identify with the two main characters, the allegedly “good” and “wicked” witches, who feel misunderstood in distinct but understandable ways. It could also be that the feel-good takeaway about being yourself and accepting others is a message that bears repeating. It’s certainly the kind of emotional ride that attracts repeat viewers, who might not return for something like “The Book of Mormon,” which loses some of its shock value the second time around.
As Glinda the Good, the Kansas native Hayley Podschun seems to have inherited DNA from both a chipmunk and Barbie. She is a chattering blonde bombshell, whose perky vanity belies a steely spine and sparkling set of pipes. Her giddy acrobatics win laughs in “Popular,” her signature song, but her voice is no less flexible or energetic. Later she brings something deeper to “Thank Goodness,” slapping on a smile to hide her character’s pain.
Jennifer DiNoia plays Elphaba, the green one, and belts out the empowering anthem “Defying Gravity” with apparent ease, adding musical heft even to its final Tarzan yell. She has an impressive range — listen to her sweet low notes in “I’m Not That Girl” — and she clearly believes what she’s singing. Still, it’s her acting that pulls us in, showing us exactly why the witch was never so wicked as we once believed.
“It’s all in which label is able to persist,” the Wizard (Walker Jones) explains, showing off the lyricist’s knack for internal rhyme. “There are precious few at ease / with moral ambiguities / so we act as if they don’t exist.”
Even without the multimillion-dollar sets and costumes, it’s a moving story with beautiful music and relatable characters. It’s embedded in our culture now, as solid as bricks in the yellow brick road.
Wicked musical will be in Des Moines IA for only 2-weeks through November 10, 2013. From here the national touring production moves to Indianapolis, IN where Wicked will be performing at Murat Theatre from November 13 to December 01, 2013.
Jennifer DiNoia, who is defying gravity as the star of Wicked at Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium Music Hall, enjoys being green. DiNoia plays Elphaba in the blockbuster musical and has taken on the role in five different companies of the high-flying show.
Wicked behind-the-scenes look by kctv5.com – Watch the Video Below:
Wicked second national tour is currently stop in Kansas City, Missouri and performing through October 27, 2013 at Music Hall Kansas City (301 West 13th St., Kansas City, Missouri 64105).
41 Action News Meteorologist Kalee Dionne goes behind the scenes of Wicked the musical and met Kansas City native Hayley Podschun, who plays the lead role of Glinda – watch the Video below:
Podschun attended Blue Valley High School and her parents still reside in Overland Park.
Wicked second national tour is currently performing at Music Hall Kansas City (301 West 13th St., Kansas City, Missouri 64105) through October 27, 2013.
Broadway’s meticulous ‘Wicked’ electrifies its Kansas City audience – Reviewed By Robert Trussell, HispanicBusiness.com.
Big Broadway shows that tour for ever and ever are built on templates that guarantee one thing above all else — that the audience gets exactly what it wants. That was certainly the case Thursday night at the Music Hall Kansas City, where the road company of “Wicked” had the audience on its feet before the curtain call.
This touring production of “Wicked” looks and sounds like the first company that played Kansas City a few years ago. The meticulously crafted and inventively designed show works like precision machinery, providing visceral laughs and excretions of sentimentality at specific moments to tug the audience along, no matter where or when you see it. The director, Joe Mantello, has a long, lucrative history of creating hits.
As the show unfolds, it explains the creation of the Tin Woodsman and the Scarecrow, the significance of the ruby slippers and lets us see Nessarose, Elphaba’s younger sister who becomes the Wicked Witch of the East before she meets her demise beneath a falling Kansas farmhouse. We also meet the Wizard, a flimflam man who, it turns out, is stunned to discover his unknown connection to Elphaba. Much of this is inherently amusing and delivered with appreciable wit.
Of chief interest in this production to local audiences is the presence of Hayley Podschun, an experienced Broadway actress who grew up in Overland Park. I’d never seen Podschun in a principal role before and she delivers a superior comic performance, full of spontaneous moments and inventive surprises. She exhibits a sharp instinct for physical humor and possesses a stunning voice.
Her counterpart is Jennifer DiNoia, who handles the role of Elphaba with a strong stage presence and a powerful set of pipes. She makes the character’s inner sorrow and anger palpable, thus anchoring the show with a respectable degree of dramatic weight.
To nitpick is a critic’s prerogative and I still find this show too long, with a score that turns to hyper-melodrama when a memorable melody can’t be found.
That said, “Popular” is a fine musical-comedy number and the blistering “No Good Deed” is a high point of Act 2.
Wicked musical will be in Kansas City MO for only 3-weeks through October 27, 2013. From here the second national touring production will be moving to Des Moines, IA where Wicked will be performing at Des Moines Civic Center from October 30 to November 10, 2013.
Wicked is a standing production in London, United Kingdom and Coming into it’s 8th year at the Apollo Victoria Theatre the show continues to be a fun and huge musical that pays homage to, and poke fun at, the classic Oz tale – Reviewed by RuddleMatthew at TQSMagazine.co.uk.
Wicked is boldly epic in both plot and presentation: beginning at the end with the Wicked Witch of the West’s death, we flashback to her (Elphaba) birth, school days, and first meeting with Glinda as the musical tracks her rise and fall, revealing the ‘truth’ behind her wicked ways (no prizes for guessing all is not as we’ve been lead to believe).
Louise Dearman (Elphaba) and Gina Beck (Glinda) are the musicals true MVPs and they shine brightest whenever together on stage (‘What is this Feeling?’ showing off both their talents). While Dearman’s vocals are powerful and soaring, and her Elphaba passionate and defiant, Beck’s vocals (and portrayal of Glinda) are light and fun. Dearman inhabits Elphaba so thoroughly, while Beck’s Glinda is so charmingly air-headed, that the strength of the characters carries the musical alone.
The songs in the first half are universally excellent, giving insight into characters’ personality and emotions while working to the story’s emotional beats, from fist-pumping solos to fun duets. However the songs in the second half do suffer compared to the first, never finding one as fun as ‘Popular’ or with the playful harmonies of ‘What is this Feeling?’ or as strong as ‘Defying Gravity’ (although ‘No Good Deed’ comes close).
But by this point the characters’ actions have come to a head and the plot itself catches up with the Wizard of Oz; seeing the reinterpretations and ‘behind-the-scenes’ moments is thrilling and the less memorable music doesn’t detract from the anticipation in seeing Elphaba and Glinda will resolve their differences.
Wicked Musical currently touring in Costa Mesa CA for almost 4-week run through March 17, 2013. The Wizard of Oz has returned to the Segerstrom Center for the third time and reviewed by ANNE VALDESPINO – Here is the review:
Now a decade old, “Wicked” continues to set records for ticket sales and it still attracts an eclectic audience: little girls in ruby red dresses, punks with platinum hair, fresh-faced young women dragging their boyfriends, seniors and gay couples. Its soaring score, fantasy landscape, love story and a book packed with one-liners appeal to a wide demographic.
It’s no surprise that composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz, with his love of challenging subjects, could craft a musical out of Gregory Maguire’s best-selling 1995 novel. “Wicked” bristles with great music, from its foreboding title track, “No One Mourns the Wicked,” to songs of young love awakening such as “I’m Not That Girl,” and plenty of anthemic ballads in between: “Defying Gravity” and “The Wizard and I.”
Schwartz is suddenly hot again – or perhaps he’s never gone cold. “Pippin” is poised for a spring Broadway revival, and “Wicked” is just more candy for his hard-core fans. The composer of “Godspell” and Disney musicals including “Enchanted,” “Pocahontas,” and “The Prince of Egypt,” Schwartz is a master of pulling on heartstrings.
“Wicked” is about the odd friendship of two girls, one blond and popular, the other a green witch with strange powers. Thrown together accidentally, they experience the typical phases of teen relationships: first dances, bonding over clothes and hairstyles, fighting over the cutest boy in the school. Add politics, sorcery, betrayal and murder to the mix.
Continually taunted for her green skin, Elphaba attends school only to care for her wheelchair-bound sister Nessarose, and meets her opposite, Glinda, the girl with the golden hair. At first they tangle, then become roomies and best friends. Handsome prince Fiyero tests their loyalties by first falling for Glinda and then taking up Elphaba’s political cause: her championing of animal rights, which lands her in deep trouble at school and with the Wizard. Meanwhile, Nessarose has her heart set on Boq, a Munchkin who only has eyes for Glinda.
Wicked Musical currently Stops in San Francisco CA for almost 4-week run. Wicked will be performing at Orpheum Theater SF through February 17, 2013. Wicked musical play at Orpheum Theater reviewed by Robert Hurwitt – Here is the review:
Elphaba, the green girl, flies high and sings with beautifully modulated power as she becomes the Wicked Witch of the West in the touring production of “Wicked” that opened Thursday at the Orpheum Theatre. Glinda the Good matches her vocally and dazzles the audience with charm. And that may be the bigger story.
Understudy Cassie Okenka rose from the ensemble to don Glinda’s blond locks, pink frocks and sunnily self-absorbed personality when co-star Patti Murin was sidelined with the flu Thursday. From her glittering first notes through every step of an assured performance, Okenka more than gave the audience its money’s worth at the latest show in SHN’s season.
It was another nice turn in San Francisco’s long relationship with composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz and librettist Winnie Holzman’s adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s dystopian “Oz” prequel. The show had its world premier here in 2003, before going on to become one of Broadway’s hottest tickets, and returned for a prolonged run in ’09.
It’s very much the same, well-oiled production as last time, staged with quick-paced clarity by Joe Mantello and inventively boisterous dance by Wayne Cilento. The great smoke-breathing mechanical dragon looms above the massive gears and clockworks of Eugene Lee’s Victorian steam-punk set. The cast creates sharp individual portraits in Susan Hilferty’s scruffy peasant, odd animal and glittering Emerald City costumes.
The heart of “Wicked” is the story of Elphaba and Glinda, accidental roommates and rivals in wizardry and romance at Shiz University. Dee Roscioli shines as the shy but assertive, sharp-tongued green girl, the eternal outsider blessed – and cursed – with magical powers she’s only learning to use.
Though she’s played Elphaba more often than anyone else, Roscioli keeps the role fresh and immediate, whether navigating her uneasy growing closeness with Glinda or confronting the villainies of Kim Zimmer’s outrageously formidable Madame Morrible and the vaudevillian con-man Wizard of Kevin McMahon (also filling in for an ailing regular).
Wicked Musical currently Stops in Honolulu HI for almost 7-week run. Wicked will be performing at Neal S. Blaisdell Center Concert Hall through January 12, 2013. Wicked musical play at Neal S. Blaisdell Center – Concert Hall reviewed by RUTH BINGHAM as ““Wicked” works magic”. Here is the review:
“Wicked” the musical is a better, tighter story than Gregory Maguire’s novel, which composer Stephen Schwartz and author Winnie Holzman rewrote so that it works on multiple levels.
In the novel, the story is launched by a hurdy-gurdy man’s mechanical “razzle-dazzle spectacle” that comes to town to lead good citizens astray: “Wicked” the musical is that spectacle. We, the good citizens of Honolulu, assemble to see the novelty, a trained money cranks open the curtain, the mechanical Clock of the Time Dragon roars, and the fantasy begins.
The musical takes place wholly within the book’s Clock of the Time Dragon; it begins as a “once-upon-a-time” flashback from a point we thought we knew, but ends by sending us back into our world without returning to the starting point so that we carry the story with us as we leave.
On reflection, “Wicked” is a dark tale, on one level a morality play about good and evil, but it is told with humor and a happy Hollywood ending, making it suitable and enchanting for audiences of all ages. Part of its magic is that people experience the tale differently and walk away with different lessons, so no spoilers here — you have to experience it for yourself.
That said, “Wicked” will be the shortest three hours you’ve ever spent in a theater — it covers a lot of ground during that time. Like its structural forefather, Baz Luhrman’s “Moulin Rouge,” almost every line is a reference, and every twist and turn of its very dense plot is delivered in only a phrase or two, making every word essential.
“Wicked’s” pit orchestra — 15 musicians, nine hired locally — provide an almost subconscious flow, carrying the drama along. The production is at such a high level overall that when minor issues with balancing sound intruded during a performance last weekend, they fortunately passed quickly.
Wicked Musical is currently performing at The Fabulous Fox Theatre – St. Louis, MO. Based on the novel by Gregory Macguire, “Wicked” is the back story of “The Wizard of Oz.” Wicked musical play at The Fabulous Fox Theatre reviewed by Andrea Braun. Here is the review:
The story begins with the birth of a bright green infant named Elphaba conceived in a one-night stand in which her apparently slutty mom slept with a man addicted to a colored substance he shared with her. So, okay, we don’t start out with a woman being anything but a stereotype. As it happens, said woman is married to the Governor of Munchkinland (only he’s not short) whom she does not love. Still, they conceive another daughter, Nessarose, who is born early and damaged from the plant her husband forces upon the mom to ensure the child is not green. Well, she’s not, but she’s premature and has underdeveloped legs, and her mother dies, leaving Elphaba with only a green bottle to remember her by.
We next see the sisters when their father drops them off at Shiz, a tony prep school for well-to-do children of powerful Ozians (Oz is an area divided into several different lands but all are under the control of the “Wonderful Wizard” of Oz.) Elphaba is only sent to be a guardian to daddy’s darling wheelchair-bound Nessa, but she displays her extraordinary powers early (she’s like The Hulk: You really don’t want to make her angry AND she’s green). The headmistress, Madame Morrible, selects her for special training, a privilege the wealthy and spoiled Galinda assumed would be hers. Instead, the vapid blonde and the smart green girl end up roommates who move from “loathing” (“What Is This Feeling”) to BFFs fairly quickly (in musical terms, within two songs before“Popular”).
Gregory Maguire’s novel, Wicked, tells the story of the “Wicked Witch of the West” before Dorothy blew into town, but the musical is quite different from its source material. Stephen Schwartz (music and lyrics) and Winnie Holzman (book) have created an entirely sympathetic Elphaba, a finally admirable Glinda (after she realizes her happiness is not the entire world’s responsibility), and others who are good—Fiyero, beloved of both Elphaba and Glinda, and Boq, a virtual slave to the nasty Nessa—or bad—Morrible, the Wizard. A talented singing and dancing chorus functions as Shiz students, citizens of Oz, palace guards, and those famous flying monkeys. It is a lovely looking show, leaning toward gears and a big clock and stylized costumes. It’s essentially really elaborate Steampunk.