I think I would date a girl with green skin, if she was that pretty, could sing that well, and could fly. I mean we’d have to connect on a personal level…
ok, why am I considering dating a fictional character again.
My mother has two very distinct ways of communicating dates to me. The most frequently used is last minute notification that leaves me scrambling to reschedule my life in order to attend a family event. Occasionally she will go with extremely advanced warning which involves nagging reminders every week until the event happens. For months our conversations would end with “Don’t forget ‘Wicked!’” It’s easy for me to forget my Cousin’s little league game or my Uncle’s award ceremony at the Moose Lodge. I will not forget the opportunity to see a Broadway Musical. This last Christmas my Aunt and Uncle purchased 75 tickets for “Wicked” as gifts for all of their family and friends because they wanted them to see this play that they love. I appreciate my Aunt and Uncle’s fervor but I did question her judgment, is it really that good?
I’m a big fan of Broadway and get excited when Los Angeles hosts a decent musical. Yet over the past year “Wicked” had escaped me. When I sat down in the theater that night I had a seat 6 rows behind Ted Danson (name drop), zero knowledge of the story, and had never heard a song from this play. In my opinion this is the way to approach a musical you haven’t seen. It’s great to discover the songs as they’re connected with the story. The orchestra began playing the overture and I sat back to experience the play.
I’m not going to give you plot points, that would ruin what I’m trying to accomplish with this blog. I will say this; I laughed during the funny scenes, cried at the touching scenes (wiping tears as we went to intermission), and stood in ovation at the curtain call. This musical is set in the merry old land of OZ. It tells the story of an anti-hero weaved alongside the classic tale of Dorothy and Toto. I spent the majority of the time leaning forward in my seat, an indication that I am enjoying myself and connecting with the story.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the best musical I’ve ever seen and doesn’t have the greatest soundtrack ever. The script lacks a little and the songs are missing great hooks that have you singing your way out the theatre. What’s missing in these categories is made up for in others. It is the emotional connection and laughs that made me leave the theatre wanting to see it the next night. It may sound silly but this play made me think a lot about the power of words and how destructive labels can be. It made me think about integrity, and doing the right thing in the face of a culture that is heading in a completely different direction.
The majority of the people reading this article live in Los Angeles. I’m going to guess most haven’t seen “Wicked”. You’ve got 6 months to see this musical before it leaves LA. It will make you laugh, make you think and hopefully deepen your appreciation for musical theatre. Now, I’m not going to be like my mom and remind you over and over again about this. You need to get online and buy some tickets. I questioned my aunt’s judgment back in December, and in May I found myself back at the Pantages surrounded by 20 of my friends watching this musical. While I don’t have the money to give them the tickets for free, it was so important to me that I did organize the outing. In my opinion it was worth all the hassle of organizing a group of 20 to see it, it’s that good. I hope you will find yourself sitting in the Pantages Theatre laughing, crying, and eventually standing in ovation.
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