Wicked at the Eccles

I really love the musical Wicked because not only is it a powerful ode to anyone who has ever felt different but it is also extremely clever in the way it sets up the events in The Wizard of Oz and the music is so stirring.  I love it so much that I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing it (the usher, who talks to me before every show, asked me how many times I've seen it and I think the number is now ten).  It was so much fun to see it again last night at the Eccles Theatre, especially now that I have seen the movie (I cannot wait for the second part now).  I am really glad that it is still the original production and that it hasn't been changed to conform to the choreography, costumes, and production design of the movie because I've always really enjoyed all of these elements in the stage version (although I thought the projections for the tornado were really underwhelming this time around).  I noticed that the pace is so much faster in comparison to the movie with scenes moving very quickly but I actually appreciated this because I always sit with great anticipation for all of my favorite numbers.  The two leads in this production, Austen Danielle Bohmer as Glinda and Lauren Samuels as Elphaba, are wonderful and I especially enjoyed Bohmer's hilarious rendition of "Popular" (I loved it when she hunched down to get her wand working) and Samuels is incredibly powerful in "The Wizard and I," "Defying Gravity," and "No Good Deed" as well as very affecting in "I'm Not That Girl" (my favorite song in the show).  They also sound great together in "What Is This Feeling?" and "For Good" although their physicality is a bit off because Samuels is very slight in stature (I always think that Elphaba should be larger and more awkward than Glinda).  I also really liked Xavier McKinnon as Fiyero because he is charismatic (and is a great dancer) in "Dancing Through Life" and he has a lot of chemistry with Samuels in "As Long As You're Mine."  He is especially awkward with Samuels when she leaves Shiz for the Emerald City as well as with Bohmer during "Thank Goodness."  Aymee Garcia is one of the sassiest Madame Morribles I've seen and Blake Hammond is suitably smarmy as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz but I found Erica Ito and Alex Vinh to be a bit bland as Nessarose and Boq, respectively.  This show will always be a favorite and I absolutely loved seeing so many people around me experience the stage version for the first time after being introduced to the story by the movie.  I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here) through the run at the Eccles Theatre which continues through May 25.

Note:  After seeing the movie, I decided to read Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire.  It is extremely dark and very weird (Elphaba and Glinda do not even interact very much) and I definitely prefer the stage adaptation.