Wicked Provides a Deep Plot

Even if those who loved The Wizard of Oz tried to imagine what had happened in Oz before Dorothy arrived, they would probably not come up with a story as captivating and colorful as the Gregory Maguire story. Instead of the good versus evil dichotomy that The Wizard of Oz portrays, Wicked shows the grey area in between.  The Wicked Witch of the West is simply the young witch Elphaba, who has been discriminated against because of her green skin.  She meets Glinda at magic school and the two become friends.

Problems begin for Elphaba when she discovers that the Wizard of Oz is actually corrupt.  He is trying to oppress the animals of Oz.  He wants Elphaba to help him because she is talented with magic, but Elphaba refuses.  Her defiance leads to her being labeled as “wicked” and all of her good deeds being misconstrued as evil.  The Tony Award-winning musical has become the clear favorite among theater goers and has broken numerous box office records.  Its popularity has even led to a film that will be released sometime in the future.  No if you see the touring show or one of the many resident shows, you will be impressed.  Get your Wicked tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 15, 2008 - Post a comment

Menzel On Ferguson’s Show Tonight

Idina Menzel has been getting a lot of press lately because of her new album and tour, and rightfully so.  The strong songstress made waves playing the part of Elphaba and became a favorite for that role.  Tonight, she will be appearing on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson to talk about her new album and her time on Broadway.  If you are looking for a chance to find out more about Menzel, be sure to tune in tonight.

Elphaba seemed to be the perfect breakout role for Menzel.  She had the voice to carry some of the more difficult songs the part requires as well as the depth to portray this interesting character.  Wicked takes place in Oz before The Wizard of Oz.  Elphaba is not yet the Wicked Witch of the West, but just a girl who is good at magic and has always been discriminated against because of her green skin.  At magic school, she becomes friends with Glinda, but their friendship is soon tested when Elphaba discovers problems in Oz.  The storyline makes audiences contemplate their own stereotypes and how they affect the people around them.  See the role that made Menzel famous and get your Wicked tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 14, 2008 - Post a comment

Music Just Another Reason to See Wicked

If you need one more reason to go and see Wicked, consider that the show has one of the best musical scores on Broadway.  The music is being heralded as impeccable and even launched the solo career of former Elphaba star Idina Menzel.  Some of the most well-known songs from the show are “No One Mourns the Wicked,” “Popular,” “Defying Gravity” and “For Good.”  After listening to the music once, you will want to sing along to the songs by Stephen Schwartz.

Of course, the music is backed by a thought-provoking plot.  The main character, Elphaba, will later become the Wicked Witch of the West, but in this prequel to The Wizard of Oz, she is simply a misunderstood witch who has always been discriminated against because of her green skin.  She goes to magic school where she meets Glinda, who is beautiful and popular.  The two forge an unlikely friendship, but it is challenged when Elphaba discovers corruption in Oz.  Unlike The Wizard of Oz, there isn’t the same dichotomy of good and evil, making audience members question their assumptions.  See this Tony Award-winning musical by getting your own pair of Wicked tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 13, 2008 - Post a comment

Jacksonville Anticipating Wicked Arrival

Jacksonville, Florida has more than its fair share of famous musicals like Cats and The Lion King, but the city is waiting eagerly for this spring’s musical coming to town, Wicked.  While other shows may be entertaining, there is something special about this Tony Award-winning musical.  The story revolves around Elphaba and is set in Oz before Dorothy drops in.  Elphaba will later become the Wicked Witch of the West, but Wicked lets the audience see how she got there.

In the early story of Elphaba, we learn that she is not naturally wicked at all.  She has been discriminated against her entire life because of her green skin.  She goes to magic school where she meets the beautiful and popular Glinda.  The two become friends, and Elphaba becomes the star pupil.  As she is getting noticed for her talent, Elphaba discovers that there is corruption in Oz and the Wizard of Oz has an evil plan.  Because of her questioning of authority, the leaders of Oz turn on Elphaba.  If you loved The Wizard of Oz, you will definitely want to check out Wicked.  The story deals with prejudice and societal judgments.  See all of the drama by getting Wicked tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 12, 2008 - Post a comment

Elphaba Actresses Shape Up for Role

For anyone who has already seen Wicked or heard the soundtrack, you may have wondered what it takes to develop a voice as strong as some of the cast members of this award-winning musical.  For Carmen Cusack, who plays Elphaba in the touring show, it takes practice and exercise.  She does cardio every day and must be in good shape to perform the way she does wearing a 25-pound costume.  She told the Ottawa Citizen, “My part is highly challenging, emotionally, vocally and physically, and on top of that, you’re packing, unpacking and acclimatizing yourself to a new city and a new theatre.”

It is no wonder that Cusack and other cast members keep themselves in great shape.  The music is as praised, if not more, than the acting and the costumes.  The difficulty of the music has helped launched the careers of former Elphabas like Idina Menzel.  Wicked tells the story of Oz prior to Dorothy’s arrival.  Elphaba will later become the Wicked Witch of the West, but in Wicked she is just a misunderstood outcast who is judged because of her green skin.  She is also incredibly talented at magic.  See the beloved story by getting Wicked tickets from StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 11, 2008 - Post a comment

Idina Menzel is going to be big

The Denver Post has a story (via the St. Petersburg Times) profiling Idina Menzel, the star of Wicked during its Broadway run. It’s a very good profile, detailing Menzel’s other on stage accomplishments before joining the cast of Wicked. Besides her Tony-winning turn as Elphaba, the green-skinned witch at the center of Wicked, she’s played Maureen, the lesbian performance artist in Rent and starred in Disney’s musical Enchanted.

Now trying to get her pop music career off the ground, and with an ongoing national tour, she had this to say about her style of singing: “I think people assume that if you’re from the theater that you’re going to sing with a certain kind of sound, and it’s going to be overly emotional and have lots of vibrato. Pop music now has come to be the anti-voice or something.”

It’s an interesting point about what people do (or don’t) consider acceptable in pop. But with Wicked as popular as it is, there’s a good chance people will be willing to give a “big” sound a chance.

If you haven’t seen the hit play yet, get theater tickets for it. Wicked tickets are available at Stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 8, 2008 - Post a comment

Broadway’s Elphaba jumps to pop stardom

On Broadway, Idina Menzel floored audiences with her vocal range and acting. Caking herself in green makeup, she played the role of the Wicked Witch–known better to Wicked fans as Elphaba–during the Broadway run of the show, and eventually earned herself a Tony for her performance.

Now, it looks like she’s aiming higher. She wants to be the next Barbara Streisand, as the Star Tribune of Minneapolis-St. Paul points out. She’s hit the recording studio and is issuing out a new album; the link to the story also includes links to song samples. Now 37, the star of the theater hopes to one day be a star of the pop charts. For the moment, though, it’s kind of tough going, with her album not even ranking on the Billboard charts. But undoubtedly we’ll be hearing more and more from her.

Want to see the role that made her famous? Just get theater tickets. Wicked tickets are available at Stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 7, 2008 - Post a comment

Wicked reviewed in Australia

Calling Wicked a “theme park ride of a mega musical,” writer Michael Finn found plenty to appreciate during a recent staging of the production in Melbourne. It’s hard not to be impressed–before the hit musical even begins, showering you with light shows, special effects, believable characters and catchy songs, there’s a massive mechanical dragon floating over the stage, peering out at the audience. During the show, the dragon will snort smoke and wriggle about, another eye-pleasing little turn that this amazing play offers.

Here’s a colorful graph describing the colorful production: “Wicked is at times like a tornado, it whips you into a fast paced, surreal experience with tenacious music driving the danger and unpredictability. The closing of the first Act soars to dizzying heights, not only musically but also with an exhilarating sense of fear and anticipation.”

Truer words were never written. And you can experience all that fun as well, with a few theater tickets. Get Wicked tickets at Stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 6, 2008 - Post a comment

A film version of Wicked is bubbling

What is it about Wicked that captures the hearts of every musical fan that sees it? It has a lot to offer, from great, full-fleshed out characters to an exciting story (in an unique sort of twist, building upon the story that Frank L. Baum set up in his original stories). It also has some of the catchiest songs being offered on a stage today. So it makes sense that bloggers such as those at AfterEllen.com are shrieking in delight at the news that a film adaptation is on the way.

The blog in question wonders aloud, who will play the leads? Will the original Broadway cast be in it? Will the story stay the same, or will there be variations? And who will be directing? There’s plenty to muse on, but for now, all that’s known is the fact that it’s being made, it’s in the early development stages, and the producers include Marc Platt, who worked on The Silence of the Lambs.

It sounds like it’s a long way off. For now, however, you can still get theater tickets to the live stage production. Get Wicked tickets at Stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 5, 2008 - Post a comment

Wicked fans on par with Star Wars fans when it comes to queuing up

You’ve seen them before, usually a couple days before the first show, camping out in front of the theater. Some of them are dressed up for the occasion, and all of them are bubbly with excitement. These are the hardcore. These are the determined.

These are Wicked fans.

A story in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution depicts them in all their enthusiastic glory: Some fans were getting in line as early as 1:30 a.m. This paragraph really says it all:

“Bouquets of black and green balloons, free coffee and two uniformed cops greeted the early-bird buyers. At the box office, fans happily parted with $127 apiece for the best seats.”

These are definitely hardcore fans. But theater tickets are valuable–consider how great a show it is. If only they knew they could have gotten up late: Wicked tickets are available at Stubhub.com.

Permalink - Posted in Uncategorized on August 4, 2008 - Post a comment


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