Broadway Buzz | Broadway.com: The beloved musical Wicked is celebrating a big birthday on October 30! In honor of the Broadway blockbuster’s 10th anniversary, Entertainment Weekly unveiled a special Wicked reunion feature, complete with gorgeous photos and a trip down memory lane with composer Stephen Schwartz, director Joe Mantello, original novel writer Gregory Maguire and of course, the show’s original witchy duo, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.
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This article provided an interesting insight into Wicked in its earliest days. I clearly remember seeing Wicked on Broadway about 9 years ago, and I was completely mesmerized. Wicked is such a powerful, special show, and I am very happy that it has lasted for so long on Broadway and has experienced much success along the way. It was very interesting to read about the things that didn't always go as according to plan during the creation and rehearsal process of the show. I was very surprised to read that Stephen Schwartz argued with the creative team a lot during the process. Now, looking back, I am sure Schwartz, as well as the creative team, are grateful for their process with the show, "mistakes" and all.
I've never had the chance to see Wicked, but I'm sure it was amazing. It's really cool that newer musicals are making in on Broadway and actually running for some length of time. The longest run still belongs to Phantom of the Opera I believe, and, unless it leaves Broadway for some reason, it will continue to have that reign, but hopefully some other shows will at some point gain the popularity that Phantom has. It was cool to have the insight into the early days of the show. For auditions, everyone says you have to be perfect, but you just have to memorable. You have to make an impression on the panel. Yelling the f-word made Idina someone different. Maybe someone before her had done the song perfectly, but Idina was the one that did something different.
I have been a fan of Wicked since it premiered ten years ago and have done a lot of research into the show and this article was amazing because it gave a lot of the personal side of the issues. The story of Idina Menzel dropping the F-bomb during her audition was something I hadn't heard before. And I think it is really cool. There is something to be said for making a mistake in a professional setting, acknowledging it in a very public way, then redoing it and showing everyone you can actually do the task at hand. I would imagine this was actually something that helped her the audition room, since Elphaba (Idina's character) goes through struggles and she must acknowledge them. I am so glad that Wicked is enjoying their tenth year and I look forward to many many more years.
I bought tickets to see this in February a couple days ago, and I am so excited. I loved the book and have wanted to this since the first time it came through Pittsburgh. It says they were not expecting it to last, but I am glad it did. The fact that most caught my eye though was that she had to go up in that harness for an entire number 8 times a week, and countless times during rehearsals. We just talked in Tech Management about how that can cause some permanent damage to someone. I wonder if the actress is currently experiencing any, or if she will down the road.
I think we can make some interesting connections with this article and the article that discusses the Mascot in his harness. Idina and all of the Elphaba's since have had to fly for an entire number, quite possibly the most intense vocal selection from the show, eight times a week. THAT in it of itself is pretty crazy. I am so exctatic that this show has lasted ten years on Broadway and has been sent out on several very successful U.S. tours. This production is truly something spectacular. It's also pretty cool to be able to read about these stories as these two reminisce on the show 10 years later.
My favorite part of this article was this comment made by Idina, "Singing ‘Defying Gravity’ in the air eight times a week is [hell]. But when you think about the little girl who comes from somewhere in middle America and it’s the first time she’s seeing it, you need to do it for her.”
I love this comment because it really shows why we put so much effort into our work and why we don't half ass the things we do. We do work for enjoyment, for audiences to come in and experience something. We want them to truly enjoy something and partake in something fun. If we only think about ourselves and what we want, then we're just screwing ourselves and our audience members over. And the question we need to ask ourselves is, "why would we want that?" Why would we want to sell ourselves short and give something meaningless to our audience? We don't want to and that's why we take into account who our audience is and how we can entertain and make an experience for them to partake in.
I'm a huge fan of Wicked, I used to be obsessed with it and now I'm just in love with it. Seeing a little insight into what it was like back in 2003 is really cool and fun! Everything about the show is perfect for the Broadway scene (and everywhere else it is on tour! S. Korea, Mexico City, LA, London, etc.) It's high energy and amazing storyline is just contagious!
I have to say though, I did not like the book. I think Gregory Maguire is a great author, I absolutely loved 'Confessions of an Ugly Step Sister' but I was just really disappointed by 'Wicked'. I honestly think the musical saved the book and that it was the musical that made the book so successful.
Anyway, this article was great and I got a few chuckles out of Idina's F-Bomb incident and her comment about Defying Gravity!
I love hearing things like this about my favorite musical. I remember seeing this on its first run through Hollywood with Idina and Kristin, it was absolutely fantastic. I have been to see the show quite a few times since then over the years, even once I was able to shadow the stage manager for the show and that was such a cool experience. This show has been nothing but a success for the past 10 years, and its no wonder that that is so after hearing all of the great behind-the-scenes stories in this article. I can't wait to see it in Pittsburgh in January.
This article was fun to read. I had heard about some of the things mentioned, i.e. Idina's F-bomb and Kristen's ear problem. But the part that I had not heard about, but found the most touching was Gregory Maguire watching the performance so many times. It is really adorable how he wanted to see it so many times just incase. If I were in the same boat though, I would probably have wanted it to be just as ingrained in my brain as he did.
I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I've actually heard most of those facts before. Wicked was the first show that I ever knew by heart and in a lot of ways is what inspired my obsession and passion for theater. I do love the stories of making shows like this. It's nice to know that every show that opens has its war stories just like all the shows that we put up. Gregory Maguire actually lives in my home town, and when he found out how in love with this show I am, he told me all about how it was made. Aside from a completely surreal experience, that conversation might be one of the best things to ever happen to me. I wouldn't have decided that I wanted to be more involved with theater, and I wouldn't have realized that the incredibly talented people who work on shows, the incredibly talented people who are in shows, are just people and that I or any one of my friends could become one.
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