Cast: Michael Arden & Tyrone Giordano (Pippin), Ty Taylor (Leading Player), Sara Gettelfinger (Fastrada), Harriet Harris (Berthe)
For complete info on this wonderful cast, see the Pippin program on the Center Theatre Group website.
I knew that I'd appreciate the Deaf West Theatre production of Pippin, since I loved Big River when they did it and I'm not really a fan of that show (or the story). If they could make me enjoy a show I didn't like, clearly seeing their production of a show I actually like was a good idea. Pippin isn't Stephen Schwartz's best music, but there are some very good songs and this production makes everything work better than I've seen it before.
The cast of Pippin is amazing! The costumes, sets, and lighting are very well done. One of the best things about this production is they shortened it a bit so that Pippin is only one act. They only took out one full song (and it's still in the score) and added a couple things to the versions of Pippin I had seen before and really improved the show. I hope this production makes it to Broadway so my friends in New York will be able to enjoy it!
The way sign language was incorporated into Pippin was even better than what they did in Big River. I think Pippin really lends itself to the interpretation because of all the dancing that is already a part of the show, the magic, etc. and this show was designed very well.
I highly recommend catching Pippin at the Mark Taper Forum while you can (it runs until March 15th). I know I'm going to do my best to see another performance of this production of Pippin before it leaves LA in case it doesn't come back.
Grade: A-
Labels: comedy, Deaf West Theatre, drama, Harriet Harris, Michael Arden, musical, romance, Stephen Schwartz, theatre, Ty Taylor, Tyrone Giordano
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 1 screams
Cast: Julie Andrews (Narrator - voice), Amy Adams (Giselle), Patrick Dempsey (Robert Philip), James Marsden (Prince Edward), Susan Sarandon (Queen Narissa), Timothy Spall (Nathaniel), Idina Menzel (Nancy Tremaine), Rachel Covey (Morgan Philip)
For complete info, see IMDb's Enchanted page.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Enchanted. It looked really cute, but I didn't want to get my hopes up too much, even though Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz did the music and the cast was wonderful. Enchanted far exceeded my expectations of a cute Disney movie that I'd want to see once. The music is wonderful. The characters are completely lovable. Although they used aspects of almost every main Disney princess story (the apple and hag from Snow White, story book intro & ending used in many, the carriage and shoe from Cinderella, etc.), I thought the overall feel was very much like Sleeping Beauty, my favorite Disney movie. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed Enchanted so much.
I highly recommend renting Enchanted if you missed it while it was in theatres. It's on my list of movies I need to own on Blu-ray DVD (when I get a Blu-ray player) and it's one of the few movies I watched twice before returning it to Netflix.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2007, adventure, Amy Adams, animated, comedy, Disney, family, fantasy, Idina Menzel, James Marsden, Julie Andrews, movie, Patrick Dempsey, romance, Stephen Schwartz, Susan Sarandon
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Joshua Park (Pippin), Andre Ward (Leading Player)
For complete information, see the Broadway World.com Pippin site.
Unfortunately, I had to leave the show a bit before the intermission, due to a fever. I can only completely comment on the first several numbers, since my fever came on very suddenly at that time, and I couldn't concentrate on the show as I would have liked.
I had never seen a professional version of Pippin before and I was very excited about seeing this production. The sound at the OCPAC was problematic (especially in the first number, Magic to Do). I'm sure that if I did not know all the lyrics of Magic to Do that I would not have gotten half of the Leading Player's lyrics and we were in the 5th row. Those farther back had even less chance of hearing that number.
Andre Ward was very good as the Leading Player, though not always loud enough (which the correct mic levels would have corrected).
Joshua Park was a good Pippin for the most part, though I was not impressed with his performance of his first number (and my favorite Pippin song), Corner of the Sky. He seemed to be more comfortable later in the performance.
The rest of the cast, the sets, the costumes, lighting, ... were all very good. I definitely recommend catching this production while it lasts (which isn't long). I'm very sorry that I missed the second act and was sick for most of the first act.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2007, comedy, drama, musical, Stephen Schwartz, tour
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 1 screams
Cast: Kendra Kassebaum (Glinda), Victoria Matlock (Elphaba), Sebastian Arcelus (Fiyero), P. J. Benjamin (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
For more info about the touring cast, see the Wicked Tour site.
As always, I highly recommend the musical Wicked! For my original review, see Wicked Original Broadway Cast.
The show is just as good almost 3 years later as it was when I first saw it at the Gershwin. Of course, the cast isn't always as great, but the overall impression is still wonderful and it's such a fun show.
I know I was disappointed with Katie Adams when I saw her, but I think that Kendra did about the same in the opening scenes. Fortunately, Kendra got better as the show continued. I was really worried with Kendra in the first scene, but she seemed to ease into the roll and by the time they got to the first duet with Elphaba, she was more like the Glinda's I've loved in previous productions.
We saw Victoria Matlock, the standby for Elphaba as Elphaba and she was totally wonderful! The Wizard and I is always the big test for me with any new Elphaba and she did a great job! I'd say that her performance was better than Stephanie J. Block's, though not as good as Shoshana Bean (and no one will be as good as Idina Menzel for me, even if Stephanie J. Block did originate the roll in San Francisco).
Sebastian Arcelus was wonderful as Fiyero. I'd say he's second only to Norbert Leo Butz for me in Fiyeros, which is saying a lot, since Norbert created the roll on Broadway and did such a wonderful job. Jennifer Waldman (Nessarose), K. Todd Freeman (Dr. Dillamond), and most of the rest of the cast did a wonderful job.
Having seen Joel Grey and Ben Vereen as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, P. J. Benjamin had a lot to live up to, so it's not surprising that his performance didn't wow me. I try not to compare to those I've seen before, but it's so difficult. Alma Cuervo did a great job as Madam Morrible. I'd say she was as good (if not better than) Carole Shelley on the night that I saw her.
Wicked is a great show for anyone who likes to think about what might have really happened to lead up to the events you see in The Wizard of Oz or anyone who thought that Dorothy was a bit of a pain in the neck. The music (by Stephen Schwartz) is amazing and the story (modified by Winnie Holzman) is even better than the book by Gregory Maguire in my opinion. It really ties in with what you know from the movie/musical The Wizard of Oz, which is fun to see.
My grade for the musical overall is still an A+, but my grade for the performance I saw on this day is below.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2006, musical, Stephen Schwartz, tour
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Shoshana Bean (Elphaba), Megan Hilty (Glinda), Ben Vereen (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), David Ayers (Fiyero), Jan Neuberger (Madame Morrible, understudy), Sean McCourt (Doctor Dillamond)
Over two years after I first saw Wicked on Broadway (shortly before its Broadway opening), I was amazed to see that unlike some shows I've seen when they've been running a while this show still has every bit of power it had when I saw it 2 years ago.
This time, I was fortunate enough to get tickets that were about 7th row dead center in the orchestra of the Gershwin. You couldn't ask for better seats, since we were close enough to have monkeys flying over us, see the expressions on the actor's faces & all the amazing details in the costumes, and yet far enough away to appreciate the incredible elaborate sets.
The current Broadway cast is totally amazing, though I know many of them are leaving the cast soon. Nothing can compare to the OBC of a musical, since the characters are always molded to them specifically. However, this cast was about as wonderful a cast I could invision taking over for the original cast members. Everyone was great. And, of course, the score & lyrics by Stephen Schwartz are still some of the best Broadway has ever seen.
There is definitely a reason Wicked is still selling out at 100% almost two years after it opened on Broadway. If you haven't seen it yet (on Broadway or on tour), go see it! The tour seems to be hitting every major market. Enjoy the great story (better than the book in my opinion), music, costumes, lights, and humor.
Grade: A+
Labels: 2005, Broadway, comedy, drama, musical, romance, Stephen Schwartz
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Stephanie J. Block (Elphaba), Katie Adams (Glinda), Carol Kane (Madame Morrible), Derrick Williams (Fiyero), David Garrison (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), and many other wonderful performers
For current tour info, see the official Wicked tour page.
I had been looking forward to seeing Stephanie J. Block in Wicked ever since I saw it on Broadway in 2003. Idina Menzel was an amazing Elphaba, but Stephanie J. Block was the original as they started workshops and I was very interested in seeing her portrayal of Elphaba. I had seen Stephanie J. Block in The Boy from Oz and she was great in that.
Rating any touring company after having seen such an amazing original Broadway cast is very difficult. It's hard not to compare them to that wonderful cast that started it all on Broadway. Initially, Stephanie disappointed me, but she got much better as the songs went on. I'm sure if I had seen Wicked later in the LA run she would have seemed much better. She was probably tired from traveling still.
I was pretty disappointed with Katie Adams throughout the show. I know a lot of this comes from comparing her to Kristin Chenoweth who was the perfect Glinda, but from what I have heard from those who saw her and her understudy, the understudy was better. Hopefully, when Wicked comes to Orange County next year, the understudy will have moved up to play Glinda.
The one person who really stood out in this cast was Carol Kane as Madame Morrible. She was amazing! I've always liked Carol Kane and had never seen her live. She did a great job as Madame Morrible. In my opinion, she was better than Carole Shelley (at least the night we saw Wicked on Broadway).
Of course, I love the musical Wicked and still highly recommend it. My grade for this cast would change on any given night, I'm sure, since touring casts are constantly changing.
Grade: B
Labels: 2005, comedy, drama, musical, Stephen Schwartz, tour
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Idina Menzel (Elphaba), Kristen Chenoweth (Glinda), Joel Grey (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), Norbert Leo Butz (Fiyero)
For complete cast list, see IBDb's Wicked page.
I'm so glad that I got to see this show before opening with the whole cast. The show and the cast are absolutely amazing. I can't wait to buy the CD. Already counting down to December! Can we say pre-order? My whole group (5 of us) was totally blown away by the show. The story is amazing - especially if you (like me) were never a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz and that whiny Dorothy. Whether you like The Wizard of Oz or not, everyone knows the movie and/or musical version of the story and Wicked ties in very well with that story. There are many other great things about this story, too. It's funny in many parts, but is still a very heart-warming story about two friends and their coping with the world around them.
It was also wonderful to see Joel Grey again in person. He's always been one of my favories. Idina Menzel blew me away as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth was absolutely amazing. Norbert Leo Butz was also great. I couldn't recommend this show or this cast more. They really are amazing.
Stephen Schwartz does it again with his amazing score and lyrics. Winnie Holzman greatly improves the original novel by Gregory Maguire by tying the story in to the one we all know and showing the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda more thoroughly. This show is the best show I've seen since seeing Rent the first time in 1997. Go see this! If you can't see it on Broadway, where I'm sure it will reside for many years to come, see it when it gets to you on tour. That won't be right away, but it will definitely happen. I really can't say enough good things about this wonderful musical. Go see the back story of The Wizard of Oz. In my opinion, it's a much better show!
Grade: A+
Labels: 2003, Broadway, comedy, drama, musical, original, Stephen Schwartz
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams