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'Wicked' at the Academy of Music
Steve Cohen
Oz before Dorothy
STEVE COHEN
Wicked, Broadway’s clever musical conception of the Oz that existed before Dorothy dropped in, has returned to the Academy of Music and settled in until September. You might wonder if it’s worth all the hype, and if there’s reason to patronize this second national tour when the original production is still playing at Manhattan’s Gershwin Theatre. (Other productions are currently in Los Angeles, Chicago and London.)
The answer is a resounding yes.
For a road road production, it displays a rare look of luxury and permanence, and the lead roles are sung and played by two excellent performers, Victoria Matlock and Christina DeCicco, who even surpass the original cast in some ways.
A large dragon extends its neck from the proscenium arch and over the orchestra pit on a level with the Family Circle boxes. The stage is full of razzmatazz effects that closely resemble New York’s, and the Academy’s lift mechanism works smoothly to launch Elphaba into her broomstick ride at the end of Act I. Visually, this Wicked far outclasses what one normally sees outside of Manhattan.
A wicked witch we can identify with
Elphaba, the green lady who’s shunned because she doesn’t conform to society’s norms, is played superbly by Matlock. She has great vocal projection and perfect enunciation, as well as an endearing personality. While the original, Idena Mezel, stressed her character’s edginess, presaging her transformation into the Wicked Witch of the West, Matlock seems wholesome and thus causes us to identify with her and root for her. In this interpretation it’s easy to understand why so many young women see Elphaba as a role model.
DeCicco is the ditzy, cheerleading blonde Glinda who evokes comparison with that role’s originator, Kristin Chenoweth. While no one can match Chenoweth’s flashing eyes and dazzling smile nor her deft handling of the grace notes in her song, "Popular," DeCicco possesses a warmer voice with smoothness from top notes down into her chest register. She’s not excessively smooth, though, and retains the bitchy quality that the part needs.
Philadelphia audiences have already seen DeCicco at the Walnut as the female lead in Beauty and the Beast and West Side Story– with her natural brunette hair– so the quality of her voice is no surprise. But DeCicco’s comic persona is. She nicely manages Glinda’s transition from self-centered ambition to a mensch who cares for Elphaba.
A few cuts, for better and worse
Barbara Tirrell plays Madama Morrible strongly, and it’s a shame that some of her character’s words and music have been trimmed. Other excisions have been made in the script since 2003 and they clarify the plot. Cliffton Hall is a sympathetic Fiyero with a good tenor voice, but P J Benjamin brings scant personality to the Wizard, created so charmingly by Joel Grey in the Broadway original.
DeeDee Magno Hall, whom I loved when she played opposite her real-life husband, Cliffton, in Miss Saigon, is a surprisingly tepid NessaRose. True, it’s a small role that doesn’t appear in the original Wizard of Oz film at all. But the character of Elphaba’s crippled sister made much more of an impression on me when I saw the show on Broadway in 2003.
Stephen Schwartz’s comeback
Winnie Holzman is responsible for the neat adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s clever novel, which imagines the "untold story" of conformity and oppression that includes leaders who demonize outsiders in order to rally a nation behind their agenda. Thankfully, this analogy is drawn with wit and not a heavy hand.
Stephen Schwartz’s words and music are catchy, and it’s a thrill to see this return to popularity of the man who wrote Pippin and Godspell three decades ago. He never lost his talent, but Schwartz went through many years without the commercial success of his early hits. I remember him singing and playing his songs on an upright piano for a small gathering in a restaurant across the street from the Ritz Theater in Oaklyn, N.J. in 2001. I wonder if he had any idea then that his greatest success was still ahead.
To read a response, click here.
To read Steve Cohen's review of the 2013 production, click here.
STEVE COHEN
Wicked, Broadway’s clever musical conception of the Oz that existed before Dorothy dropped in, has returned to the Academy of Music and settled in until September. You might wonder if it’s worth all the hype, and if there’s reason to patronize this second national tour when the original production is still playing at Manhattan’s Gershwin Theatre. (Other productions are currently in Los Angeles, Chicago and London.)
The answer is a resounding yes.
For a road road production, it displays a rare look of luxury and permanence, and the lead roles are sung and played by two excellent performers, Victoria Matlock and Christina DeCicco, who even surpass the original cast in some ways.
A large dragon extends its neck from the proscenium arch and over the orchestra pit on a level with the Family Circle boxes. The stage is full of razzmatazz effects that closely resemble New York’s, and the Academy’s lift mechanism works smoothly to launch Elphaba into her broomstick ride at the end of Act I. Visually, this Wicked far outclasses what one normally sees outside of Manhattan.
A wicked witch we can identify with
Elphaba, the green lady who’s shunned because she doesn’t conform to society’s norms, is played superbly by Matlock. She has great vocal projection and perfect enunciation, as well as an endearing personality. While the original, Idena Mezel, stressed her character’s edginess, presaging her transformation into the Wicked Witch of the West, Matlock seems wholesome and thus causes us to identify with her and root for her. In this interpretation it’s easy to understand why so many young women see Elphaba as a role model.
DeCicco is the ditzy, cheerleading blonde Glinda who evokes comparison with that role’s originator, Kristin Chenoweth. While no one can match Chenoweth’s flashing eyes and dazzling smile nor her deft handling of the grace notes in her song, "Popular," DeCicco possesses a warmer voice with smoothness from top notes down into her chest register. She’s not excessively smooth, though, and retains the bitchy quality that the part needs.
Philadelphia audiences have already seen DeCicco at the Walnut as the female lead in Beauty and the Beast and West Side Story– with her natural brunette hair– so the quality of her voice is no surprise. But DeCicco’s comic persona is. She nicely manages Glinda’s transition from self-centered ambition to a mensch who cares for Elphaba.
A few cuts, for better and worse
Barbara Tirrell plays Madama Morrible strongly, and it’s a shame that some of her character’s words and music have been trimmed. Other excisions have been made in the script since 2003 and they clarify the plot. Cliffton Hall is a sympathetic Fiyero with a good tenor voice, but P J Benjamin brings scant personality to the Wizard, created so charmingly by Joel Grey in the Broadway original.
DeeDee Magno Hall, whom I loved when she played opposite her real-life husband, Cliffton, in Miss Saigon, is a surprisingly tepid NessaRose. True, it’s a small role that doesn’t appear in the original Wizard of Oz film at all. But the character of Elphaba’s crippled sister made much more of an impression on me when I saw the show on Broadway in 2003.
Stephen Schwartz’s comeback
Winnie Holzman is responsible for the neat adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s clever novel, which imagines the "untold story" of conformity and oppression that includes leaders who demonize outsiders in order to rally a nation behind their agenda. Thankfully, this analogy is drawn with wit and not a heavy hand.
Stephen Schwartz’s words and music are catchy, and it’s a thrill to see this return to popularity of the man who wrote Pippin and Godspell three decades ago. He never lost his talent, but Schwartz went through many years without the commercial success of his early hits. I remember him singing and playing his songs on an upright piano for a small gathering in a restaurant across the street from the Ritz Theater in Oaklyn, N.J. in 2001. I wonder if he had any idea then that his greatest success was still ahead.
To read a response, click here.
To read Steve Cohen's review of the 2013 production, click here.
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