With just two weeks to go we decided to take SIL for her birthday. Isn't it nice to have the excuse of other people's birthdays to do things you want!! We went yesterday, Saturday 21st June to the matinee. With help during paired reading from musical obsessed Mr B at school who has seen Wicked about 50 times, we bought 4 tickets. Two were cheap side view seats and 2 were 6 seats along with good view. As luck would have it, it wasn't full. John and I were able to move over one seat at the beginning and then we were able to move next to family for the second half.
It was fun going into the green tinged Apollo Victoria and I resisted all mentions of Starlight when we were actually there. Even the fact that there were bars areas at the back of the stalls where I imagine the 'tracks' were. I wonder if they took seats out for the tracks and never put them back so put the bars instead? ... Just had a long diversion to wikipedia and very excited to discover that there is still a permanent production in Germany. Think I may be making my first visit to Germany :-)
I
was excited by the setting over the proscenium arch, is that what it's
called? Lord of the Rings and Matilda are my favourite sets growing
into the auditorium, but I liked that there was a dragon at the top who
was all mechanical and scrap metal-y. I was even more excited when the
dragon started to move! I had seen two men at the top of the stage
sidings who were who were holding big spotlights. And I had only been
wondering recently if there were any people left who held and moved
lights now, or if they were all computerised and I had lamentably
decided they would be all computerised now so it was a very pleasant
surprise that these men were here! And then I saw the man on the left,
our side, step away from his light to nearer the front of his little
stage towards some ropes and he pulled them and that moved the dragon!!!The musical was really good! I had listened to the soundtrack a bit in the run up to going and I had got John to retell the Wizard of Oz as I wanted him to spot all the connections. I remember the tin man bit being so shocking the first time I saw it. So 'WOAH' and 'AHAAAA'. I was all ready for it this time and it was weird how he was wheeled behind the wardrobe when watching for it. There were many connections that I hadn't spotted last time. Like the witch who was good with weather and caused the hurricane.
Defying Gravity lived up to its billing and was really powerful. What a way to end the first half. Loved her flying, very effective. And the music really filled my chest. Am sure there is a better description than that, but that's the closest I can come up with now. That's how a judge a powerful and moving song/number. It sure had it.
There were tears at the end of the second half, 'changed for good'. What a situation for the two girls to end up in. I don't fully know what I think of the moral of the storyline. It sure is a tricksy one.
After wards we came out and realised we were near the stage door so lurked for a little. We realised we wouldn't recognise Elphaba when she wasn't green! We did see Nessa, Fiero and Boc. And the Wizard.
Super time had by all, even John who didn't think he was going to like it. Afterwards we discussed where we thought it ranked for each of us and I said top 10 and was then challenged to do my top 10 and I came up with 9 so think it may well be time to list them!
