Drew Goes to the Theatre
So about a week ago Wednesday, a friend tells me she's gonna go down to the Pantageas to go see a musical with some friends. Do I want to join?
The only reason I didn't answer immediately was because I wanted to make sure I could go. I did and I could, so a week ago yesterday, I went to see Wicked.
I wrote about Rent and musicals in general some time last year (linky & linkerton) and as most of you could have guessed before I saw Rent, I hated the living bejesus out of it. Man was that a horrible piece of tripe!
I mean, GEEZ!
So anyway, I saw Wicked....
I mean GEEZ!
Was that a great show or what??
I mentioned last year that the premise was novel, and that was enough to get me interested. But the way they pull that off... frikin' brilliant !! Whoever came up with that one (and I'm too lazy to check) shoulda helped George Lucas with the prequels. How she goes from simple green girl to public enemy #1 is not only compelling and completely understandable, but also very much in keeping with her character.
Meanwhile, the whole thing's funny as hell (inasmuch as hell is funny). To quote Monica "Joke, joke, joke-joke-joke!" Witty, quick, smart and laced with any number of inside jokes from the Wizard of Oz, this coulda been Sorkin! Right up my alley (inasmuch as I have an alley).
And then the actors were amazing. It's a stage show and a musical, so there's gotta be a degree of ham in there, right? Okay? Accepted? Just a touch of overacting to get the point across?
Wrong. Expressive while being intimate, everyone gives a detailed and convincing performance without strutting around like a blowhard. Obviously the performance was better for it, letting you sink into moments instead of being pushed into them. And it was nice to see Carol Kane!
"But Drew, what about the singing? You hate singing!"
You're right. I do. Kinda.
I hate singing out of context. 40 people in a restaurant breaking into song about their bohemian lifestyles? Please.
But 2 kids breaking into song about their prospects and friendship in a land of witches, wizards and munchkins? One of the characters is a talking goat! If you're suspending disbelief this far....
Plus, the songs are nowhere near as pretentious or out of place. They fit within the structure of the surroundings and they work very well in that context. Add to that the fact that these actors were nailing them melodies like hammers and it all just added up.
So if ya get the chance. I think you should go see it.
The only reason I didn't answer immediately was because I wanted to make sure I could go. I did and I could, so a week ago yesterday, I went to see Wicked.
I wrote about Rent and musicals in general some time last year (linky & linkerton) and as most of you could have guessed before I saw Rent, I hated the living bejesus out of it. Man was that a horrible piece of tripe!
I mean, GEEZ!
So anyway, I saw Wicked....
I mean GEEZ!
Was that a great show or what??
I mentioned last year that the premise was novel, and that was enough to get me interested. But the way they pull that off... frikin' brilliant !! Whoever came up with that one (and I'm too lazy to check) shoulda helped George Lucas with the prequels. How she goes from simple green girl to public enemy #1 is not only compelling and completely understandable, but also very much in keeping with her character.
Meanwhile, the whole thing's funny as hell (inasmuch as hell is funny). To quote Monica "Joke, joke, joke-joke-joke!" Witty, quick, smart and laced with any number of inside jokes from the Wizard of Oz, this coulda been Sorkin! Right up my alley (inasmuch as I have an alley).
And then the actors were amazing. It's a stage show and a musical, so there's gotta be a degree of ham in there, right? Okay? Accepted? Just a touch of overacting to get the point across?
Wrong. Expressive while being intimate, everyone gives a detailed and convincing performance without strutting around like a blowhard. Obviously the performance was better for it, letting you sink into moments instead of being pushed into them. And it was nice to see Carol Kane!
"But Drew, what about the singing? You hate singing!"
You're right. I do. Kinda.
I hate singing out of context. 40 people in a restaurant breaking into song about their bohemian lifestyles? Please.
But 2 kids breaking into song about their prospects and friendship in a land of witches, wizards and munchkins? One of the characters is a talking goat! If you're suspending disbelief this far....
Plus, the songs are nowhere near as pretentious or out of place. They fit within the structure of the surroundings and they work very well in that context. Add to that the fact that these actors were nailing them melodies like hammers and it all just added up.
So if ya get the chance. I think you should go see it.
posted by Drewby at
1:30 PM
4 Comments:
Wow - I'm shocked. I'll tell you about Avenue Q after I see it in a few weeks. It's also not your average musical - puppets and people sing inappropriate songs. I mean, one of the song titles is "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist"!
Yeah, I wanna see that one too.
Foul-mouthed Elmo?
"Tickle me you dumb motherf***er!"
I've been seeing ads for Avenue Q all over Bart. I'll check out Wicked when it comes to town. It must be great if it's better than Rent. ;)
I loved the book so I'm really looking forward to seeing the musical on my birthday. :-)
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