Wicked (The SOB Review) - Helsingin Kaupungin Teatteri, Helsinki, Finland
***1/2 (out of ****)
For the third time, Stephen Schwartz's musical Wicked is being produced in a language other than English.
Yet the show now playing at the Helsingin Kaupungin Teatteri (Helsinki City Theatre) is the first "non-replicated" production ever of the tuner, meaning that Wicked isn't using the original Broadway staging. Instead, it's been conceived with new creative designs that lends an incredibly fresh perspective to this already classic work, thanks to Hans Berndtsson's inventive direction.
While the Finns -- or for that matter the rest of the world -- may not know "The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz" quite the way Americans do (we've practically been weaned on the movie since birth), almost nothing is lost in translation in Berndtsson's reimagined Wicked.
In fact, his vision hews this incarnation much closer to the 1939 film, complete with a dazzling double for Dorothy (Hanna Mönkäre) -- the first time this character has been seen on stage in Wicked. The girl in the blue gingham dress drops in at appropriate times throughout the performance including the climax, which proves to be eminently more satisfying than the Broadway original. This Wicked better complements the film than the original mounting, which in retrospect left some sizeable gaps between it and its forebear.
Given Finland's close proximity to the fomer Soviet Union (Helsinki is less than 200 miles away from the Russian border), perhaps it's no surprise that the sinister Wizard (Eero Saarinen) is drawn with Soviet-style shadings as he attempts to tamp down the peasants by giving them a new enemy in Elphaba (Maria Ylipää). I couldn't help but think Saarinen's Wizard as a perfect doppelgänger for Alec Baldwin aping Joseph Stalin. Berndttson's choices here, along with further nuance for the once-speaking animals subtly blended in throughout the show, prove chillingly effective.
Less so is the director's conception of Oz, where he seems to have attempted to insert more pages from Gregory Maguire's much more graphic and decidedly more adult book. Oz apparently has a seedy underbelly, complete with what appears to be a leather disco where Elphaba and Glinda (Anna-Maija Tuokko) celebrate their "One Fine Day" ("Päivän Vain") in the Emerald City. More bizarre is a series of bubbles that come alive with scantily clad dancers during "Loistavaa" ("Wonderful") as the Wizard is trying to woo Elphaba back into his fold. Are these the same bubbles that the Wizard has created for Glinda to come and gone by?
However, Wicked is ultimately about "The Wizard Of Oz" backstory of how two very different women find friendship and empowerment. In this regard, Berndttson's vision doesn't disappoint and in fact excels. Tuokko is as giddy and gorgeous as any Glinda I've seen, and her comic timing and agile voice couldn't be better. Ylipää effortlessly wins our hearts as the misunderstood green girl. Both Ylipää's Elphaba and Tuokko's Glinda soar, whether by bubble or broom, to breathtaking heights by putting their own indelible stamps on these roles and making them their own.
Overall, this Wicked is fresh, exciting, absolutely wonderful and full of aahs. For me, it was most definitely worth the trip.
Click here to view the offical program. Currently, this production of Wicked is selling tickets through December 31, 2010.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations that unfairly discriminate against bloggers, who are now required by law to disclose when they have received anything of value they might write about, please note that I have received nothing of value in exchange for this post.Labels: Anna-Maija Tuokko, Eero Saarninen, Finland, Gregory Maguire, Hanna Mönkäre, Hans Berndtsson, Maria Ylipää, Non-replicated, Stephen Schwartz, The SOB Review, Wicked
Wicked At FiveIn case you haven't already noticed, either by virtue of the
Empire State Building glowing in green or my posts from the past couple of days, the Broadway musical
Wicked is celebrating its
fifth anniversary of its Great White Way opening this evening.
Just a month or two into our relationship,
The Love of My Life and I first saw
Wicked together on the afternoon of November 1, 2003. Some couples have their song. We have our musical.
It springs not just from sitting back, relaxing and enjoying the actual performances
Wicked offers, but it's also derived from our innate love for the original "
Wizard Of Oz" film. After all, we were practically weaned on it as our families gathered around the television sets each year for what amounted to "event" TV way back when.
But cementing our affection for the tuner is
Wicked's inspired twisting inside out of that original tale we thought we already knew backwards and forwards. Together, for the first time, we felt a little wicked in sharing an experience we both heartily enjoyed.
Since we first saw and loved the production from our fifth row center seats a mere two days after it initially opened, we've seen the show enough times that I've honestly lost count. Not only have we been back to the
Gershwin Theatre at least another four times to see the likes of Elphaba and Glinda, but I've also been back there for the
Behind the Emerald Curtain Tour and Monday's night's
The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken benefit performance.
Oh yes, and then there were the performances in Chicago. Not only did we take in the
original touring production when it first landed at the Windy City's Oriental Theatre, but we returned to the subsequent
sitdown production there over and over and over and over again while living there (and even after we moved away). We even had several opportunities there to see our future friend and Tony winner
Rondi Reed perform as Madame Morrible.
Post Chicago, we also took in the touring cast in Minneapolis before venturing overseas to each of the international productions in
London (April 2007),
Stuttgart (November 2007),
Tokyo (December 2007) and
Melbourne (July 2008), and you can bet that we're looking forward to seeing more of the world after this show opens elsewhere. Anyone want to meet us in Amsterdam next?
Just as
The Love of My Life and I celebrate our five years together, the two of us are celebrating
Gregory Maguire for providing the decidedly different, more adult take on Elphaba and Glinda in the first place through his original novel "
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West." We celebrate
Stephen Schwartz and
Winnie Holzman for transforming that story into a family musical via their original score and book. We celebrate producers
Marc Platt,
Universal Pictures,
The Araca Group,
Jon B. Platt and
David Stone for having the vision necessary to bring the show to reality. Last, but certainly not least, we celebrate the countless Elphabas, Glindas, Fiyeros, Madame Morribles, Boqs, Nessaroses, Wizards and Doctor Dillamonds who have brought this story to life around the world.
We salute and celebrate all of you. Here's to another
Wicked five years!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Anniversary, Broadway, David Stone, Gregory Maguire, Jon B. Platt, London, Marc Platt, Melbourne, Stephen Schwartz, Stuttgart, Tokyo, Touring Production, Wicked, Winnie Holtzman
The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken (The SOB Overview)George Gershwin Theatre, New York, NYAs the celebration for the fifth anniversary of Broadway's
Wicked continues, Monday night treated fans of the musical to a benefit reading of the tuner's very first draft. Cleverly entitled
The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken, the evening served as a fundraiser for the
New York Restoration Project.
As entertaining as the evening was -- particularly with previous Elphabas (
Stephanie J. Block and
Shoshana Bean) and Glindas (
Jennifer Laura Thompson and
Kate Reinders) mixing it up with the likes of wannabe Madame Morribles (
Joy Behar), Boqs (
Mark Indelicato), Wizards (
George Wendt) and Fiyeros (
Daniel Reichard and
Matthew Settle) -- it was clear to any
Wicked fan that when all was said and done,
Stephen Schwartz and
Winnie Holzman, who composed the score and wrote the book, respectively, made the right decisions on what to excise and what to keep.
Although not everyone was in finest of voice, Block and Thompson proved yet again why they were such naturals for their roles -- and remember, Block tackled the role of Elphaba in early readings prior to
Idina Menzel taking over the role for the show's Broadway debut.
There were plenty of ad-libbed moments, ranging from comments on how it was painfully obvious why something had long since been altered to the political.
Mario Cantone compared the
old goat that is
Wicked's Dr. Dillamond to John McCain, while Behar, in delivering Madame Morrible's screed on Elphaba, threw in a reference to Sarah Palin by adding, "this witch, this
hockey mom." Another ad lib came from Wendt. When he hit the stage, one woman in the audience found it necessary to shout, "Norm!" to which he responded by simply saying, "Edna!" -- alluding to his current gig in Broadway's
Hairspray.
If there was one major highlight, it came from a surprising source -- Mario Cantone. Known in part for his impersonations of both
Judy Garland and
Liza Minnelli, the actor singlehandedly stole the show when he came out to pinch hit for Glinda midway through the performance. In a little
tête-à-tête with Block, who made her Broadway debut as Minnelli in
The Boy From Oz, Cantone momentarily dished Lizaesque before launching into his own hilarious rendition of "Popular." He was, in a word, priceless.
The evening also offered the adoring crowd an opportunity to salute Schwartz and Holtzman, who took to the stage at the reading's close. Holtzman graciously deflected the applause toward "
Wicked" author
Gregory Maguire, while Schwartz offered that he's looking forward to celebrating
Wicked's success yet again in another five years.
I hope to be there to cheer them on yet again.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Anniversary, Benefit, Broadway, Gregory Maguire, Mario Cantone, New York Restoration Project, Stephanie J. Block, Stephen Schwartz, The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken, Wicked, Winnie Holtzman
Winnipeg's Lucrezia Borgia At The FringeRegular readers will recall that over the Memorial Day holiday, I traveled to Winnipeg where I took in a reading for a promising new musical by
Joseph Aragon called
Lucrezia Borgia. At the time, it was still under development.
Since
I promised to chart its progress, I wanted you to know that the work apparently is complete and ready to roll
in toto at the
2007 Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival.
Directed by Jeffrey Kohut and Carson Nattrass,
Lucrezia Borgia will be presented nightly at 7:00 p.m. Winnipeg's Gas Station Theatre, July 18-28 (except for July 23). Tickets are just $8 Canadian.
Lucrezia Borgia is described as:
[A]n original musical that presents a new perspective on the legendary daughter of Pope Alexander VI and her bloody legacy. The Lucrezia of legend has been the subject of countless novels, plays, films and operas -– but was she really the heinous monster history has painted her to be? Historical fact brings to light a different Lucrezia Borgia -– a proud, passionate woman who sought beauty in an ugly world.
This musical explores a side of Lucrezia Borgia history has chosen to ignore – one that focuses on her strength, compassion and vitality for life, as well as her constant struggle between the desire to follow her own heart, and her loyalty to her family and the Borgia name.
Andrea Houssin, who winningly created the role of Lucrezia at the
Carol Shields Festival of New Works, will reprise her turn in the complete production.
Since I won't be able to make a return visit to Winnipeg, I invite those who see the performance to comment on the production.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for Fringe Festival tickets.Related Stories:Lucrezia Borgia (The SOB Overview) (May 30, 2007)
Flitting Around Square Winnipeg (May 25, 2007)
Labels: Canada, Carol Shields Festival of New Works, Gregory Maguire, Joseph Aragon, Lucrezia Borgia, Musical, Reading, Winnipeg
Lucrezia Borgia (The SOB Overview) - Prairie Theatre Exchange, Winnipeg, Manitoba, CanadaLast weekend, I journeyed to beautiful Winnipeg where I took in a reading of
Joseph Aragon's
Lucrezia Borgia -- a budding new musical that's only partially complete -- during the
Carol Shields Festival of New Works. Since the festival itself was billed as a showcase for "staged readings of new plays and works in progress," it would hardly be fair to judge what I saw with a formal review.
But I can tell you that this promising original musical offers intrigue aplenty. While only six full tunes have been completed, it offers a new twist on the original "
material girl," who reputedly participated in murders carried out by her father (Pope Alexander XI) and brother (Cesare) and possibly engaged in incest with both of them.
The tuner is described as an exploration of "a side of her that history has chosen to ignore -- one that focuses on her strength, compassion and vitality for life, as well as her constant struggle between the desire to follow her own heart, and her loyalty to her family and the Borgia name."
If the misunderstood nature of Lucrezia Borgia sounds a bit like
Wicked, then perhaps it's no surprise that author
Gregory Maguire used Lucrezia for his inside-out "
Mirror Mirror," which reimagined the tale of Snow White in Renaissance Italy; however, Lucrezia became the personification of the wicked stepmother. In
Lucrezia Borgia, Aragon strives to make Lucrezia a sympathetic, mournful character, despite the fact she has indeed committed murder to preserve her family's prestige, privilege and reign.
While Andrea Houssin's characterization of Lucrezia as a tortured soul feels genuine, Aragon still has plenty of work to do to make this piece flow, particularly in winnowing down the number of paths he wants to pursue. One of the more intriguing elements of the entire work is that far from infallible, its pope is malevolent, corrupt and greedy and certainly didn't practice what he preached -- the allegory to contemporary religion could easily be amplified.
Having been impressed by several key elements of the reading, including the opening number and an entertaining tune centered on a Spanish cow, I'll certainly be tracking this work as it nears completion.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Flitting Around Square Winnipeg (May 25, 2007)
Labels: Canada, Carol Shields Festival of New Works, Gregory Maguire, Joseph Aragon, Lucrezia Borgia, Musical, Reading, Wicked, Winnipeg
