SOB's Favorite Shows Of The Noughties: #9 - Wicked (2003, George Gershwin Theatre, New York City, NY/2005, Oriental Theatre, Chicago, IL/2006, Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, MN/2007, Apollo Victoria Theatre, London, United Kingdom/2007, Palladium Theater, Stuttgart, Germany/2007, Shiki Theatre, Tokyo, Japan/2008, Regent Theatre, Melbourne, Australia/2009, Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco, CA/2009, Civic Center Main Stage, Des Moines, IA)
Introduction: Hard as it is to comprehend that we're already 119 months into this "new" millennium, we are fast approaching the end of its first decade. While we have yet to agree on what exactly we should call the '00s, I'll take a cue from the fine folks at The Times of London and the BBC and henceforth refer to them at the Noughties. With that small introduction, I'm pleased to present my list of plays and musicals that wowed me the most during that time. Out of the hundreds and hundreds of shows I've seen over the last ten years, I give you my countdown of my 25 personal favorite shows of the Noughties. Perhaps it's appropriate that the musical I've seen in nine different venues on four different continents would blow in at number nine on my favorites list.
Wicked may not have scored big with critics, but it certainly did with my Love Of My Life (LOML) and me. And those witches? Well, they're cackling all the way to the bank.
Seeing
Idina Menzel and
Kristin Chenoweth as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, just two days after
Wicked opened, my LOML and I were both positively charmed by the story that took the beloved classic “
The Wizard Of Oz” and cleverly spun it on its head. While we were completely mesmerized by Chenoweth in such numbers as “Popular” and Menzel in “Defying Gravity,” we have also been wowed by countless other leading ladies taking on these now iconic roles, even they were performing in other languages like German and Japanese.
It's no wonder this captivating show continues to soar with productions spanning the globe. In fact, it's such an audience favorite that
Wicked is now the
twentieth longest running show in Broadway history. Congratulotions, indeed!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
In keeping with the new 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. I paid my own way for this performance.
Labels: Broadway, Idina Menzel, Kristen Chenoweth, London, Melbourne, Musical, SOB's Favorite Shows Of The Noughties, Stuttgart, Tokyo, Wicked
Rent's Nederlander Lease Expires In About 197,946 MinutesOne of Broadway's longest running tenants is set to close June 1. Just 5,012 performances into its award-winning run,
Jonathan Larson's
Rent will vacate Broadway's
Nederlander Theatre.
Based in part on
Giacomo Puccini's classic
La Bohème,
Rent captured a moment in the Big Apple '90s when there was little hope for those told they had HIV. Fortunately, those times have changed dramatically, but it has turned the once rebellious little production into more of a dated old relic that's barely taking in an audience capacity of 50%. Last week, the show was filled to 54.5% capacity with the average seat costing just $51.48.
Still, this show not only served as a wonderful springboard for such talents as
Idina Menzel,
Taye Diggs,
Adam Pascal and
Daphne Rubin-Vega, but it managed to touch my heart when I first saw it back in 1996 --
Rent was the first piece of live theatre to bring tears to my eyes. The Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning work had that kind of power and presence back in the day.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Adam Pascal, Broadway, Closing Notices, Idina Menzel, La Boheme, Musical, Rent, Taye Diggs
