Posted by: Adam
Posted on: Thursday, July 13 2006
Wicked finally makes its way up north to Minnesota. Wicked will be playing in the Orpheum Theater until July 22.
| "We always thought it would be successful, but no one can predict this kind of success," |
The hottest ticket on the touring Broadway circuit was not even supposed to be on stage. "Wicked ," the sold-out musical that has scalpers salivating for the engagement that begins Wednesday at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, was being groomed as a big-screen feature produced by Universal Pictures.
Universal owned the film rights to Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel, "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West." In the book, which deconstructed "The Wizard of Oz," Maguire reimagined the relationship between Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and her opposite, the Good Witch Glinda. We see them as teenagers, with Elphaba as the emerald-hued outcast and Glinda the pretty and popular one. As young adults at college, they room together.
Producer Marc Platt, then president of Universal, intended to develop a feature film. Cinema is what he knows best, having once served as president of Orion and TriStar studios and having guided to the screen such films as "The Silence of the Lambs,"Sleepless in Seattle,"Philadelphia,"My Best Friend's Wedding" and "Jerry Maguire."
"I had a couple of screenplays commissioned, but there were shortcomings to all of them," Platt said by phone last week from Hollywood.
"The story that I was trying to get at, about these two girls and how they're similar and different, seemed to require a lot of inner dialogue, which is very uncinematic. But in a stage musical, you can turn to your audience and sing to them exactly what you're feeling."
By coincidence, Platt got a call from composer Stephen Schwartz, whose Broadway credits include "Godspell" and "Pippin." Schwartz wanted to talk about doing "Wicked" on Broadway.
"Before he finished the three syllables in musical, a bell went off in my head," said Platt. "I knew that that's exactly what this world needs to be magical -- it needs to be a musical."
Platt convinced Universal that if you could do the musical, it would be a better thing on which to base a movie -- and not the famous 1939 MGM movie, to which Universal had no rights. Platt and Schwartz then set about putting together a theatrical A-team, including director Joe Mantello ("Take Me Out"). The show premiered in San Francisco in May 2003.
When it bowed on Broadway in October 2003, New York's critical gatekeepers met it with furrowed brows. Even the outlying critics felt mixed. "Though a masterly piece of Broadway stagecraft, this adult vision of Oz gradually sinks," wrote Malcolm Johnson in the Hartford (Conn.) Courant.
Eight months later, Tony Award voters picked the puppet musical "Avenue Q" for best musical over "Wicked," which won what some considered consolation Tonys -- best actress for Idina Menzel, and awards for scenic and costume design.
No matter -- the witches could shriek with delight. "Wicked" has become a runaway Broadway phenomenon, with the highest grosses of any show for the past two years. It is also a powerhouse on the road. A sit-down run in Chicago just passed the one-year anniversary. A new "Wicked" production starring Menzel is slated to open in London in September.
"Not winning the Tony was probably a good thing," said David Stone, another "Wicked" producer. "It made us work harder to get the word out."
And now that the word is out and demand is so high, what does he have to say to frustrated Twin Cities fans unable to scare up a ticket? Another tour production is likely to come through. "We booked this tour long before we knew what we had," said Stone.
Platt echoed that sentiment. "We always thought it would be successful, but no one can predict this kind of success," he said.
"Wicked" attracts theatergoers from a wide demographic. "In the film business, we call it 8-to-80," said Platt, who grew up in Baltimore.
"When I was a kid, we used to gather 'round the TV and watch 'The Wizard of Oz' every year. That's what has happened with 'Wicked.' Girls are certainly rabid fans -- they're very vocal, they come in packs, they come more than once and they certainly buy a lot of merchandise -- but the demographics are very broad."
"Wicked" may end up on the big screen "eventually, but it's not something we're rushing into," said Platt. "The musical's popularity is still ascending. Sometimes a film could help or hurt that -- who knows? As this musical continues to branch into the culture, as it has, it needs its space and time."
http://www.startribune.com/1555/story/536924.html
Wicked Heads to Minneapolis, posted by Adam on Thursday, July 13 2006 at 01:09:53
Wicked Summer, posted by Aundie on Tuesday, July 11 2006 at 01:12:27
Chicago Wicked Celebrates One Year Anniversary, posted by SuperGirl6 on Thursday, June 15 2006 at 11:31:27
Shoshana Returns to Wicked, posted by Adam on Wednesday, June 14 2006 at 14:05:48
Shoshana and Megan together!, posted by Adam on Wednesday, June 14 2006 at 13:28:52
|
