Okay. Before I say anything I'm going to warn you. This is going to be ridiculously long. So go pee, get a snack, feed the dog, go do EVERYTHING you need to do now. You were warned.


So, the majority of you know that I had the opportunity to do a workshop with Wicked and StudentsLive, and I was chosen to read my essay onstage and participate in a gameshow. If you didn't know that, where the hell have you been? So I had to get to the Gershwin by 7:30am. So I got there at like, 7:15, after having "breakfast" down in the little foodcourt place at the Hampton Inn, where we stayed. And when I say breakfast, I mean a banana (the fruit) and a glass of apple juice. I seriously could not eat. I thought I was going to throw up. So my mom and I got there around 7:15, so I was the first one there. And for the record, one of the pictures outside the theatre is Annaleigh's bubble picture with Alli's face on it. I was like, "Uhm. Wtf?" So all the presenters got there, and they lined us up in order of our presentations. I was numero five. And four was this fifth-grade girl named Kate, who had legit SO much energy and was really obnoxious. I almost slapped her a couple of times. We were let into the theatre first, so we the ten of us and the four StudentsLive people were all just sitting in the theatre watching the tech stuff. It was SO cool. So the other people were let in, and the workshop started! YIPPEE! The first part was just random peppy-talking from this man and woman. And they talked about Girl Scouts and Wicked, and what was going to happen in the workshop. Then this overly-peppy girl comes out and made us do this really ridiculous dancething to DTL as a warm-up. And then it was time for the gameshow. The brought out the host, who was the "Wizard" when in all reality it was the man from the peppy-talk at the beginging. And then the brought out the judges, "Elphaba", "Madame Morrible," and "Glinda," who was the woman from the peppy beginging talk. Then they called up the contestants. And I was like, "Oh holy crap." So we got up onstage via a staircase that was placed in the right aisle, so we came up where Elphaba stands at the beginging of WITF. They had ten chairs for us to sit, and since I was five, I was right smack in the middle. Guys, it was seriously so amazing to be up on that stage. It was great. So then we started the gameshow. The first section was the one that I competed in. "Boq" gave you a sentence, and you had to finish it with what you think either Elphaba or Glinda would do, and then your section of the audience would either "float in their bubbles" if they thought you were thinking of Glinda, or "defy gravity" if they thought it was Elphaba. And if you were smart, like me, you just made something up and said that the audience was right so that you got your full five points. For example, mine was "You find out that there is a very low blood supply for victims of Katrina. You..." and then you had 30 seconds to think of something. And in that 30 seconds, the audience and people onstage sang different songs from Wicked. I was pretty content while I was sitting down singing, but then when I was at the mic, the song was Defying Gravity, and I was like, "Yeah, that would happen to me, that they sing DG while I'm standing in front of a microphone." It took all of my will power not to sing. And then I said I would go give blood. And then I got five points. Then the second part of the gameshow, for people 6-10, was you picked one of the three judges to give you clues to guess a word. It was like Wicked Catchphrase. You got a point for each word you guessed. After that, we did the presentations. You got a score from each of the judges. "Morrible" was being mean and giving like, everyone no more than a 2. But then it came to me and she gave me a 5. So I got a 5 from her, and 10's from "Elphaba and Glinda". I had the highest score. I was like, . So then we all went and sat down. The next part was Lindsay Janisse and Jonathan Warren, the dance captains, came out and taught us the Wizomania dance. I was pretty dang good at it, if I do say so myself. Then some lawyer lady Lis Whier came out and gave us a speech, which was yawn worthy. AND THEN. Lawyer-lady went away, and they brought out Susan Hilferty. I spazzed so much. The two main dresses were onstage (Elphaba Act II and Glinda Bubble) and she talked about what went into the different coustumes, and how they were made, and what she was thinking when she designed the costumes, and all of that. The one thing I thought was most interesting about what she said was that she tried to make it so that Elphaba is always the darkest character onstage, and Glinda is always the lightest. Which I then noticed, is totally true. She seems like a really nice woman. And then they brought out Stephen Oremus, one of the set designers whose name I cannot currently recall, and Jonathan and Lindsay for a Q&A. I would've asked something, except I couldn't think of anything good to ask. So then the man and woman from the begining to announce the winner of the Master of Goodness degree. AND IT WAS ME. So I get up, and walk down the aisle, all alone, and walk up onstage. And "Elphaba" and "Madame Morrible" were there, saying, "Congratulations!" And "Morrible" turns to me and says "Now, we'll be singing For Good. Do you know that one?" And I was like, "Uhm, yes." and she said, "Very good. We'll be starting from 'Like a comet pulled from orbit.' Is that alright?" And I said, "Yep." So there I was, standing onstage at the Gershwin, between a fake Madame Morrible and a fake Elphaba, with Stephen Oremus, Susan Hilferty, Jonathan Warren, Lindsay Janisse, and that set guy all grinning at me, singing For Good. I started crying. Seriously. "Elphaba" was standing there beside me with her arm around me. It was fantastic. And I got a certificate too. I'll post a picture of it at some point. Maybe. So then I got offstage, and walked back to my seat to get my stuff and meet my mom, and they said to just bring the certificate to the SD after the show to go backstage. And so I met my mom, and left after being congratulated by everyone within earshot, and ran to hug everyone else there from my troop. So then we went to lunch at the Cosmic Diner down the street, where my burger was a hockey puck, but the fries were delicious. And I was congratulated once again by the table in back of us, who were apparently also Girl Scouts. So then we went back to the hotel to pee, drop off some random crap, walked around Times Square, and headed back to the theatre.
REVIEW TIME, KIDS!
Full cast. I love when the only slip falling from my Playbill is a joining the cast slip. Our seats were orchestra row Q, which were REALLY good. We had the aisle in front of us, which was nice if you're like me and have ridiculously long legs. I also bought the I Heart Oz shirt, and my mom bought me the Green For Good tote bag.
NOMTW: The first six notes always scare the crap out of me and then make me cry. I am such a sap. But the ensemble was fantastic. Alli came down in her bubble. No entrance applause. I thought that she was pretty funny, and her soprano was gorgeous. Slight blooper here though. Aaron pulled off Katie's corset and moved away a little too soon, so you could clearly see the pregnant belly before the scream. Nothing big though.
DOS: Oh my god, I was so excited for Nicole. She ran out, and my mom and I started the entrance applause. I love that she sings with them. It's really cute. Alli was right on time with her change. Very impressive. Nicole is a fantastic acress. Her big speech at the begining was really great, and you could tell that she's a comic actress. Her line delivery was flawless, and overall amazing.
TWAI: All though Jayne's tidbit at the begining, I was thinking "Oh my god, Nicole, please be amazing. PLEASE be amazing." AND SHE WAS MORE THAN AMAZING. She really didn't do any riffs, which I really liked. Her looks reminded me a lot of Kerry. Her ending belt note was REALLY strong and clear, and she let out her vibrato, and it kicked butt.
WITF: Alli and Nicole have really, really nice chemistry. Nicole's "Blonde." had perfect timing, and a really great delivery. I have to say though, that I was not a big fan of Alli's Galinda. She played it very Valley Girl, and it kind of got annoying after a while. Nicole was FANTASTIC again here. Her "Your voice." was SO funny, and I died laughing when she was mimiking Glinda raising her hand. It was great.
SB: Timothy, I thought, was a really good Dillamond. I really enjoyed him. Nicole is fantastic. Get used to me saying that. Nothing else to say here.
DTL: Aaron Tveit. I am going to marry you. He and Nicole had GREAT chemistry from the start. Nicole really looked ticked at him. And I will say that Aaron looked VERY nice in the pants. And I love the little handshake thing that Fiyero and Avaric do. It's really cute. Aaron is, by far, the BEST Fiyero I've seen. His dancing, singing, and acting were all spot-on, and he is freaking hot. Anyways. I really liked Brynn in terms of performance, but her bangs really bothered me. I just don't think that they fit the character. Alex was SOCUTE. I always just want to give Boq a really big hug. Nicole was good, Alli was fine. I loved when Galinda goes and joins Elphaba dancing. I think it's one of the best moments in the show.
P: Oh my god, Alli Mauzey, you are SO hyper, and I love it. She did this thing where she tried to do a split-ish thing, then fell over, and got up, saying, "It's okay, I'm okay!" It was really funny. The rest was good, Alli did Kendra's "Poof!" except put her own twist on it, which I liked.
INTG: I LOVED Aaron's toss-toss. It was fantastic. Again, his chemistry with Nicole was really nice. Nicole was really good here, and did the whole standing in the rain thing that I love so much. She did however, not get the last note. It seems like it was at the very bottom of her range, and she didn't take a breath big enough to support it, and she wobbled a bit, then lost it. It was okay though, and she recovered quickly.
Train Station: I love this scene. You could tell here, too, that Nicole is a comic actress. She's really good. Brynn was also really good, going after Boq.
OSD: Holy crap, those lights are bright. Nicole and Alli made their quick change right on time, which was impressive. I kept waiting for a flat-head to fall over. It didn't. Sadface. DUDE. HOT AIR BALLOON?! They do not have that on tour. It came down, and I was like, "Uhm, wtf is that?!" And then I figured it out.
SM: PJ! I LOVE PJ! I've seen Wicked three times. And all three times PJ has been the Wizard. I love him. Nothing much to say here.
DG: YES YES YES. YES YES, YES YES. Nicole was SO GOOD. On the second chorus, where she sings, "I'd sooner buy defying gravity..." she went up as she sang gravity, which I LOVED. And when she flew? Oh my good god. The lights, the music, the everything was just like you see in pictures. She looked A LOT like SJB. She didn't do a lot of riffing, again, which I liked. She did do a couple, but not too much. It was good. And her last "Aaaahh!!!" was such a nice, strong belt. LOVE.


INTERMISSION: Sprint to the bathroom. Being on the aisle is really helpful for that one.

TG: I think Alli's Glinda really improved for Act II. She did the Evita pose at the begining, before she started singing, which I enjoyed. I haven't really said much about Jayne, so I guess I'll talk about her. She was good, not fantastic. There was something about her that just bothered me a little bit. I can't for the life of me figure out what it was, though. She was fairly good in this song. Aaron was love, again. He gets Fiyero's emotions through to the audience REALLY well. Alli was really good, she looked truly devastated. AND. She did the Mauzey note at the end. I was spazzing out. I was like, "YES! SHE DID IT!"
TWWOTE: I love this song. It always makes me sad that's its not on the OBCR. It's just so darn pretty! Nicole's entrance was really good. That's got to be one of my favorite stage entrances ever. I just think it's really cool. Like, a random voice, then Elphaba appears in the mirror. I love it. Brynn was very good with the first standing up. She reminded me a bit of DeeDee, looking like a newborn fawn's legs. But then she kind of dropped the shakiness after a few moments. Her voice is really nice. It's got a really pretty tone to it. I liked her. Alex is adorable.
W: PJ!!! I still love PJ. His "And they said "Wonderful!" gets me EVERY time. I love it. I still really miss the Elphaba/Wizard dance. It was a great moment. I cannot understand why they cut it.
INTG®: Alli was really good. Her lower range is really nice. She looked devastated.
ALAYM: Holy crap. Nicole and Aaron have RIDICULOUS amounts of awesome in their chemistry. It was FANTASTIC. I think I could be able to listen to Aaron sing for about five hours straight. I love his voice. And Nicole looked absolutely stunning. She did a little riff towards the end, which I really liked. And her "I feel, wicked." was really great. The "Wicked" was really husky and just all around sounded like she meant it. I also LOVE after Elphaba has ran off, and Fiyero backs up into the vine/net/whatever thing holding the lantern. I LOVE that transition.
Catfight: What a fantastic catfight. Nicole's "Well we can't all come and go by bubble" was spot-on. And oh my god, when Alli slapped her?! The audience seriously went, "Ooooohhhhh...." AND I LOVE NICOLE'S CACKLE. Oh my goodness. It started out really high, and then slid down into like, a belly laugh. It was really original, and I loved it. The audience was great. Alli's wand-twirling was impressive. And Aaron swinging in on the rope got a bunch of laughs.
NGD: Holy crap, Nicole Parker. She was FIERCE. It was absolutely everything No Good Deed should ever be. It was angry, it was sad, it was wicked. And when she was standing at center, with all the smoke and lights coming up at her, she started flinging around her cape. It was so fantastic, I still haven't gotten over it.
MotWH: Meh. I've never really been a big fan of this song. Jayne got scarier.
FG: I love Alli and Nicole together. This song was really pretty. As it always is. Alli legit started crying, which I really loved.
F: Elphaba coming up out of the trapdoor got applause. And it took the rest of the audience to figure out that the Scarecrow was Fiyero. Then they were all like, "WOAH." This number always makes me sad. Partially because it's the end of the show. Also because I always wish that Glinda knew. I love the final moment though, when Fiyero puts the hat on Elphaba's head. I think it's great.
Curtain Call: A theatre full of Girl Scouts. You should have heard the insane amounts of screams when Aaron Tveit came out. I swear to god, it was like all three Jonas Brothers walked onstage. HOWEVER. It was louder when Nicole and Alli came out. I didn't think it was possible for the roar to get louder. I was wrong. The place EXPLODED. Standing ovation, screams, the works. It was nice.
Stagedoor: So, I won the backstage tour, as you know. Just a reminder. That review was long. So I go up to the stagedoor guy, and ask him, and he sends me inside, and then the guy in the booth said no, that he hadn't heard anything so he couldn't let me in. So I came out a little teary. As well I should have. So I told my mom, and my friend Lydia's mom was like, "OH HELL NO." So she went to talk to the House Manager, while the rest of us stood at the SD. So we're standing there, and Aaron and Alex came out. I saw Aaron and all my problems went away. Seriously. He signed, and I got a picture. (all pictures will be on Facebook later.) Then Alex came and signed. And all was well. Then my friend's mom came back and said, "Okay. He said wait here." So then the SD guy came back out and waved me in. So my mom, Lydia, and I went in, and my mom said, "Can we bring in just one more girl?" And the guy said, "I don't know. It said three. Talk to Anthony. He should be right down." So we're all standing inside. And I'm standing there ogling at the cast sign-in sheet, because I'm that kind of person. Then Anthony comes down, and he's like, "Hi! I'm Tony." and my mom says, "Can we bring just one more girl? She's out there standing all alone." and he said, "Oh, yeah, of course! I can't see any reason why not." so my mom went out and got Liz. And she was really excited. So then we're standing there waiting for the elevator. And I'm thinking, "Oh thank GOD Nicole hasn't gone out yet, I'll still get to meet her." Then the elevator door opens. And Nicole Parker is in it. With other people, but still. So I'm standing there, and she's about to walk past me. So I was like, "Hi!" and she looked at me, said "Hi!" back and kept walking. And I was depressed. So I looked at my mom. And I said, "Mommy? Can we pretty please come back after the evening show?" and she said yes. So all was well and good in Kat-World.
BACKSTAGE: So first we went out onstage, and Anthony told us all sorts of spiffy things. Like we got to see the green baby, and I touched Nessa's fancy wheelchair. And then we went onstage, and Anthony said that all the circles onstage were for NGD, and that they're where the smoke and lights come from. And he told us all about the lighting, and sets, and all sorts of awesome things. So then we went into the other wing, and I was approaching the Elphaba entrance closet that I like so much, and the freaking Wizard Head is right next to it, AND IT STARTS MOVING. Apparently Anthony went back to show us how it worked. I jumped like, five feet into the air. Then we went into the hallway, and down into the guy's dressing room, where Anthony showed us his station. And since he introduced himself to us as Tony, I totally did not even realize who he was, until I saw the name on his station. Turns out I had been backstage walking around with Anthony Galde for thirty minutes without even realizing it. I was like, "GAH! I KNOW YOU!" Well, I thought it. He showed us his costumes, and let me try on one of his OSD outfits. It was freakishly heavy. I put it on, and oofed. Like, I made a funny sound. And Michael DeVries (who was sitting there eating his lunch) laughed at me. As did everyone else. But it was awesome. And I got a picture. Then he took us to where all the understudy costumes are (I may or may not have touched Julie Reiber's Act II Elphaba dress. It may have been Chelsea's, though.) and then down into the basement where all the inner workings are. It was SO COOL. Then we went back up, thanked him, and went on our merry way.

SD:
So after three Diet Cokes at Junior's, I was fully prepared to stay up as long as needed in order to meet Nicole Parker. And thank GOD I did. I won't go into much detail, but I met Alli, Jayne, and got a picture with Alli, and Anthony. So then we started the wait for Nicole. We waited. And we waited. And we waited until there was nobody left at the stagedoor. And then around 11:45, someone came out and said, "If you're waiting for Nicole, I think she's coming out the other side." So I ran around to the other side. And sure enough, about a minute after I got there, she came out. She signed my Playbill for me (personalized) and then I was like, "Okay. This is really kinda weird. But would you mind coming around the other side with me? My mom's still over there, and I'd love to get a picture with you." And she was like, "Oh my gosh, of course!" So she walked over with me, and I told her how much I loved her Elphaba and MadTV and all that, and my mom met us halfway. And she said, "Are you her mom? Yeah, I just wanted to make sure she got back to you all right, and get a picture." She was SO SWEET. My mom was really impressed with her.
Like I said, all pictures will be on facebook by tomorrow afternoon.

PICTURES:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017...22340&saved

That is so great about the gameshow that you won and sand For Good with them! The review so far sounds great and Nicole sounds like you said really fantastic! When did Kevin leave and Aaron come back?

Wow, Kat. That sounds AMAZING.

I'm so glad you liked Nicole! I also thought she was fantastic and I can't wait for act 2 and I can't wait to see her again!

To Kat from the Mat that Spat in the Hat.
You onstage at the Gershwin singing For Good wins. At lifeee.
Love Ross the Boss

Congrats Kat, it sounded amazing Can't wait for the rest of your review!

Act II and Backstage are now up.

Ee, great review! I can't wait to see pics. (:

They're gonna be on my facebook in the next ten minutes, I swear to god.

Never realized that Aaron was the one who did that...



I agree. Nicole's voice is effortless and powerful.


Well said. I felt that Alli played a little too much valley girl at the start but by Popular she had grown on me. I love her screaming into the pillow bit. I felt that Alli got stronger and stronger as she went on. By the end I loved her.


Agreed. I think he's gonna have an amazing career.


I wonder if this was a blooper. Yesterday she did her dance-flitting across the stage and then lifted up one leg and said "yeah!" but no falling...

I read on here a while back that whoever was playing Fiyero played the Wizard-ish person in that scene.

I don't think that's true, an ensemble member has always done it when I've seen it.

Yeah doesn't Aaron spin the bed? He couldn't possibly do both.

I don't think Aaron does it, because the person I saw do it a week or so ago was not Aaron.
They use to have the person who played Fiyero play the Lover up until like 2005 or 2006 when they began having an ensemble member do it.