I heard from my drama teacher who works at the Birmingham REP, and has lots of contacts in the West End, and he says that the rights to Wicked are going to be released very soon.

Good Idea? Bad Idea? What are your thoughts?

That makes me VERY VERY worried. The rights to RENT were released and then it closed. OH NO I hope this does NOT mean taht Wicked is gonna close. IT CAN'T IT CAN'T. I have to see it on Broadway!! IT CANT CLOSE. so I think this is a VERY BAD idea!!! oh great now I just freaked myself out.

I don't think it would work very well as an amateur production. There are bits, like the end of DG that just can't be done in most places and I can't really think of other ways to do it.

It's a huge huge production and it couldn't be done by a school or local theater company. It's not like RENT. The set was cool but it didn't take sixteen trucks to haul it and didn't take two days to put together and take apart like the WICKED set does. And I'm jsut guessing about the RENT set but it doesn't look as eleberate as the WICKED set. So as I stated earlier, this is a bad idea. I mean if rights want to be released twenty years down the road then fine but not now. Not when it's so popular on Broadway and the number one show.

Bad idea. I don't believe that rights to a show should be released until it has closed on Broadway. Plus, Wicked is definitely not doable as an amateur production IMO.

Bad idea definitely

I would be very skeptical of this - I highly doubt the rights will be released for a long time.

I don't think it's legit. Phantom has been going on for 20+ years and it's not as successful as Wicked, but it's pretty close. The rights have not been released yet.

If it's true, that doesn't mean Wicked will close. RENT closed because audiences were getting smaller and smaller. That isn't the case with Wicked, it still brings in tons of money.

And anything is doable as an amateur production, IMO. I can do with low quality sets and effects as long as the talent is good.

Yeah... It doesn't seem likely. They wanna soak it up dry in they current pro productions it has.

Can't believe that a bad high school production would be a threat to Wicked in anyway....

I actually think that's really unlikely. It's had Wicked listed as a future release on the Josef Weinberger website for ages now, and it hasn't happened yet. That said, I'd be quite interested to see an amateur production of it - I can't see how it would work, but I think it would be interesting.

Youtube used to have recordings of illegal productions. People stop putting them up because it was getting them caught.

Some of them looked pretty decent.

Amen.

I wish they'd release the rights.

It's not going to be easy to do Wicked, but if rights for Beauty and the Beast were given then maybe some of these versions of Wicked may be good. My college's production of Beauty and the Beast turned out excellent

Sounds like a very bad rumor. There would be no benefit to them at all in releasing the rights until after it closes on Broadway, and that doesn't seem likely to happen for a long time.

It's one of those productions that 'never should'. Because it is so technical and complicated, it really relies on having the money to carry the show as the technical aspect is entwined with the plot.

I am still having issues over Beauty and the Beast being released. Every time I see an amateur production of that I really just want to stab something in my eye. For me that highlights why you cannot as that's also a very technical production.

As this seems more like speculation than fact, I'm adding a question mark to the thread title...

And I remember someone a while back saying the rights were being given up for the Apollo Victoria Theater (I think that's the name...the theater Wicked is playing at in the West End), like the theater management was being put up for sale...could that be the confusion? That was my first reaction when I saw this thread...

For the person who mentioned that Rent's rights were released and then it closed, as if the amateur productions were the cause of the closing, your timeline is a bit off. Rent's closing had been announced and then amateur productions were allowed to be performed, not the other way around.

And for the people saying that Wicked needs the spectacle: it really doesn't. It's an engaging enough story with good enough music and characters to be carried on talent alone. The bubble machine, DG lift, dragon, etc. are all auxiliary, none of them "make" the show.

I see your point....but whos favorite part is DG, NOWTW, NGD? Those are key points in the show with the flying and trapdoors so yes it could be done with out those things and it would still be an amazing show but those things are not "auxiliary"!

I disagree. Oz, by its nature, is spectacle and that is seen throughout the Oz books and film adaptations. Wicked also makes use of it to engross the audience in a fantasy world and suspend disbelief. It is the 'wow' factor that frames the strength of the characters and story and creates an otherworldly atmosphere.

Elphaba and Glinda need to fly as it is a plot point and this also depicts the classic representations of the witches; in fact, Elphaba's ascent is the most powerful metephor and her ability to fly in the show is its most poignant moment. The effects aren't simply there to be pretty, they serve a purpose in the storytelling.

Does it need the Time Dragon? No, nor the way the set is constructed but the flying monkeys, Elphaba and Glinda's abilities relate not only to character development but pivotal plot points. They, alone, don't make the show but add to the overall effect. I don't think you can have one without the other and I certainly don't think good performances alone would make Wicked. Oz itself is probably the biggest character in Wicked as Elphaba, Glinda, Nessa, Morrible and the Wizard relate to their political and social environment. That environment needs to be explored and through its technicality, it can do that. To really 'get' Wicked, I think the audience has to believe in Oz. If they don't, they're not as invested in the characters trials and tribulations and what Oz represents here.

I don't think Wicked is a strong enough show to work without the spectacle and a great cast, but to each their own.

They could always get a smaller cherry picker for the lift and they could do glinda's bubble like they did with "Wizard of Oz" at Madison Square Gardens

I'm not saying that the show could be done without flight, but almost all local theatre groups and many high schools have the means to include flight in a show. It takes (in my area anyway) $5,000 to cover a harness and insurance. Most theatre troupes have that kind of money or can raise it if they really want to. Glinda doesn't need to fly at all, there's no need to use trapdoors, as the tour has taught us, and if the monkeys have wings people will get the idea without having to actually see them fly.

With a strong cast, I think Wicked could be done without the huge sets and lifts and bubbles and everything. It may take some creativity, but I think it's possible.

For me, the big moments in the show are more about the emotion, rather than the grand spectacle. I love watching Glinda in NOMTW to see her reactions to the Ozians, not because she's suspended in a bubble. In DG, again, I care more about the emotion and vocals from Elphaba than the fact that she's flying. One of my favorite moments the first time I saw the show was one of the simplest - Galinda and Elphaba dancing together at the OzDust.

I've seen plenty of fantastic amateur productions of Wicked on YouTube over the years (illegal, obviously) but, seriously, they aren't all bad. There's a set of videos on there now (I won't link to them) that are from a foreign country (so the only downside is the different language), but the sets, props and costumes are almost identical to the actual production. I was amazed. They have Glinda's bubble and everything down pat. All costumes correct. Everything. I was shocked. It's worth doing some searching for...

But, in terms of the rights being released, my opinion is that if they're going to release the rights then they might as well officially start the movie. Personally, I actually would really love the rights to be released - no reason, I just would - but then again, I'm 100% sure they can easily milk a few more years out of Wicked before they do so.

Not that I believe releasing the rights and a whole bunch of amateur versions will affect the ticket sales anyway...

I think you could definitely do some amazing things in an amateur production on a limited budget. You could achieve the whole basic stage design with plywood... and as for flying, why not just have a stage-rear blackout and have her run up a set of stairs to a cloaked platform? Like, really, I don't think most of this would be that difficult to achieve.

You'd definitely need some ridiculously strong performers, but as far as technical aspects go, it's do-able.

This is it.
Some shows, obviously, can be done without fancy sets or props, because the material is so strong - the BBC's black box version of Macbeth, for instance. Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellen sold it without any costumes or staging.

Wicked is not such a show. The book and score simply are not good enough to stand without a spectacle. I've read a minimalist version of the script with limited props and an eight-person cast and, while it can be done, it just isn't engaging enough.

In your opinion. I, and I'm sure many other people, find the characters engaging enough, the story interesting enough, and the music good enough to work without spectacle. Yes, everyone loves the spectacle of the show, but when asked why they love the show, most people say "I really connected with Elphaba", or "I knew someone just like Glinda in high school", or "I thought the story of two best friends was touching", or "The songs were so much fun". Very few people say "It's all about the flying, the costumes, and the lighting for me. I wouldn't ever see this show again if the production values weren't so high".

Don't get me wrong, the effects aren't my favourite things about the show - I just don't think the rest of it is strong enough to work without them.
And actually, many people do say the costumes were one of their favourite parts.

Yes, one of their favorite parts. I've never heard anyone list it above the music or the characters.

You can have a beautiful artwork, and then frame it to enhance its attraction, support and mounting. The costumes, sets, technical aspect and lighting all frame the plot, music and political message of the show. Without this frame, the production would never have been able to hang and never have been the world wide success it is. People love 'big spectacles', they do. Its an attraction to something new, different and enthralling. I don't think anyone is saying all of this is the only thing that makes the show, rather that it is very difficult to remove the technical aspects of Wicked, its performers, and its music from one another. My favourite part of the show is, in actual fact, Wicked's lighting.
Wicked will sell as an amateur production because it has created a name through its giant monolith. I'm sure if companies do perform it, to do it justice, they need to have a healthy budget and an absolutely stunning/economical set designer.

The majority of critical reviews when the show came out praised Susan Hilferty's costumes as one of the only good things, after the actors themselves.

If Wicked didn't need the spectacle, it wouldn't be there. If they thought they could get away with spending less on design and effects, they would have.

We seem to have drifted off into another question. This isn't about whether or not a non professional production could pull it off. It's about whether or not the rights are even there for the taking.

I think there is still quite a bit of inuendo and outuendo. LOL.

The ICBH

True. But this is a discussion board, and this debate as such is much better than an empty thread altogether (as long as it doesn't get heated though, obviously).

Actually, the supposition is that the rights are available - the OP asked us to give our opinions on whether their being available was a good thing or a bad thing. For some of us it would be a bad thing because the production wouldn't work without the financial cushion needed.

Yes, critical reviews, which have obviously had little to no bearing on Wicked's success, since about half of them declared the show more or less not worth it. I'm talking about audience reactions and what they will and will not pay to see, which is the main concern for any production, expecially amateur productions who typically need ticket sales in order to put on further productions.

Im suprised that some of you think the show would be just fine without the effects, some I can see being retooled for an amature production, but honestly guys, DG without a lift? It's like letting an amature high school do Phantom , but skipping the chandelier crash. The fact that she flies is a a very pivotal aspect of that scene let alone the whole show.

^They could always use a smaller lift

My point is that it doesn't have to be a genie lift. Of course she needs to fly, but there are other ways of flying on stage, and high schools and amateur theatre troupes use them all the time.

I agree about DG; she needs to fly ("Everyone deserves the chance to fly"), but there are other ways it can be done if the theatre company is on a tight budget. In June, I'm hoping my seats will be on the floor so I can actually feel the power of her being higher than me.

Now, as for NGD, a friend of mine who has seen the show told me that the song is about a woman who has been discriminated against and misunderstoood her entire life, and she's angry. So, as long as the stage is maybe dark and a single light on Elphie herself, and her movements with her pain and anguish that are probably done, there are other ways to successfully pull off NGD.

^That's pretty much what NGD's like anyway.

Any idea's on how the could do Glinda's entrance?

^ They could use the same type of bubble that Wizard of oz at Madison Square Gardens used. It's basically the same thing except Glinda is sitting instead of standing.

Tbh, it's even possible to just have a bubble machine in the wing pointing bubbles onto the stage, have some kind of fancy flashy lighting as she appears and she can just walk on the stage.

Or just imply it. Have a bubble machine going and then have the "Look it's Glinda" line. Have everyone look around for her and she could "appear" upstage somewhere with some nice lights.

There are places that can do a MSG Oz type of bubble for cheap! It's really nice.

We must also remember that the Producers are smart. They know that the accent in DG is a pivotal moment and Glinda's bubble, though not as pivotal is still pretty prominant. They will most likely make a few mini DG lifts that can be rented out along with a mini bubble for Glinda. And also keep the rights as "Restricted" as in make it that only a few schools can do it and make it more available to community theater.

http://www.dallassummermusicals.org/2010/shows/wicked.shtm

What do you guys think of this? Licensed or not?

Some girl told me she was playing Elphaba, she can't be more than 20 years old... so there's that, too, lol.

EDIT: ROFL, that's just a tour stop. Sorry. I'll go LOL at her now.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.