As has been made known Jenny was on tonight, and Chris or whoever was on for Boq. Full review to come, but NYC is a mess currently, and one of the ushers said the head count at the matinee today was 300 so you can imagine how bad it was. Tonight there was def more than 300, but still rows empty....crazy to see at wicked!


Ok so I've been at work and busy with school so sorry for the delay!

First off the city was a mess as I already stated, and shows were giving away tickets left and right and right . Anyway I had actually gotten free tickets to see the show on Monday so the storm just happened to bring luck to others. To be honest I didn't want to see Dee, but was dieing to see Katie Rose Clarke, and that is why I went to see the show. I was pleasantly greeted with 2 white slips in my playbill. Jennifer Dinoia would be playing Elphaba(YES!), and Eddie Pendergraft was on as Boq(I didn't really care lol). Full cast was on although I have a feeling a monkey was missing cause during the monkey set free scene only one monkey flew, and there is supposed to be 2..so hmmm...Anyway

NOMTW:

The lights dimmed and the orchestra level had rows of empty seats...so strange to see!! Applause for the announcement, but no applause for Katie (I tried...and epic fail). This being my 5th time seeing Wicked in NYC I tired to look for different things, and was struggling to find new things, except the Broadway production now has the most up to date projections throughout the show.(Including the no good deed upgrades, minus the red lights at the beginning )Katie was wonderful...voice is so smooth, and her acting is perfect. The cast was a little sluggish, I think the snow made everyone just want to cuddle up in a blanket, including the cast. They warmed up as the show progressed. No optional note at the end ... I had gotten used to Alli's powerhouse soprano, but I can live without it lol.....

DOS: Entrance applause for Jen! She looked so cute, and you could see she was excited to be on stage in NYC again! I was surprised at how natural she was in the role and she seemed to be the lead not the standby. I had seen the show enough to know when an actor is holding back out of discomfort, and I did not see any of it. Katie was a tad bit late on her entrance I was like oh no is she coming but she made it.... Rondi owns this part of the show cause it allows her to act.

TWAI: Great buildup by Jenny.....she started off quiet and reserved, and got progressively more risky with her singing....and one little riff she through in was to do "things i've NEVER FELT (Never and felt were the same note, its hard to explain) Then she did a little riff on IiiiiiiiIiIiiiiii....It worked really well...great applause and a pleasant surprise...she really sounds much better in person people!


WITF: Katie Rose=Perfection here...especially with the cross lol....she takes her compact and does the sign of the cross...its hilarious lol....this was actually one of the best WITF I've ever heard in person ....I was really into it

SB/CLASSROOM: Pretty standard nothing special....KRC milked her lines lol...The song was boring as usual nothing really to report on...

DTL: Andy Karl disappointed....big time....he was straining through the entire song, and was flat in some areas....it was painful...I could see people's body language in the audience and it was one of like ooooooh that was harsh. I'm sorry but it was the worst DTL I've ever heard, and to be honest its embarrassing that the NY production would allow someone who barely sing the part to become the lead. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and say it was an off night, and he can play the part, but lets be honest, fieyro lives or dies by his performance, and I just didn't get anything acting/singing wise from Andy. The transition to the ballroom got a lot of reaction out of the audience...strange but fun....everyone was like woah when the lights popped on for the ozdust lol.....Jenny's dance was hilarious and super awkward, probably the most original interpretation I've seen of it....

Popular:HILARIOUS...KRC is hilarious....its all about the little things that she does....they add up to big laughs...such as the one that received an applause and stoppage of the song by the audience. Katie was demonstrating how to toss her hair and after she did it she clapped and went "Yes" as though she had pleased herself with her own toss toss...the audience began to clap and literally LOL .....the place was dieing. She finished it out with a belt and the audience loved every minute of her....Jenny's classroom toss toss toss were extremely funny...she has great facials....Andy let me down again...I was hoping to be won over by his comedy....nope


INTG: Not Jenny's strongest song....but she did her job....nothing to really mention...but the projections on bway have been updated...so there is extremely large flames when she gets mad....and the rain is much more noticeable then it used to be......

TRAIN/OSD: Normal nothing really special.....KRC once again pulls a show stopper after she changes her name she waited for a reaction and then pretty much fell into a bow for approval...audience died again....Noticed a rat struggling to push luggage in the background while the scene is going on...he would wave and pretend to have conversations, and then struggled on purpose to push the luggage off...very interesting how u dont notice all the things going on stage that add to authenticity.....OSD was really strong ..Jenny was on time...KRC was a tad late on the change.

SM:Boring as always and ever since I saw PJ Benjamin's video on Bway.com I can't look at him without thinking about him jumping on the trampoline before the show to warm up. Aka I can't take him seriously ...but he does do a good job at the part and makes it as enjoyable as it can be....and has a pretty good voice to......Chistery was extra vocal and legit looked like he grew wings...job well done by him......transition to attic was a tad bit delayed but seemed believable cause their mics went on as they were starting to climb the stairs so you could hear them climbing them...I think it added to it......


DG: Rondi's speech was good but I kind of like when morrible does the big WICKED WITCH...and Rondi really doesn't do that...so a womp womp to that. Jenny plays a good eager witch I believed her when she was singing.....( I saw the curtain come down to hide the lift!!!! I however was unable to see them expose it...too dark) Jenny and Katie sounded awesome together....I kind of forget Jenny was a standby and I think that speaks to her stage presence she seemed really comfortable......Jenny got into the lift super quick..... guards also grabbed katie so fast I couldn't keep up with what was going on...Jenny caught off KRC at "do you hear me" which added to the urgency of the situation....also she was able to time her "its mee" with the lift rising a big pet peeve of mine....which i believe adds to the effect...her ITS MEE is very powerful which i love .....DG never transfers to film well.....in person it is quite incredible looking.....the lighting is incredible....and the broadway lift seems fast in person...before you know she is up there.....I can't imagine what its like in the German production where it fires up like a rocket....I wonder how that would look at the Gershwin.....I also love the green lights during the tell them how i part...it really looks cool....The orchestra was AMAZING the best ending of DG I've heard them do live.....the percussion was playing around.....and everyone was just on point....i think where I was sitting helped due to the sound design but really just awesome....jenny did the sho defying gravity riff on the flying high deFFFyYyYing gravity ....and she riffed the meeeEEEeeeEEE down.....and then bring meeeEEEEEeeEEEeeeeeee down.....and then her usual ahhhhh.....and got a scream from the audience when she hit it...and the applause started when the ensemble came in.....a very impressive dynamic DG by a standby!


ACT 2

Well I had switched seats cause there were so many open, and now I was more center and closer of course!

TG:Never seen so many people so late for intermission considering the audience wasn't full you think the lines for the bathroom would be short. Anyway...Ensemble was on fire and solid...it felt as though the cast had woken up from the snow slumber of the First Act....KRC Was awesome..her acting flawless...voice perfection....rondi reed also wonderful and she sang a little which was nice...Andy was fine lol......I noticed how much is going on during Thank Goodness and the cast really was perfection...the Broadway company has maintained that freshness and they always seem they are doing it for the first time which is awesome considering its going on to year 7 of its run.....Katie's ending note was beautiful!

WWOTE:Jenny Fellner was awesome.....her fresh take on the role was awesome...and her voice was very powerful I LOVED HER! Jenny's chanting was gorgeous and the understudy...Eddie Pendergraft....rushed his lines, and had a good voice...but his portrayal was just not up to par.

WONDERFUL: Well PJ actually makes this song interesting...he makes you appreciate the lyrics, and actually sell the message the song has.....I love the gowns for the ball btw they are gorgeous so sad you dont see them more....the new projections were awesome for the monkeys....but a cast member must have been out cause there was only one flying monkey as opposed to the 2 that there usually are..

ALYM:Well Jenny was awesome Andy did better than the first act, but I really wasn't digging him ...acting was good but idk I wanted more from it.....love the huge amounts of fog....they look like they are floating lol.....new projection of the house flying and twister forming was very cool....

CF: KRC amazing in this scene .....her acting amazing! Jenny was pissed and passionate totally believed her....the smacking was perfection right on cue....and Andy got extra laughs for his entrance by adding another AH when he had finally landed lol....new gun i noticed......and the most amazing acting choice when fieyro has the gun pointed at Glinda...KRC walked slowly towards the gun it was almost touching her when he dropped it...SO INTENSE...AWESOME.....She also made me believe that she was trying to save fieyro and struggled a lot with the guards!

NGD: AMAZING! Jenny's best song no doubt! The passion...the anger.....the fierceness the RIFFS!!!!! Also the updated projections on the back wall are fun....Also on a side note.....the orchestra is amazing during this song....so complex when you can hear whats going on......Ok the riffs.....the Fieyro.....omg it was FieryoooooOOOOOOOOOOOO she went up like Eden like it was no big deal AMAZING.....she needs to work on her cape work lol......then she did a riff on no goood DEEEEE GOOEESS UNPINNnnNIIISSHHEEDDD it was very passionate.....EEEVVVVVVERRR AAggGGAAIIINNnnnnn..........and then the final AAAAAA---GGGGGGGAAAAAAAIIIIIInnnnNNNNnnnnNNNNN......the audience loved it but the conductor cut them off and kept the show moving lol....


MOTWH: Ensemble was great Eddie has a great voice but rushes his lines....I was like SLOW DOWN and listen to what you are saying ..geeez lol......Rondi was evil and KRC was in shock ....very great scene....and did anyone ever notice the ensemble doing the slow motion dance at the end...idk why I never noticed it.....

CASTLE: Jenny rushed her lines and didn't get the laughs she could of gotten it...and Chistery also was late so she was like wandering on the stage lol......KRC nailed there just shoes line.....

FG: EMOTIONAL EMOTIONAL....so well done...KRC acting was impecable she seemed so genuine Loved it! I got chocked up....

FINALE: KRC completely chucks the hat on stage its kind of funny lol...she tries to be not obvious but she like legit threw it to the ground...I feel like the lights should darken quicker on that side of the stage so its not as obvious .....The ending lines were beautiful.....the WICKEDS were powerful.....and the Curtain Call Standing OVation started with Female Ensemble so the audience was very positive...and you could tell the cast was just happy they got through it and could go home lol......that is all

300 That's just..wow. I can't even picture it. The theater seats like 1900 doesn't it?! I'm shocked.

Haha...Bet everyone had good seats for that show...lol.

I guess that's what happens with a snowstorm.

That's insane...I'd love to be there right now!

FIRST ACT UP

I was there too and Andy definitely was off that night---he was much better during his first Wednesday mat.

"Boring" is a pretty strong word. When you say "boring as usual" you seem to imply everyone shares your opinion. These are some of my favorite songs in the show. "Makes the part enjoyable as it can be." The Wizard is one of my favorite characters. Would you please elaborate?

I'd also like to say I've done professional theatre and many actors do similar things to trampoline jumping. I'd like to know why this warm-up of his causes you to not take P.J. seriously.

I'm not trying to be hostile or mean-spirited, I am just curious to know more detailed opinions on these matters.

I'm sorry, but saying that "Fieyro doesn't add much depth to the story, its his voice that matters" is not a very valid statement. Fiyero plays a huge part in the entire plot of the show. He does indeed add a lot of depth to the story. I've seen a Fiyero who doesn't have an excellent voice, but it doesn't matter much; he sings two songs. His voice doesn't matter nearly as much as his acting skills. The acting is what truly brings out his character and makes it believable to the audience.

I didn't mean it to be mean spirited or to deem him unprofessional....I was just saying that when I see him on stage I think of him jumping on the trampoline in the broadway.com video....I think PJ as a professional is outstanding, and being a former performer I know how strange and unique warm ups can be. I was merely saying that when I see him that clip of him jumping up and down makes me giggle, not the concept of him doing it as a warm up. I really do appreciate PJ's portrayal it is probably the best I have seen, and he is able to entertain with his small part.

Boring as usual was referring to my opinion, and I didn't intend to imply that other felt that way, but I'm sure people would agree it is not as fast paced or up tempo as other parts of the show. The Wizard parts musically I think could have been better I dont really enjoy their songs, and the only time I've truly wanted to jump from my seat because of a Wizard's musical number or performance was BEn Vereen who made me love the part, I just find the music for them to be an after thought. The lyrcis are extremely important and are very well done, but musically I think they leave much to be desired. That is way I say that the actors who portray that part must give great performances to make up for what I feel to be a lack of material.....again the wizard is extremely important, and essential to the plot, I just feels his individual moments are lacking in strength.

The comment looking back is not accurate I apologize....what I really meant to say is that Fieyro while essential to the plot never really develops as a character to the point that the audience feels bad for him....in my opinion....when he is being dragged away I don't feel terrible for him, I feel like I barely know him.....his character does not develop to the level of the wizard, glinda, or elphaba, and I don't its really supposed to....I don't feel there is room in the story for him to develop fully. The reason why the actor gets screams for when he comes out, is for his voice and usually his looks, and unfortunately I felt that Andy's performance was not up to the point that I would say he was memorable as a character...I think Fiyero is important to the plot but I think he is as memorable as his performance.....the performers who have added depth with their acting, and singing abilities are the ones who make Fiyero memorable...Kevin Kern made the part memorable to me....Andy didn't ...when he came out I was like hmm what did he play....it just wasn't there in my opinion.

It really comes down to what you're looking for. I don't care that it's not uptempo or fast-paced, in fact I like most sentimental songs better than one like "Popular", for instance, that's very poorly written and a load of senseless fluff. "Wonderful", for instance, is in my opinion the most brilliant song in the show due to the political undertones it has. "A Sentimental Man" tells of a longing that is truly heart-breaking when you get to the end of the show. Dr. Dillamond's entire story arc is very telling, considering he represents the Jews oppressed under the Nazi regime. "Something Bad" embodies the line "You're not being told the whole story!" (paraphrasing perhaps) that gives me chills every time I hear it.

Thanks for elaborating on P.J., by the way. I misunderstood you initially. Thanks so much for your review. And by the way, I was never calling you mean-spirited. I was saying I hoped you didn't take my comments as being so. Fortunately, we had a productive discussion.

Elphie T., I would have to agree with you. In my opinion, acting isn't just more important for the actor playing Fiyero, it's for all actors period in any show (dunno if you'd agree with me to go that far, most people do though).

The German and Australian lift rise at the same rate and seem to be the fastest. Once you are used to the quick lift shooting up and see the slower one, it becomes such an anti-climax. The London one is as slow as the US ones and I was sitting there thinking "I can make myself a coffee and pop back and she'd still be on her way up".

The quick lift gives you goosebumps!!!

I'm the complete opposite..i think the slower lift makes it more dramatic

In person the Broadway lift is actually very dramatic, it doesn't seem slow, it seems just right, idk...dg in person is so different then on film, I would have to see the fast lifts in person to understand....although they do look cool....i personally just want to take the german production and stick it in the gershwin....i love their set...LOVE their orchestra...and their lighting design is the most fun....its pretty much the same but they have fun thrills in theirs lol

It's interesting as I really anticipated being totally blown away by the German show. I actually think it's pretty much the same. The orchestra is brilliant, however, and Lucy and Willemijn were what made the production the most brilliant. They had the two perfect witches. I think the newer productions run a lot smoother and look more modern and sophisticated than the older ones. Apart from the difference in orchestral tones and the witches, I didn't notice that many differences between the German and the Australian show (overall dramatic differences that is). Both the German and Australian productions looked a lot better in regards to sets and lighting than London for example. I think the show has refined itself with every production and knows what works best and how to perfect it these days.

SECOND ACT UP!

Very nice review!!!