NYC (Winter 2011): Day 4, Wicked

Shawn and I spent Thursday evening watching Wicked on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre. In a word: Spectacular. (You were expecting a lame pun there, weren't you?) Phenomenal singing, fantastic story line, awesome set designs, and amazing costumes. It was energetic, funny, and dazzling. Glinda is absolutely adorable, and as "wicked" as Elphaba is, we still manage to empathize with her. I definitely felt more emotionally attached to this story than to Phantom of the Opera. While Phantom has more memorable songs and stunning opera singing, I actually enjoyed Wicked more as a whole, if only because it has clearer story-telling and better flow. Wicked definitely has a more contemporary feel, not just in the sets, but in the music and singing as well. Teal Wicks does a phenomenal job of singing as Elphaba, and while Katie Rose Clarke doesn't have quite as strong a voice, she does a better job of acting as Glinda. The scene where they sing "Defying Gravity"? Epic.

I can see Wicked being on Broadway for at least another decade. Just... phenomenal.

Of course, like the tourist I am, I totally bought some goodies before we left: a program, the original Broadway soundtrack (featuring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenowith – both of whom, incidentally, appeared on Glee in separate seasons after they left Wicked), and a coffee mug (I bought a lot of mugs on this trip). I kind of wish I had bought the soundtrack for Phantom of the Opera after the show we went to on Tuesday, but there were only two merch booths at the Majestic Theatre, both of which were in the lobby and it was just way too crowded for us to bother. The layout of the Gershwin Theatre is way more organized, so there are many more exits for people to use and many more floors to enter the theatre. And they have merch booths by every exit. It's just smart business. Majestic, take note.