WICKED!!!

It feels like days since I blogged last, and it was only two. That is how hectic the week has been. On top of it, Boo and I are both still fighting this cold a bit. We have moved onto the cough portion of the program. Hubby loves us...I swear.

But, this week I did have one piece of escape. One night of culture, music and FREAKING AWESOMENESS!!

Tuesday night...

I saw WICKED.

Let me tell you how amazing that show was. The music, the voices and the costumes. It was FREAKING AWESOME!! I am still in awe of what I saw, and wish I could see it again and again. This is one that I will see again, some day.

Wicked is based on the book of the same name by Gregory Maguire. He has written twists on many fairy tales, including Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Mirror Mirror, Son of Witch (the sequel to Wicked) and newly released A Lion Among Men (the third book in the Wicked series). I can't wait to make my way through all of these, and buy his kids books for my little readers.

The book and the musical are different, the endings are very different. I won't tell you what happens, in case one of you is seeing it or reading it, but it was a great change. One that I never expected.

During the musical there are lines from Wizard of Oz thrown in "There is no place like home" for one. The Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion make an appearance in the end, with a little twist.

The story is about Elphaba (el-fa-ba), who turns into the Wicked Witch of the West and Galinda (who become Glinda by mistake), who turns into the Good Witch. It tells the story of them meeting at school, and how things ended up. You never see Dorothy, but do see the water being thrown in the end. How that comes about, it where the twist on the old comes into play.

This is also one of the funniest shows I have seen since Lion King. There were a couple ad lib moments, when even the cast was laughing a bit. The stage was slippery, and Galinda kept slipping in her bare feet. It was very funny.

That is all I will tell you about the story, I don't want to be a spoiler.

The costumes were great. They took regular costumes, and put a fun spin on them. Strange angles and shapes. It was fun to see how it all played together.

The music and voices were spectacular. I can't wait for next weekend when I get the soundtrack. Some of the notes the singers held were amazing. You could feel how intense the scene was even before it started, just from the music.

Did I mention that Idina Menzel who is part of the original Rent Cast played Elpahaba when the show opened! Talk about an amazing voice. She has a solo CD coming out that I have on my wish list. Plus, her hubby is amazing as well.

Kristin Chenworth played the original Galinda, and was amazing. Her voice is a shock coming from someone I have only seen in comedies, not at all what I expected on the soundtrack.

I would recommend this one, even for older kids. The show recommends age 8, but I think Boo would have loved this one. She loves musicals as much as I do.

Another one I can cross off my list:
A Chorus Line (when I was 17)
Rent
Les Miserables
Phantom of the Opera
Lion King

We are hoping to take Boo to a show this year, just have to find the right one to break her in. Annie is coming (but only for three days) in February, and I think Mary Poppins. Both would be great for her. We shall see.

Take the time to read Wicked, Son of a Witch and A Lion Among Men, to see how the other half lived after Dorothy!! I can't wait to read them all.

See the musical if you can, you won't regret it! I know that I never will.