Wicked

I saw Wicked last night at the Masonic Temple Theatre in Detroit. I had really been looking forward to seeing Wicked for... well, years, since I first saw a scene performed at the Macy's Thanksgiving parade in 2003 (all true musical theatre lovers really get into the Macy's parade and the Tonys, just to see the production numbers). I have to say that this production was a little disappointing. It's my own fault for getting "cheap seats," but I don't think of $40 as cheap. Well, we were in the back row of the balcony. Yes, we had a clear shot of the stage, unobstructed by support beams or big heads, but everything was so far away, and I like to look at the costumes. Worse, though, than our seats were the audio difficulties. There was definite microphone feedback a few times, and sometimes, I couldn't understand what the singers were saying at all (lucky for me I already know the music). I don't know if it was mic levels or poor diction. The first Glinda/Elphaba duet was really quiet and garbled, and Glinda stayed that way for most of the show, although Elphaba got better. I was really impressed with Julia Murney, the lady who plays Elphaba. She has a hell of a voice. Kendra Kassebaum, who plays Glinda, was a disappointment. She just doesn't have the chops of Kristin Chenoweth, and I think that, a few times, the high notes that she's supposed to be singing, she wasn't - some hidden chorus girl was. Even from far away, I could tell that Kendra's mouth wasn't open as wide as it would need to be to hit those high notes.

But, I'm glad I saw it. Spectacular live theatre still makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and Elphaba's solo numbers made the little hairs on my arms stand up. That's always a good sign.

Wicked - B