WICKED RETURNS.

BroadwayInChicago has announced WICKED, Broadway's biggest blockbuster, 

will return to Chicago in celebration of its 10th anniversary on Broadway 

for a limited 8-week engagement:  Oct. 30 to Dec. 21, 2013.

Long before Dorothy drops in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One - born with emerald-green skin - is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. WICKED tells the story of their remarkable odyssey, and how these two unlikely friends grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good. Based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, WICKED, winner of 35 major awards, including a Grammy and three Tony Awards, is the untold story of the witches of Oz. It is produced by Marc Platt, Universal Pictures, The Araca Group, Jon B. Platt and David Stone. WICKED has "cast quite a spell" (Washington Post) throughout North America, breaking box office records in every city that it has played, including Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Philadelphia and Boston to name a few. WICKED has been declared "A Cultural Phenomenon" by Variety and "The Best Musical of the Decade" by Entertainment Weekly. There are currently 7 productions worldwide: New York, London, Holland, Japan, Australia/New Zealand, and two concurrent North American Tours. Globally, WICKED has amassed nearly $2.9 billion in ticket sales and has been seen by 36 million people worldwide in its 9-year history.

~TheatreInChicago

I am sad to say that I am not one of the 36 million people who have seen WICKED. But that doesn't mean it hasn't had a substantial effect on my theatrical education & upbringing. I've loved this musical for a long time because it's unique, funny, thematically intriguing, & catchy; it also has had a substantial effect on musical theatre as a whole. The idea behind the musical was genius: everyone loves the Wizard of Oz, so there was a built-in audience base. Re-imagining the traditional story had already been achieved with The Wiz, but offering the prologue to the traditional story was just genius [sidenote: I've always wanted there to be a revival of The Wizard of Oz on Broadway where the entire cast/set were in black & white (a la Pleasantville) until Dorothy landed in Oz. It would be a smash hit]. WICKED is show that set trends & jump-starts careers. The original Broadway production starred Idina Menzel as Elphaba (who replaced Stephanie J. Block~ read that that story at the bottom of this blog) & Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda. Idina Menzel had already won a Tony for her performance as Maureen in RENT, so she was already a Broadway baby. Kristin Chenoweth has achieved fame that straddles film, stage, & screen, but she still relatively unknown when cast as Glinda. I had seen Kristin Chenoweth in her 1997 Broadway debut in the short-lived musical Steel Pier. The show didn't find much success on Broadway, but I vividly remember being wowed by the tiny, blonde soprano belter. Both of these women deserve all the success they have achieved & being the original leads in WICKED production staff certainly played a pivotal part in the development of both of their careers. 

TRENDWATCH: THE FLYING ACTOR

[extended version; she takes off for flight @ 6.08]

I am not a fan of spectacle for the sake of spectacle, but I really love that contemporary technology has allowed actors to FLY. This trend is 100% due to the trailblazing staging efforts of WICKED. Due to the parameters of the story, it is so essential for Elphaba to actually fly & I'm glad they faced the challenge head-on instead of concocting some strange artistic cop-out. Two musicals that have also incorporated this trend are Mary Poppins & Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark. I saw Mary Poppins on Broadway & the show ends with her flying over the audience all the way up to the 2nd balcony & disappearing into the ceiling of the theatre. It was a pretty awe-inspiring finale & allowed the production to maintain the same quality it exhibited with choreography, costumes, & casting. Just like Elphaba, an essential element of Spiderman's character was his ability to fly; Spiderman has gotten so much bad press for actor injuries, but, after YouTubing when the 99% of the time that the flying went well, I was pretty impressed. Just like any trailblazing technology, putting actors in the air is a risk & backfires. Things didn't go so well for Aladdin & Jasmine, but, overall, I'm grateful that Elphaba paved the road for other actors to defy gravity as well. 

THE AWESOME ANTHEM: "FOR GOOD"

[If this video seems familiar, it's because I posted it in my Wicked DreamCast, but I love it, so whatever.]

I lived just outside of Boston when the book Son of a Witch was released & attended a talk by author Gregory Maguire & composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz. During this talk, Stephen Schwartz recounted writing my favorite song For Good: he was talking on the phone to someone & trying to figure out how to conquer the duet between the witches to anchor the end of the second act. While on the phone, he said something along the lines of wanting to acknowledge that both women were permanently effected by their friendship. But instead of saying permanently, he said "for good." He immediately realized the double meaning in that phrase & started writing the show's amazing concluding duet For Good. He also acknowledged the fact that writing this song was an exciting challenge & unique responsibility since a blockbuster musical centered around two women's friendship is a rare gem. This has always been one of my favorite parts about WICKED; there is a sense of familiarity that I am positively not alone in feeling when listening to this soundtrack. The only other musical I can think of that centers on a non-sexual relationship between 2 women is Side Show [which tells the true story of Siamese twins Violet & Daisy Hilton's career in vaudeville]. I loved Side Show [click here for my DreamCast], but it was a flop. WICKED proved that women can carry a musical; I don't know if that was ever a conscious intention, but it certainly was a nice side effect. 

WICKED & CHICAGO

It should be noted that WICKED has a special history with the city of Chicago. WICKED first played a limited engagement from April 29-June 12, 2005 at the Oriental Theatre. The producers decided to extend it to and open-ended run, which made it the first non-Broadway on-going production. It re-opened at the Oriental the day after the tour was set to end & closed Jan. 25, 2009 after over 1,500 performances. WICKED returned for a special limited engagement from Dec. 1, 2010-Jan. 23, 2011. This upcoming, 10th-Anniversary limited engagement will run from Oct. 30-Dec. 21, 2013 [hopefully with the option to extend]. Tickets are currently available for groups of 15+ by calling (312) 977-1710; individual tickets will be available at a later date. 

It is my personal theory that a great deal of the success of Broadway in Chicago is due to WICKED's overwhelmingly successful run. It identified Chicago as a city where theatre is not only well-received, but has an audience base that allows it to stand the test of time. While WICKED was running in Chicago, they utilized the lottery system for tickets that RENT employed on Broadway. A lottery was offered on the day of the show & the winners could purchase $25, front-row tickets. To incorporate a lottery means the tickets were in consistent demand, which speaks well for the production as well as it's audience members.

 [sidenote: this option has recently been made available for The Book of Mormon as well]

SMASH S2: better late than never.

Smash was renewed for a second season! Honestly, I’m shocked; thrilled. grateful, etc., but very surprised. Since the show [imaginary musical] within the show [NBC series] is finally up & running, I am very curious as to how the second season will maintain the same sense of interest & suspense. Here’s the bad news about SMASH Season 2: it will not premiere until mid-way through the TV season ("early 2013"). The choice to premiere a show mid-season is a move that the producers of LOST & Grey’s Anatomy [my favorites] have often utilized. Maybe it was to build viewer anticipation or maybe it was because they had no idea where to take the storyline, but it never ceased to frustrate & annoy me. I guess this decision does keep loyal, anticipatory viewers like me on the edge of their sofas. However, in terms of attracting new viewers to the show, it seems a much smarter move to debut the second season when all the new & old fall series erupt on the tiny screen. Even so, the finale of Season 1 was perfect & I will wait it out like the good, loyal viewer I am. Now, let's reminisce:

My favorite part of Season 1's finale was the process of Julia's writing/writing block; I liked her euphoric moment of realizing that she needed to rely on communicating the good & that being the catalyst that created the perfect song for the finale (if you do recall, they only finished 15 minutes before the curtain rose. Talk about drama!). That moment of breaking Julia's writing block was especially cool because it reminded me of a real-life historic theatre: In 2005, Son of a Witch (the sequel to Wicked) was published & I went to a reading/talk by Gregory Maguire (author of the books) & Stephen Schwartz (composer of WICKED). Schwartz recounted a phone call when he was struggling with the final/climactic duet between the two female leads & that he had wanted to communicate how their friendship had changed them both permanently. But instead of saying permanently, he said For Good. Hearing himself say those words led to his euphoric moment that led him to write the song For Good, with the phrase's double meaning of permanence/positivity as its' defining catalyst. I am curious as to whether the storyline on Smash was loosely inspired this real-life writing of WICKED's great closing ballad. Either way, here's the best-ever rendition of For Good, featuring Smash's own Megan Hilty:

THE AXED ACTORS

• Raza Jaffrey as Dev [Karen’s seemingly cool, completely devoted boyfriend who acted completely out of character & cheated on her with Ivy]: I’m so down with him being written off, but not with this plot development as the catalyst. It was inconsistent with his character, a little too Melrose Place, & a little too obvious that they were trying to faze out Dev. I'm still a fan of this choice; Karen will be a much more interesting character without Dev pulling her down. 
• Jamie Cepero as Ellis [the sneaky, snarky, ladder-climber who offered nothing but conflict & irritation]: His exodus was awesome, obviously necessary, reasonably executed, & much appreciated. They pulled it off in a believable, drawn-out storyline (his attempt at becoming a producer & poisoning the movie star's smoothie). This was a  wise & well-executed plot-point. 
• Brian D’Arcy James as Frank [Julia's husband who seemed like he was trying to get over her affair, but threw in the towel]: He will be on at least one episode, but is pretty much gone. I liked his presence only because he is an actual Broadway performer. But the whole Julia/Frank marriage conflicts got old & wasted air-time. So I say good riddance & Brian D’Arcy James should get himself back into a role where he can sing. 
• Will Chase as Michael [Julia's former cheating partner who sometimes played Joe DiMaggio]: I liked him for the same reason I liked Brian D’Arcy James: he’s a true-blue Broadway alumni. However, his role on the show was so boring & I never got why Julia was so entranced by him. I watch this show because I love musicals, not because I’m interested in marital strife. Plus, he was a very bland character & didn't even sing that much. 

THE NEW CAST MEMBERS 

• Daniel Sunjata as Unnamed Man [Julia's new love interest]: I was hoping Julia’s love-life storyline would be more subdued in Season 2, but he has been cast as her new love interest. At least he's easier on the eyes than the other two. Plus, he's a stage actor; he was nominated for a 2003 Tony for his performance in Take Me Out. 
• Jennifer Hudson as Veronica Moore [a Broadway veteran who has some sort of impact on both Karen & Ivy]: This is very exciting. The woman can do no wrong & is a perfect fit for this cast. Well done, Smash! 
• Jeremy Jordan as Jimmy [according to the casting call:  “Straight, working class from Brooklyn. Sexy, charismatic, musically gifted, but also self-destructive and remote.”]: I know nothing about this guy except that he is coming to SMASH from Newies on Broadway & that's enough to give me faith. 
• Krysta Rodriguez as Ana [Karen's spunky new roommate who is in the ensemble of a Broadway show & looking for her big break]: I LOVE THIS. Krysta's Broadway credits include A Chorus Line, Good Vibrations, In The Heights, Spring Awakening (where I met her briefly after a performance & she was very nice), & originating the role of Wednesday in The Addams Family. She was the pitch-perfect Wednesday. HERE'S PROOF: 

The Bodyguard: A New Musical

The negotiations to adapt this movie for the stage for this musical were initially reported in 2009. Producer David Ian & Michael Harrison developed the stage property with Olivier Award winner Thea Sharrock directing & Alex Dinelaris writing the book. The production will open in November at London’s Adelphi theatre, with a Broadway run as an eventual goal. It will feature some of Whitney Houston’s biggest hits (‘I Will Always Love You’ has been confirmed), as well as numbers made famous by Houston. Tony & Grammy Award winner Heather Headley (Aida & The Lion King) has accepted the role of Rachel Marron. In response to her casting, Headley posted:

I've been offered the role of Rachel in the musical version The Bodyguard. Very Honored! The script has been rewritten a bit and it's very interesting. Needless to say, the music is great (they're using many of the songs of Whitney's catalogue) - - very challenging, but great. We'll start on the West End in London and then we'll move to Broadway (if all goes well - - I think it will).

The timing is obviously bittersweet & ironic, but it will undoubtedly provide the production with a commerical boost. It has a similar vibe to Michael Jackson’s tribute show Thriller Live. It opened in January 2009, was scheduled to close in May of the same year, was extended, and exploded in recognition after his death that June. It is currently still running in the West End and on tour.

The Broadway Community on Whitney Houston

Henry Kreiger, composer of Dreamgirls.

Houston never recorded any of the songs from Dreamgirls, but did perform Effie White's "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" and "I Am Changing" at several live events.

I never had the pleasure of working with Miss Houston directly but her rendition of 'I Am Telling You I'm Not Going' was revelatory in its pristine vocal performance, clear as a bell and without affectation.

Stephen Schwartz, composer of Pippin, Godspell, Wicked.

Schwartz penned the lyrics for the film The Prince of Egypt, which received the Best Music, Original Song Oscar for
"When You Believe." Houston also performed a duet with Mariah Carey that was featured during the film’s closing credits.

I was shocked and saddened to learn of Whitney's death. I shared only a brief time with her when she was recording her vocals for 'When You Believe,' but she was warm, gracious, charming, and completely professional, and of course her talent was enormous. To lose her so suddenly and at such a young age is very sad.
 

Frank Wildhorn, composer of Jekyll & Hyde. 

He wrote the 1988 pop ballad "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?" which was featured on Houston's self-titled album Whitney.
The song debuted at #47 on the Billboard Charts and climbed to the No. 1 slot within nine weeks.

Losing Whitney is an incredibly sad thing, I can't tell you how important she was to me in my songwriting life. The truth is, it was the success of 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go?' that literally bought me the freedom and time to come to theatre. The late 80s was a very productive time for me writing and producing in the pop business. After the song was written and demo'd, I got a letter from Clive Davis and from Whitney saying they loved the song but that it needed a new bridge. I had run out of my demo budget money, so the only way to present it was to sit at the piano and play and sing it to them, which I did. A couple weeks later, I got another letter from Clive and Whitney saying they loved this second bridge, that they were going to go with it, and that, 'Frank, you should never sing your own songs!' She was such a beautiful artist and such a beautiful woman. She was wide-eyed and had an innocence about her. 'Where Do Broken Hearts Go' was her seventh #1 hit in a row, which I think is still a record... I remember tracking it in Billboard Magazine every week all the way up the charts til we got to #1... that was a beautiful day!