Wicked at DPAC

We went to see Wicked at DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center) a week ago, and it was wonderful!

My experience seeing Wicked was different than my experiences at most musicals.  I have the soundtracks to lots of musicals so I often have all of the songs (or the entire libretto, if that's the way it's recorded) memorized before I ever see it onstage.  I think the last time I saw a musical that I didn't know backward and forward was Annie in the mid-70's. 

Most of the time, this isn't a problem.  My knowledge of The King and I didn't get in the way of seeing it on Broadway with Yul Brynner or in Raleigh with Lou Diamond Phillips (whose performance was different enough from Yul Brynner's that I could enjoy it for its own sake).  On the other hand, we saw Evita on Broadway a few years after Mandy Patinkin and Patti LuPone left.  Neither of the leads at the time could measure up to the Patinkin and LuPone who were singing loudly in my mind.

I don't have the soundtrack to Wicked, however.  Daughter does, and I knew the main songs, but I hadn't ever borrowed it and listened to the whole thing over and over.  I think I didn't borrow it because it took me so long to return Rent when I borrowed that one from her.

As a result of not knowing every little bit of the score, I had a very different time seeing Wicked.  It was all very fresh, and, for a change, I didn't know what was coming next.*  I loved the way the story tied together and the way it related to The Wizard of Oz.**  The two leads were fantastic, and they kept me from having Kristin Chenoweth or Idina Menzel singing in my mind. 

I don't know if I can repeat this, though.  That would mean not getting the album of an interesting new musical in the many years it takes before I can see it. 

For those in the Triangle, Wicked will be at DPAC through next Sunday. I highly recommend it. 

Two notes if you're going:

• If you're a woman and you go to the Saturday matinee, realize that, if you don't get in the bathroom line at the very beginning of the intermission, you may not make it in.  I thought the ladies' bathrooms didn't look large enough when I first went there, but this is the first time that the line has been way too long for everyone to get in.

• I often don't buy t-shirts from musicals because I don't like shirts with the collar at the neck (I really can't stand turtlenecks).  At Wicked, they had v-neck t-shirts so I happily bought one of those (photo here).  

It's a bit too v-neck-y, and I spent a while trying to constantly pull the neck up until I gave up.  It's going in the pile of "shirts to wear around dear husband."  The v-neck isn't a little v - it's more of a Victoria's Secret type V.  I wore it while gardening, and, every time I leaned over to plant something, I had to look around to make sure there was nobody around.  I don't really want to advertise my bra color!

*  Seeing Movin' Out was somewhat similar.  It's a dance musical based on Billy Joel songs.  There's a story, but, although I knew all the songs very well, I didn't know how the story would play out.   

** Younger son now has seen Wicked but he hasn't yet seen The Wizard of Oz.  He liked it so much that he now has a Wicked t-shirt to go along with his Phantom of the Opera t-shirt.   

Comments

[Steve]

I enjoyed the T-shirt - thank you. Lovely shade of familiar green.

Like you, this is one of just a few musicals that I have seen for the first time in the theater, and therefore did not know. So the build up was fresh and immediate, and I was swept away by "Defying Gravity." This is one of the few truly tempting (for me) perks of living in or near Manhattan...

[Lisa]

I saw Wicked on our trip to San Francisco last summer. It makes me smile every time I hear one of the songs, because a friend of mine was in the S.F. production and it was so fun to see her on stage. And Mike and I had been engaged all of 24 hours when we saw it so I was in a pretty good mood.

I *had* listened to the soundtrack multiple times but still didn't know much of the story. That made it all the more enjoyable, since, like you, I usually know the plot of musicals before I see them. And I bought each of my girls a t-shirt from the show, including that Defy Gravity one. Try wearing it with a cami under it if you don't like the deep V. Although I'm sure you look lovely in it.

[GreenJello]

I loved seeing Wicked. Even though I had heard many of the main songs over and over via the girls, I was totally and completely blown away, especially with Defying Gravity. And even better for me was realizing I loved Elphaba's live voice better than the soundtrack! I'm glad we didn't get the same person. She was fantastic.

[Maryann]

Mandy Patinkin has ruined SO many musical productions for me. I don't know whether to curse him or thank him for saving me the money. :)

[M Light]

Steve: That's one of the few reasons for living near Manhattan. There are so many reasons not to... (cold, seasonal depression, too hectic, etc.)

Lisa: You must have been flying pretty well yourself with a new engagement when you saw Wicked! I like the cami idea - daughter and I are going shopping tomorrow...(now that AP tests are over).

GreenJello: I didn't think I could enjoy a tour more than the cast album so I was surprised when I did!

Maryann: I wish that more of his performances were on DVD. We saw a concert of his about ten years ago - just him and a pianist. It was wonderful.