It’s wild to see what goes into Wicked The Musical. Here’s my look for Orange Coast Magazine, as Wicked casts its spell at Segerstrom Center for the Arts through April 3, 2011.
There was so much activity buzzing backstage with just a few days to pull the whole show together. The detail, crews and logistics to pull off such a big Broadway show is not to be underestimated.
So how did the load in add up from the other side of the curtain? I caught Thursday’s Press Night performance and can report all was pulled together flawlessly.
Wicked was all it promised to be. Big. A spectacle. Rich with vivid, surreal sets. And of course creative talent that flowed and danced its way from start to finish.
For those who may not know, Wicked is the prequel to all that happened before Dorothy dropped in. So you learn how Glenda the Good Witch (played by the perfectly perky Natalie Daradich) and the Wicked Witch of the West (aka Elphaba, Anne Brummel) came to be. The story is quirky, sassy, funny and touchingly sweet. And the Emerald City of Oz is wickedly over the top and psychedelically a little trippy.
Both witches have attitude and contrast each other in an endearing manner, while the orchestral scores sync beautifully to script.
It’s no wonder the show continues to sell out around the world. And OC is no exception. While the 40 shows through April 3rd are all but completely full, you can take your luck at the lottery, as I said in the video. Arrive at the box office 2.5 hours before each performance and within a half hour, you should hear if you’ve scored orchestra seats for a ridiculously reasonable $25. Wicked good luck to you.
