The Phantom of the Opera (Monday, June 24th, 2013)

The Phantom of the Opera

This is my sixth time seeing Phantom; third within the last eight months. Each time, it has been a very different experience. Twice, I saw Anna O'Byrne as Christine, whom I admire so much it's not even logical. She's just a fantastic person. Anyway, she unfortunately left the show to work on Barnum just last Friday, which I was devastated about. Instead, I saw the brand new Christine alternate, Olivia Brereton, as well as Marcus Lovett (whom I had also never seen before).

This night was, in short, magical. I walked in with not many expectations; I had heard that Olivia was good, but I adored Anna's performance so much that I doubted I would much like her replacements. Thankfully, I was so, so wrong.  Olivia, while not perfect, was nothing short of outstanding. There are certain timing issues that will be worked out with practice, and I'm honestly not a fan of Christine's who don't do pointe (although I understand that not everyone can, but part of what I loved about Anna is that she was a decent (en pointe) dancer. From my perspective, Christine can't be a terrible dancer. They would've kicked her out of the opera if she was). Anyway, small me-being-nit-picky issues aside, Olivia was wonderful (she's moved to #2 on my list of favourite Christines). She has these moments that are hard to describe, where she almost completely breaks down, but not quite... whatever it is, it's heartbreaking. I nearly cried at the beginning of Wishing because of one of these 'moments'. I can't really describe what she does; it's almost like choking up, but not quite. Anyway, it's beautiful and powerful. The other thing about Olivia is she is the only person to have been able to pull off the Dressing Room scene with Raoul in a way that I liked. To me, that scene is the most awkward, worst written part of the show, but Olivia and Antony Hansen played it such that Raoul and Christine were instantly familiar and comfortable with each other. The usual awkwardness of the scene disappeared, and I loved that. A final thought on Olivia; I hope she stays longer than just until the Cast Change. I'd love to see her develop more; I see so much potential in her Christine that it would be a huge loss to the show if she only played her until the end of August. Something I'd heard about Olivia via tumblr is that she overacted; I didn't think this was the case at all. I think it was Layla Harrison who said that she was very natural on stage; I think this is a very accurate description. While she didn't play Christine as passionately as Anna, her performance was very believable. There wasn't a moment when I doubted the character. 

Marcus Lovett with Sofia Escobar

I had mixed expectations of Marcus; so many people had said he was a bad singer and actor, while others had said he was incredible, so I went in with a very confused head. I don't understand the people who said he couldn't sing or act; he's not got the strongest voice I've ever heard, but there's nothing wrong with it either. His boat-pushing isn't very convincing either, but aside from that, I loved him! Between him, Olivia, and Antony, I was sobbing during the Final Lair. I've hardly shed a tear in Phantom before; maybe a few during Anna's last Wishing, but that's about it. I was full on bawling during the Final Lair, which took me entirely by surprise. Also, I swear he was staring right at me during I gave you my music. Scariest/most awesome thing EVER. He also stood right up in the angel as it was going back up; I thought he was going to fall out of it. An awesome effect; it really added to the Phantom's reckless character. Anyway, back to Marcus. I don't really have too much to say about him; he was quite good, a great Phantom (like Olivia, he is also moving to #2 on my Favourite Phantoms list). I'd definitely love to see him again as well.

There were some glitches in the show, but I LOVE glitches. It shows what performers can do when things don't go quite right. Anyway, in this show, Christine's Aminta dress ripped (I think when Marcus sat on it by accident), the veil was being extremely stubborn during the final lair (sorry Olivia, but I don't think that veil likes you very much), and Carlotta's scarf accidentally caught on her costume and she walked off with it right before Think Of Me. There were a couple others that I can't remember right now, but anyway, as I said before, I love bloopers and glitches. They make a show I've seen multiple times so much more interesting.

Also, I need to go back to the Final Lair for a second. I've seen this show so many times that I watch it from an analytical, theatre critic's perspective as opposed to actually getting very involved in the story. It's the same issue with Wicked (which I have now cried during twice, mostly thanks to Gina Beck). But in the Final Lair with Olivia, Marcus, and Antony, I lost myself in it. My heart was pounding, tears were running down my face - I don't know what it was about it, but this final lair hit me more than any other has. While I'm talking about the Final Lair, special mention to Antony for full on belly-flopping onto the stage when the noose was cut. One, that must have hurt. Two, that was brilliant and effective. Three, OUCH. And four, I love this Raoul. I'm team Raoul usually, even though I'm not fond of him in general. Antony did a very good job making me actually like Raoul, so props to him. 

As well, special mention to Layla Harrison, who played a Ballet Girl today but is my favourite Meg. She danced beautifully today, as did all the Ballet Girls (a side note: I want my own white tutu. Those things are gorgeous!) I actually love watching the Ballet parts of Phantom (I love watching Ballet on youtube; Miko Fogarty is my favourite dancer to watch, but I love the Children of Theatre Street documentary as well), and I guess they were three dancers short today, but it looked lovely anyway. Also to Lara Martins, who is my all time favourite (and most viewed) Carlotta. She's hilarious! 

And now, it is 1:30 in the morning and I really should get my butt to bed (even though I'm doing nothing tomorrow). Any questions about the show or about Olivia, just ask me on Twitter! (@ElizabethRGFS)*

*(A note on my username, RG stands for Rhythmic Gymnastics, FS is for Figure Skating. These are my two favourite sports in the world, and both major parts of my life).

A next day addition: Something else I liked about Olivia was kind of strange, but when am I ever not strange! Anyway, part of what I loved about Olivia is her look; she's not perfect. She doesn't have perfectly straight teeth or a perfect pointed nose or extremely skinny legs. But she's still extremely beautiful. As I said, it's sort of a weird thing to notice, but as someone who is extremely self conscious of her worst features, it's a huge confidence boost to see someone who doesn't have the stereotypically perfect features, but is still ridiculously beautiful. Odd thing to comment on, but there you go. 

Stage Door-ing in London! (June 2013)

The Phantom of the Opera (June 24th)

Layla Harrison

My first show of my trip was Phantom. I was VERY excited for Stage Door at this one, as I very much wanted to meet Layla Harrison (who is my favourite Meg to date) and give her a gift that I had for her, as well as meet Marcus Lovett (who I finally saw play the Phantom; it took three tries, but I did it!), Olivia Brereton (the new alternate Christine, who was replacing my beloved Anna), and Lara Martins (Carlotta; I have seen her three times now). Unfortunately, I missed Lara, but otherwise, tonight was perfect. The first person I met was Layla; I had been so nervous that I wouldn't recognize her that I was creepily staring at everyone who walked out of the door. She had said to just shout her name when I saw her, but I'm an extreme introvert, so things like shouting names and being pushy are hard for me. Fortunately, I recognized her quickly, and when she turned around I was able to say her name and she came right to me. I gave her her present, she gave me a hug (I nearly started crying again!) and we took a few pictures (after major camera issues; I can't apologize enough for that. So sorry Layla!). She thought she had to rush off, but found out that she didn't and came right back to chat to me. It was very kind of her, and I appreciated it very much. 

Olivia Brereton

Anyway, we waited quite a while after Layla left, and then Marcus and Olivia came out at the same time. Olivia went straight for some other people, but Marcus walked right towards me. He shook my hand and my dad's (!!), introduced himself, and we talked a bit about university and school. Then I was able to get Olivia's attention when she was done talking to other people, and I spent a little time talking to her as she signed my program. I was moaning about my eyes to my dad a bit when he was taking the picture (I have horrible bags under my eyes that never go away and look bad in pictures) and Olivia was kind enough to say that my eyes were very pretty in the photo. 

Marcus Lovett

After this was over, I was a little overwhelmed by kindness. I don't want to say that no one's every kind to me, because it's not true, but when people that you admire and look up to take the time to talk to you and just be nice to you in general, it's very special. And these are memories I cherish. 

Thank you to all who reassured me about recognizing Layla, and who were so supportive of me when it came to seeing the show tonight! 

Les Miserables (June 26th - Matinee)

Unfortunately I had to dash off to Wicked right when this ended, so I wasn't able to go to Stage Door. I would've loved to say Hi to Carrie and Nicky though! Nicky chastised me on Twitter for not saying Hi; I promise I will next time!

Wicked (June 26th - Evening)

Gina Beck

I have to say, Wicked Stage Door was disappointing. There were SO many people! Nothing like April, when it had just been me. We had to wait quite a while and it was chilly, but I was able to give Gina her present, thankfully, and take a picture with her. I wasn't able to actually talk to her for any length of time though, which makes me feel like a complete idiot because the card I wrote required a bit of explaining. It seemed fine when I wrote it last week, and when I re-read it today, but now I'm regretting it. She's probably laughing at me right now, or thinking I'm some kind of crazy obsessed fan. Oh well. It was nice to see her again, and she was of course very kind.

Louise Dearman

Anyway, I also met Louise again; she was lovely as usual. I was rushing to say something nice because I didn't want to take up too much of her time, so it came out a little garbled. Sorry Louise. But I loved her as Elphaba; I'm sad she's leaving in November. I'm not a huge fan of Willemijn Verkaik, to be honest. I also met Ben Freeman; I was walking away, saw him, and figured I may as well ask for an autograph because I'd never met a Fiyero before. Based on certain things I've read about him, I was flat out terrified of him (you can see in the picture I'm leaning away quite a bit), but I'm glad I've met him now. He and Gina walked away holding hands, which I'm still having issues with (for no logical reason, really).

Ben Freeman

So today wasn't quite what I had hoped, and because I'm someone who dwells on everything that I do or say, I doubt I'll be able to sleep well - if at all - tonight. I don't think I'll be stage door-ing at Once or at whatever I see next week, so this is probably the end of the entries for this post. Stay tuned for some short Wicked and Les Mis reviews, probably coming within the next few days!

*Side note; I'm not photogenic at all, so... yeah, I just felt the need to say that. Standing next to Gina I look even worse than usual. Anyway... night!

Headed to London!

Hello all! I will be off to London in a week. While in London, I plan to spend as much time as possible inside a theatre. Right now, I only have Tickets for WICKED on the 26th, but I also plan to see Phantom, Les Mis, and Once, and will hopefully be able to squeeze in either one or two more shows while I'm there. So stay tuned for more reviews!

Guys and Dolls at the Shaw Festival

Guys and Dolls

It was told to me that I was seeing Guys and Dolls, at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, about thirty minutes before we left for the show. Having never heard of it before, I was not particularly excited, nor was I too enthusiastic about the two hour drive to see a show I had no interest in. However, my mum informed me that this show had quite good reviews, and a quick look at Wikipedia told me that this show had won a tony award for best musical, so I assumed it would be decent, if nothing else. 

In the end, I was left with very mixed feelings about this show. Overall, I was bored to death during a majority of it (particularly the first act). The show did have its humorous and entertaining moments, but unfortunately, that was not enough to save it. I think that the main problem is the script; it's repetitive (unnecessarily so) to the point that you want to inform the playwright that you are not, in fact, a six year old child that needs to be reminded of the same thing every minute. Guys and Dolls isn't dated, per say. Nor do I want to say it has no relevance anymore. But there is no question about it; this is not an engaging musical. The main issue I had with it is that it's a 'performance musical'. The actors stop everything to sing to the audience. The character is abandoned in favour of singing as if they were in a concert. It ruined the continuity, in my opinion.

The thing about the Shaw Festival is that I've been going there since I was a small child, and cast members tend to stick around. Usually, I see two or three performers I'm familiar with. This time, it was only one. I saw Elodie Gillet, who played Sarah in Guys and Dolls, in High Society (one of my all-time favourite musicals) years ago. I expected to enjoy her performance, but I found her singing, though well done, out of place. When she was singing, she was no longer the character. She was just singing. The actors I enjoyed in this performance were those playing the more minor characters: Nathan Detroit's Henchmen were hysterical, as was Miss Adelaide. 

All in all, I wouldn't recommend Guys and Dolls. If, after a show, I think that I would rather have been home cleaning my room, it was not worth the trip.

Broadway, baby!

First things first: I hate New York City. Absolutely hate it. It's only redeeming quality, in my opinion, is the Theatre available (and the American Girl store).

When I found out that I would be stuck in NYC for five days, my mission became this: spend as much of this time as possible inside a theatre, and to avoid the subway at all costs.

Mission accomplished!

Between Monday and Thursday, I fit in five shows. Wednesday was a two show day for me, and both shows I saw on my own (this was my first time seeing shows by myself; I'd gone with a friend before, but never totally on my own).

Mamma Mia

Monday night's show was Mamma Mia. I hadn't seen it for years, but the soundtrack is one of my favourites (I'm neutral when it comes to the movie - don't love it, don't hate it). It was a last minute decision to see this, but we got decent seats. The seats were about the only decent thing about it.

I'm not sure if they were having microphone issues, or just had a terrible team of sound people, but the audio was all over the place. The live singing (aside from Donna, who was overwhelmingly loud) was often overshadowed by the instrumental and the multiple voice recordings. I could hear the backing music more than I could hear the singers. From what I could hear, everyone sounded fine vocally (aside from Sophie's terrible enunciation during Honey Honey), but the major problem was just that - I couldn't hear them!. It was still entertaining, but some definite adjustments need to be made to this show for it to last much longer. I find it very hard to believe that this show has lasted as long as it has with this weak a performance. 

The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon, which I saw the Tuesday Evening performance of, is a much touted new production, winner of 9 Tony awards. It focuses on two Mormon missionaries, competent Elder Price and overweight, clumsy Elder Cunningham, on their mission trip to Uganda. It’s a satire musical comedy; it makes fun of just about every topic it touches on, including Religion, Ugandan Warlords, Poverty, and Aids. It’s definitely not a show for the politically correct or religiously inclined; the lyrics are disgusting, the visuals are almost as bad, but all in all, The Book of Mormon is hysterically funny show that is well worth seeing.

The Phantom of the Opera

Wednesday was my marathon show day. I spent most of my waking time inside a theatre. The Phantom of the Opera is one of my most favourite shows, and this matinee marked my fourth time seeing it, and first on Broadway. I’ve never seen a Phantom so brilliant as Hugh Panaro; he made the Phantom into a demonic, sarcastic character that I adored (which sounds incredibly disturbing, but I swear I'm not going to go fall in love with a real-life violent psychopath). Canadian Samantha Hill played a child-like and naive Christine; while not as strong as other Christines I have seen, and not portraying Christine as I normally prefer, she did a wonderful job all in all. This production, as opposed to the London Phantom, appears to have been kept fresher with dialogue changes and new blocking additions (which, oddly enough, I noticed when I saw Phantom again in London a month after seeing it on Broadway). The one thing I don't like about Broadway Phantom is it's apparent lack of Stage Door - I would dearly loved to have met Samantha Hill, but after circling around the theatre four times, no Stage Door was to be found, and I gave up and headed to grab dinner before my next show. 

Wicked

Wednesday Evening was dedicated to Wicked, another of my favourite show. This performance marked my sixth time seeing it (having seen it in Toronto four times, and once on Broadway). To say the show was brilliant would be an understatement. I had previously seen some of the most well known performers in this show, but I had never been very emotionally attached to the show. Well, I can’t say that anymore. Tiffany Haas (standby) and Wilemijn Verkaik’s portrayals of G(a)linda and Elphaba, two unlikely friends, brought me to tears by the end (this is the first time I’ve ever cried during live theatre, mind). Haas was funny when required, but morphed into the more serious, contemplative Glinda as the show progressed. Verkaik captured Elphaba’s nature better than I’ve ever seen it done before (I wasn’t crazy about her tone, but English is not her first language so I’ll forgive her. Fun Fact: Broadway marks the third language in which Verkaik has played Elphaba!). I also have to mention Catherine Charlebois as Nessarose; finally, a Nessa with some dimension! The major highlight for me, however, was... wait for it... I met G(a)linda! Ok, I met Tiffany Haas, and she wasn’t in costume or anything, but still, that’s one thing I can cross off my bucket list. I was also lucky enough to meet F. Michael Haynie (Boq) and Catherine Charlebois as well. All in all, Wednesday was a very good day!

Matilda

The final show of the trip was Matilda. It hadn’t been playing for long at the time, and was still in previews when I saw it. Matilda was hugely successful in London, winning multiple Oliviers (including Best Actress for the four girls who alternated as Matilda). It’s profiled as a children’s show, but 17-year-old me found it vastly enjoyable (a highlight for me being Bertie Carvel aka Ms Truchbull’s Ribbon routine). The lyrics, when sung by children, were a little hard to understand, and our Matilda (Milly Shapiro) wasn’t a particularly adept actress. However, the visual effects, stunning set, and entertaining adult cast members (special mention to Lesli Margherita as Mrs Wormwood; I saw her as Inez in Zorro the Musical years ago, and she’s just wondeful) made the show a worthwhile visit.

Wicked (Thursday April 25th, 2013)

WICKED

      On the night of Thursday, April 25th, I found myself seated in the Victoria Apollo Theatre in London, eyeing the glowing map of Oz and waiting with bated breath for the first notes to soar and the first monkeys to make their appearance on the stage. This production of Wicked was directed by Joe Mantello, and the music and lyrics were written by Stephen Schwartz (the original book was written by Winnie Holzman). This production starred Gina Beck, Louise Dearman, and Ben Freeman. 

Wicked is the untold story of the Witches of Oz. Anyone who has seen or read The Wizard of Oz knows of Glinda the Good Witch, and the green Wicked Witch of the West. Wicked delves into the early lives of these characters in a prolonged flashback. We learn that spoiled, popular Galinda (Beck) - as she was once known - and moody, distant Elphaba (Dearman) (who would become the Wicked Witch of the West) become unlikely roommates, and later, the best of friends, at Shiz University in Oz. Elphaba, green and unloved by her father, is noticed by the Head Shiztress, Madame Morrible (Harriet Thorpe), when she exhibits magical powers while trying to keep her disabled sister Nessarose (Katie Rowley Jones) with her. Both girls become enamored with newcomer (and airhead) Fiyero (Freeman), who falls for Galinda’s perkiness, although he is intrigued by  Elphaba’s character. The girls’ world falls apart when, on a trip to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard of Oz (Keith Bartlett), they discover that he is not a real wizard, and only wants to use Elphaba’s powers to tighten his tyrannical grasp on Oz. Elphaba steals the Wizard’s spell book, the Grimmerie, and takes to the sky, stating that “nobody in all of Oz, no Wizard that there is or was, is ever going to bring [her] down!” And thus, Glinda and Elphaba are thrust into their places in life, and become Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West, respectively. 

Gina Beck (Glinda) and Louise Dearman (Elphaba)

The show was, altogether, the best production of Wicked I have ever seen (and that is saying something, as this was my seventh time seeing it). Wicked has always been my favourite show; in my opinion, it has something for everyone to relate to in it. That’s the reason I can keep coming back to this show; there’s always some new aspect of a character you’ll find with every time you see the show. The script of Wicked is brilliant; the story is told through Glinda’s extended flashback, but she is not narrating the flashbacks, so you don’t get the sense that it is as much of a flashback. It feels more real, which makes the emotions more real. The performance, as well, was wonderful. Each actor was so absolutely in character that, when I saw them after the show, I had trouble remembering that they were people, not characters (it didn’t help that Louise Dearman still had green in her hair). There were no moments while watching this that I doubted what was happening, be it a character’s reaction to a situation, or a situation itself. Everything was utterly believable; a combination of a brilliant script and wonderful performers. Wicked has many serious, dark, and dramatic moments (such as Elphaba’s flight from Oz “Defying Gravity”, her attempt to save Fiyero “No Good Deed”, and the show’s opening song “No One Mourns The Wicked”), and these dark moments are complemented by the occasional burst of humour (Glinda and Elphaba’s fight in the cornfield, Elphaba’s “Well, we can’t all come and go by bubble” line, and Galinda’s song “Popular”). These comedic moments don’t detract from the serious moments at all, another nod towards the brilliance of the script. 

Katie Rowley Jones as Nessarose

Two director’s choices I would like to evaluate are the “Britishizing” of some of the lines, and the blocking during “The Wicked Witch of the East”. Having seen the show so recently on Broadway (and having the ‘North American way’ memorized anyway) made the subtle line changes very noticeable to me. The ones I remember best is the changing of “seminar” to “tutorial” when it came to Madame Morrible’s Sorcery classes. Having so recently been hearing these terms due to impending university decisions, this particularly caught my attention. It was very clever, and while I didn’t think it was entirely necessary, the “Britishisms” did not detract from the performance at all. During “The Wicked Witch of the East” (which is, incidentally, one of my favourite songs, although you won’t find it on the show’s soundtrack), there is a line where Nessarose sings “alone and loveless here, just the girl in the mirror. Just her and me: the Wicked Witch of the East!” During this part, Nessarose turned to the mirror for a brief moment, but faced the audience for the majority of the line. I think this part of the song would have been more powerful if Nessarose had turned towards the mirror at “just the girl in the mirror” and remained staring at her reflection until turning quickly to face the audience at “me”, then singing “The Wicked Witch of the East” to the audience. I think this would have communicated Nessarose’s pain more clearly. The other possibility is that the director could have made the brief glance of the mirror look more like it was brief because she didn’t want to see herself all alone, instead of because she was talking about a mirror, so decided to look at a mirror for a split second. Another Director’s choice I feel worth mentioning is that in this production of Wicked, the acting and character expression came before the singing. That’s not to say that the performers didn’t sound absolutely stunning; they did. It was just that, in all songs save “Popular” and “No Good Deed”, there’s usually very little actual acting. Most of the time, they’re singing, then after the notes are hit, the acting resumes. Or they’re acting and singing, but it’s the same every single time, which gets a bit boring after a while. In this production, I saw more depth in the characters I know so well. I see this as being a director’s decisions because all of the actors were doing this, not just one or two. All in all, I think the director did an excellent job.

Louise Dearman as Elphaba

Two actors that caught my attention were Gina Beck (G(a)linda) and Louise Dearman (Elphaba). They did not catch my attention just because they were the main characters; they caught my attention because both did the most excellent job of playing these characters that I have ever seen. Louise Dearman stood out from past Elphabas because she captured Elphaba’s more vulnerable side. During “I’m Not That Girl”, you could see sadness, instead of the typical bitterness that most Elphabas project. Her movement on stage mirrored the character’s subtle change; it went from abrupt stamping around, to more flowing motion as the character matured. I found it a little distracting that Louise was a good two-to-three inches (at least) shorter than Gina (I’m so used to G(a)linda being small and cute, and for Elphaba being taller and more willowy) but after the initial shock, this didn’t bother me too much. Despite her small size, Louise has a massive stage presence (although the greenness helped a little), which is perfect for Elphaba. Gina Beck was the most fabulous G(a)linda I had ever seen. G(a)linda is my favourite character, and has always been since I first saw the show. Gina, like Louise, captured aspects of the character that I’d never seen before. In my opinion, she is the living embodiment of G(a)linda; she portrayed the character so perfectly that I was left completely speechless by the interval, and even more so by the end of the show. There was one moment that stood out in particular for me; during the opening song “No One Mourns The Wicked”, Glinda is usually smiling and happy along with the crowd. But Gina’s Glinda, when the excited crowd wasn’t looking at her, looked sad and unhappy, and looked as though she was trying to suppress her emotions and not succeeding entirely. This was so subtle, and would have made no sense to someone who didn’t know how the show ended, but it had me crying barely five minutes into the show. From this moment on, I couldn’t take my eyes of Gina. She was the first G(a)linda I had ever seen to fully capture the Galinda to Glinda transformation. Most actors nail the frivolous, spoiled Galinda, but fall short of the more mature, world-weary Glinda. Gina nailed this aspect, showing all of the emotions that I knew Glinda had bottled up inside of her, but that I had never seen onstage before. I cannot praise Gina Beck’s performance enough; in my opinion, she will forever be the most wonderful G(a)linda to ever grace the stage. 

Gina Beck as Glinda

The technical aspects of Wicked were, as usual, flawless. The sets are reasonably simple; usually just a nicely lit background, sometimes with a simple prop or two. This is particularly effective because the characters are doing the communication, as opposed to using props or fancy scenery to show what is going on. The most elaborate set pieces are the Wizard’s giant mask and the Yellow Brick Road set piece, both key because of their significance to the original Wizard of Oz story. The lighting was used to effectively communicate a change in weather or in the mood of the scene. Something I found interesting is that Elphaba’s spotlight is green, not white, to, of course, enhance her greenness and difference from the normal-coloured people. The costumes were those that I know and love; Elphaba is in the same dress for most of the second act, and that dress is just stunning. It glows and shimmers and sparkles; darkly luminescent in every light. G(a)linda’s costumes are more varied, but all are brightly coloured (usually blue, pink, or yellow) and many are also quite sparkly. G(a)linda also has the most wig changes, whereas Elphaba’s hairstyle only changes three times, which is in line with the character’s personal preferences. The big, exuberant ensemble costumes for the Emerald City could easily be obnoxious, but they all blend together beautifully, and communicate the exuberance and outlandishness of The Emerald City without overwhelming the actors or their performances. Some characters are very simply made up, such as G(a)linda, The Wizard, Nessarose, and the Ensemble, but others, like Doctor Dillamond, Chistery, and of course Elphaba are much more sophisticated and complicated. Elphaba is, of course, bright green. In the first act, she is a softer, more delicate green, and in the second act, when Elphaba is now known to be Wicked, the green darkens, and there is more shading in her cheeks and eyes, as well as black lipstick. I think this is an excellent choice; as it aids the actor in communicating the change in Elphaba’s personality. Her personality darkens as the makeup darkens. As well, the green is what has always differentiated her in the past, so the lighter green in the first act looks as though she’s trying to hide it a little, whereas in the second act, she has fully embraced the greenness. 

Gina Beck as Galinda (This is also what I looked
like skipping out of the theatre)

The audience was not as enthusiastic as I would have expected; I thought it was brilliant. Perhaps this is because some of the brilliance was so subtle that only someone who had seen the show multiple times would catch it, or perhaps they just didn’t enjoy the story as much as I did. I personally would highly recommend Wicked. In London or on Broadway, it’s a fantastic show that cannot be missed. I look forward to seeing this show another seven times.

Les Miserables: Concert vs. West End

Les Miserables

25th Anniversary Concert vs. West End Stage Show

The Actors

A selection of a few actors/characters that caught my attention. **Edit: May 5th 2013**I have added the names of the actors I saw in my second Les Mis jaunt**

Valjean: Alfie Boe=Geronimo Rauch

Frankly, I'm not a huge Valjean. I find the character quite dry and predictable. Both had strong voices, and I liked them both for different reasons. I though Geronimo's acting was better, but his accent at the beginning got on my nerves.

Javert: Norm Lewis<Tam Mutu

Tam Mutu is epic. Norm Lewis made me want Javert to get off the stage, fast. He didn't put any feeling into the songs; he was just standing there singing. It was boring. Tam, on the other hand, made me pity Javert. Tam's Javert's Suicide rendered me speechless and brought me to tears. I don't think any other Javert will be able to match Tam's amazing performance. 

Fantine: Lea Salonga<Sierra Boggess<Celinde Schoenmaker

In this case, I'm a little biased. I absolutely adore Sierra Boggess; she is such a versatile actress/singer, and her performances are emotionally excellent; they don't feel like an act. I found Lea's Fantine to be a little too glowery for my liking; all she did was look upset. I think Lea's voice was better for Fantine; Sierra struggled a little with the low notes. But I much preferred Sierra's overall portrayal of Fantine. Plus her voice is just divine. 

Enjolras: Ramin Karimloo>Liam Tamne<Samuel Edwards

This was another case where I am a little biased. Ramin is epic. Liam bored me. There was no fire, no passion. Nothing about Liam's Enjolras inspired rebellion. In my mind, Enjolras has to make you want to follow him, even if you're in the audience. I didn't get that with Liam. Ramin, on the other hand, I would have done anything for his Enjolras. 

Eponine: Samantha Barks=Helen Owen<Sarah O'Connor

I thought no one could even come close to Samantha's Eponine. So I walked into the show pitying Helen Owen. Boy was I wrong. There are days when I remember Samantha's performance and like her better, and days when I remember Helen's and prefer her. But they're both absolutely phenomenal actresses and singers (I would love for someone to explain to me why Helen is only the understudy), and I adore both of their performances. 

Cosette: Katie Hall=Samantha Dorsey

This is another tough one. Cosette is a difficult character to bring some dimension to, and it's even harder when you have to stand in front of a microphone and can't move around a lot. So I found Katie's Cosette extremely dry and uninteresting, although she clearly tried very hard to make her more interesting. I would've loved to her on stage, as opposed to a concert. Samantha, on the other hand, brought a little more dimension to Cosette, which I loved, but her voice was somewhat weak. She hit every not, but there was no strength or confidence behind it. I couldn't even hear her during the end of One Day More. So, I prefer Katie's voice, but Samantha's performance. 

Marius: Nick Jonas<Craig Mather>Jamie Ward

This is an easy one. Nick Jonas, while he did a good job, was in over his head. Surrounded by such amazing voices, his seemed quite weak. He also did nothing to make me like Marius. I kept hoping Marius would die at the barricade. Craig Mather, on the other hand, was astounding. I absolutely bawled during A Little Fall of Rain, and I was even tearing up during Empty Chairs. He made me like and care about Marius (although I'll never forgive him for picking Cosette). 

Bishop of Digne: Earl Carpenter>Adam Linstead

Adam Linstead had an awful wig on. He also played Grantaire in the very same performance. Enough said. 

Young Cosette: Mia Jenkins<Isabelle Allen=Samantha or Sarah Something

This was tough; neither of them really had noteworthy voices. Both were nice, but nothing special. What made me prefer Isabelle was the acting. Isabelle acted, and reacted. Mia just kind of stood there looking either scared or nervous... not sure which. Both were cute as a button though!

The Performance

Costumes: The costumes were pretty much the same in both shows. The only thing I feel the need to mention about the 25AC is Eponine's lack of blood during A Little Fall of Rain. It, along with Nick Jonas' bad acting, kind of ruined the song. Also, Fantine was dark haired (I prefer a blonde Fantine and Cosette), and in the stage show, Cosette was dark haired. Not my favourite; I like them both to be blonde. I also like Cosette and Eponine to have contrasting hair colours. I though Eponine had way too much 'pretty' makeup on in the Concert, and I wish they'd somehow whitened Valjean's hair in the Concert as well. There was no illusion of aging at all. 

Set: Obviously, the stage show was better. I did like the way the actors came on and off the stage in the Concert though. But the stage show was just amazing. The set actually extended into the audience a bit, which was awesome. The rotating stage was just epic - it was amazing. No words to describe that fantastic set. 

These are my impressions, and obviously, not everyone will agree. But enjoy the read anyway :)