Excursion to Seattle

Me, the Wicked poster, and Judy

Last Sunday my friend Judy and I traveled on a pre-arranged bus tour to Seattle with nary an empty seat. Tomorrow is the last day that Wicked will be performed here before it moves back to New York. I just looked at their schedule on line and learned that after tomorrow's performance, they will be performing again the very next day! Then, after a short stay in New York, they will move on to Portland. During the month of August, they seem to be hopping from one coast to another, so they must have a permanent setup in New York and a traveling one as well. But I suspect that many of the actors must be in both places.

I loved the show, but I was a little hesitant at first. Of course, Judy and I who are both short, got seated right behind two giant people. I swear he must be a football player, and his partner was every bit as tall, but we managed. I was taken aback by how LOUD the songs and music were, but fortunately I never go anywhere without my earplugs. They were very necessary at the Paramount Theater where we were seated in the middle of the first batch of seats. By the time we had an intermission, I was completely taken in by the show.

If you have never seen it, or know nothing about the story, I won't spoil it for you, but suffice it to say that the Wicked Witch isn't such a bad sort after all in this version of the story. I immediately went to the library to place a hold on the book on which the play is based: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. It came yesterday, but I haven't started to read it yet. Apparently, though, from several reader reviews, you either love or hate the book. It seems to be a parable of the nature of good and evil. I'll let you know what I think of it.

But the play? What a show! I simply cannot imagine how the actors turn out such performances day after day, week after week, year after year. Don't miss it if you get a chance to see it, and you'll marvel at them yourself.
:-)