Saturday, August 1, 2015

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.
:-)

18 comments:

  1. i had heard good things about it when it was in dallas. glad you enjoyed it!

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  2. I saw Wicked here in Portland a few years ago at my daughter's insistence. It was marvelous! One of the best theater productions I have seen.

    I see Wicked is coming back to Portland next week, and my daughter and her friends have tickets to see it.

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  3. I thought about going. Sounds like I should have.

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  4. One of my brothers saw it (or another version) when it was in Oz - and loved it.
    I am so glad that you warmed to it too.

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  5. I read the book a long time ago and saw the play a few years ago in Seattle. As is usually the case, I liked the book more than the play. Now that you mention it, I do remember it being very loud. Tom complained about that.

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  6. It probably won't be coming to a theater near us 90 miles away anytime soon....sounds like you had a good day...thank goodness for earplugs:)

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  7. Obviously this play caught your attention. Performers and performances are amazing because of the stamina needed to keep going.

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  8. We saw the play in Chicago. The funny thing is that our daughter loved it so much she oversold it to us. We went to see it with her and were not really excited about it. However, after hearing the music several times later it really grew on us. I would love to see it again now.

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  9. I don't care for loud music, which is why I never attend rock shows anymore. Glad you had a good time.

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  10. I liked the wicked witch in OZ, so I probably would go to see this....once thing - the troop will never come my way, so I'd best read the book whether its library or online. Anticipating your review.

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  11. I've been living in the middle of nowhere way to long & missed all this...:(

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  12. Sounds like great fun. I'm always amazed by how the actors can memorize all their lines. I can't remember a grocery list.

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  13. Sounds like great fun! And Seattle is such a cool city.

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  14. Like TB, I live on the edge of nowhere so I don't get a chance to see live shows. Great idea though about the earplugs. So glad you enjoyed the show. I can imagine it would be easy for actors to repeat a show but that they can be fresh each time is where the talent lies.

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  15. Glad you enjoyed it. I thought the music wonderful.

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  16. Your post today will not open (Lammas) ??

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  17. I haven't seen this yet. My friend has and she told me how loud it was. That put me off so I haven't been. I don't do loud these days if I can help it. I'm sure the set and costumes are wonderful but I await your review of the book and story?

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  18. I have this book, but haven't read it! I bought it at a garage sale a year or so ago. Mitch picked it up and read it to my surprise, and said it wasn't at all what he expected and very interesting.
    I've also heard it's a great show.. a friend of mine caught it when it came to Minneapolis.
    I mostly see Childrens Theater performances when they come to our local performing arts center, but I sure love them. Always a great time and amazing actors.

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