Wicked- a wondrous spin on the Wizard of Oz- has been on Broadway for over a decade now. This exciting new revival cast is directed by Joe Mantello. The book is by Winnie Holzman with lyrics and music by Stephan Schwartz. This musical comedy is presented with an all new cast. Some of the new actresses include Jenni Barber as the bubbly Glinda and Christine Dwyer as the seclusive Elphaba. The drama critic, Charles Isherwood, starts off very pleased with the new cast of the show. He goes on to say, “Remarkably, they continue to secure performers who can both fill the (hefty) vocal and (less taxing) acting demands of the central roles,..” This means that Mr. Isherwood believes that the directors are filling the roles quite nicely. As someone …show more content…
He states, “Elphaba who grows up battling bigotry toward her lurid skin tone, is the less flashy and more earnest role, but Christine Dwyer belts her way through it with an urgency that matches my recollections of Ms. Menzel. At times she seems a veritable clone,..” To explain furthermore, The critic thinks Ms. Dwyer is a suitable fit for this hefty role. Being someone who has heard her sing I would agree. However the critic abruptly separates the good from the bad. He states, “Not messing with the success also means not tinkering with the less felicitous aspects of your show. ‘Wicked’ boast ugly costumes, ugly choreography and an ugly set by Eugene Lee.” What that means, although very clear, that he loved the singing and acting. However, he hated the set, costumes and choreography. Being someone who has seen the show, set is not a huge part of the show but the little parts need to be perfect. Same goes for the costumes and choreography. Lastly, the critic didn’t like the costume of the the lead Madame Morrible. He says, “How she manages to move across the stage in her heavily upholstered costumes, which make her look like an animated couch with throw pillows attached, is hard to fathom.” This means Madame Morrible costume’s was by far one of the ugliest. With the way the critic described it i would have to
I don’t think that is bad either, because that is what they wanted and they achieved their goal. The Miss Firecracker show is entertaining and hilarious all in one. Popeye is witty and awkward, Carnell strives attention, Elaine is a southern bell, and Delemount acts crazy the entire time. I loved it. I wasn’t sure what the play was about when I bought the tickets but it is definitely something that I would do again. I didn’t see any problems with the play either. The scenery was representational, the actors understood their role, it was entertaining, the lighting was on schedule and accurately completed, and their costumes fit perfectly in the
The performance ‘Chasing the Lollyman’ by Debase productions succeeded in using the Dramatic Languages to create a Dramatic Meaning that comments on a social and political issue. This, along with the effective manipulation of the dramatic conventions, has allowed Debase to successfully recognised the Epic Theatre style. Chasing the Lollyman is one man show starring one of Queensland's most dynamic and funny Indigenous performers, Mark Sheppard. He shares many stories, a celebration of urban Indigenous identity and takes a satirical look at the media and popular culture. Playing a variety of characters, Mark pokes fun at everything from Neighbours (what would it be like if a Murri family moved into Ramsey street) to polities. The dramatic meaning of the performance is if Australia wants to become one, we need to learn to accept each other for their differences.
Overall, Wicked was an extraordinary show with very little flaws! It was such an enjoyable show to see and I would most definitely love to see it again! It is for sure a must-see musical. I assure you, you wont regret seeing it at all!! So what are you waiting for? Buy your tickets now!
I have no negative comments about the play. I really enjoyed this production of Guys and Dolls and believe that the director's vision was clearly dispayed on the stage by the actors, the musical ensemble and the production team. I thought the set design was amazing and that the costumes perfectly portrayed the style of the 1940s. All of the hard work and dedication put into the play, showed through the actors and the set resulting in a wonderful musical worthy of Broadway.
It truly made the play come alive and it made the audience seem that they could just join in if they wanted to. The relationships seemed authentic and exactly the way I would have imagined them in real life. The actors spoke loud so everyone could hear well and nothing seemed
However, overall, I really enjoyed the performance. Even as a Hairspray conniseur and snooty arts school student that I am, I thought it was fantastic. I am very happy for my friends and peers who put on the production, and I wish both the cast and crew good luck with the Schuler’s later this
As a student of hers, I am confident in saying that she puts all of her hard work and efforts into her productions. Hard work pays off and thanks to her, the transitions between all scenes especially act two scene three to the finale were a great success. She did a extraordinary job casting the actors and hiring Abby Peterson Murrel as the choreographer. Abby did a fantastic job directing the “Waiters Gallup” there was so much movement and this song/scene that it is easy for it to become a jumbled mess, however she made clean, cut movements that is was a breeze to follow. Rudolph Reisenweber played by Garrett Johnson, the head chef of the overwhelming restaurant, was well placed. We see the first and second cook dressed in completely different outfits making appearances on either side of the stage while other waiters are dancing to songs in the middle. The choreography kept things interesting and the dances in a musical can make or break the performance. Overall, Cherie and Abby did amazing jobs directing each person to have a place among a crowded
In this magical experience, the volunteers that put on the enactment were extremely resourceful. The sets were a little intricate to acquire, especially when the donations, and fundraising, were few. The cast and volunteers were impressive on their improvisation for sets they couldn’t buy, like using a projector to set the atmosphere. However, some sets weren’t so great. They could have improved on some sets and the complications like the microphones being sometimes on and off. Overall, the sets were improvised skillfully, and the show was exceptionally concluded.
As far as acting, the performers were able to convey the feelings they needed to. However, some characters such as Ol' Cap'n played by Dick Lambert and Luttibelle played by April Curry, seemed more committed and engaging in their roles than others. A crucial factor in April Curry portraying her role so well was her vocal talent far exceeded that of any of the other major performers. She had an amazing voice that I was dazzled by from curtain up to down and left me craving for more. This almost compensated for my disappointment when it came to the ensemble singing to the soundtrack. Many performers were dependent on the cd and were not confident as to when to begin or stop singing, which dampered many moments of the performers. Another element of acting that I enjoyed was the exaggerated use of cooning throughout the duration of the performance that brought characters to life, and enabled certain moments to seem real.
On October 3, 2016, I watched The Woodsman in class at Brigham Young University. James Ortiz directed the play, along with the production team Claire Karpen (Director), Molly Seidel (Costume Design), Catherine Clark and Jamie Roderick (Lighting Design) and Becca Key (Production Manager). A Broadway Production, The Woodsman epitomized the strength of technical design while allowing the audience to fall in love with the characters.
They were clean and straight forward, and they were able to add realism to the story without taking the focus off the actors. The set pieces were creative and innovative. I enjoyed the fact that the sets were simplistic because it kept your focus on the actors and the storyline. I, however, did not like the fact that I could see the cast carrying off the set pieces, to me that seemed very careless. I prefer that in between scenes the lights are dimmed and you can not blatantly see the sets being changed, but that is just my opinion. I find that it adds sophistication to the production that way. I enjoyed how movement was incorporated into the sets, like when Emily is walking down a street, other cast members held up a picture of a house and that was the street. It was something I have never seen done before, and I found it unique and ingenious. The incidental music was able to give the audience insight into the true intentions of characters and add to the story. It sparked curiosity and was able to portray character’s moods with ease. And when character’s experienced flashbacks, the music enhanced the quality of that scene by adding realism. Not only did the incidental music elevate the level of the performance, but it was able to add such reality to the play, that I felt as if I was truly in the world of the
The House of Blue Leaves was a comedy play that contained political and historical events. There were also multiple times where there was drama between the actors. The play showed a lot of comedy with the actor’s personalities and their facial expressions. I believe that the play was trying to pull the audiences emotions with laughter. The play was also based off a historical event. The main event in the first part of the play was that the Pope was in town. The actors were excited to meet the Pope and make a wish. In the director’s notes, the Pope coming was based off Pope Paul VI making his first visit to America. The play definantly informed the audience of how many American citizens sought after the Pope coming to America. I believe the
The best improvement they could've made to this play would've been canceling it. I guess if I were the director, I would've tried to make it more entertaining, because it was really boring.
She was able to properly place herself in the shoes of her character which has been observed through her movements and interactions with the ensemble. Aside from having green skin, she was able to show that Elphaba had a difficulties in trying to fit into society. One example was through the way she awkwardly danced alone in the musical number of “Dancing Through Life”. In the musical number, “What is This Feeling”, she was able to show the strong opposition with her and Glinda as they become roommates. Despite being an outcast to society, she has shown that her character still has a heart of gold by showing that she still cares for her sister and those around her. Her vocals were very powerful and she slightly sang with a style of a pop genre through riffs and runs. One musical number that made her stand out the most was in the finale of Act 1, “Defying Gravity”. She showed that Elphaba really had strong powers and that nothing could stop her and this has given chills to the audience. In the musical number, “The Wizard and I”, her passion on meeting the Wizard was very evident through her powerful vocal