Spamalot! She's dead, she's dead!

[pbray]

Yesterday was jennifer_dunne's birthday, and she'd decided she wanted to celebrate by going to NYC, where we saw not one but two musicals. A matinee of Spamalot with her parents, and then she and I went to the evening show of Wicked.

Spamalot was as I expected, hilariously funny. Wicked took me by surprise. I'd enjoyed the book, but the musical was amazing.

Great day, but long, since we'd gotten up early to take the bus in to the city. Then up again early this morning to catch the bus back to our neck of the woods.

I've now seen three Broadway musicals in two months. Prior to this streak I'd see a musical every three or four years, so this is definitely going to skew my average.

P.S. Still didn't get to the Irish bar, nor could I convince anyone to go taste single malts at St. Andrews, but maybe next time....

Comments

Wicked!

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

You got to see Wicked? I love the soundtrack. I SO hope it comes to Proctor's. I've heard rumors that it might. Who's playing the leads now?

[wishweaver.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you had a fun day!

I've heard the book and musical versions of "Wicked" are very different. Are they?

Cheers,

Wish

[pbray.livejournal.com]

The biggest change is the ending. The book is a tragedy, where the musical has an ending that a Broadway audience will accept. The part of Glinda was also expanded, in order to set up her and Elphaba as opposite sides of the same coin.

Other than that, it's the normal abridgement that has to take place when you take a long complex novel and turn it into an 2+ hour musical.

Re: Wicked!

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Eden Espinosa as Elphaba, Kate Reinders as Glinda, Derrick Williams as Fiyero, PJ Benjamin as the Wizard and Carol Kane as Madam Morrible. All were excellent.

[jennifer-dunne.livejournal.com]

Broadway audiences will accept tragedies. Take BLOOD BROTHERS, which ends with both brothers dead. But that starts off by saying it's a tragedy, and that they die, and reminds you every time you think things are getting better that they are, in fact, doomed, so don't get your hopes up.

But they *like* shows with happy endings. :-) Where *like* is translated as repeat sales that keep a show open for years and years and years.

There's a reason that Mimi dies at the end of La Boheme and lives at the end of Rent...

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Well they didn't completely change it to a happy ending. It's more of a mixed ending rather than unrelieved tragedy. There's still loss and injustice, and sacrifice.

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

Judging from the soundtrack, it's at least pensive.

Re: Wicked!

[melissajm.livejournal.com]

Were they the same Elphaba and Glinda from the bit in last year's Macy's Parade?

Re: Wicked!

[pbray.livejournal.com]

Good question, I'm not sure. I didn't catch the bit, so not sure if I'd have recognized them, and the playbill guide doesn't say how long they've been in their roles.