Wicked

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So I went to my first play/musical today with my wife. It was her Christmas present that finally came. We caught the 2:00 PM showing of Wicked:



All in all, it was a pleasant experience. Not exactly my type of music, but it was fine in the moment. There were only one or two songs that really got dreadful because of the awkward arrangements. Every musical seems to have those though.

I walked away having two major complaints about the experience. First off, I was blown away by how people dress for these things now. Maybe its just me, but it seems like going to a major production play calls for at least bringing out the khakis. Countless people showed up in jeans and tennis shoes, even a few had plain T-shirts on. I almost wore a suit (I left the jacket in the car) and my wife got all dolled up, and expected to see the same. Reality check I guess.

The bigger complaint was the sound. They mic'd everyone in the play as they should have, but they needed some major EQ'ing of the speakers. I realize its not the same as critical listening, but I should be able to understand what theyre saying during lower octaves and not have to cover my ears during the high octaves. It was bad enough that my wife actually commented on it as well.

Other than the sound, the only other bad thing I can say is that the first act felt long, and the second act felt too short. Everyone started getting a bit restless towards the last song or two from the first act. The cast is great and the visuals are stellar. The music is meh but presented well. It had a lot of ups and downs, as well as some very humorous moments. The plot twists could change the entire way you view the Wizard of Oz.

All in all, if youre in the DFW area and a background story of Oz might interest you, this is a play definitely worth seeing while you can.

[tonyb]

Wife saw it and loved it,plays are not my gig either for some of the reasons you expressed also.