Smooth, professional and `Wicked'
By Alessandra Djurklou, Staff Writer
"WICKED"
Where: Segerstrom Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday; through Aug. 20.
Tickets: Sold out. A special $25 day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of seats will be held each day 2 1/2 hours prior to show times. Information: (714) 556-2787 or www.ocpac.org
IT'S NOT EASY being green.
You get picked on in school, boys think you're hideous, and the only one who has even a remote chance at popularity is the little blond witch who shares your dorm room.
Is it any wonder, then, that Elphaba, the main character in the hilarious touring musical "Wicked," now at the Orange County Performing Arts Center for two weeks, decides to turn to the dark side?
But things aren't necessarily as they seem. "Wicked" is the musical version of the best seller by Gregory Maguire, who in turn wrote his book based on the characters in Frank Baum's classic "Wizard of Oz."
The musical starts off where "Wizard" ended, with the residents of Oz cheering the Wicked Witch of the West's demise. They ask Glinda the Good Witch (Kendra Kassebaum) to tell them about it, and discover that she and the Wicked Witch were once, gasp! friends.
This leads to the beginning of the story, where we meet the green-skinned Elphaba (Julia Murney) and her wheelchair-bound sister Nessarose (Jennifer Waldman) on their first day of school.
There, Elphaba and Glinda meet and instantly loathe each other. Glinda is pretty, Elphaba is not. Elphaba is smart and has talent, Glinda does not. But the two eventually overcome their dislike and become friends. Their friendship is sorely tested, though, when they meet the Wizard of Oz (P.J. Benjamin), and nonconformist Elphaba disagrees with his vision for the future of Oz. And that drives the rest of the plot.
The touring show is professional and smooth, with great costumes, sets, and above all, performances. And the clever plot, with often snide lines, makes up for the somewhat dull score and not always memorable songs.
That is not to say there are no memorable numbers. One, "Popular," is Glinda's ode to the power of makeovers, and Kassebaum has a great time amping it up with little kicks and flounces. In general, Kassebaum plays her character as a mix between a supermodel and a poodle - silly, conceited and a blast to watch.
Murney, in contrast, plays misfit Elphaba as a passionate, strong and sometimes self-pitying individual with demons to spare. Her final number in the first act, "Defying Gravity," is marvelous.
It's hard to say which of the two owns "Wicked," maybe they both do. And the supporting characters do a nice job as foils. Benjamin is affable as the Wizard. You really can't dislike him even at his most nefarious.
Sebastian Marcellus is great as the conceited and bored popular boy Fyero, and gets a great chance to redeem his character at the end. Waldman is good as Nessarose, the soon-to-be Wicked Witch of the East.
Kirk McDonald proves to be the least sympathetic character as Boq, the munchkin who pretends to care for Nessarose, then breaks her heart by telling her he really loves Glinda. To say what he turns into would surely ruin a good surprise.
Alma Cuervo chews scenery as the headmistress Madame Morrible, but manages to not go too far over the top.
If you're looking for Dorothy, by the way, she is nowhere in sight. And by the time "Wicked" is over, you may very well wish the little brat hadn't set foot in Oz in the first place.
http://www.presstelegram.com/entertainment/ci_4177052
"WICKED"
Where: Segerstrom Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday; through Aug. 20.
Tickets: Sold out. A special $25 day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of seats will be held each day 2 1/2 hours prior to show times. Information: (714) 556-2787 or www.ocpac.org
IT'S NOT EASY being green.
You get picked on in school, boys think you're hideous, and the only one who has even a remote chance at popularity is the little blond witch who shares your dorm room.
Is it any wonder, then, that Elphaba, the main character in the hilarious touring musical "Wicked," now at the Orange County Performing Arts Center for two weeks, decides to turn to the dark side?
But things aren't necessarily as they seem. "Wicked" is the musical version of the best seller by Gregory Maguire, who in turn wrote his book based on the characters in Frank Baum's classic "Wizard of Oz."
The musical starts off where "Wizard" ended, with the residents of Oz cheering the Wicked Witch of the West's demise. They ask Glinda the Good Witch (Kendra Kassebaum) to tell them about it, and discover that she and the Wicked Witch were once, gasp! friends.
This leads to the beginning of the story, where we meet the green-skinned Elphaba (Julia Murney) and her wheelchair-bound sister Nessarose (Jennifer Waldman) on their first day of school.
There, Elphaba and Glinda meet and instantly loathe each other. Glinda is pretty, Elphaba is not. Elphaba is smart and has talent, Glinda does not. But the two eventually overcome their dislike and become friends. Their friendship is sorely tested, though, when they meet the Wizard of Oz (P.J. Benjamin), and nonconformist Elphaba disagrees with his vision for the future of Oz. And that drives the rest of the plot.
The touring show is professional and smooth, with great costumes, sets, and above all, performances. And the clever plot, with often snide lines, makes up for the somewhat dull score and not always memorable songs.
That is not to say there are no memorable numbers. One, "Popular," is Glinda's ode to the power of makeovers, and Kassebaum has a great time amping it up with little kicks and flounces. In general, Kassebaum plays her character as a mix between a supermodel and a poodle - silly, conceited and a blast to watch.
Murney, in contrast, plays misfit Elphaba as a passionate, strong and sometimes self-pitying individual with demons to spare. Her final number in the first act, "Defying Gravity," is marvelous.
It's hard to say which of the two owns "Wicked," maybe they both do. And the supporting characters do a nice job as foils. Benjamin is affable as the Wizard. You really can't dislike him even at his most nefarious.
Sebastian Marcellus is great as the conceited and bored popular boy Fyero, and gets a great chance to redeem his character at the end. Waldman is good as Nessarose, the soon-to-be Wicked Witch of the East.
Kirk McDonald proves to be the least sympathetic character as Boq, the munchkin who pretends to care for Nessarose, then breaks her heart by telling her he really loves Glinda. To say what he turns into would surely ruin a good surprise.
Alma Cuervo chews scenery as the headmistress Madame Morrible, but manages to not go too far over the top.
If you're looking for Dorothy, by the way, she is nowhere in sight. And by the time "Wicked" is over, you may very well wish the little brat hadn't set foot in Oz in the first place.
http://www.presstelegram.com/entertainment/ci_4177052
