Haines His Way

And speaking of family... Unfortunately, my niece, Alyssa, seems to have reverted back to her "traditional" reaction when ever she sees me... She starts crying and starts running toward my brother/her father and/or my father/her grandfather.  Ah well... for now I'm just "blaming" it on the two weeks she just had in Puerto Rico...  Her way of showing her dislike for the cold weather back home.  Yeah.. that's strecthing it a bit!

Just off to dine with dear reader PennyO.  I shall return shortly and hopefully to many more of these excellent postings.

DR Noel, are you also saying that people who HAVE read the book shouldn't see the show?  We have already been told by Maguire HIMSELF, and Holzman's changes are at least true to the original author's intents.

I'm saying that everyone should see the show, as soon as they can.  I understand that, for some, it will be many years before they see Wicked (tour, Australian premiere, local productions, whatever).

I'm saying that one of the many pleasures of the show are its surprising plot turns.

Just from reading today's posts, I gather that Winnie Holzman made some changes in the plot; a reader familiar with the original novel might be surprised.

My musical who-dunnit, Murder at the Savoy, or, Pulley of the Yard contains a surprising plot twist or two.  Whenever I send out a tape of it, I've sent along a carefully worded synopsis that doesn't give away the ending.  I'd prefer people to enjoy the surprise.

I don't know why Holzman and Schwartz didn't include a synopsis with the CD of Wicked.  But, if I may be so bold, please allow me to assume that the creators of the show don't want their surprising twists revealed.  In fact, that's the only reason I can think of why a synopsis was left out.

My advice, once again, is that you'll enjoy the show more if you don't know these twists in advance, but, by all means, do what you want to do.

It is -5 degrees here.

The singer you recognized went unrecognized by DW Joy in the theatre.  His back is to the audience, and I doubt very many caught what you caught.

Surely it's possible to enjoy the Wicked CD without knowing the plot's surprises.  But I haven't heard that CD yet, so I can't be certain.

But, oh, this word "elitist" --- Who's being elitist?  Schwartz and Holtzman for not including a synopsis?  For opening their show in San Francisco and then New York and not Pittsburgh?

All I'm doing here is trying to help DRs have the best possible time whenever they see Wicked for the first time.  And if that's "elitist" of me, I'll happily reveal who committed the Murder on the Orient Express so I can be more a man of the people.  

the silent butler did it.

TOMOVOZ did your book arrive yet?

TD for one reason or another I need your address.  

Jack your photo above is a Rugby game and NOT Australian Rules football. There is a world of difference between the games (and the players!)

Oh you can imagine my embarrassment.  Glad the book arrived....I may have gotten that email.  Sad sad sad to be so old and forgetful!

TD - I don't think NEVER GONNA DANCE has been recorded yet which is a shame.  Karen Ziemba's two Act II renditions of lesser known Kern songs alone would make it worthwhile.  Maybe this will change.  To say nothing against the current productions, but did we really need another recording of GYPSY or WONDERFUL TOWN.  Rosie says there will be a soundtrack of TABOO meaning either she doesn't know the difference between a cast album and a soundtrack or they will wait for the movie version she says she will be producing.

Jose - You are forgetting one thing in your Tony analysis.  It is quite possible that ASSASSINS may be considered a new musical which would throw a monkey wrench in the whole thing.  This was discussed here before, but it may have been when you were not around as much, and valid reasons for both sides (new or revival) were given.

I enjoyed WICKED a lot, but I had one problem with it and I wonder if any other DRs felt the same thing.  I felt it was two shows in one: a spectacular show with great sets, costumes, effects, etc.; and an intimate story which could have been told with a handful of people.  Most of the highlights for me were solos and duets with a limited number of people on stage, dwarfed by a giant set.  Most of the production numbers didn't move the story forward, but were there to show you why the show cost so much.  They were very entertaining, but not really needed.  However sometimes more is less, and I would like to see a cut down version where the story and score isn't constantly overwhelmed by flying monkeys, a dragon clock, etc.  Often shows (particularly in the last 20 years or so) use spectacle to hide a bad book and/or score.  In the case of WICKED, it detracts from the book and score since it doesn't need to be hid.

Oh, and now for today's kitchen tips:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/28/dining/28KITC.html

Yes, it's the NY Times; and, yes, you will most likely need to register with the site to view it if you haven't already... But, it's a neat article... and the opening remarks about Mad Cow disease and the germs that we live with everyday in our own kitchens are quite... true.

Td & Noel, one of the ways I went from becoming just a casual fan of musicals to a more serious fan of musicals was that as a teenager, every night as I did my homework, I listened to a radio show emanating locally from Cincinnati across the river.  They would play most of the tracks from a musical and between numbers, the dj would read the plot synopsis off the back of the record jacket.  I'm sure I appreciated those musicals more and understood them more, because the numbers were put in context to the show.  I remember hearing shows for the first time like MAN OF LA MANCHA and ALL AMERICAN...It prompted me to go see LA MANCHA when it played the local touring house.  Nor did knowing the plot basics from the sketchy synopsis on the record jacket in any way diminish my appreciation of the muscial when I saw it full-blown in the flesh.

I think I have known the basic plot to almost every musical I've ever seen before going to see it live.

One of the frustrating things about listening to WICKED without a synopsis is that without knowing the context many of the songs lost their emotional impact and many were utterly indecipherable.  I just didn't have a clue about what they were singing.  TD, I really appreciate the synopsis you sent me and it has deepened my appreciation of the album, certainly...We'll have to wait to see if it does for the show, if I ever get to see a version of it.

Well said Mr Pogue.

DR WEL - Ohh.. that's right... Assassins... However, I have a feeling it will be get put in the "classic" category and end up being considered a revival.  Again, just my feeling...

However, on a slightly related note - It would be nice to see Doug Sills get nominated for his turn in Little Shop as Orin the Dentist and other assorted denizens of Skid Row.

As for the two shows currently on the stage of the Gershwin Theatre in NYC... Good point.  And it really is an intimate story with the all the machinations of Wizard of Oz and the Land of Oz as the background.  Much like the role of Vietnam in Miss Saigon.  -And I think I've related this before... the most moving Miss Saigon I ever attend was a piano sing-thru...  it really focused the story on the Kim, Chris, John, Ellen and the Engineer.  That "small" setting also helped to make the Engineer a more "sympathetic" - or at least "pathetic" - character.  No helicopters, over-sized Cadillacs or girls in light-up bikinis serving as distractions.

*Of course, I also have images of one of Mr. Pryce's, successors, Francis Ruivivar, as he tried to "mount" the Cadillac the first few times.  Mr. Pryce is a tall man.  Mr. Ruivivar is a big man.  I almost thought he was going to rip off the windshield with his efforts to stay on top!