Wicked tour coming to Grand Canal Theatre

Ziegfeldgirl27

d@rk l0rd wrote: »

I haven't seen her on the Late Late, but have seen her perform the role many times in London. Her voice is amazing and I really love how she acts the part. She has great comic timing too. Nothing compares to seeing Wicked in context live on a huge stage with all the lighting and sets and costumes. Defying Gravity and No Good Deed in particular are going to be amazing on the GCT stage.
What song did she sing on the Late Late? Not the remix of Defying Gravity I hope, really don't like that remix!

She sang Defying Gravity...what is the remix?

d@rk l0rd

It's kind of bits and pieces of Defying Gravity sung in a pop music style. It's usually sung at events like West End Live and promotions for the show.

Ziegfeldgirl27

Here is her performance if you are interested! To be honest (thankfully) I have not heard anyone perform Defying Gravity in the way in which you describe. I don't think Nikki does it here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sQELSsI9ps

d@rk l0rd

The Late Late version is not the DG remix thankfully. Nikki sang it very well, with a slight change of the lyrics to those used in The Wizard and I as there's no Glinda there. Both Kerry Ellis and Rachel Tucker have performed the remix many times.

woodchuck

I wasn't going to go see this because I think the touring production won't be as good as broadway and westend... but I made an executive decision today to book tickets for my mam and I to go and see this over the Christmas Mwahahahaha...

AndrewJD

From reviews it's a slightly but not majorly leaner revamp, one reviewer (it was a Manchester newspaper I think) thought it was more intimate and powerful than the London production.

leahyl

Hi, just a question about tickets for this - 4 of us are going to it in January and I was just wondering if I go to the ticketmaster office in Cork and buy the tickets do I still have to pay the booking fee that you pay online?

Also, would row c in the upper circle be good seats? Never been before so want to get a good view but don't really want to pay the 65e for the stall seats

Thanks

athtrasna

My advice for this show is splash out, get the good seats, centre of row M in the stalls. The circle in the theatre feels really far back when people get on the stage and Wicked has such stunning detail it's a shame to miss it. I've seen the show 9 times and once let someone else book the seats and ended up in the cheap seats. Total waste.

leahyl

athtrasna wrote: »

My advice for this show is splash out, get the good seats, centre of row M in the stalls. The circle in the theatre feels really far back when people get on the stage and Wicked has such stunning detail it's a shame to miss it. I've seen the show 9 times and once let someone else book the seats and ended up in the cheap seats. Total waste.

Eh ok - too late I've bought tickets in the 3rd row of Upper Circle.... with booking fee and everything the stalls were a bit too expensive....there were no seats in row M of stalls anyway.

Looking forward to it anyway!

Thanks for your response!

Ziegfeldgirl27

I'm now going to see it twice! Going to see the first Saturday matinee and now the last matinee! Both in the stalls, row M and row Q.

tomboylady

I've never seen the show, but am really not a fan of the music, or the style of singing (despite being a musical theatre geek!). However, I did just book a ticket to go see it by myself in a few weeks. I'll give it a chance...

Zhane

I seen it Wednesday! Amazing!

athtrasna

I got a surprise free ticket tonight so got to see it five weeks earlier than planned. Overall I was very impressed. The chorus is really small but to make up for that the choreography has been revamped and is stunning. There's some chorus flying I've never seen before (tonight was my 10th production).

Yet another BGET production marred by sound problems though, chorus/midstage mics blew early in the first act and the sound was way down on all the ensemble numbers thoughout the show, making some words and lyrics undecipherable if you don't know the show well.

Defying Gravity was underwhelming, there was something about it that was less spectacular than the other productions but I can't put my finger on what it was.

Thought the cast did well, one of my favourite Madam Morribles ever...but when I discovered she was one of the founders of Fascinating Aida it all made sense

d@rk l0rd

I saw it yesterday (matinee) and it was good, but not overwhelming, especially when compared to the London spectacular. It is very scaled down. The stage doesn't come out as far, there's no spiral staircase, no balconies on both sides of the stage, no bridge for when

Elphaba and Fiyero to escape across with the lion cub

.

Defying Gravity was underwhelming due to the smaller staging,

the seat in the lift at the end was easy to see, the lighting didn't give the same illusion you get in the London show

.

Nikki Davis Jones was great as Elphaba but I've seen her perform the role better, wasn't gone on Emily Tierney as Glinda, I didn't warm to her at all and felt she and Nikki lacked chemistry. Didn't like the Fiyero, far too baby faced, Fiyero needs to be a bad boy rascal. I also felt that they lacked chemistry too.

Loved the Nessarose, Morrible. The Wizard/Dillamond was (same actor playing both) fine.

Much reduced ensemble (all excellent), changes to a lot of the dance numbers, No Good Deed looked and sounded great. Some sound issues at the matinee too, it should have been louder and mics weren't always switched on at the right time, often lyrics were difficult to make out. The sound at the GCT can be very annoying at times

Yes, I noticed the

extra flying for example when Elphaba gets mad and releases the lion cub, 2 of the ensemble go flying into the wings

which doesn't happen in the London show.

Overall, I enjoyed it but it didn't blow me away. Wicked needs to be massive, on a smaller scale it just doesn't have the same impact.
I enjoyed it a lot but If I was seeing it for the first time I'd have been more amazed I guess. Place was full. Audience loved it.

Ziegfeldgirl27

Hi folks thanks for putting up your reviews. I must say that since a couple of people found it underwhelming, I feel disappointed already. I'm going to see it on Sunday. My first time ever seeing wicked however I do know most of the set up and the songs etc. I do not want to be left feeling underwhelmed but as it's my first time seeing it, is that possible?!

d@rk l0rd

You won't be left feeling underwhelmed, as if it's your first time to see it it will be amazing. It's only because I've seen it a lot in London that I felt a bit underwhelmed. Comparing it to London. Because the London show is much bigger and in your face.
The tour is still fantastic and you shouldn't feel disappointed. You will love it. The songs and costumes are all the same and it's still spectacular. I really enjoyed it.
For most there yesterday it was their first time seeing it and the excitement on people's faces afterwards was fantastic. It got a very well deserved standing ovation.

So go and enjoy it as you will love it, then see it again in London on a bigger scale.

Ziegfeldgirl27

d@rk l0rd wrote: »

You won't be left feeling underwhelmed, as if it's your first time to see it it will be amazing. It's only because I've seen it a lot in London that I felt a bit underwhelmed. Comparing it to London. Because the London show is much bigger and in your face.
The tour is still fantastic and you shouldn't feel disappointed. You will love it. The songs and costumes are all the same and it's still spectacular. I really enjoyed it.
For most there yesterday it was their first time seeing it and the excitement on people's faces afterwards was fantastic. It got a very well deserved standing ovation.

So go and enjoy it as you will love it, then see it again in London on a bigger scale.

Thanks dark lord. I'd love to see it in London. Are there any huge differences in particular between the west end and touring production? I'm curious to know.

athtrasna

Ziegfeldgirl27 wrote: »

Thanks dark lord. I'd love to see it in London. Are there any huge differences in particular between the west end and touring production? I'm curious to know.

Cast size is the biggy, the touring cast is about a quarter of the size of a resident production. The stage is also much narrower so it's not quite as spectacular. I think key to getting the most out of this production (and I say this all the time about the BGET) is good seats, central seats. Last night my seat was to the left, and you do miss out. Looking forward to my favourite seats when I go in January, middle of row M.

Ziegfeldgirl27

athtrasna wrote: »

Cast size is the biggy, the touring cast is about a quarter of the size of a resident production. The stage is also much narrower so it's not quite as spectacular. I think key to getting the most out of this production (and I say this all the time about the BGET) is good seats, central seats. Last night my seat was to the left, and you do miss out. Looking forward to my favourite seats when I go in January, middle of row M.

I will be in the middle of row M this sunday. I will see it again on the 18th January however my seats are to the extreme right. I have never had any problems with the BGE Theatre but perhaps it differs show to show.

Ziegfeldgirl27

Well I just got home from today's matinee performance. The only thing I can say is that I am absolutely and completely overwhelmed. I never expected to feel so emotional.

I thought the cast and the ensemble were incredible. The sets really astounded me.

My only criticism are that Emily Tierney's soprano singing voice is rather shrill and not too pleasant on the ear (her acting was out of this world though) and I thought that the orchestra was too loud and drowned out some dialogue and even some singing.

I have been to a few shows in the BGE Theatre but I have never seen an audience react the way they did today. I really think everyone was taken aback by this show. It's not like any other shows out there.

athtrasna

So not at all underwhelmed :D

Ziegfeldgirl27

Not a single bit! I am really looking forward to seeing it again on the last day!


Also have to say that I really loved the Nessarose and George Ure as Boq!

athtrasna

I loved Nessarose too...though I still can't understand why her song isn't on the CD...it's a great audition song!

d@rk l0rd

Told you you wouldn't be underwhelmed. I have a tendency to nit pick.

I've been very lucky to see some truly great Elphaba/Glinda pairings (Kerry Ellis/Dianne Pilkington, Ashleigh Gray/Sarah Earnshaw, Rachel Tucker/Louise Dearman) so I am particularly nit picky about this.

Now save your pennies and go see it on a much more massive scale in London, now that is overwhelming.

woodchuck

athtrasna wrote: »

I loved Nessarose too...though I still can't understand why her song isn't on the CD...it's a great audition song!

I heard before that it's because it contains too many spoilers.

GreenGrey

We're heading on Friday with our 8 year old.

Is it only the flying monkeys she might get scared by. She's not a jumpy child, but we want her to enjoy it.

Ziegfeldgirl27

There were certain moments that actually made me jump! On the day I saw it, I thought the sound was really quite loud, perhaps it was just where I was sitting. But the monkeys may freak out a young child, as would the Wizard of Oz "floating head".

d@rk l0rd

There are a few moments that may scare a young child such as the flying monkeys, Madame Morrible's "Citizens of Oz" rant, the mechanical wizard head and possibly No Good Deed. It does get quite dark towards the second half of the first act, compared to all the fluffiness of the first half.
I'm sure he'll/she'll be fine.

d@rk l0rd

woodchuck wrote: »

I heard before that it's because it contains too many spoilers.

Strange, surely everyone knows that Nessarose, Elphaba's sister

becomes the Wicked Witch of the East

.

pmax86

Hi, I am in Dublin for a weekend in January (10th – 12th) and would really like to see this show but looks like only Matinee tickets are available. Can anyone tell me how different this would be to the evening show (stupid question maybe but I’m new to this!).

If anyone knows of any tickets available for the Friday or Saturday evening shows that would also be great obviously!