Wicked at 5,000 Performances-What Do YOU Love Most About Wicked?

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 11:21am

Wicked will reach 5,000 performances on broadway next month. A stunning achievement and milestone. 

What do YOU LOVE most about Wicked?

 

Updated On: 9/30/15 at 11:21 AM

[NJ_BroadwayGirl]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 11:29am

Wicked isn't perfect and I know a lot of people don't care for it. I love the Wizard of Oz so I enjoy getting to see that world come to life on stage. I find it to be a musical that I can really escape into and turn off the outside world for a few hours (if I'm not sitting around teens who don't know to be quiet). I actually think the size of the theatre helps set the tone for that. Even though you're surrounded by merchandise, etc in the lobby, there's something about going up the escalator and being far from the street that makes you feel like you're leaving life behind. 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 12:23pm

I love the heart-wrenching dramatic irony when she sings "when people see me they will scream!"

 

Also the beltfest that is that score. And the orchestrations.

[ChildofEarth]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 12:29pm

I love that Wicked is, for many people, a gateway drug into theater. I love that young girls come and get inspired by the fact that this girl overcame the odds, did what wasn't popular, stood up for what she believed in, and still got her own form of happiness - even if it wasn't picture perfect happiness.

I love that Wicked brought a lot of attention back to theatre, like Rent did, like Hamilton is doing. I love Wicked because it gave Idina Menzel, who has gone on to do AMAZING things (A Broader Way) a foothold to stand on and continue to be a great ambassador for the community, regardless of what some think of her style.

I love Defying Gravity and I will never be ashamed of that. I love For Good. I love No Good Deed. I love As Long As You're Mine.

Finally, I love that a show wasn't killed because critics didn't like it and stayed (and will continue to stay) because it is just a good musical, with good lyrics, with great orchestrations, and a fantastic story.

Plus the themed drinks at the bar are the best on Broadway.

[TerrenceIsTheMann]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 12:36pm

Not a huge fan outside of a few of Schwartz's songs, but I agree with NJ that the Gershwin has a really cool setup and it feels like a "semi-permanent" home for Wicked.

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 1:07pm

Elphaba gave me the courage to come out and not care what anyone thinks. Especially in Defying Gravity when she says "and nobody is going to bring me down". I can relate to her cause my dad hates me for being gay (she's green.. and can't do anything about it). I love Wicked. I remember when I didn't know that Broadway existed and watched Wicked's Tony Performance and couldn't stop crying!! And I don't care how over rated it is. Even though Wicked isn't the first show I've ever seen, it's the first cast recording I've ever listened to, and got me into theatre. Before coming out, I listened to "Defying Gravity" non-stop, now my favorite song is "No Good Deed" :)

[Bell0708]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 6:45pm

Oh, where to begin?  My favorite movie has always been the Wizard of Oz, but oddly enough, I think of "Wicked" as separate from the WOO movie.  I think I care more for the book than the songs, although I love "No Good Deed".  I don't know, Wicked just brings me to my happy place.

[rcwr]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 6:54pm

Also the beltfest that is that score. And the orchestrations.

This.

[broadwaysfguy]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 6:57pm

Top five things I love about Wicked:

1) I get completely immersed in the show and story, and love it just as much every time I see it

2) I identify with Elphaba as a misunderstood outsider

3) I think its a fantastic and very listenable score as evidenced by its grammy, gold record and the continued staying power of great songs like defying gravity, popular, for good, and Im not that girl

4) I love underdogs, romance, magic, flying monkeys, catfights and happy endings

5) I've always loved The Wizard of Oz, and love the very clever inversion of the original story and the authoritarian political overtones included during the era of post 9/11

 

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 7:08pm

The pace and the humor.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 7:17pm

I most love the giant enormous expensive dragon that serves no purpose.

[Cupid Boy2]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 7:21pm

While Wicked isn't the most beloved show around here, it will always hold a special place in my heart. It was my gateway to the world of theatre about seven years ago, and I hate to think how many wonderful memories I would've missed out on had this show not shown me the beauty of the stage. 

Updated On: 9/30/15 at 07:21 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 7:26pm

Aside from the show itself, the original t-shirt. A real t-shirt that hasn't shrunk, is the actual size on the tag and that I still wear 11 years later!

[ChildofEarth]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 8:30pm

FindingNamo said: "I most love the giant enormous expensive dragon that serves no purpose.

 

"

I believe it is a gentle nod to the book Wicked.

[Fantod]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 8:32pm

The fact that it has brought millions of young people to the theatre world

[bwayrose7]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 9:06pm

I make no secret that Wicked is my personal favorite musical, and has meant a lot to me for many years. I love the way it deconstructs the Oz mythology and the notions of morality that come along with it, while showing how the construction of popular myth happens. I love the music, even the "lesser" songs, and the way it completely brings you into the world and the characters. I love how there's so many tiny nuances of character that each actor can bring out in a slightly different way. I love the all-too-rare focus on female friendship as the defining relationship in the show. I love how its popularity and appeal has brought so many non-theater people to the theater, especially young people. I love the characters, so much. And most of all, I love how no matter how many times I see it, I still feel genuinely moved every single time. 

[rcwr]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 9:15pm

I love the all-too-rare focus on female friendship as the defining relationship in the show.

bwayrose7, regarding core female friendship: if you haven't seen it yet, keep an eye out for Waitress when it opens on Broadway in March. :)

[Glittergrrl]

Posted: 9/30/15 at 9:24pm

I don't love Wicked, but I did see it with one of my besties and the female friendship at its heart really resonated with me.  If I had to see it with anyone else, I probably wouldn't have liked it as much.  

I liked Kristen singing Popular.  Very catchy.

I remember being let down by the sets.  For a big Broadway musical, I thought the sets should have been more impressive.

Idina Menzel doesn't have my favorite voice.  She's too American Idol for me, but the staging of Defying Gravity was pretty cool.

 

[luvcaroline]

Posted: 10/1/15 at 9:05am

I saw this with my best friend and her 2 sons near the end of Idina's run.  My friend has never been a huge theatre fan (and still has little interest in theatre), but she still talks about Idina's performance that night, whenever the subject of Broadway comes up.  It always puts a smile on my face, knowing that I'm the theatre nut and she's just a casual fan, at best.  One of her sons has been a fan of theatre ever since, directly as a result of that performance.  I'm not a huge fan of Wicked, but I appreciate the fact that it's brought millions to the theatre worldwide.  And there's no denying that "Defying Gravity" is one of the best Act One finales ever. 

[darquegk]

Posted: 10/1/15 at 10:53am

I love the orchestrations because I'm a sucker for any show that includes a specific and unique instrument or sound in its score that appears rarely if ever elsewhere. And Wicked uses the Ebow-Seekwah combo to get that strange textured guitar sound.

[Broadwaywest]

Posted: 10/1/15 at 11:29am

Not the biggest fan of Wicked (didn't see it for years, because I love the book so much, until it played the smith center in vegas and then again in London for my boyfriend) but I love...

1. That it is an original show only influenced a little by the film. 

2. That is has 2 female leads.(despite the love triangle)

3. The lighting is really impressive, as is the set in general

4. The song Popular. Definitely one of the best in Stephen Schwartz's music catalog.

5. That this show has been a gateway to get a younger audience to fall in love with theater

[Justin D]

Posted: 10/1/15 at 12:26pm

The set

 

 

I don't care if the time dragon is not mentioned in the show but that set is still kick ass

[WickedAwesome]

Posted: 10/1/15 at 12:51pm

Over 4 years ago when I made this account (especially the username), Wicked was my biggest love. It was definitely my gateway drug to theater and I will always be thankful for introducing me to the broadway world. I know for many others it has done the same which is why I still love the show so much.

[degrassifan]

Posted: 10/1/15 at 2:09pm

What I love most about Wicked are the songs! I was never a big fan of Wizard of Oz, so I didn't really care about Wicked when I first heard about the show. Also, I wasn't into musical theater then. But, when I heard Popular one day, I was enthralled. 

[ChgoTheatreGuy]

Posted: 10/1/15 at 2:14pm

My favorite WICKED memory was that after "Defying Gravity" finished and the house lights came up for the intermission, I turned around to see a 6 year old girl sobbing, she was terrified that Elphaba and flown to the top of the proscenium and was completely inconsolable.  The thing that always bothered me the most were the ignorant people that would watch the first act and then leave at intermission because the show wasn't "WIZARD OF OZ' enough for them...