Wicked & Hairspray News

[Otto]

Two of Broadway's biggest success stories this decade - Wicked and Hairspray - could be produced in Australia next year.

Rumour has it that John Frost and SEL are set to confirm an Australian production of Hairspray will be staged in mid-2006, while rumours persist about the arrival of Wicked, which is the most popular musical in America at the moment.

Wicked picked up a number of Tony Awards earlier this year and is essentially the back story to The Wizard of Oz. With a sparkling score and fresh story, this true book musical would wow audiences in Sydney and could spell the end of the disco musical, which Sydney has become so used to.

While musical societies do a wonderful job, it would be a shame to see them score the rights to either of these brilliant shows before they were staged professionally in Australia. Wicked in particular requires incredible professionals to pull off what is a truly remarkable show.

Wicked could be the first to announce its season - with rumours of possible auditions being announced within the next three months currently burning the ears of the theatre world.

[Sally]

Otto said:

and could spell the end of the disco musical

I like the sound of that

[nadine]

That reminds me I have to read Wicked - I've had the book sitting on my bookshelf for ages

Otto thanks for bringing that across and I second that I like the sound of that regarding ending the disco musical

[RoseFyre]

gossipcom said:

That reminds me I have to read Wicked - I've had the book sitting on my bookshelf for ages

One warning - the book and the musical are very very very very different. I cannot emphasize that enough - they tell two very different stories, with not much at all that's similar. Personally, I enjoy both, but...the only way I can do that is by mentally separating the stories, and not confusing them in my head.

[nadine]

Thanks for the heads up Rose - I've heard they are different - I just adore Gregory Maguire's writing, so I have to read it

[Sally]

gossipcom said:

Thanks for the heads up Rose - I've heard they are different - I just adore Gregory Maguire's writing, so I have to read it

I'm reading Wicked at the moment, on the recommendation from a friend who loves but hasn't seen the musical...it's exceptionally good and I'd definitely recommend it as a stand-alone text, if you haven't read it yet.

[wonderful]

rosefyre said:

One warning - the book and the musical are very very very very different. I cannot emphasize that enough - they tell two very different stories, with not much at all that's similar. Personally, I enjoy both, but...the only way I can do that is by mentally separating the stories, and not confusing them in my head.

i remember a friend of mine asking why they changed nessarose from armless to being in a wheelchair for the musical........we're never going to let him live that down ("cut off her arms!")

the best description ive heard is the musical is the "disney-version" of the book, and it has to create conflict by making the character of fiyero more important than he actually is for the inevitable love triangle.

apart from that, the bases are pretty similar, its just the execution -- the book is very subtle, the musical kind of points things out with flashing lights so you cant miss it (and that said it IS a wonderful musical, and there are some things that the book doesnt go in to enough that the musical DOES elaborate on quite nicely)

[RoseFyre]

wonderful said:

rosefyre said:

One warning - the book and the musical are very very very very different. I cannot emphasize that enough - they tell two very different stories, with not much at all that's similar. Personally, I enjoy both, but...the only way I can do that is by mentally separating the stories, and not confusing them in my head.

i remember a friend of mine asking why they changed nessarose from armless to being in a wheelchair for the musical........we're never going to let him live that down ("cut off her arms!")

That part I didn't mind at all. I mean, I'm not making them cut off somoene's arms for the show! The wheelchair honestly wasn't a bad idea.

...It was the rest of the changes that were a problem.

wonderful said:

the best description ive heard is the musical is the "disney-version" of the book, and it has to create conflict by making the character of fiyero more important than he actually is for the inevitable love triangle.

apart from that, the bases are pretty similar, its just the execution -- the book is very subtle, the musical kind of points things out with flashing lights so you cant miss it (and that said it IS a wonderful musical, and there are some things that the book doesnt go in to enough that the musical DOES elaborate on quite nicely)

Oh, there's some huge changes - I mean, yeah, the basic idea is the same, but...so many changes. I mean, look at the time frames. Apart from the flashback to her birth at the beginning, the musical takes place over about...a year? Two? Not long. The book, on the other hand, covers at least 30 years. At least.

And I'm sorry, but Glinda becomes so much more...petty in the the musical. She's petty in the book, but not nearly so much as in the musical, and the motivation for the name change...so much more striking in the book. That was one part that really hit me in the book, and in the musical, it didn't really mean anything.

And they killed Fiyero. Really killed him. Really. I'm sorry, but they turned him into Avaric with Glinda being in love with him. So not the case. Bleh.

*sigh* I like the musical, but it's not the same story to me. Not at all.

[Sally]

Oh god, armless Fed, that make me cackle.

I'm sorry, but they turned him into Avaric with Glinda being in love with him.

So true! Kicked out of every school? No!! Where's our shy little Winkie prince?

The Fiyero changes irk me as well. And for the romances, I can get Elphaba/Fiyero because it's bookverse...even if I don't really like the way it was incorporated into the musical. But G(a)linda/Fiyero is just so hellishly wrong. It then also cheapens Elphie/Fiyero a bit imo - not that I was a huge fan of the pairing to begin with (and I'm not gonna get into THAT here because it's book stuff), but I really don't like the love stories in the musical. They just seem to be a bit standard, a bit tossed in almost for the hell of it and then written around. The story's so much more than that, it's beautiful enough if they'd just highlighted the friendship, without having to stick a guy in there.

I must admit though, I do quite like some parts of musical Nessa, and always have the most trouble drawing the line between her and book Nessa. I guess that'll change once I actually see the whole thing The others are a lot more black and white: here's one, here's the other, you almost can't confuse them at all. G(a)linda especially, as RoseFyre said, and Fiyero who's just not even the same damn character. Glinda has moments of redemption but there's also bits where I've thought gee, I really don't like her (or, what they've made her do) at all. And not in the good way.

and the motivation for the name change...so much more striking in the book. That was one part that really hit me in the book, and in the musical, it didn't really mean anything.

I swear, I didn't even see it the first time I read the libretto, I had to go looking. They completely made a joke out of it. A clever joke, but still - they toned down the Dillamond stuff far too much as well. Obviously so, but...hmph.

And as much as I adore Wicked, I love even more picking it apart *evil grin* there's a fabulous 'script' at Broadway Abridged that just makes a mockery of it, and everything us book-lovers adore to make fun of

So very "Disneyfied" - but I still love more about it than I'll make fun of. And it's easy enough to ignore Fiyero

[RoseFyre]

You're right - Nessa is...another character who got completely changed...though not quite as much as Fiyero - she's still got the physical disabilities, and the feelings of not belonging, and she's a bit of a bitch as well once she's the Eminent Thropp, but...Nessa in the musical knows she's going to be Thropp, and that makes a huge difference. And she doesn't have the connection to Boq in the book either.

Okay, Broadway Abridged? Rocks. Period. Go read now! *dies of laughter*

And yeah, it's "disneyfied" which means that I can enjoy the book, and I can enjoy the musical, but only if I accept that they're not the same damn story at all.

[Sally]

rosefyre said:

You're right - Nessa is...another character who got completely changed...though not quite as much as Fiyero - she's still got the physical disabilities, and the feelings of not belonging, and she's a bit of a bitch as well once she's the Eminent Thropp, but...Nessa in the musical knows she's going to be Thropp, and that makes a huge difference. And she doesn't have the connection to Boq in the book either.

I was a bit iffy on that at first - the Boq/Nessa bit I mean, but then it actually seems to work, from what I've seen/heard. And I actually *do* like how they tied Boq in with...any amount of things that will be very spoilerish. But in the act of condensing the book into the musical, I'm not at all irked by the melding of Boq and the certain other character, thus also negating any need for Milla, who wasn't really much of a character to begin with. (She always seemed to disappear just when things got interesting!)

Nessa doesn't really feature as much in the book to get as much of a grip on her at first, but I *love* her inherent bitchiness (the whole "don't you know affection when you see it" dialogue), and I love how they made her a bit of a bitch in the musical as well. And that's how I have trouble distinguishing - I know what she did in each text, but the line becomes a bit blurred.

Okay, Broadway Abridged? Rocks. Period. Go read now! *dies of laughter*

I *always* get the biggest kick out of Norbie asking Joe Mantello just *why* he 'adores Idina'. It's so hilariously underwritten

Oh, and probably the *littlest* thing that somehow annoys me the greatest? The lyric "I've always wanted to see the Emerald City" - because Glinda's snobbish "brash upstart of a city" is one of my tiny little pleasures. What was it? Her "Gillikinese superiority asserting itself"? I can't be bothered running to the other room to get my book. But yeah, just that little change of character, that pinpoints so perfectly all the other, larger changes of character. I love the growth of Glinda in the book

[RoseFyre]

I can see how you'd like Boq being tied in, and it does work well enough, but I don't like that they also tied Fiyero in. In the book, he's not, and here he is...I don't like that.

Agreed that Milla is a losable character. I mean, I even understand why they took out Sarima (?), the sisters, and the kids, but that doesn't mean I like it. Nanny shouldn't have been eliminated, though.

You're right that Nessa does retain the bitchiness, which does make her one of the less changed characters. Actually, Elphaba is probably one of the least changed, though the musical doesn't let her get bitter enough.

Glinda is such an interesting character in the book, and in the musical...she's so...petty. She doesn't change. Bleh. I didn't like her much in the musical, or at least I couldn't see her as the same person - I mean, they made her into the leader, which works for the musical, but...she's not. In the book. She's of lower status, and she gets stuck with Elphie as a roommate, and she's trying to move up.

[Sally]

rosefyre said:

I can see how you'd like Boq being tied in, and it does work well enough, but I don't like that they also tied Fiyero in. In the book, he's not, and here he is...I don't like that.

Oh, I know! In the book, she only *thinks* he is, and then he isn't. It's just kind of wrong. And that's really had to say without giving out spoilers, hah. Can't he just be gone, and stay gone?

Although I DO admit to liking the idea of the ending...probably because it makes me want to bawl. It's a bit of a guilty pleasure... - very clever twist, although that said, the way they treated water and Elphaba in the musical I don't entirely agree with because it's very much in the book that it hurts her. And I *don't* think the musical creators were heading down the path of the parallels between Saint Aelphaba of the waterfall, and how when Elphie runs across the water it freezes underfoot so she can rescue Chistery Although that ending...I guess more turning the film The Wizard of Oz on its head, than the book, so I can live with it.

(That and the image of Glinda and the hat...oh god.. *bawls* I'm a sucker for anything Elphie/Glinda )

Agreed that Milla is a losable character. I mean, I even understand why they took out Sarima (?), the sisters, and the kids, but that doesn't mean I like it. Nanny shouldn't have been eliminated, though.

There's no Ama Clutch either, is there? I actually didn't realise there was no Nanny though - and I heard Kiamo Ko is actually mentioned, but only in passing? It's like they trimmed out the whole 'In the Vinkus' section almost, which is understandable when you consider how much time that encompasses (nine hour show anyone?), and how serious a lot of it is...I can't see it lending too well to musical theatre. It's hard, I mean if I were going to make a musical of the book, I'd probably also concentrate heavily on the Gillikin and City of Emeralds chapters, and then speed quickly to The Murder and its Afterlife, because In the Vinkus *does* introduce quite a few new characters, that there'd be just no time for Although there are some things in there that I'm sure would work well...now my mind's ticking away lol

Glinda is such an interesting character in the book, and in the musical...she's so...petty. She doesn't change. Bleh.

They pretty much keep her as Galinda, don't they - I mean, the name change is there, but for what? There's no Galinda-into-Glinda, it's *just* a name change. The true Glinda, no matter how much her ugly skill at snobbery returns in her later years, would never pretend to have not known Elphaba, just to keep up appearances.

[RoseFyre]

I do like the idea of the ending, but like I said, it makes it a different story. And the Glinda with the hat bit definitely is...touching. It's one of the few pieces that is. But it shouldn't be Glinda with the bottle, it should be Dorothy, because Dorothy doesn't know, and the fact that she doesn't makes it all the more meaningful.

Nope, no Ama Clutch. And no Nanny - which made Nessa rather more self-sufficient.

I understand why they got rid of the Vinkus part, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. You're right, it doesn't lend itself to a musical, and it's not happy, and that's a lot of the point of it.

You know what bothers me? When people see the musical and then read the book, and say "oh, the book was so depressing, the musical is so much better," and I'm like "the book came first! Can't you just see the beauty of the book?" Because it is beautiful, and the musical is fun, but it's not beautiful, except in a few passing moments.

[Sally]

rosefyre said:

But it shouldn't be Glinda with the bottle, it should be Dorothy, because Dorothy doesn't know, and the fact that she doesn't makes it all the more meaningful.

Ouch, they made that whole bit so painfully obvious, it hurts. Like, let's spell it out...and then just in case anyone DIDN'T get it, let's spell it out again...and then, oh what the hell, we'll SAY it, just to make sure. Overkill. (And I love the way the Broadway Abridged script deals with *that*, heh)

You know what bothers me? When people see the musical and then read the book, and say "oh, the book was so depressing, the musical is so much better," and I'm like "the book came first! Can't you just see the beauty of the book?" Because it is beautiful, and the musical is fun, but it's not beautiful, except in a few passing moments.

Oh god yes. Same for any text though - I personally will always at least try to read the book first and compare that way. This one, a friend of mine refused to let me see any of the libretto, or hear/see any of the clips, until I was well and truly finished the book. My initial reactions were very much of the "wtf Fiyero?!" type (In fact, the only time I've actually truly enjoyed Fiyero/Elphaba, was when Taye Diggs was Fiyero. And that obviously hardly counts, lol)

Or, people who won't even read the book, because it's so different. Grrr. The book's so much deeper - go and read it, explore! All the musical really is, is the icing on top of the cake. It's too sweet and unsubstantial if you have it on its own, except in very small bites.

but it's not beautiful, except in a few passing moments.

For me, the musical totally redeems itself with For Good - I can stand everything else that it does not to my liking, just to hear that one, gorgeous song; and especially the last, final bit - it's one bit that the book, imo, was lacking; although Glinda lighting a candle was a nice touch at least.

But it's a rare show that has two female leads, where the male lead definitely takes a backseat to their growing friendship - yes, and should have taken an even smaller backseat, instead of sticking his nose in I've heard it said that it's one of very few to do that, and I can't off the top of my head think of any others.