Preparing for Wicked

Note: I wrote this before I saw Wicked, I was just too busy to post it.

                I have a confession to make: I’ve never seen Wicked.  I just haven’t had the chance yet.  But all that is about to change.  On April 19^th, I will be seeing the national tour of Wicked at the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, NC.  My seat is in row A.  I am so excited.  Just like an actor prepares for a role, I have been preparing to see the show.  Okay, so maybe it isn’t just like an actor preparing for a role, but I have been getting ready.

                I just finished reading Gregory Maguire’s novel Wicked, which (obviously) is the source material for the musical.  For some reason, I was under the impression that the book would be appropriate for younger readers as well, but that’s so not the case.  The book is intense, it’s graphic, it’s explicit at times, and it’s gritty.  I really enjoyed it.

                I’ve been told that the musical is quite different from the novel, but I’m always interested in seeing how things are adapted from their source material.  Besides, I realize that, outside of Oz, there’s not actually a way to pronounce animal and Animal differently.  I respect differences, but my hope for Wicked (and any adaptation) is that the musical has the same feel as the source material, that the essence is still there.

                I’ve listened to the Original Broadway Cast album, and of course I’ve seen Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth’s performance of “Defying Gravity” from the Tony Awards.  What I haven’t done is read a synopsis of the show.  I want some things to be a surprise.

                All in all, I’m ready.  Bring on Wicked!