THINK OF IT AS PERSONALITY DIALYSIS: Wicked debuted on Broadway ten years ago tonight, and you'll never guess which number topped Vulture's ranking of its songs.
From Ben Brantley's decidedly mixed 10-31-03 review: "The talented Ms. Menzel will no doubt dazzle audience members whose musical tastes run to soft-rock stations. But for aficionados of the American musical, it's Ms. Chenoweth who's the real thing, melding decades of performing traditions into something shiny and new. Wicked does not, alas, speak hopefully for the future of the Broadway musical. Ms. Chenoweth, on the other hand, definitely does."
That was just a remarkable season all around--not only did you have Wicked and Avenue Q, but Deaf West's Big River (still one of my fondest theatrical memories), Hugh Jackman's astounding work in Boy From Oz (even if the show itself is dodgy), Assassins, Caroline, Or Change, Wonderful Town, Taboo (which a number of folks swear by), a much-acclaimed Raisin in the Sun revival (which was a massive hit because Sean Combs was in it), and I Am My Own Wife.
ReplyDeleteThe documentary they did about that year was excellent -- "ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway." What a terrific year.
ReplyDeleteThe song that first hits you from that show is clearly "Defying Gravity." But over the years, the one that has grown on me and become my favorite is "For Good," especially that little upturn in the note in "Who can say-ay?" Or maybe I'm just a sucker for songs about friendship.
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